Article
How 1 CEO succeeds with several fast casual concepts
Brian Bailey gives an in-depth look at the many hats he wears and how he plans to grow Ichor.
August 1, 2013 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Editor's note: This is just one story in a recurring series that features interviews with top-level execs in the fast casual industry. If you would like us to feature a specific exec, please make your request in an email to Cherryh Butler at cherryhb@fastcasual.com.
With four fast casual brands operating and a dozen more in the pipeline, Brian Bailey, CEO of the franchisng firm, Ichor Restaurant Group, describes himself as a passionate, hands-on CEO. Ichor oversees Baja Pizzafish, Old Carolina Barbecue, Smoke the Burger Joint and Wedge Grilled Cheese, and Bailey serves as the CEO of each. He's also responsible for growing Ichor's portfolio of brands.
"As any passionate CEO, I share my visionary leadership in all aspects of the company. We have some very good people on our team that we are developing to one day take the reins," he said. "While we are growing, I take a very active role in brand marketing, recipe development, franchise sales, P&L analysis, expansion and investment plans."
Bailey also often gets pulled into smaller ventures, such as large catering events, including an upcoming 2,500-person picnic for the LeBron James Foundation. He gives operational feedback for every Ichor restaurant he visits, writes radio spots, develops Facebook campaigns, reviews new pieces of equipment, appears on local TV and radio for interviews, negotiates with vendors, scouts restaurant locations and says he'll golf nearly any outing in which he's invited.
"I always heard that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. I am the poster child for that adage," he said.
Bailey gave FastCasual.com a more in-depth look at the many hats he wears and how he plans to grow Ichor.
FastCasual.com: Pizza, burgers, BBQ, grilled cheese... your concepts run across the board. How do you ensure you are keeping up with the latest trends in each sector?
Bailey: We are fortunate in the fact that the Old Carolina Barbecue menu doesn't need to adapt to many new 'trends.' We are a tribute to the long-standing roadside shacks found throughout the Carolinas. Since we opened in 2006, we have kept the menu focused on authentic barbecue recipes and styles we discovered on our road trips. We have slowly added new items like smoked turkey and soon, smoked sausage, to our menu. But, our style of barbecue is timeless.
At Baja Pizzafish, we get to be creative with featured seasonal pizzas. This staff and I will try to introduce new flavor profiles by recombining existing ingredients in the shop. When they are successful, we consider them for the permanent menu. Even when we don't add them to the menu, because we are using in-house ingredients, we can always make one for a raving fan. Smoke the Burger Joint and later, Wedge Grilled Cheese, will be the same way. We can take a flavor profile that inspires us and incorporate it into a LTO pizza, burger or grilled cheese sandwich.
FastCasual.com: Why have you chosen to focus on fast casual restaurants?
Bailey: My business partner and I founded Old Carolina Barbecue Company as a competition barbecue team building our brand on the regional circuit. We were essentially serving 'fast casual' style, scratch made quality food served quickly at various fairgrounds and downtown street festivals in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. We essentially moved that service style indoors at our first permanent spot in Massillon, Ohio, right around the time (2006) the coined phrase was gaining traction in the industry.
Being foodies that believe in a high level of service hospitality, we are definitely at home in this segment. We can focus on niche menu offerings that tell a story about our inspiration for the food. Our fans are very passionate about the experience we develop for them. And while all the concepts have a different look and feel to them, at the core you can recognize the Ichor Restaurant Group DNA.
FastCasual.com: Are you looking to add other restaurant chains or just focus on those four?
Bailey: It's safe to say Ichor has more than a dozen or so concepts in various stages of development. Some may be nothing more than cool ideas, while others have logos and menus designed and are ready when a perfect retail space opens. Many of our new concepts come from off-menu items we cater for our regular clients of the existing brands. Smoke the Burger Joint and Baja Pizzafish were born that way. Wedge Grilled Cheese was developed cooking at home for my daughter and her friends. Coincidentally, a new concept was born today while cooking leftovers for my personal lunch. Stay tuned!
FastCasual.com: Why do you think restaurant operators benefit by partnering with a company like yours as opposed to trying to grow and expand on their own?
Bailey: Ichor is looking for partners that have the same passion about great food and outstanding hospitality. We offer a proven fast casual system with concepts that stand out in a crowded industry. With our variety of concepts, an operator can grow his business in the same local or regional marketplace. Let's be honest, there are only so many Old Carolina's you can open in one city. Ichor's philosophy is that after investing time to develop vendor relationships, catering contacts and loyal fans in one market, why move on when you can open another similarly operated restaurant?
FastCasual.com: How much decision making-power does Ichor have over each brand?
Bailey: At the present time, I am the CEO of each brand. Old Carolina has its own vice president of Operations that we trust to maintain the standards and reputation we have built over the last seven years. All of the Old Carolina GMs report to this individual, and they work together to develop the staff throughout the organization. Marketing is another area of responsibility that comes from my position. I work with a team of outsourced media buyers, graphic designers and social media administrators to ensure brand integrity in all of our communications. Finally, while Baja Pizzafish and Smoke are being launched, my business partner and I work closely with the GMs on the business operations, analyzing sales trends, labor reports and overall "vibe" we get from the store and the community making and tweaks required for a successful brand launch.
As we grow, we plan to promote or bring in outside professionals to join our team and help facilitate our national growth.
Read more about operations management.
About Cherryh Cansler
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