Corporate Updates: Regional Developments for 2026

Thank you. And we likewise have Clinton Anderson, the CEO of 4th, who will be moderating the discussion with Jason. So Jason, how about I let you offer the audience some info about your background and you can also inform 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 name in 2016three unitsand I've grown it to 26. After a brief stint of trying to be an accounting professional for about a year and a half, I transitioned into gambling establishment property and worked in corporate financing.

I was the first worker there after private equity purchased business. Assisted grow that from 20 to 150 areas, 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 a truly excellent start.

We're at the counter, we bring the food to the table. The key to the program is we have a drink component as well with fresh-squeezed juices and protein shakes.

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A little more complicated than some of the walk-the-line ideas that are out there, however we think we've got something pretty special. We're going to include another store this year and a minimum of 4 stores next year. We will be 31 or so stores by the end of next year.

Major Expansion Milestones in 2026

Hey, everyone. It's fantastic to be with you once again. My name is Clinton Anderson. I'm the CEO here at 4th. I've been in this role for about six years. 4th, as a number of you understand, is a leading provider of software solutions to the restaurant and hospitality industry. Our objective is to help our clients achieve success in driving success and being efficientmanaging labor, handling stock, and essentially supplying them with tools they require to deliver their vision.

It's rare to have business that are beloved and growing rapidly, that can repeat 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 remarkable. I have actually just met a handful of brand names where there was such a strong customer affinity for the brand name.

And now you're doing the very same thing at Chop Store. When you talk to clients about Chop Shop, they love the place. They discuss its distinction. And to be able to take what is a reasonably complex principle in terms of delivering a great experience for the consumer, and have the ability to grow that from a couple of stores to now north of 30 shops next yearit's amazing.

We're going to discuss how to scale a restaurant business. Every restaurateur I ever speak with has imagine taking one shop, two stores, 5 shops, and turning it into something much biggerexpanding throughout the city, throughout the state, into numerous states, and ultimately national, even worldwide reach. But it's hard, particularly in today's environment.

Labor is tough. Stock expenses remain high. It's not an easy time to drive profitability and growth at the exact same time. We're happy to have you here today, Jason, because we're going to dig into that topic. The questions are going to be really around: how do you grow an organization? How do you scale it and make it effective? How do you duplicate early success? And from there, after we speak about your experience and the lessons you've discovered, we 'd love to then say: well, look, how could innovation help? How can you use technology as a multiplier to replicate early success to significant success? Second, beyond technology, how do you scale great groups? And lastly, AI.

National Success in Corporate Scaling

The first question I have for you, Jasonlook, you have actually done this two times now in the dining establishment market. What are some of the lessons you've discovered? What has your experience been in terms of what it requires to actually drive success in broadening restaurants? Tell me a little about your course, what you experienced along the way, and possibly a few of the more difficult lessons you found out.

We talked a little bit before we started about LinkedIn, and I have actually got a post teed approximately follow this next week about what the playbook is likepoint by pointfor growing a service. To me, one of the key things, and I feel very fortunate, is that both brands I have actually been involved with are special.

And there's absolutely nothing exactly like Chop Store in regards to what we're making with a big, diverse menu. The majority of brand names today are really singularly focused in regards to what they're using from a food product. I feel like we began at an advantage with both brands by having something special that filled a niche no one else was doing.

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

Significant Regional Shifts for 2026 Expansion

The second thingI came from a financing background, so a lot of my knowings are more financing and data-driven versus a lot of early start-up restaurateurs who are imaginative types. They like the food, they constructed the menu, they built the brand name.

They don't know their breakeven sales. They do not comprehend how margin improves as sales boost. I have actually seen so numerous companies where the numbers simply do not work.

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If you do not have those two things, you should not be building stores. Since as I hear your description, you have actually highlighted three things: execution, brand name distinction, and financial practicality.

Steps to Scale a Restaurant Brand

Second, you require a compelling brand or distinct concept that resonates with clients. And another essential lesson is about going into brand-new markets.

When we broadened to Dallas, I anticipated new stores to do 5070% of Phoenix sales in the very first year. Too many operators assume new markets will open at full volume day one.