QSR June 2023

YOUNG LEADERS

Knox HUFFMAN FRANCHISE OWNER

husband Andrew Dana. The “Jew-ish” deli offers unique takes on traditional deli fare with influences from Moreira’s childhood in Argentina. While the food is key to the brand’s suc cess, Moreiera says “people are the most important ingredient.” The people-first mindset was evident dur ing the COVID-19 pandemic when Call Your Mother expanded from one to seven locations and surpassed 200 employees. Moreira and Dana broadened their benefits to include lan guage classes, practical skills workshops, and parental leave. Pledging to keep all employees on the payroll throughout the public health crisis, they also created an online fundraiser that offered passes to skip the line at Call Your

first U.S. franchise last November in Wooster, Ohio. Hock, who assumed his role in 2022, is Caribou’s inaugural director of franchise opera tions. When moved into the role, natu rally, Hock entered an entirely new business segment

TACOS 4 LIFE AGE: 26

Knox Huffman some times has difficulty believing he’s made it to where he has. Just four years ago he walked into a Tacos 4 Life and decided he wanted to be a part of a brand that’s mission extended beyond the counter. He began as a cashier in an Arkansas location with no restaurant experi ence. In three months, he was promoted to

WINGSTOP CARIBOU COFFEE

for the chain and faced the challenges of cre ating systems and tools as he worked to bring the franchise system to light. “Through my role at Caribou, I’ve found great purpose in empowering our team and enhancing our franchise operations that allow others to bring premium coffee experiences to our guests,” he says. Hock continues to spearhead efforts in assisting franchisees with operations, training, design, construction, IT, and marketing and guarding Caribou’s standards. Hock is also heading up a vetting process to find franchi sees who understand the brand’s values, which led to the implementation of Caribou’s “Store Brand Excellence Form,” which guides fran chisees. “If I were to be recognized for my contri bution to the company, it really goes back to the foundation of Caribou’s purpose—creat ing day making experiences that spark a chain of good, that drives our team to success,” he says. Megan SPRAGUE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND CHIEF OF STAFF RAISING CANE’S ( FORMERLY WINGSTOP ) AGE: 31

TACOS 4 LIFE

team lead. A few months later, Knox was ele vated again, this time to assistant manager. In under 12 months, and at just 22 years old, Knox found himself store leader of a Spring dale, Arkansas, restaurant. “That absolutely blows my mind. I think about these facts and have no explanation to fall back on other than that God walked alongside me and guided me in every single decision,” he says. ” Tacos 4 Life has long deployed a model where its business supports raising meals for children worldwide. Huffman ensures employees understand the brand’s broader goals and their role in getting there. Some workers even followed Huffman across state lines when a location in Tulsa, Oklahoma, became available. Since buying the unit in November 2022, the store has seen a 50 per cent sales jump. During the pandemic, Tacos 4 Life only leaned into its ethos further. Knox moved from Springdale to Little Rock in 2020 to lead the Shackleford store in a restructuring as its operating partner. He helped the team raise 256,939 meals that year. Daniela MOREIRA OWNER AND CHEF CALL YOUR MOTHER DELI AGE: 32 Chef Daniela Moreira is one-half of the dynamic duo that created Washington, D.C.- based Call Your Mother Deli, alongside her

CALL YOUR MOTHER DELI / LAURENCE CASEY

Mother for a year and the chance to name and create your own bagel. The nearly $75,000 in proceeds went directly toward employee wages. “We prioritize customers by hiring per sonable people and then prioritize our staff in order to be one of the best places to work,” Moreira says. “I’m proud that we were able to keep all employees on payroll during the pandemic and offer them new and practical benefits.”

Jonathan HOCK DIRECTOR OF FRANCHISE OPERATIONS CARIBOU COFFEE AGE: 32

Jonathan Hock is at the controls of a game changing era in Caribou’s history. The brand launched its domestic franchise program on October 21 and celebrated the opening of its

Megan Sprague is humble, hungry, and smart, according to her nomination. A force

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JUNE 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com