Operations

How Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ maintains food quality across shrinking footprints

Crave Founder Samantha Rincione is putting more emphasis on smaller footprints, lower operating costs and takeout and delivery.

Photo: Crave

September 16, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Summarize with

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ, which has over 25 locations, has changed considerably since Samantha Rincione founded the brand in 2018.

What started as a hot dog concept has expanded into a broader fast-casual menu that includes smoked brisket, pulled pork and smash burgers, along with catering and delivery. The company also has experimented with different ways of getting food to customers, including food trucks and Walmart Express locations.

Now, as Crave continues to grow its franchise network, Rincione is putting more emphasis on smaller footprints, lower operating costs and takeout and delivery.

That creates a familiar challenge for a growing franchise: How do you keep the food the same when the restaurants aren't?

Creating consistency

Crave uses Alto-Shaam's Vector Multi-Cook Ovens in its locations and ChefLinc to manage cooking programs. Rincione said she selected the equipment after testing different menu items and cooking configurations.

"We tested a wide variety of food items in the oven, and I was impressed, because not only did it fit everything we needed at once within the four oven chambers, but it's very versatile," Rincione said in a company press release.

The ability to program cooking settings also has changed how Crave approaches training. Rather than relying on employees to remember different temperatures and cooking times, the settings can be programmed into the ovens.

"It makes training a lot easier," Rincione said. "Staff can cook items at the touch of a button without having to worry about temperature settings, cooking times and other variables."

For Rincione, that consistency matters as Crave adds locations and formats.

"The way I see it, I want us to be seen as the go-to brand for hot dogs, smash burgers and BBQ," she said. "So you can go to Alaska, or you can go to New York and you're going to get the exact same quality and consistency in everything we serve, wherever you are."

The operating model continues to evolve, but the goal remains the same: give franchisees a format that can work in different environments without creating a different customer experience at each location.

Operations

About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is Publisher of FastCasual.com and Vice President of Connect Food. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

Connect with Cherryh: