Major Expansion Milestones in 2026

Thank you. And we also have Clinton Anderson, the CEO of Fourth, who will be moderating the discussion with Jason. So Jason, how about I let you offer the audience some details about your background and you can likewise tell them a little bit about Chop Shop. And then I'll let you take it from there, Clinton.

My name is Jason Morgan, CEO of Original Chop Store. We bought the brand in 2016three unitsand I've grown it to 26. After a quick stint of attempting to be an accounting professional for about a year and a half, I transitioned into casino residential or commercial property and worked in corporate financing.

I was the very first employee there after private equity purchased business. Assisted grow that from 20 to 150 locations, took it public in 2014, and after that left about a year and a half after going public to do this at Chop Store. My hope is that we can duplicate the success we had at Zos, and we're off to an actually good start.

We're at the counter, we bring the food to the table. It is mainly protein bowlsabout 40 percent of the mix. We also do salads, sandwiches. The key to the program is we have a drink element as well with fresh-squeezed juices and protein shakes. We do all stables, we do breakfast throughout the day.

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A little more complex than some of the walk-the-line principles that are out there, but we believe we've got something pretty unique. We're going to add another store this year and a minimum of four shops next year. So we will be 31 or so shops by the end of next year.

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I have actually been in this role for about 6 years. 4th, as numerous of you understand, is a leading service provider of software solutions to the dining establishment and hospitality market. Our goal is to help our consumers be successful in driving profitability and being efficientmanaging labor, handling stock, and basically offering them with tools they require to provide their vision.

It's rare to have business that are beloved and growing quickly, that can duplicate that success every year. Jason, one of the factors I was so ecstatic to have you join our session is the success at Zos was fantastic. I've just fulfilled a handful of brand names where there was such a strong consumer affinity for the brand name.

And now you're doing the same thing at Chop Store. When you speak with clients about Chop Store, they enjoy the place. They discuss its distinction. And to be able to take what is a relatively complex idea in regards to providing a great experience for the client, and have the ability to grow that from a couple of stores to now north of 30 stores next yearit's remarkable.

We're going to talk about how to scale a restaurant company. Every restaurateur I ever speak to has dreams of taking one shop, 2 shops, 5 stores, and turning it into something much biggerexpanding across the city, throughout the state, into multiple states, and ultimately nationwide, even international reach. It's not simple, particularly in today's environment.

It's not an easy time to drive success and development at the exact same time. How do you scale it and make it successful? Second, beyond technology, how do you scale excellent teams?

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The first concern I have for you, Jasonlook, you have actually done this two times now in the dining establishment market. What has your experience been in terms of what it takes to truly drive success in expanding restaurants?

We talked a little bit before we began about LinkedIn, and I've got a post teed as much as follow this next week about what the playbook is likepoint by pointfor growing a business. To me, among the key things, and I feel really lucky, is that both brand names I have actually been involved with are unique.

And there's nothing precisely like Chop Store in regards to what we're doing with a large, diverse menu. The majority of brand names today are really singularly focused in terms of what they're providing from a food. I seem like we started at an advantage with both brands by having something unique that filled a niche no one else was doing.

Due to the fact that it's simply more difficult to stand apart when there are 10, 20, 50 ideas within a 2- or three-mile radius trying to do the exact same thing. A lot of it begins with the brand name. Does your brand have something special that no one else is doing? That's rare.

National Milestones in Corporate Scaling

The 2nd thingI came from a finance background, so a lot of my knowings are more finance and data-driven versus a lot of early startup restaurateurs who are imaginative types. They love the food, they constructed the menu, they constructed the brand.

They do not understand their breakeven sales. They don't comprehend how margin enhances as sales increase. I have actually seen so many companies where the numbers simply don't work.

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If you don't have those two things, you should not be constructing shops. Yeah, maybe both? Because as I hear your description, you have actually highlighted 3 things: execution, brand distinction, and monetary viability. You've got to begin with execution. If you don't have an operating design that works, broadening it simply increases problems.

Regional Success in Brand Scaling

Second, you need an engaging brand or distinct concept that resonates with consumers. And another crucial lesson is about going into brand-new markets.

When we broadened to Dallas, I anticipated new shops to do 5070% of Phoenix sales in the first year. A lot of operators presume new markets will open at full volume the first day. That almost never takes place. And when the shops open sluggish, however you have actually signed leases and built a financial model based on higher volumes, you get overextended.