One fast casual’s long, winding road to franchising
Take-Away with Sam Oches
Nation's Restaurant News
2.5 • 15 Ratings
🗓️ 10 September 2024
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Denise Tran, founder and CEO of Bun Mee, a Vietnamese fast casual with four locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bun Mee has been around since 2011, and now after 13 years — and many important lessons — it’s ready to grow through franchising. Denise joined the podcast to talk about what it’s like to launch a business selling food most people haven’t heard of and how she’s much stronger having navigated the difficult operating environment that is San Francisco.
In this conversation, you’ll find out why:
- Customers may not understand your product — and that’s OK
- Airport locations are tough work, but well worth the effort
- If you can succeed in a tough operating environment, you can succeed most anywhere
- Having your house in order can help you through crises
- There is no perfect time to grow
Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].
Transcript
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| 0:22.4 | slash for real dash food service. Hey there, welcome to take away with Sam Ocas, a podcast from |
| 0:28.8 | Nation's Restaurant News. I am Sam Ocas, editor-in-chief here at NRN, and this is the show where I give |
| 0:34.5 | you an all-access pass to the restaurant industry's most influential decision-makers. |
| 0:39.6 | This week I'm talking with Denise Tran, the CEO and founder at Bun Me, a Vietnamese fast casual with four locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. |
| 0:51.1 | Bun Me has been around since 2011, having opened within the first fast casual boom |
| 0:56.4 | of the early 2010s, and now after 13 years and many important lessons, it's ready to |
| 1:03.3 | grow through franchising. Denise joined the podcast to talk about what it's like to launch a business |
| 1:08.8 | selling food that most people have never heard of |
| 1:11.2 | and how she's much stronger having navigated the difficult operating environment that is San Francisco. |
| 1:17.2 | In this interview, you will learn more about why airport locations are tough work but well worth |
| 1:22.3 | the effort, why having your house in order can help you through crises and why there is no perfect time to grow. |
| 1:29.9 | By the way, if you, like Denise, are a leader of an emerging restaurant chain, and if you're |
| 1:35.5 | also looking for resources to grow, I highly suggest that you check out create the event |
| 1:41.5 | for emerging restaurateurs. It's coming up this October 8 through 11th |
| 1:46.2 | in Nashville, kicking off with our investment summit that brings together 20 plus investors |
| 1:52.3 | with emerging restaurant leaders for education and networking. That rolls right into our main |
| 1:58.1 | create programming, which includes speakers from Texas Roadhouse, Dutch |
| 2:02.4 | bros, small sliders, swig, Cooper's Hawk, and dozens more brands. Register for this fun |
| 2:08.8 | and informational event for free by heading to create.nrn.com. Jumping now into my interview with |
... |
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