In this episode of Chicago Sam's Franchise GPS, host Sam Stanovich sits down with Andy Freivogel, Co-Founder of Science On Call, to dive deep into solving the restaurant industry's most frustrating technology headaches. Coming straight from the hospitality trenches—from barista and fry cook to IT director—Andy breaks down how multi-unit operators and franchisees can streamline bloated tech stacks, eliminate operational friction, and protect top-line revenue.

From safeguard measures like $50 backup internet setups to evaluating AI software without falling for industry hype, this episode offers a complete blueprint for restaurant leaders looking to build reliable, high-performing tech infrastructure while keeping hospitality at the core.

Topics Covered

1. Protecting the Revenue Pipe: Why backup internet, online ordering stability, and card reader redundancies are essential to prevent lost sales.
2. Demystifying Restaurant AI: How to leverage automation for labor and operational tasks while leaving room for human discernment and review.
3. Smart Franchise Scaling: How franchisors growing from 10 to 50+ units can standardize tech infrastructure without reinventing the wheel or locking into bad vendor contracts.
4. Strategic Tech Budgeting: Where to allocate your next $5,000 in technology investment to maximize store-level impact and team adoption.
5. Hospitality-Driven IT Support: Why technical help desks need empathy, restaurant experience, and real-time responsiveness during Friday night rushes.

Key Takeaways

• Protecting Cloud-Based Revenue: With up to 70% of orders coming through digital channels, investing in a $50/month secondary internet connection is the single best insurance policy against catastrophic sales loss.
• AI Requires Human Oversight: AI tools excel at crunching data and speeding up administrative workflows, but operators must maintain human judgment to verify outputs and prevent costly mistakes.
• Standardize Before Scaling: Growing franchisors shouldn't build custom point-of-sale systems early on; standardizing widely adopted, proven tech stacks makes expansion smoother and avoids operational friction.
• Invest in System Training: Technology only delivers ROI if store-level teams know how to use it; dedicating funds to hands-on staff training unlocks hidden software features and lowers operational anxiety.
• Empathy in Tech Support: Effective restaurant IT support relies on technicians who understand store urgency and hospitality, solving issues fast so team members can focus on serving guests.

Episode Links

Connect with the Speakers on LinkedIn:

• Host: Sam Stanovich LinkedIn
• Co-Host: Justin Egan LinkedIn
• Featured Guest: Andy Freivogel LinkedIn

Connect with Craveworthy Brands / Featured Concepts:

• Craveworthy Brands Official Website
• Science On Call Official Website
• Craveworthy Brands Instagram
• Gregg Majewski LinkedIn
• Gregg Majewski Instagram

Subscribe on Audio Platforms:

• Franchise GPS on Apple Podcasts
• Franchise GPS on Spotify

Watch on YouTube:

• Craveworthy Brands YouTube Channel

In this episode of Chicago Sam's Franchise GPS, guest host Justin Egan (VP of Growth Marketing, Craveworthy Brands and Co-Founder, Wing It On!) is joined by Matt Ensero, Co-Founder & President of Wing It On!, and Robert Riddle, Regional Vice President of Operations for Fresh Brothers. Together, they break down Craveworthy Brands’ powerful co-branding strategy—bringing America’s award-winning wings and Southern California’s premier pizza under one roof.

From kitchen workflow optimizations and shared tech stacks to grassroots local community marketing, this episode offers a complete blueprint on how franchisees can maximize unit-level economics, increase Average Unit Volume (AUV), and drive higher guest frequency without overloading store staff.

• The "Game Day Trifecta": Why pizza and wings naturally complement each other without cannibalizing core revenue.
• Operational Simplicity: Streamlining complex menus to minimize kitchen bottlenecks, shared equipment, and cross-utilize staff.
• Franchise Economics & Synergy: How adding a complementary concept into a single footprint optimizes rent, labor, and startup costs.
• Local Grassroots Marketing: Building hyper-local brand awareness by engaging community heroes like police and fire departments.
• Authentic Quality Standards: Why award-winning buffalo sauces, scratch-made dough, and premium ingredients create long-term customer loyalty.

