Empires

Brandon Hurst went from - in his own words - “a broke college student” working overnight shifts, to becoming one of the top-performing Chick-fil-A operators in the country, now running multiple locations that generate tens of millions in revenue.
In this conversation, 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. He explains why Chick-fil-A operators don’t build equity like traditional franchisees, and why that tradeoff has major benefits.
We also dive into what it takes to get selected (it’s harder than getting into Harvard), the reality of running a restaurant with 80+ employees, and how Brandon built systems to scale leadership across multiple locations.
He shares how he turned cash flow into investments, built a real estate portfolio, and more.
Plus, we go deep on:
The biggest myths about Chick-fil-A franchising
How COVID accelerated his growth (including 60%+ digital sales)
Why culture, not systems, is the real moat
His “LOVE” philosophy for building teams and developing future leaders
This is a masterclass on modern franchising, leadership, and building wealth through cash flow - not just exits!
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Learn More About Brandon Here
 
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/ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://empirespod.substack.com/

Orhan Veli’s story sounds like a movie.
At age 6, he watched the Soviet Union collapse overnight: chaos, violence, and uncertainty took over.
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.
From there:
Roofing jobs in Florida
Delivering pizzas
Living in a small apartment with no English
Fast forward 20 years…
Orhan now owns 12 restaurant locations generating over $12M in revenue.
But it didn’t come easy:
Borrowing money from family to buy the first store
Working 7 days a week, open to close
Firing his entire staff two weeks into his second location
Nearly going under during the 2008 financial crisis
In this episode, we break down:
How he scaled from 1 to 11 locations
Why he doubled down when others were selling
The real economics behind fast-casual franchises
And the mindset required to build an empire from nothing
This is one of the craziest operator stories we’ve ever recorded.
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/ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://empirespod.substack.com/ Follow Orhan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orhan-veli-24116315/ 
 
⏱️ Chapters 
00:00 From the Soviet Collapse to Chaos 06:00 Building a Business in the Wild West of Capitalism 12:00 Escaping to America with $25K 18:00 Starting Over: Roofing, Pizza Delivery, and Survival 24:00 Learning to Hustle: First Jobs & College Years 30:00 Turning Down Wall Street for Entrepreneurship 36:00 Buying the First Restaurant (All-In with Family Money) 42:00 Early Struggles: Long Hours, Debt, and Doubt 48:00 Scaling to Multiple Locations + Near Collapse in 2008 54:00 The Saladworks Bet & Aggressive Expansion Strategy 60:00 Building an 11-Unit Empire + What Comes Next
 

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. Instead, it came from something much simpler.
Focus.
Founder Antonio Swad built the brand around a radical idea for the time: a takeout-first restaurant with a tiny footprint and a menu built almost entirely around chicken wings.
That simplicity created one of the most scalable franchise models in the industry.
In this episode, we break down:
The unconventional origin story of Wingstop• Why Antonio Swad tested wings in his living room before launching the concept• The private equity deal that transformed the company• How the Troy Aikman partnership helped build the brand nationally• Why Wingstop’s franchise economics became legendary• The technology bet that positioned the brand perfectly for the pandemic• And how Wingstop is now chasing $3M per store in sales
Wingstop didn’t win by being the biggest.
It won by being the most focused.
 

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 to Dutch Bros in a $20M deal.
In this episode, Darren breaks down:
How he went from employee to founder • The 80% pay cut he took to start Clutch Coffee • The real economics of drive-thru coffee • What it’s like managing 400+ hourly employees • Why site selection can make or break a chain • Growing 40% during COVID • The mistake that cost them $10K per month • And how the Dutch Bros acquisition actually came together
This is a full-cycle brick-and-mortar story, from barista to exit.
If you’re building (or thinking about building) a physical retail or franchise business, this episode is a masterclass in culture, real estate, and scaling the right way.

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 • How his first studio became cash-flow positive in under two months • Labor, rent, and margin targets inside a boutique fitness model • The operational realities of scaling to 24+ units • Why debt became harder to secure — and what triggered the private equity decision • How franchise consolidation works in fragmented systems • What private equity actually changes inside a growing business
This conversation is a deep dive into franchise scaling, capital strategy, and disciplined growth in brick-and-mortar businesses.

