The Açaí pioneer recently launched into franchising for the first time in 24 years. CEO and cofounder Ryan Black joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss the brand’s journey—it owns 50 percent of the imported Açaí market and has more than 30,000 retail partners stocking the product—and how it’s going to translate that equity and experience into brick-and-mortar development that’s already fast underway.

No stranger to the restaurant industry, Max Sheets got his start as a teenager scraping cheese off pans in a Pizza Hut kitchen. He later spent more than 20 years in real estate and development for such brands as Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Smashburger, and Ted’s Montana Grill. In fact, he was with Smashburger when the footprint transformed from a handful to hundreds, and was at the floor of Ted’s Montana Grill when Ted Turner and George McKerrow pioneered the better-burger segment. His responsibilities took him across the country. And in those travels, he saw things done well, and saw the opposite. He then took those learnings to Chick N Max, a six-unit fast casual, with more than 50 locations in various stages of development across Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.

One of the industry’s biggest events is approaching, and we’re offering listeners an exclusive deal to attend. UNCUT25 is what's mentioned in the podcast. And the event site is here: https://www.qsrevolutionconference.com/