Empires | All Episodes

How the Iconic New York Pizza Shop is Expanding

Prince Street Pizza went from a single NYC slice shop to one of the most viral pizza brands in America. Prince Street Pizza CEO & co-owner Lawrence Longo breaks down how the brand exploded through Instagram and its iconic Spicy Spring slice. He’s now leading the brand's expansion across the U.S. with a highly selective franchising strategy.

Jersey Mike's Owner Shares Journey

Kavrin McGuire operates 25 Jersey Mike’s locations alongside his father and brother. In our conversation, we dive into everything it takes to operate a Jersey Mike's, how they're scaling the portfolio, and the new brand they just bought into.

The Largest KidStrong Franchise Owner in America

Joe Pedatella owned a successful fitness club before becoming a KidStrong franchisee. Within 5 years, he's become the largest franchisee of this growing brand, and just signed a 60+ unit development agreement.

The Startup That May Have Solved Vertical Farming

Area 2 Farms, a venture backed start up, is trying to bring (vertical) farms into every town across America. They've learned from past mistakes of other vertical farm startups, and have changed the model, which they are now franchising...

Chick-Fil-A Owner Reveals Everything (Masterclass)

Brandon Hurst went from “a broke college student” working overnight shifts, to becoming one of the top-performing Chick-fil-A operators in the country. Brandon breaks down the real Chick-fil-A business model, why the $10K buy-in is misunderstood, and how profit-sharing actually works behind the scenes.

From Soviet Refugee to $12 Million Restaurant Empire

At age 6, Orhan watched the Soviet Union collapse overnight. His family fled with nothing. Within months, his father built a small business…until the mafia burned it down and demanded payment. They eventually escaped to the United States with just $25,000. Fast forward 20 years… Orhan now owns 12 restaurant locations generating over $12M in revenue.

From Dutch Bros Barista to $20M Coffee Chain Exit

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 to Dutch Bros in a $20M deal.

How Jon Smith Quit His Job and Built a Pilates Empire

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.

How Frozen Yogurt Shops Really Make Money

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 eventually acquired the entire brand. In this episode he tells his story, and why he's bullish on the category...

He's Building a Dessert Truck Empire (80+ trucks)

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.

They Quit Private Equity to Become Franchise Owners

Jack Foster and Jake McLaughlin left careers in private equity to build one of the fastest-growing Meineke platforms in the country. In this episode, we break down why they chose Meineke and auto repair over flashier franchises, their unit economics and margins, and how they scaled from 3 stores to 25 in just 2 years.

He Owns 100 Dunkin' Franchises

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.

How Private Equity Thinks About Franchising

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.

The Economics of Hotel Franchises

Keni Patel grew up in the motel/hotel business, and now owns a few himself, in addition to working at a company that invests in luxury hotels. Learn about the wild origins of Indian motel owners, and the economics of different franchises and operating models in this sector.

He Owned 25 Franchises (And Now Launched His Own)

Matt went from a 13-year-old Subway employee to owning 12 stores, later expanding into Cinnabon, Dunkin’, and Wingstop, where he learned what truly scales/ Now he’s co-founder of Agapé, a fast-casual Mediterranean brand franchising nationwide...

The Economics of a Top Wellness & Sauna Franchise

Nico Varano owns 5 SweatHouz franchises, and is building even more. We explore his journey as a franchisee and the economics of his business.

He Builds Fast Food Drive-Thru's For a Living

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.

Swig's 1st Investor - Why he knew it would work

Austin Smith was the 1st employee at Savory Fund, the VC firm that bought a majority stake in Swig nearly a decade ago. We talk through his investment philosophy, and why he believed in the dirty soda concept so long ago. We also discuss why he's now a franchise owner of Big Blue Swim School!

He Owns 5 Dave's Hot Chickens (and is building 20 more)

Kal Gullapalli is 100+ location franchise owner of Dave's Hot Chicken, Pop Up Bagels, and more. In this episode we talk about his entrepreneurial journey - from leaving Wall Street - to buying franchises....

He Quit His Job to Open 5 Testosterone Clinics

Jon Benson raised money to buy 5 GameDay Men's Health franchises. He shares his journey as an entrepreneur in the world of testosterone clinics..

They Make Over $1M in Profit From 4 Thrift Shops

Richard and Margarette Baze bought their first Uptown Cheapskate in 2015. Today, they own 4 locations of the clothing resale franchise, and share everything they know about the business.

He Bought 7 Wingstops (Then Sold 20 of Them)

Michael Horowitz acquired 7 Wingstops, and grew his franchise portfolio to 20. He then sold all his locations to one of the biggest multi-unit franchisees in America, Sizzling Platter

He Owns 6 Dog Grooming Centers (That Make $1.1M)

Jacob Lee left a high profile consulting job to buy a franchise. He now is the top dog grooming franchise owner in America.

He Acquired 33 Little Caesars (That Generate $50M)

Ryan Feghali acquired a few underperforming Little Caesars back in 2016. Now he owns 33 Little Caesars franchises that average $1.5M in revenue. He also owns a Jersey Mike's franchise.

He Built Silicon Valley's Favorite Coffee Chain (Philz)

Jacob Jaber co-founded Philz Coffee with his Dad, turning it into one of the most beloved coffee brands in the country.

He Built and Sold an OrangeTheory Franchise Empire

Bret Borock co-owned 5 Orangetheory franchises, one which was a top 10 location in the country. At the peak, they were printing cash. But when COVID hit, he nearly lost it all....

He Owns 12 Crumbl's That Generate $13M per year

Taylor Byington owns 12 Crumbl Cookies franchises doing over $13 million a year in revenue — but it didn’t start that way.