QSR February 2023

Kelly’s Roast Beef HEADQUARTERS: BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS UNITS: 8

Chick-N-Bap HEADQUARTERS: NEW YORK UNITS: 4 Billed as “Born in Korea, Raised in New York,” Chick-N-Bap was first con ceived on a drunken college night in 2013. Founder and then-student Sung Kim was craving the chicken and rice plates that are so common in the Big Apple but virtually nonexistent at his upstate university town. The idea ended up being more than a mere lark; the next day, Kim stocked up on ingredients at Walmart and began experimenting with his own recipe. He sold these dishes (under the radar) out of his off-campus house for a period, and then in 2016, the brand made its grand debut at Bingham ton University’s food court. Chick-N-Bap has since grown to f ive locations in New York state and a Pennsylvania unit—all on college cam puses. Indeed, the brand’s expansion plans are rooted in franchising with uni versity dining operators, like Sodexo, which was its original partner at Bing hamton. At press time, Chick-N-Bap was closing a nationwide licensing deal

The 40/40 List

CORNBREAD (2)

we’re growing our franchise base. I want to make sure we grow enough company-owned stores that we test out our concept,” she notes. With a sweet spot ranging between 1,500 to 2,500 square feet, Cornbread’s optimized layout also includes self-ordering kiosks, and Bayoh is currently working with Lunchbox to beef up its app to integrate online ordering and delivery with their third-party exclusive partner, UberEats. “We’re just really tackling meeting our consum ers where they are and how they want to be marketed to,” she says. Bayoh’s prior restaurant franchise experience has helped in her journey to becoming a franchisor. A Liberian native who escaped civil war when flee ing to the U.S. at just 13 years old, Bayoh went on to become one of the youngest IHOP owners in the country at 27. “Drawing on my experience as an IHOP franchisee—and understanding I’ve been with an iconic brand for the past 15 years and sat on several boards—have taught me to be flexible with people, but not on your processes and procedures,” she says. Bayoh seeks to offer leadership positions and ownership opportunities to people of color, women, and other marginalized groups who have historically been denied access to positions of power in compa nies—including hiring mothers to give them flexible schedules as well as formerly incarcerated individu als. “As we grow our corporate-owned stores, that’s definitely something we’ll employ and implement anytime we can. We’re not turning anyone around because they have a criminal background, and we’ll encourage franchisees to look back and say, ‘hey, what kind of impact do you want to have on your foot print and community?’” Bayoh says. “I want to make sure we leave a legacy that inspires people and inspires young women of this generation to go out there and do big things,” she adds.

KELLY’S ROAST BEEF

Unlike many brands on the 40/40 list, Kelly’s Roast Beef has been a household name for years, at least in the Boston area. Now, after seven decades in oper ation, the brand is ready to spread its wings. “Kelly’s is a known brand that peo ple love. People associate it with Boston similarly to the way people associate In-N-Out Burger with California. Cus tomers have a passion for the brand, and there are very few franchise opportuni ties out there founded on over 70 years of history,” CEO Neil Newcomb said. In addition to its four Massachu setts locations, Kelly’s Roast Beef has planted f lags in Florida, Southern Cali fornia, and New Hampshire, the last of which opened last October and marked the brand’s entry into the world of fran chising. At press time, two additional Florida stores were slated to open in early 2023. Kelly’s has never converted to a commissary style, which Newcomb credits with maintaining its high qual ity ( he adds that at peak season, a single location may sell upward of 20,000 roast beef sandwiches in a month) . That said, it is freshening up some areas. New locations will sport a modernized design while the larger company continues to embrace technology that streamlines operations.

CHICK-N-BAP

with a foodservice provider while also pursuing plans for brick-and-mortar locations and a franchising arm. Still, Kim emphasizes that growth will never come at the expense of quality. Dur ing the pandemic when locations were forced to shut down, the brand worked to improve all recipes and introduce more complex add-ins like cucumber kimchi, soy jalapeños and onions, bibi sauce, and Korean Fried chicken sand wiches and wings. q

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