Flynn Group founder Greg Flynn on why he’s finally betting on an emerging chain
Take-Away with Sam Oches
Nation's Restaurant News
4.9 • 17 Ratings
🗓️ 2 December 2025
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Greg Flynn, founder and CEO of Flynn Group, which is the largest franchise operator in the world with eight brands in its portfolio doing about $5 billion in annual sales. Flynn Group has spent the past 25 years partnering with some of the biggest chains in the world, including Applebee’s, Wendy’s, Panera Bread, Arby’s, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, but last month it announced that it had entered into a franchise agreement with 7 Brew, marking the first time the organization has partnered with an emerging chain. Greg joined the podcast to discuss why 7 Brew is a good fit for the Flynn Group portfolio and where the volatile marketplace could go from here.
In this conversation, you’ll find out why:
- The most impactful determinant of success is day-to-day operations
- To be a premier franchise operator, you must be people-first
- American brands in international markets are like startups with less risk
- The right promotion at the right time can change an entire brand’s trajectory
- The value offered by full-service brands is resonating with consumers
Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at sam.oches@informa.com.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Takeaway with Sam Ocas, a podcast for leaders of growing restaurant companies |
| 0:05.1 | looking to take their businesses to the next level. In nearly two decades covering restaurants, |
| 0:10.8 | I've gained access to some of this industry's most influential decision makers, and I'm |
| 0:15.2 | letting you in on the conversations. In today's episode, you'll hear from the founder and CEO of the world's largest franchisee |
| 0:23.0 | about what it takes to run a premier operation and why he's just inked a deal with his first |
| 0:29.5 | emerging restaurant chain. Greg Flynn is the founder and CEO of Flynn Group, the largest |
| 0:35.8 | franchise operator in the world with eight brands in its |
| 0:39.1 | portfolio doing about $5 billion in annual sales. Seven of the eight brands in the portfolio |
| 0:45.9 | are restaurant franchises, as Flynn Group has spent the past 25 years partnering with some of |
| 0:52.3 | the biggest restaurant chains, including Pizza Hut, Applebee's, |
| 0:56.4 | Panera Bread, Arby's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell. |
| 1:00.0 | Last month, Flynn Group announced that it had entered a franchise agreement with Seven Brew, |
| 1:05.2 | marking the first time that the organization has partnered with an emerging chain. |
| 1:09.3 | I spoke with Greg right after they announced |
| 1:12.4 | that Seven Brew Deal to find out why it's a good fit for the Flynn Group portfolio and to get |
| 1:17.7 | his take on the volatile marketplace and where it could go from here. In this conversation, |
| 1:23.0 | you'll learn more about why the most important determinant of success is day-to-day operations, |
| 1:29.2 | why American brands in international markets are like startups with less risk, |
| 1:33.9 | and how the right promotion at the right time can change an entire brand's trajectory. |
| 1:40.0 | If you learn something from this episode, go follow takeaway wherever you listen to podcasts and leave some feedback. |
| 1:45.9 | It's the best way to get that lesson to a fellow restaurant leader. |
| 1:50.1 | Jumping now into my interview with Flynn Group founder Greg Flynn. |
... |
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