QSR February 2023

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii

restaurants and grew up cook ing campsite meals with family in Argentina. Almost everything at Call Your Mother is made in-house. If it isn’t, it’s sourced from a trusted partner, like Z&Z, Logan’s Sau sage, and Liberty Delights. During the height of COVID, Dana and Moreira grew their team to 200 workers and expanded ben ef its to feature language classes, practical skills workshops, and parental leave. Call Your Mother supports the local D.C. community through partnerships with Urban Alliance, AYUDA, Food Rescue, and Martha’s Table. In 2023, Call Your Mother will expand beyond Washington, D.C., for the f irst time, opening three new stores in Denver. Harlem Shake HEADQUARTERS: HARLEM, NEW YORK UNITS: 2

The 40/40 List

HEADQUARTERS: CENTENNIAL, COLORADO

UNITS: 28

Aname likeBadAss Coffee of Hawaii will natu rally garner some attention, but the Colorado-based coffee and cafe brand has the beans to back it up. After relaunching under new ownership and leadership in 2018, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is making a name for itself as a rejuvenated 33-year-old fran chise brand. Led by CEO Scott Snyder, the coffee company recently signed its largest deal in brand history to open 20 loca tions in Florida. With about 80 additional units sold and in vari ous stages of development, the concept is well on the way to its goal of opening 150 new loca tions over the next five years. “I saw its potential and knew what was missing to transform Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii to new levels of success,” Snyder told QSR in August 2022. “We knew The retro burger joint was founded in 2012 by Jelena Pasic, who fell in love with Harlem’s warmth, charm, history and spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. Her own small-town Croatian roots instilled a strong sense of local community pride and passion for tradition in Pasic, so she ensured the dining experience would pay hom age to Harlem’s history through careful design and an ongoing rela tionship with community members, which includes predominantly hiring folks living in the Har lem neighborhood. For example, eight draught beers.

BAD ASS COFFEE OF HAWAII / NATALIE BROWN SMOKEY MO’S BBQ

from the start that there would be a lot of change to manage in the organization, so leadership alignment around one common vision would be critical. Even after the pandemic started, we maintained our focus on the vision but were still able to exe cute efficiently and pivot as a teamwhen met with challenges.” In addition to aggressive franchise sales and development, Bad Ass Coffee also experienced a 66 percent increase in aver age unit volume in 2021 to $720,000, which is up 76 percent from 2019. The brand debuted new store prototypes in 2022 designed to ignite rapid growth, plus rolled out a new point-of sale system that integrates online ordering and loyalty on one platform. And a significant menu innovation project with Den ver-based Food & Drink Resources provided a road map for the brand’s future food and beverage options, which will be on trend and inspired by its Hawaiian heritage. “Bad Ass Coffee’s dedication to sharing Hawaiian coffee starts with its longstanding partnerships with multi-gener ational Hawaiian coffee farmers, including Greenwell Farms in Kona—the oldest coffee farm on the Hawaiian Islands and one Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is proud to call a partner for the past 33 years,” says Chris Ruszkowski, senior vice president of marketing for the brand. “Through these partnerships, the brand embraces its unique practice of harvesting some of the highest-quality coffee beans in the world.”

Smokey Mo’s BBQ

Dardra Coaxum is a Harlem native who manages the brand’s social media and community relations for the restaurant’s second location in Brooklyn, which opened in Octo ber 2021 despite pandemic-related challenges. With a goal to expand the retro, fast-casual concept into more beloved neighborhoods, Harlem Shake is working on ref ining its franchise program and developing a sales team, though it will continue opening corporate-owned locations to grow its footprint. The brand has registered to sell franchises in 31 states.

HARLEM SHAKE

Harlem Shake serves up burgers, shakes, “and good times” amid a backdrop of vintage diner decor and more than 200 autographed celebrity headshots, fromMaya Angelou to P.Diddy and Asap Rocky. In addition to burgers made with custom blend Pat LaFrieda patties, Harlem Shake offers other made-to-order fare including all beef hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, Jerk Fries, grilled cheese melts, entree-size salads, and an extensive beer and wine selection including

HEADQUARTERS: CEDAR PARK, TEXAS

UNITS: 17

Smokey Mo’s BBQ offers its Texas style throughout the central part of the state, including low and slow

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FEBRUARY 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com

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