QSR February 2023

in together. Liniger joined as an investor and later sought out his own regional development agreement. He was the first to ignite a chain of regional development deals, securing 20 units split evenly between Arizona and Colorado. A year after starting its franchising journey, Dad dy’s hosted a regional developer conference in Las Vegas. The small menu helped streamline oper ations and Daddy’s tech chops created a systemwhere the brand could track and moni tor performance. Daddy’s selection of chicken sandwiches is best described as a confluence of Southeast Asian, American South, and Jap anese culture, partly an ode to Georgalas, who is half-Japanese. For instance, the Big Daddy sandwich comprises napa slaw and sriracha mayo, while the Spicy Daddy features sam bal, cilantro, and ginger mayo. For dessert, the restaurant offers salted miso chocolate chip cookies, baked fresh each day. The regional developer approach is a hybrid of sorts; a “train the trainer” system that enables quick growth if executed correctly. Regional developers buy the rights to a territory of a million people that matches the demo graphic of a Daddy’s customer. They’re then required to open a store (or more). After, they sub-franchise the other nine units, almost like a mini franchisor. The idea being they get a flag ship location certified as a training store and lay the blueprint for regional operators. This way, training is hyper local and franchisees aren’t reliant on corporate for every level of support. Getting these developing units open is on

The 40/40 List

PACE AND CHRIS’ RESTAURANT FAMILY IS GROWING ALONGSIDE THEIR OWN.

what I’m super passionate about.” Speaking of chemistry, being married and also being business partners isn’t for everybody, Webb laughs. “I’ll say that off the bat,” she says. “But it’s definitely for us.” Before they started Daddy’s, Webb says she was given a piece of advice—stay in your respective lanes, define roles and responsi bilities, and make sure one person doesn’t feel like the boss of the other. Technically, Webb is the CEO and Georgalas president. “It just really works. We’ve also got a very different skillset and the way we approach problem solving, thinking, is also very different and so it’s very complementary,” she says. Webb focuses on ops and culinary, while Georgalas oversees marketing and tech. He’s more of a macro thinker whereas Pace dives in. Again, however, the nuances aren’t as vital as the high-level pic ture, which is something Daddy’s continues to keep in sight. “You just go through incredible highs and experiences and then you have incredible challenges at times,” Georgalas says. “But we find that we’re saying during both of those scenarios that we get to do this together, and it doesn’t matter.” Webb was pregnant when Daddy’s debuted. They now have two daughters and Georgalas jokes Webb runs the household like she does the restaurant. “Parts to reorder, a toy list,” Webb quips. But throughout it all, Georgalas says, Daddy’s chemistry has held because the goal has stayed unshakable—develop a restaurant that empowers others to excel. “That’s what makes us feel really good about what we’re doing,” Georgalas says. ➺

the horizon for Daddy’s, which has forced Georgalas and Webb to undergo a crash course on franchising and expansion: to make sure real estate selection, tech, marketing, and using data to attract and reengage guests is tight and ready to replicate. “And then culture. I think the harder part of franchising—yes, very systems and process focused. But how do you scale a culture?” Webb says. “Because one place can have a delicious chicken sandwich, but if they don’t have a good hospitality experience that’s just really going to hurt, especially for an emerging brand.” Georgalas calls this, “scaling a feeling.” One element Daddy’s has going in its favor is how the chain took root. The ability to deliver dig ital hospitality—a target brands across the lexicon are working back against these days—was something Daddy’s developed from the ground floor. It started with a blank canvass in one of the biggest par adigm shifts in sector history. “It’s exciting and we’re up for it,” Georgalas says. “And again, we have a responsibility and we’re going to give every ounce of effort we have to set people up for success, both internally and our team. Fran chisees and developers, just across the board.” Daddy’s will focus on regional growth so it can quality control and wield purchasing power. Once it establishes an area, the brand will refocus before heading elsewhere. “I like to see other people win,” Webb says. “I know I can make an awesome piece of food. I know I can make a great fried chicken sandwich. I know I can run a restaurant if I’m there five, six days a week. I know all that. I don’t need to prove that anymore. I want to make opportunities for other people—that’s

DADDY’S CHICKEN SHACK

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FEBRUARY 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com