A View From The Top

Modern Market building 'fast casual of the future'

Rob McColgan, CEO and co-founder of Modern Market Eatery, discusses how his finance experience combined with Co-founder Anthony Pigliacampo's engineering background has led to a more scalable fast casual model.

Rob McColgan, CEO, Modern Market Eatery. Provided

April 9, 2021

By Rob McColgan, CEO, Modern Market Eatery

Last year, when government shutdowns took place and many restaurants scrambled to find solutions, Modern Market Eatery didn't feel the panic.

While we knew long before the pandemic that investing in technology would be beneficial to creating a highly convenient format to meet the demands of the modern diner, we never imagined it would one day be our primary sales channel for months at a time. We now see the return on our early investment as we've continued to cater to our guests without interruption from the start of the pandemic.

Our proprietary integrations, such as tech-enabled kitchens and seamless digital ordering tools, have provided access to our scratch-made, sustainably sourced menu with natural ingredients in a convenient, fast and affordable format. All orders flow into our digitally managed kitchen that can keep up with the variable demand provided by multiple order channels—all in the name of faster food that is better food.

Despite challenges brought on by the pandemic, our fast casual concept has continued to persevere. We credit that not only to innovation but to a continued commitment to making scratch-cooking fast, repeatable and profitable, all the while remembering the importance of hospitality. This is something we emphasize with every team member and potential franchise candidate early on, as it is a Modern Market superpower!

Technology doesn't trump hospitality
While operational efficiency, sustainably sourced, scratch-made nurturing food, culture and economics are pivotal to our model, another pillar for Modern Market is an unforgettable dining experience at our restaurants. Our guest experience is omni-channeled and unrivaled.

Whether ordering in one of our beautiful restaurants or from an iPhone, our food is attractively described and showcased. Dining at each of our Modern Market restaurant locations is an experience our guests look forward to. With our open kitchens, customers can watch their food being made from scratch, providing them with a farm-fresh experience they can enjoy with their family and friends. Our prices are reasonable, the food comes out fast, and our entire menu is customizable, meeting virtually any dietary need. Our goal is to change our guests' expectations of what a quick meal can be.

It is hard to believe it was just over a decade ago when my co-founder, Anthony Pigliacampo, and I decided to enter the restaurant industry with a mission of purpose and passion. Undeterred by our lack of experience in the space, we were hungry, and determined, to disrupt the restaurant landscape by providing people with clean, nourishing and delicious food at a reasonable price.

With my finance background and Anthony's design and engineering background, we have truly been reinventing what it means to serve faster, better food from the kitchen out, putting as much thought into engineering our model for the modern operator as we have for the modern diner.

Over the years, we've re-engineered standard kitchen processes. We continue to adapt to change and refine our systems and techniques to provide what we know today's consumers want: approachable, healthy, fresh options at a low price point. We don't believe taste, speed and quality are mutually exclusive.

Planning for the future
If fast casual concepts want to sustain long-term, they have to continue to pride themselves on getting better at everything they do. At Modern Market, we constantly review all business fronts to continue offering guests quality service and food they know and love, from hiring and training our team and sourcing the best ingredients to refining operations and introducing new product lines and sales channels. We never want to settle for "good enough" — our mission is to revolutionize customers' ideas and expectations of what fast food could be.

We firmly believe that faster food must quickly evolve into better food. While eating out used to be a treat, today convenient, fast food is a necessity due to the nature of our modern and chaotic lives. Eating out frequently demands food that is not only better for you, but also a positive experience that reduces the stresses of work and life. Modern Market was designed with all of this in mind — to be the kitchen table for millennials and all generations with delicious, healthy and affordable food served in a beautiful environment — satisfying virtually any dietary requirement.

The positive experience starts with how we train, whether it's our licensed or franchised partners or valued team members. We spent a lot of time studying publicly traded companies to assess what makes them great and why. This was crucial as we ventured on the path to franchising. In doing so, we've established our own best practices.

First and foremost is a foundation of a strong mission, vision and values that everyone from the top down is aligned around. Just as we only hire team members who align with our values, the same holds true for our recruitment of multi-unit franchisees. Even with the right experience and financial qualifications, it's imperative that our partners are a match with our core values to become a part of the Modern Market franchise system.

It's about the numbers
We're also maniacal about economics. From the beginning, we knew we needed to have the right margin to be profitable. To meet the needs of both the modern diner and modern operator, we've developed operations that allow us to provide guests with healthy food at a fixed price point, fast and on the go.

Despite using quality, sustainably sourced ingredients with nothing artificial and no preservatives, we keep our prime costs low. This is accomplished via technology and thorough training of team members that leads to all-around efficiency, making us scalable. We couldn't be prouder of how our team has responded throughout this time and how well the Modern Market experience has translated to digital and delivery platforms.

Having gone through a recession ahead of opening our first Modern Market restaurant and emerging from this pandemic, we're sure we can get through anything. We look forward to expanding with multi-unit franchisees and providing access to healthy, nutritious food in as many communities as possible. We're confident the future of fast casual food is a healthy one.

Operations