Houston TX Hot Chicken’s Edmond Barseghian on building a restaurant for the social media generation

Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation's Restaurant News

Business, Entrepreneurship

2.5 • 15 Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Edmond Barseghian and Brian Simowitz, the founder and president, respectively, of Houston TX Hot Chicken, aka HHC. This brand has opened 24 locations in less than four years, and a big reason why is Edmond and his massive social media following. From the jump Edmond had big plans for the brand, and with strategic executive hires like Brian — along with an investment from Savory Fund — HHC is well on its way to opening potentially hundreds of locations. Edmond and Brian joined the podcast to talk about how HHC was designed for a social media generation and how they plan to rise above a crowded hot chicken field.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

Big goals can be the spark you need to drive growth
Don’t be surprised if we see more influencer-led restaurants
Your restaurant experience should hit all five senses
Big marketing stunts can get the customer’s attention — and the investor’s
The right experts can turn your good brand into a great one
No matter how good you are on social media, you have to convert new guests into loyalists
You shouldn’t have to pay someone to say your restaurant is great

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, welcome to Takeaway with Sam Okas, a podcast from Nation's Restaurant News. I'm Sam Okas,
0:05.4	editor-in-Chief at NRN, and this is the show where I give you an all-access pass to the restaurant
0:10.1	industry's most influential decision makers. This week, I'm talking with Edmund, Barsagian,
0:15.5	and Brian Simowitz, the founder and president, respectively, of Houston Hot Chicken, aka H-H-C.
0:23.8	This brand has opened 24 locations in less than four years, and a big reason why is Edmund
0:30.0	and his massive social media following.
0:32.5	That's right.
0:33.0	Edmund is a social media influencer who realized there was big potential in opening a business
0:38.0	around a great hot chicken recipe that he developed with his sister.
0:41.7	From the jump, Edmund had big plans for the brand.
0:44.2	And with strategic executive hires like Brian, along with an investment from Savory Fund,
0:50.4	HHC is well on its way to opening potentially hundreds of locations. Edmund and Brian joined the podcast to talk about how HHC is well on its way to opening potentially hundreds of locations.
0:55.2	Edmund and Brian joined the podcast to talk about how HHC was designed for a social media generation
1:00.5	and how they plan to rise above a crowded hot chicken field.
1:05.1	In this interview, you will learn more about why you shouldn't be surprised to see more
1:09.0	influencer-led restaurants, why the right experts can turn your good brand into a great one,
1:15.8	and why you shouldn't have to pay someone to say your restaurant is great.
1:20.2	By the way, speaking of social media,
1:22.4	I am excited to share a new way that you can access takeaway and other goodies.
1:27.1	TikTok.
1:27.9	That's right. I've launched a new TikTok channel where can access takeaway and other goodies. TikTok. That's right.
1:28.2	I've launched a new TikTok channel where I will be sharing special insights from this show,
	...

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