• HOT CONCEPTS •
On the CREATE Hot Concepts panel were, from left: Sam Oches, Brianna Keefe, Rich Reyes, Logan Powell, Rodney Strong, Dario Wolos, and Peter Tremblay.
5 RISING BRANDS SHARE SECRETS OF THEIR SUCCESS
From tacos and toast to hot chicken and tech-enabled mini-golf, these growing concepts offer what distinguishes their brands
BY RON RUGGLESS
of Puttshack; Rich Reyes, co-found- er and CEO of Mecha Noodle Bar; Rodney Scott, co-founder of Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ; Peter Trem- blay, chief operating officer of Angry Chickz; and Dario Wolos, founder and CEO of Tacombi. The panel was mod- erated by Sam Oches, editorial direc- tor for Informa Connect, parent com- pany to Nation’s Restaurant News. Keefe of Toastique said she sought franchise partners who shared her passion for the good-for-you brand. “We’re solely looking for owner-op-
erators,” she said. “It’s going to make your life easier getting up and going to sell this every day. And you know they have their own time and money and reputation involved. … That’s how we are choosing our partners.” Toastique can teach the skills, pro- vide the recipes, and offer architec - tural renderings, she added, “but if you don’t enjoy being around people and can’t manage a team and can’t get people to rally behind you and have that same passion, then it’s going to be very hard for you to be successful.”
E xecutives from the half-doz- en 2024 Hot Concepts winners shared what makes their con- cepts, from toast to hot chicken, successful in a competitive environ- ment during the recent CREATE con- ference in Nashville, Tenn. The CREATE: The Event for Emerg- ing Restaurateurs’ Hot Concepts panel included: Brianna Keefe, founder and CEO of Toastique; Logan Powell, CEO
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PHOTO CREDIT: EDIN STUDIOS
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