Get in Touch Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise Are you a multi-unit owner considering selling your business? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ 📝 Episode Description Wingstop started as a tiny wing shop in Dallas in 1994. Today, it’s a $5+ billion global franchise empire with over 3,000 locations, and one of the most profitable unit economic models in the restaurant industry. But Wingstop’s success wasn’t driven by a massive menu or flashy innovation. Ins...
Mar 14, 2026•40 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Get in Touch Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise Are you a multi-unit owner considering selling your business? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Get in touch with Darren: https://110-ventures.com/ https://leapbrands.io/ 📝 Episode Description Darren Spicer started as a barista at Dutch Bros. Years later, after the company shut down its franchise program, he built his own drive-thru coffee chain from scratch, scaling it to 20 locations before selling it back...
Feb 27, 2026•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Get in Touch Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise Considering selling your franchise locations? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Description In 2016, Jon left a secure family business to invest in a then-emerging boutique fitness concept: Club Pilates. Less than a decade later, he owns 48 studios across three states and recently partnered with private equity to scale toward 100 locations. In this episode, we discuss: The early unit economics of Club Pilates...
Feb 19, 2026•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 22
Get in Contact For multi-unit owners looking to sell their business: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise Description Today, Indian Americans own over 60% of hotels and motels in the United States. Most of them trace back to one region in India: Gujarat. But this didn’t happen by accident. It began in the 1930s with Kanji Desai — the “Godfather of Hospitality” - who saw that motels weren’t just a business…they were a bridge....
Feb 12, 2026•32 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Get in Touch Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise Are you a multi-unit franchise owner considering selling your business? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Partnership Opportunities https://www.empirespod.com/about#about-footer 🧠 Episode Description Frozen yogurt was written off as a dead category. Neil Hershman didn’t buy that. After leaving finance, Neil became a franchisee of 16 Handles, fixed broken operations at the store level, doubled profits, and ev...
Jan 30, 2026•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 20
In this episode, Cliff Kennedy, CEO of Frios Gourmet Pops, shares how he went from being a franchisee to acquiring the entire brand, rebuilding the company from the ground up, and transforming it into a mobile-first dessert empire Interested in We unpack: Why Frios’ product was great, but the company was broken How COVID forced a shift from brick-and-mortar to mobile trucks The economics of a mobile dessert franchise (events, wholesale, and B2B) Why Cliff walked away from a massive CPG opportuni...
Jan 23, 2026•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Get in Contact For multi-unit owners looking to sell their business: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise Get in touch with the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-buckley-%F0%9F%8C%AD-89539499/ Get in touch with Jack and Jake: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-foster-098030a8/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-mclaughlin-8a67a4126/ Description Jack Foster and Jake McLaughlin left careers in investment banking and private...
Jan 06, 2026•48 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Raj Patel is one of the most prolific franchise operators in the country. His family started with one Dunkin’ in the late 1980s — today, Raj oversees a 100+ unit portfolio across Dunkin’, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and several other brands. In this episode, we go deep into: How Raj decides which brands to bet on Why leadership matters more than food What it’s really like to scale from 1 store to 100+ How he evaluates new builds vs acquisitions Why Dave’s Hot Chicken felt like a “lottery ticket” — and a...
Dec 21, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Most people think private equity “kills” franchise brands. But in this episode, Adam Lewin — CEO of Wonder, a holding company for franchisors and multi-site operators — explains why the truth is far more nuanced. Adam breaks down: How Wonder evaluates franchise acquisitions Why they refuse the typical “platform” roll-up model What emerging franchisors get wrong Why franchise hype cycles (Dave’s Hot Chicken, Seven Brew) are dangerous How wonder decides when to build corporate stores vs. franchise...
Nov 25, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Are you a multi-unit franchisee looking to sell your locations? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Are you interested in buying a top new restaurant franchise? https://eatagape.com/franchise/ Keni’s story begins in 1982, when his family immigrated to the U.S. with nothing but visas and a network of distant relatives. Like many Patels from Gujarat, his family moved directly into a relative’s motel—18 people living on-site while working every role from housekeeping to front desk to maintenance. Over ...
Nov 17, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Agapé Restaurants: eatagape.com Franchise Info: eatagape.com/franchise Matt started as a Subway employee at 13 — and by his twenties, he owned 12 locations. From there, he expanded into Cinnabon, Dunkin’, and Wingstop, learning hard lessons about unit economics, scaling challenges, and why some brands hit ceilings while others explode. Today, Matt is the co-founder of Agapé, a fast-casual Mediterranean concept born in Columbus that’s now franchising nationwide. We unpack how his decades as a mul...
Oct 23, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Connect with FranDawgs Agape franchise opportunity: https://eatagape.com/franchise/ Buy a franchise: https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise Sell your franchise: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ YouTube: FranDawgs Podcast LinkedIn: Patrick Buckley Episode Summary At just 28, Nico Verano walked out of a private equity job and into the heat—literally. After hearing SweatHouz founder Jamie Weeks pitch the sauna-and-cold-plunge concept, Nico became the first franchisee and built five booming locati...
