QSR June 2023

YOUNG LEADERS

third-party ordering platforms, and the com pany’s insurance policy provider. “I believe Original ChopShop will con tinue to develop into a lifestyle brand, integrating into the lives of guests by not only providing a delicious, better-for-you meal, but also by inspiring guests to Just Feel Good with every brand interaction,” Alacron says.

Ian BRUGGEMAN DIRECTOR OF FP&A (FINANCIAL PLANNING AND ANALYSIS)

NAF NAF GRILL AGE: 29

Ian Bruggeman’s foray into the res taurant industry with 40-unit Naf Naf Grill wasn’t just shaped by COVID—it was founded on it. In January 2020, Bruggeman left his job at the Indiana State Pension Fund to join his partners at 316 invest ments—formerly one of the largest and most suc cessful QDOBA franchisees in

NAF NAF GRILL

the system—to become the first Naf Naf Grill franchisee in the country in Indianapolis. Never having worked a day in a restaurant, Bruggeman had to quickly learn from his cooks, bakers, managers, and front-line work ers to catch up. He and his team opened up the Carmel, Indiana, location on March 16, 2020, and closed that Friday due to the pan demic, and didn’t reopen until May 25. He and his team led the restaurant to sig nificant sales growth over the next year. They opened another location in downtown Indi anapolis. The two stores were eventually bought by Naf Naf Grill and became corpo rate locations. This allowed Bruggeman to transition from an operations role to his cur rent role as director of financial planning and analysis. “My long-term goal for Naf Naf Grill is to make Middle Eastern cuisine accessible to as many folks in the United States as pos sible while remaining true to our founder’s authentic recipes, vision, and culture,” Brug geman says.

DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT

for permission,” she says. Smith’s style of leadership mirrors that of Dickey Jr.’s. She believes in working hard and doing anything possible to reach the final product. She wants her team to be self-sufficient and understands there are opportunities to move up in the company. “My goal is to really create other lead ers,” Smith says. “I don’t want them to be dependent on me. I don’t want to micro manage them. If they need me my door is always open to bounce ideas off of but, I really want them to grow and to learn and sometimes they have to learn from their mistakes too.”

“That’s part of that optimism, just stay ing positive there and just OK, what’s the solution? Let’s not get caught up in the problem. How can we change this?” Smith says. Dickey’s belief in Smith is how she stays so invested in the brand. It continues to teach her about leadership. She appreci ates the flexibility that Dickey Jr. has given her. She can communicate with him if she doesn’t like a strategy or wants to do some thing different. “I think that’s my favorite part. I can change things up if they don’t work. I don’t have to go through a lot of red tape and ask

www.qsrmagazine.com | QSR | JUNE 2023

31