The restaurant industry continues to wrestle with the three-headed beast of labor, supply chain and inflation. And with oil skyrocketing in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, things might only get worse.
Paul Damico, at least, has some optimism. The CEO of Dallas-based fast-casual franchise Fuzzy’s Taco Shop said the labor situation at his brand has been improving, and it’s finding ways to modify its menu and hours to navigate around the other challenges thrown its way.
Damico recently sat down — in person at COEX in Austin, Texas — with Nation’s Restaurant News editor in chief Sam Oches to discuss the potential he saw in Fuzzy’s when he joined 8 months ago, the strategy he’s using to double its store count in the next four years and the holding company he helped launch, Experiential Brands, that aims to acquire other exciting concepts.
In this Take-Away with Sam Oches interview, you’ll find out why:
- There’s pent-up demand from franchisees who want to diversify their portfolios
- The future holds a lot of opportunity for experiential brands
- Labor is getting better but there’s still a problem with overtime
- Put the customer to work to find some labor efficiencies
- The consumer is more forgiving than usual when it comes to the modifications you have to make because of labor and supply chain
Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].