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. A way for immigrants from Gujarat to arrive in America and immediately have a path to ownership.
From there:
A parallel “handshake loan” financing system was created• Families lived inside their motels to cut costs• Children worked front desk and housekeeping• 60%+ margins were possible through extreme efficiency• Discrimination from banks and insurers forced collective action• The AAHOA was formed to fight systemic prejudice• A Patel-founded bank (The State Bank of Texas) was created to finance hotel owners• And eventually, third-party management and franchising allowed scaling into multi-billion-dollar portfolios
This episode walks through the full evolution:
From one-off motels…To multi-unit ownership…To billion-dollar hotel platforms.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Why Gujarat produced so many hotel entrepreneurs
How the “handshake loan” system actually worked
Why Patels lived inside their motels
How 60% margins were possible
What discrimination they faced in the 1980s
Why AAHOA was created
How a Patel-founded bank now holds $3B in assets Script
Why hotel franchising dominates today
Why Marriott and Hilton keep inventing new sub-brands
How professional management companies allow hotel portfolios to scale

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 eventually acquired the entire brand. Today, 16 Handles has ~40 locations open, dozens more in development, and multiple million-dollar frozen yogurt stores - while competitors stagnate.
In this episode, we break down:
Why frozen yogurt was never actually dead
The unit economics behind 20%+ margins
How Neil turned underperforming corporate stores into cash-flowing assets
Why owning stores as a franchisor keeps incentives aligned
How COVID created the best real-estate opportunities of his career
And what most franchise brands get wrong about growth, PE, and operators
This is a masterclass in operator-led brand revival, smart franchising, and building community-driven businesses that actually work.
🔑 Key Topics / Bullets (Platform-Friendly)
From finance job → franchisee → franchisor
Turning legacy brands into growth machines
Frozen yogurt unit economics (rent, labor, margins)
Why self-serve = automation before AI
Urban vs suburban store performance
Scaling without private equity
Million-dollar dessert stores
Buying brands when founders are “checked out”

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 opportunity after taking a big swing
How Frios scaled with limited capital, grit, and relentless focus on franchisee success
This is a raw, honest look at entrepreneurship: the wins, the near-misses, and the decisions that define long-term success.
If you’re interested in franchising, consumer brands, or building a business around real-world experiences, this episode is for you.
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
🧠 Key Topics / Takeaways
Franchisee → Franchisor transitions
Mobile vs brick-and-mortar business models
Franchise economics without item 19 hype
Manufacturing + franchising under one roof
Why focus beats chasing every growth opportunity
Building a business that prioritizes lifestyle + happiness

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 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
The real unit economics and margins of a Meineke location
How they scaled from 3 stores to 25 through small, disciplined acquisitions
Why people, culture, and operator excellence mattered more than financial engineering
What they’re building next beyond Meineke
This is a rare, transparent look at what it actually takes to scale a blue-collar, brick-and-mortar business.
 
Timestamps
00:00 – Leaving investment banking & private equity for entrepreneurship 02:40 – How prepared were they really to own franchise locations 05:00 – Why they chose partnership instead of going solo 08:10 – Why franchising (and why auto services specifically) 10:20 – Why Meineke stood out vs other auto concepts 11:05 – Meineke unit economics & margins breakdown 13:45 – Why these margins surprised most people 15:00 – How they sourced their very first Meineke acquisition 17:40 – Paying cash vs SBA financing for early deals 18:55 – What makes a Meineke location a “deal killer” 21:00 – The importance of car count & rent discipline 23:10 – Hiring a COO who changed everything 26:00 – Why they moved into their markets after acquisitions 29:30 – Scaling from 5 to 25 locations without breaking operations 32:00 – Buying single stores vs large portfolios 35:10 – How relationships drive their acquisition pipeline 37:30 – What Jack & Jake actually work on day-to-day 40:00 – Are they enjoying the journey? (honest answer) 42:30 – Exit strategy and long-term vision 44:00 – What’s next beyond Meineke

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 actually paid off
This is a rare look into how elite multi-unit operators think about growth, risk, and long-term portfolio strategy.
If you’re serious about franchising, scaling restaurants, or building a durable operating business — this episode is for you.
⏱️ KEY TOPICS / CHAPTER THEMES (for platforms that surface these)
Growing from 1 Dunkin to 100+ stores
How Raj evaluates franchise brands
Dunkin as a portfolio “engine”
Betting early on Dave’s Hot Chicken
Why leadership beats product
Development vs acquisition strategy
Real estate, construction costs, and ROI
The future of QSR and drive-thru brands