Top takeaways to help scale your restaurant business with confidence
Growing. Expanding. Scaling. These three words are top of mind for most restaurant operators today. But, whether you want to add a dozen units to your business or hundreds, growth can be hard. That’s why having the right growth strategies in place can make all the difference.
In our recent
Ops Innovators webinar, restaurant leaders from Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and 7 Brew Coffee shared the strategies they’re using to reach their growth goals for 2025. Here are the top takeaways.
1. Tailor your growth strategy to the needs of your new stores.
“We were preparing for accelerated growth a couple years ago, and realized that it's not a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Mike Mann, Vice President, Franchise Services at Freddy’s.
Freddy’s–which plans to open 65 to 75 new stores this year—has a team dedicated to supporting new store openings. They divide new store openings into two categories, each with its own playbook. Smaller franchises with one to three locations get more handholding than larger franchises with four to 10 locations.
“For new franchises that are just getting started, we work very closely with them,” said Mann. “It's more touch points, more visits into their market, deeper reviews into the data, and all those things to make sure they understand what Freddy's culture is, what the experience is supposed to be for the guest, and how to deliver it.”
7 Brew also created a team 100% dedicated to supporting new stand openings.
“For us, it wasn't just about hitting the number of new stand openings,” said Danyel Bischof-Forsyth, Chief Technology Officer at 7 Brew. “It's about doing it the right way.”
Their new store team ensures everything gets done right, while a team dedicated to existing stores monitors those locations’ profitability. Together, these two teams keep 7 Brew on track to reach its goal of opening 250 new locations in 2025.
2. Use data to guide and align your teams.
Data is a powerful resource in ensuring new store launches are going well.
7 Brew has defined KPIs for every department. They regularly share how they’re measuring against these metrics, not only with leadership teams but also with everyone in the company.
“Everybody is in the know,” said Bischof-Forsyth. “There's full transparency on all the things that we're measuring.”
Freddy’s relies on data to track how new stores are doing and how to drive operational excellence across their whole business.
“We track just about everything,” said Mann. “And if we're not tracking it, we will be soon.”
Freddy’s especially hones in on AUV for new stores, sharing these metrics with store teams.
“[New stores] are usually the busiest restaurant in the system when they open up,” said Mann. “We know that there's gonna be a glide down to where they eventually settle in. Our goal is to make that glide path as long as possible and then end it as high of a number as we can. We focus from the get-go on the KPIs of how their performance is going along the way.”
3. Technology and training will support your business as you scale.
Having repeat customers is important to keeping new stores profitable. Both training and technology can set you up for a consistent guest experience.
“We try to automate things as much as possible so that [store employees] can focus on the consumer,” said Bischof-Forsyth. “That's our number one priority.”
Freddy’s is investing in self-auditing for its above-store staff. Above-store staff will learn how to “look at their operations in the same way that a franchise business consultant would or one of our training coaches.” This will help them focus on brand standards, food safety, and facilities needed to keep customers coming back.
These growth strategies are just the starting point.
![[Meet the Panelists] Top Strategies to Grow with Confidence Webinar](https://www.crunchtime.com/hs-fs/hubfs/02501-Crunchtime-OpsInnovators-Growth_blog.png?length=720&name=02501-Crunchtime-OpsInnovators-Growth_blog.png)
