QSR June 2023

EDITOR’S LETTER

Youth is Power

T he much-used phrase, “age is nothing but a number” is typically reserved for people who believe they’re being underestimated because they’re getting up there in years. The saying is just as appropriate for the younger crowd. There are some pretty interesting examples throughout history. Mozart wrote his first symphony at 8 years old. Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd became the world’s youngest female self made billionaire at 31 years old. Tiger Woods became the No. 1 ranked golfer at 21. Doogie Howser even finished medical school at 14. OK, that last one is fictional, but there is a point in saying all of this. The common thread among these folks is that the difference between improbable and achievable is a combina tion of talent, skill, luck, hard work, and dedication. Food and beverage employment is often depicted as a transient career used to develop soft skills for other sectors. This is partially true. The segment does build character, but career ladders also exist. QSR has 25 examples proving as much in this issue. Since 2018, our magazine has com piled a list of young stars in the restau rant industry who share a hunger to beat the odds. In what can sometimes feel like an unforgiving business with razor-thin margins—especially during the COVID era—the group has repeatedly risen above. This year’s collection features young leaders across operations, growth and development, marketing, technol ogy, and franchising. It’s a diverse crowd, showing that innovation and persever ance is table stakes in any department. Headlining the list is 29-year-old Robbie Earl, who cofounded Virtual

Dining Concepts, a company created out of necessity during the pandemic. The brand is well-known for combining culinary and celebrity, like Mariah’s Cookies (Mariah Carey), Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen, and Robert Irvine’s American Heroes. One of the biggest hits among them is MrBeast Burger, which Earl played a significant role in formulat ing. The ghost concept is named after MrBeast, aka YouTube star Jimmy Don aldson. Earl nurtured the relationship and helped the brand go from virtual to brick-and-mortar last year in New Jer sey’s American Dream shopping center. Resumes for the rest are just as impressive. Thirty-two-year-old Abby Taylor, who traveled the world to surf, cofounded Playa Bowls, which now has more than 175 shops nationwide across 20 states. No stores closed dur ing COVID and 250 more openings are planned in the next five years. Or how about 33-year-old KK Corporation pres ident Kesuv Kash Aggarwal, who’s con tinuing his family’s legacy. His mother started it all in 1997 when she bought her first Subway restaurant, and now Aggar wal is leading 146 franchise stores. The beauty of this annual list—and also the most difficult—is that QSR receives numerous nominations each year. And by rule, no one can appear on the list twice. This year being the sixth installment, we’ve highlighted 137 dif ferent young leaders in total. We know there are a lot more out there, and we promise to tell as many of their stories as we can in the future.

Restaurants are capable of nurturing young talent, and we have plenty of proof.

BCOLEY@WTWHMEDIA.COM QSR MAGAZINE

Ben Coley, Editor

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JUNE 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com