FSR April 2023

NEXTGEN 25

wanted but still have wagyu and Alas kan king crab if they wanted.” A bathtub in the front of the north Cincinnati restaurant serves as the per fect eclectic photoshoot location, and Sarber estimates SOB gets tagged in 20 different social media posts per night of customers lounging in the tub holding a glass of wine. Launching a new concept came with a new set of learnings—and Sarber isn’t afraid to admit things started off a bit on the rocks due to not having the right leadership in place yet. But customers were gracious, and within two months, the team was consistently delivering five-star experiences, led by SOB leader of the house, Christophe Goulle. “He’s a savant in the steakhouse world. He is magic, and he’s helped us make it everything we dreamed of,” Sarber says about Goulle. She also learned that although Agave & Rye generally sees a 20 to 25 percent dip in sales when patio season ends each year, SOB gets busier around the holi days and hosts more Christmas events. “We are heavy on forecasting now so we know what’s coming,” she says. “When you’re a new concept growing quickly, you don’t have data to go off. Now that we have data, it makes it much more predictable what we’re going to do year by year.” As for the future, Sarber will open another SOB in Indianapolis in 2023, and is also preparing to launch a French patisserie called Paris Misfits, which was set to launch next to an Agave & Rye location in a Huntsville, Alabama, life style mall. But the team quickly real ized the space—only 1,500 square feet—could not support the necessary equipment like a hood system. Sarber shifted around her plans so Paris Mis fits will debut in a location in Cincin nati, and a new concept will open in the smaller space called Trashy Dawg. (Sar ber certainly knows how to have fun naming her restaurants.) Trashy Dawg will be EPIC Brands’ first foray into counter service, serving up chicken wings, hot dogs, and other more indulgent bites like garlic Texas Toast

topped with housemade mac and cheese. The menu is engineered to be profitable and play nicely with third-party delivery. “It’s not the crazy devil most restau rants think it is with the percentages they take,” Sarber says about third-party platforms. “You just have to learn how to make it work for your concept.” Sarber has also devised a plan to opti mize their footprint by marketing cer tain menu items separately as virtual brands on third-party websites, like Lick My Chicken and Bussin Burgers. But she still wants to entice customers to visit the fast casual in person so they can order drinks with their meals. “You feel as though the environment is pretty magical and inspiring, and peo ple love coming to our locations and being brought to a playground between the food, beverages, and the team,” she adds. “You feel the team’s energy when you go in the door.” Embracing technology and making sure Trashy Dawg controlled its prime food and labor costs were important aspects Sarber prioritized when devel oping the concept. A team member or two—plus four ordering kiosks—will greet people as they enter. After ordering and paying from the kiosk, orders will be ready for pickup within seven minutes, or you can choose to have an employee deliver it to your table. Delivery drivers will also have designated parking spots and easy access to get in and out of the restaurant as quickly as possible. “Where many people think you’re taking human interaction away, we’re taking the service aspect away and con centrating on hospitality,” Sarber says. “The team members are there to actu ally make your stay and experience more enjoyable versus spending all the time inputting your order and cashing you out.” Plus, customers won’t have to wait for a server to come back to their table to order another drink and can simply order another on their phone app, sav ing time and money. “It helps control your labor, and the food cost is set to the consumer. It’s very approachable and affordable, but yet

the ambiance is going to feel as though you’re being pampered,” she says. And the savings on the labor front will be funneled into providing higher wages for workers. “When it comes to labor, I feel as though the more we pay our team mem bers, the more [it says] we want them to be able to have healthy lives where they’re not having to work two jobs— but you also have to be able to support it within your cost parameters. This is set up for that,” Sarber adds. Though franchising isn’t in the imme diate future for Epic Brands concepts, “WHERE MANY PEOPLE THINK YOU’RE TAKING HUMAN INTERACTION AWAY, WE’RE TAKING THE SERVICE ASPECT AWAY AND CONCENTRATING ON HOSPITALITY.”

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