📢 Exciting Announcement! 🏖️ After over a year of sharing insights & experiences anonymously as QSRGuy, it's time to step out of the shadows. I’m Ryan, a multi-unit franchisee of Little Caesars & Jersey Mike’s in CA, AZ & OR. As promised, I am happy to finally introduce our latest venture we’ve spent the last year working on: CoCo Playa. CoCo Playa is a unique double drive-thru experience combining the best of coffee, cookies, dirty sodas & more, all with a beachy twist & a smile. We have been soft-open for about a week and the response has been overwhelmingly positive; far exceeding our expectations. Follow along my journey of building CoCo Playa as well as everything else I’m doing in the franchise world! 🏖️☕🍪 Insta & TikTok: @trycocoplaya trycocoplaya.com

The 11 shares I was allocated for SpaceX are crushing it today.

Internet is freaking out about Kyle Kuzma’s recent comment about quantum computing. Not surprising for me to see this. I knew he was smart dude when I learned he has a franchise portfolio.

Finally tried Pura Vida in Miami - Line around block on Monday morning - Simple-ish operations despite large menu - Quick & friendly enough - Food, coffee & smoothies were delicious Only issue is we have stuff like this on every corner in SoCal. Will it do well out west?

Shake Shack down almost 30% today after missing revenue and EBITDA targets. Idea for stock price recovery: Shake Shack: An AI Company

I spent this past weekend at Vermejo, Ted Turner's 580,000 acre ranch in Northern New Mexico. Pictures of him were all over the walls. His story, his vision, his commitment to conservation everywhere you looked. He owns the largest bison herd in the world. Over 45,000. The herd at Vermejo originally came from Yellowstone and are some of the few genetically pure bison left in the country. He spent decades restoring species that were on the edge of disappearing. Bison, Mexican wolves, black footed ferrets, Rio Grande cutthroat trout. All on this land. His ex wife Jane Fonda was there. Had breakfast next to her each morning. This morning I woke up to the news that Ted Turner passed away at 87. Crazy how life works sometimes. You spend a weekend surrounded by everything a person built and believed in. Learning about their legacy. Walking through what they dedicated their life to. And a few days later they're gone. Most people know him as the founder of CNN. But what I'll remember is Vermejo. A man who used his resources to protect land and animals that couldn't protect themselves. SAVE EVERYTHING is his motto. Rest in peace, Ted.

Started with an amazing product being sold out of a parking lot. Now over 200 units sold nationwide and three locations doing absolutely ridiculous numbers. Sound familiar? No, I'm not talking about Dave's Hot Chicken. This is Mike's Red Tacos. And it's something I am very excited about. My cousin Andrew Feghali is one of the investors behind the brand alongside Bill Phelps. I've watched this come together up close. And honestly, everything about it just makes sense. Here's why I think this brand is going to be a massive success. 1) The team. Bill Phelps built Wetzel's Pretzels & Blaze Pizza. Then helped scale Dave's Hot Chicken into the fastest growing franchise in the country before selling it for over a billion dollars. Now he's doing it again with Mike's Red Tacos. And the crazy part is he brings his rockstar team with him from brand to brand. Vincent Montanelli, who helped lead Wetzel's, is now president. These people have done this before. They have the playbook. They have the experience. And as part of that playbook, they are specialists at generating hype. Celebrity investors, great franchisees, national press. They know how to put a brand on the map before the first franchise location even opens. 2) They aren't trying to dominate a category. They're dominating a niche. Same playbook as before. Dave's Hot Chicken didn't become the "fastest growing Nashville hot chicken brand"by accident. They didn't try to take on the entire chicken category. They picked a lane and owned it. Mike's is doing the exact same thing. It isn't taking on Mexican food head to head. The plan is to be the fastest growing birria brand in the country. And I have no doubt they will be. 3) The product is incredible. I CRAVE the tacos. The food is amazing. They have a handful of items on the menu and they are incredible at all of them. The founder, Mike, is still highly involved in making sure product stays A . But honestly, sometimes the most important thing in this business is how the food looks. And these red tacos are some of the most photogenic food I've ever seen. People can't help but post them on Instagram. And people can't help but get hungry when they see it. That kind of organic marketing is priceless. 4) They've curated a very select group of franchisees. A brand can only be as strong as the people operating it. And when you have the ability to be super picky, you pick best in class. They've brought in experienced multi-unit operators from Dave's Hot Chicken, Jersey Mike's, Blaze, Dunkin', Little Caesars, Carl's Jr, and Wetzel's. Only trusted, proven operators signing big territory agreements. **Humble brag. I'm included in that group. And I couldn't be more excited about it. 5) It's a reasonable operation and investment. Operations are simple. The equipment isn't too expensive. And you don't need super prime freestanding drive thru real estate to make it work. All of those things check a box for me. When the operation is clean and the investment makes sense, you can focus on what actually matters. Executing at a high level and building something great. And the unit economics at the 3 open sites are mind blowing. I don't get this excited about emerging brands often. But everything about this one feels right. The team, the product, the niche strategy, the franchisees, and the opportunity. This brand is going to be everywhere. And I'm proud to be a part of it.