Oct 15, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Chris Hatch, founder of Dirt Dogs and Forza Commercial, breaks down the business of owning the land beneath America’s top franchises. From Dutch Bros and Raising Cane’s to the dirty soda craze, Chris explains how site selection, drive-thru culture, and brand “soul” shape billion-dollar outcomes. A masterclass on franchising, real estate, and what makes a location truly win. Interested in Agape? https://eatagape.com/franchise/ Sell your franchise: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Buy a franchise: ...
Oct 03, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Austin Smith started his career helping build Savory Fund into a powerhouse that scaled concepts like Swig, Mo’Bettahs, and R&R Barbecue. After years of investing in food & beverage, he made the leap from investor to operator — taking a massive bet on Big Blue Swim School. Considering buying a franchise? Reach out: https://www.frandawgs.com/ If you’re a multi-unit owner considering selling your locations, get in touch: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ In this episode, we dive into: How Sa...
Sep 24, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise For multi-unit franchisees looking to sell their locations: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Kal walked away from a Wall Street career to chase his dream of entrepreneurship — and went 5-for-5 picking winning brands. From butcher shops and pizzerias to Orangetheory, European Wax Center, Marco’s Pizza, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and Popup Bagels, he’s scaled to over 100 locations with a private-equity style approach. We dig into ...
Sep 12, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 10
For help evaluating franchises, reach out: https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise For multi-unit owners considering selling their locations: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Jon Benson’s journey into franchising wasn’t traditional. After scaling a Utah startup from $20M to $450M in sales, and later launching a COVID testing lab that served thousands of people a day, Jon stumbled across GameDay Men’s Health on LinkedIn. Within weeks, he went from curious prospect to signing a five-territory dea...
Aug 27, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 9
If you’re a multi-unit franchisee considering selling your locations, get in touch https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Interested in buying a franchise? Reach out here: https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise Episode Summary: In this episode of FranDawgs, Patrick sits down with Margarette and her husband Richard - franchise operators who turned their passion for resale into a thriving multi-unit Uptown Cheapskate business. They share how they went from running large independent thrift shops to bui...
Aug 20, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 8
🎙️ Guest: Jacob Horton, Multi-Unit Franchisee at Scenthound and Co-Founder of SBA Source 📍 Location: Birmingham, AL & Nashville, TN If you’re a multi-unit franchisee considering selling your locations, get in touch https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ Interested in buying a franchise? Reach out here: https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise 🔥 Episode Summary: Jacob Horton went from PowerPoint presentations to puppy baths, and built the #1 Scenthound location in the country. In this episode, w...
Aug 12, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode, Patrick sits down with Michael Horowitz to unpack his journey from venture capital and real estate to owning and operating 20 Wingstop franchises in Ohio. Michael shares the full story of how he sourced his initial 7-unit acquisition, competed for the deal, and navigated the franchise transfer process without prior restaurant experience. They dive deep into the realities of QSR ownership: the challenges of managing frontline labor, the difficulty of being the sole operator, and ...
Jul 29, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Feghali, also known on X as the famous QSRguy, a powerhouse multi-unit franchisee who: Owns 33 Little Caesars across California, Oregon, and Arizona Operates a Jersey Mike’s Founded his own viral cookie-and-coffee concept, Coco Playa, which did $1.3M+ in its first year We cover: 🍕 Ryan’s roots folding boxes in his dad’s Little Caesars and why he initially swore off franchising 🚀 How he went from buying two underperforming stores to scaling a 33-unit pizza ...
Jul 11, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Jacob Jaber helped turn his dad’s corner store in San Francisco into one of the most beloved coffee brands in the country. In this episode, we break down how Philz became a Silicon Valley icon — without ever serving espresso. We cover: How Jacob scaled from 1 store to 80+ The real reason they refused to add espresso machines Why hospitality was always the product (not coffee) Their $100M raise — and the Naval Ravikant story behind it What Jacob looks for now as an investor in brick-and-mortar st...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Bret Borock co-owned 5 Orangetheory studios—including one of the top 10 locations in the country. At the peak, they were printing cash. But when COVID hit, he nearly lost it all. The deal fell through. And Bret had to wait until 2024 to finally exit. So what did he do next? He went from boutique fitness… to garbage. He bought into Smash My Trash—and then doubled down with a Heavyweight Waste franchise. In this episode of FranDawgs Uncut, Bret unpacks: – How he scaled top-performing Orangetheory ...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Taylor Byington owns 12 Crumbl Cookies franchises doing over $13 million a year in revenue — but it didn’t start that way. In this episode, Taylor shares the insane story of how he and his partner signed a franchise agreement with no capital, got ripped off by a contractor for $400,000, and still clawed their way into becoming top operators across four states. You’ll learn: Why they chose Crumbl over other cookie brands What makes Crumbl’s systems and tech so powerful How they financed their fir...
May 26, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In 2009, James Temple had just lost his father to a heart attack. He was 30 years old, getting his MBA at UVA, and facing a choice: take a stable consulting job… or buy a $40K franchise that barely made money. He chose the latter. James partnered with his mother—a retired teacher—and bought a struggling Mathnasium tutoring center in Richmond, VA. It had done just $70K in revenue the previous year. They each put in $10K. His mom lent the business another $20K. The seller carried the rest through ...
May 10, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 1