• Incremental Revenue Without Cannibalization: Adding an award-winning wing concept like Wing It On! into a pizzeria does not steal sales from the core pizza product; instead, it unlocks new dining occasions and delivers incremental top-line revenue.
• Streamlined Kitchen Execution: Successful co-branding relies on operational simplicity. By consolidating prep (such as using a single base buffalo sauce with customized spice blends) and leveraging existing kitchen profiles, operators avoid staff burnout and operational friction.
• Capital Efficiency for Franchisees: Rather than building two separate brick-and-mortar stores, co-branding allows franchisees to sell two high-demand products under one roof—sharing rent, labor, and tech stacks for a fraction of the buildout cost.
• Boot-on-the-Ground Community Marketing: To launch a virtual or co-branded concept successfully, teams must focus on local community outreach—such as sampling with local police/fire departments and train staff on active in-store upselling.
• Quality Is Uncompromised: Bringing together two best-in-class products (100% natural Wisconsin mozzarella, California tomatoes, and 11-time award-winning Buffalo sauces) ensures that neither pizza nor wing quality is sacrificed in the co-branded model.

Episode Links

Connect with the Speakers on LinkedIn:

• Host: Sam Stanovich LinkedIn
• Co-Host: Justin Egan LinkedIn
• Featured Guest: Matt Ensero LinkedIn
• Featured Guest: Robert Riddle LinkedIn

Connect with Craveworthy Brands / Featured Concepts:

• Craveworthy Brands Official Website
• Wing It On! Official Website
• Fresh Brothers Official Website
• Craveworthy Brands Instagram
• Gregg Majewski LinkedIn
• Gregg Majewski Instagram

Subscribe on Audio Platforms:

• Franchise GPS on Apple Podcasts
• Franchise GPS on Spotify

Watch on YouTube:

• Craveworthy Brands YouTube Channel

In this episode of Chicago Sam's Franchise GPS, guest host Justin Egan sits down with Alexis Gillette, Vice President of Marketing at Craveworthy Brands, to deliver a tactical masterclass on local store marketing, grand opening strategies, and unit-level restaurant growth.

Alexis leverages over 22 years of experience across retail, experience-based businesses, and major restaurant brands like Raising Cane's to break down why so many first-time operators struggle with customer acquisition—and how focusing on local community relationships outperforms digital ad spend every single time.

Key Takeaways

• Moving Beyond Digital Ads: First-time franchisees often rely too heavily on Meta ads, coupon drops, and email blasts, but the true driver of sustained restaurant sales is local store marketing (LSM) and grassroots community involvement.
• The Pre-Opening Marketing Trap: Investing paid advertising dollars before your doors are open yields a zero ROI; pre-opening efforts should focus strictly on physical signage, person-to-person networking, and local community engagement.
• Building a Local Influencer Network: Sustainable local traffic comes from embedding your restaurant into the neighborhood by partnering with "community heroes"—including local schools, teachers, first responders, and youth sports organizations.
• Demystifying National Ad Funds: A high-performing franchisor ensures national ad funds are conservatively managed and maximized for "working media" that directly drives local foot traffic rather than corporate overhead.
• Lessons from Soft Openings: Never host a major grand opening splash on day one; utilize a soft opening period to let your staff get necessary operational reps so you deliver an exceptional guest experience when the big crowd arrives.

Episode Links

Connect with the Speakers on LinkedIn:

• Series Host: Justin Egan
• Featured Guest: Alexis Gillette
• Learn More About Franchising: Craveworthy Brands Official Website

Connect with Gregg / Craveworthy Brands

• Craveworthy Brands Official Website
• Craveworthy Brands Instagram
• Gregg Majewski LinkedIn
• Gregg Majewski Instagram
• Subscribe on Audio Platforms:
• Franchise GPS on Apple Podcasts
• Franchise GPS on Spotify
• Watch on YouTube
• https://www.youtube.com/@CraveworthyBrands