Got to chop it up with @shawnpwalchef and talk about my journey on X and how it's impacted my business and life. This platform has been amazing for me. I've built real friendships, had operators reach out about deals, connected with investors, and helped people I never would have been able to help otherwise. All from just sharing what I was learning and being honest about it. The biggest thing I've taken away from it is that you don't need millions of views or polished content. You just need to show up, be honest, and the right people will find you. I'm grateful for this community. You all have helped me way more than you know. entrepreneur.com/building-a-…

Will be interesting to be a part of this next chapter for Jersey Mike’s.

If LIV really is winding down, the lesson is that some moats aren’t on a balance sheet. Golf has 150 years of tradition, venues, and history. LIV tried to buy around that with $5B in three years. Capital is fast. Culture is slow. In mature categories, the slow thing usually wins. Worth remembering in any category built on decades, not quarters.

I love Tesla but I still feel like FSD feels like getting in an Uber with an 80 year old driver. Even in “hurry” mode I find it slower than everyone (sometimes even under the speed limit with no one around - @elonmusk please fix!) Lane changes are painful and slow. Constant confusion on freeway. Making poor decisions like going all the way from left lane to right lane for a split to stay on the same freeway. Just to go back to the left. And don’t get me started on unprotected turns and stop signs. Unless you are ok with how 80 year olds drive, you’ll take over a lot. Not quite there yet.

The age of AI shifted something in business. It used to be a blend of “what you know” and “who you know.” Now that information is universally accessible, the scale tips. Who you know matters more than ever. Build relationships like your business depends on it. Because it does.

Definitely slower than previous years. I believe ad spend was not nearly as heavy as they have done in the past. And, I know what/who everyone is going to blame it on 🤣

Today is the Day of Giving at Jersey Mike's. The busiest day of the year. And every single dollar in sales goes to charity. This year we're partnering with Special Olympics. The last time we partnered with them we raised over $20 million. This is one of the things I'm most proud of about this brand. It isn't just a sub shop. It's a business that elevates its community. Which goes hand in hand with my company's mission statement: "to elevate our people & communities". If you're looking for lunch today, go grab a sub from Jersey Mike's. You're going to eat anyway. Might as well make it count.

The hardest part of acquisitions isn't finding deals. It's saying no to good ones. When you're growing, every opportunity feels like the one. Great P&L, solid location, motivated seller. But good isn't good enough when the details don't line up. The lease is short. The seller is shady. The geographic location will stretch you. Needs too much TLC. I've learned to protect the downside first. The right deals keep coming. The wrong ones cost you more than money.

Life is about balance. I LOVE my weekends with the family. Beach walks, kids sports, Costco, swimming, movie nights, birthday parties..etc I also love my weekends w/out kids going out or on trips with my wife or friends. Could I ONLY do one of those every single weekend? No.

People love to talk about restaurants as passive income. Tell me you've never operated a restaurant without telling me you've never operated a restaurant. There is nothing passive about it. The margins are thin, the problems are daily, and the people side alone is a full time job. It can be an amazing business. It can change your life. But passive? Come on.

I am happy to report my brands are all up compared to last year (some big). Caveat that same period last year we were down on the year before.

Your problems might not be your fault, but they are your responsibility. True in restaurants, true in parenting, true in life. Ownership > excuses

I used to agree selling a ton of units fast was an instant red flag. But the way franchising works today, speed is defense. The big legacy brands didn’t have to worry about this nearly as much, but today if your concept is good - Within 12 - 24 months you’ll have 5-10 copycats franchising your exact playbook.** If your foot isn’t on the gas early, they will take deal flow from you. They will take customers from you. This isn’t tech, there aren’t real moats early. Those are built when you hit scale. Establishing yourself as a category leader is how you can win longterm: You attract more franchisees → open units faster → establish consumer mindshare That’s the flywheel. Dave’s Hot Chicken, and currently 7 Brew are examples of this. If they moved slower, there’s a real chance they don’t become what they are now. The caveat is you need: • a professional team • capital $$ At the franchisor to do this (most brands don’t have either). If you don't, you will for sure blow up by selling a ton of units. But for the few that do, growing slow comes with plenty of risk as well. ...just something to consider when you see a brand selling tons of units. PopUp Bagels and JetSet Pilates are another two examples in the middle of this right now. **there’s a few categories that don’t have many copycats, but those are the exception not the rule