Workstream

In 1969, Dave Thomas made a decision that seemed outrageous: make square hamburger patties instead of round ones. The restaurant industry frowned upon that decision. A square patty was harder to make. It meant more costs and time. And it looked... different. But Thomas had a bigger vision. He wasn't just making burgers. He was making a statement: "We don't cut corners." That square shape became visible proof of Wendy's promise of quality. When your burger patty hangs over the edge of the bun, customers will see you're not skimping on ingredients. The results: - 7,000+ locations worldwide - Instant visual differentiation from McDonald's and Burger King - A tagline that customers could taste, not just hear - Premium positioning in a commodity market Wendy's understood that sometimes the smallest changes create the biggest differentiation. While competitors focused on speed and price, Wendy's chose a different battlefield: visual quality cues that customers notice before they even take a bite. The square wasn't just a shape. It was a philosophy. What small change could your business make that would be instantly recognizable to customers?

Most companies hide from criticism. Domino’s did the opposite. When a customer said that their pizza tasted like cardboard, Domino's didn't toss the comment to the trash. Instead, they put it on national TV for everyone to see. It was one of the boldest moves in fast food history. Instead of defending the product like most companies would do, they admitted their fault, agreeing that their pizza wasn’t good enough. Then, they scrapped their recipe, rebuilt everything from the crust up. New sauce, new dough, real cheese. The result? A global powerhouse with more U.S. locations than any other pizza chain. They pulled one of the most successful turnarounds in fast food history. The lesson: Owning your flaws isn’t a weakness. In fact, it may just be the best ways to rebuild a brand, invite trust, and ignite growth.

How do you stand out in a city flooded with burger joints? You make it dirt simple. You make it craveable. You make it 7th Street Burger. No massive menu. No fancy chef story. Just smashed patties, melted cheese, grilled onions, and a bun that holds it all together. That’s the entire pitch behind 7th Street Burger, a fast-growing, NYC-born burger joint that launched in 2021 and quickly turned into a regional sensation. Starting from a small East Village storefront, the brand built a cult following with its stripped-down menu and bold, craveable flavors. At some locations, they sell 900 to 1,000 burgers on a weekend night, and they even took their signature smashburgers across the pond for a short London pop-up. Along the way, Condé Nast Traveler, The Infatuation, and Gotham have all named them among the best hamburger restaurants in New York City. Today, they’ve grown to 23 locations across New York City, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, with plans to expand into Philly, Boston, and Baltimore. They’ve turned a neighborhood burger into a national craving, and they’re just getting started. For anyone building something simple, fast, and culturally resonant, this is the blueprint. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just get the core right and let people talk.

While major chains added 100+ menu items, Wingstop had a different strategy, perfect what works. So they stuck to 12 wing flavors and built a $9B empire because of it. Here's the strategy that most people get wrong: In the '90s, every fast-food chain was expanding their menu to capture more market share. Burgers, salads, sandwiches, the logic seemed obvious: more options = more customers = more revenue. But this created operational nightmares, inconsistent quality, and confused brand identity. Wingstop founder Antonio Swad did the opposite. From day one in Garland, Texas, he committed to ONE category: chicken wings. The results of their Focus Formula: 1. Kitchen design requires 40% less equipment than typical fast-casual chains 2. Limited menu enabled them to move much quicker than the competition 3. 20+ consecutive years of same-store sales growth 4. Growth from their first location in 1997, to 2,500+ in 2024 Wingstop's Focus Formula: 1. Choose a category you can own (not just participate in) 2. Perfect operations before adding complexity 3. Expand geographically before expanding offerings 4. Only add adjacent products that share your core competency This doesn't mean never diversify. Wingstop eventually added chicken sandwiches and sides - but only after 20+ years of wing mastery, and only products that leveraged their existing kitchen setup. For business leaders: Master your core before you explore more. What would your business look like if you removed everything and just focused on your best product?

When most restaurants were asking, "How can we make this cheaper and faster?" Five Guys was asking a different question: "How can we make this better?" As competitors started to switch to frozen patties and processed ingredients, Five Guys doubled down on fresh beef, hand-cut fries, and premium buns. The business world called it expensive. Customers called it delicious. The result: - From 1 store in 1986 to 1,900+ worldwide in 2024 - Minimal spend on advertising became a word-of-mouth empire - Higher costs became premium pricing power - $2.3B brand built on saying "no" to shortcuts Five Guys understood something most brands miss: customers can taste the difference between "good enough" and "obsessively good." When you choose quality over shortcuts, customers will pay for it, talk about it, and return for it. The lesson: Most businesses fail not because they're bad at everything, but because they're mediocre at everything. Five Guys succeeded because they were exceptional at one thing. What's the one thing your business refuses to compromise on?

We’re proud to announce that Workstream is now an official preferred vendor for Scooter's Coffee ☕, supporting their 900+ locations nationwide! Why Workstream? Scooter’s was looking for one end-to-end solution to simplify hiring, onboarding, scheduling, payroll, and compliance. Workstream was chosen for our: 📲 Mobile-first, AI-powered tools built for hourly teams 🏆 World class support 7 days/week, maintaining a 96.9% CSAT score 💡 Proven results — 46 of the top 50 food & beverage brands already trust Workstream For franchisees, this means less time juggling systems and more time growing teams and serving guests. We’re excited to partner with Scooter’s Coffee as they continue their incredible growth story — and we can’t wait to fuel the future together. #Workstream #ScootersCoffee #FranchiseGrowth #HourlyHiring #Payroll

Starbucks built an empire on coffee. HTeaO is doing it with sweet tea. This Texas chain is turning sweet tea into a national obsession, and the numbers prove it. Born in Amarillo in 2009, the brand started with a simple bet: sweet tea could be treated with the same craft and care as specialty coffee. They didn't just serve tea. They engineered it. How? Here's the breakdown: 🫖 Proprietary reverse osmosis water system at every location 🫖 26 natural flavors (Sweet Mango Fresco, Coconut, Peach Ginger) 🫖 Infused tea leaves, not syrups 🫖 Pure cane sugar + natural fruit only 🫖 Drive-thru focused for speed and convenience Their growth metrics are absolutely staggering: → 63 to 128 stores in 18 months → 150+ locations across 14 states → Forecasted 500 stores by 2026 → 54% sales growth, 47% unit growth While every food entrepreneur chased the next coffee or the next smoothie fad, HTeaO looked at what was already there and asked, "what if we did this better?" The lesson? You don't need to invent a category. Sometimes you just need to perfect one. Sweet tea was always there. HTeaO just made it matter.

A company on a mission to provide hourly business owners with powerful HR solutions + the most trusted cloud infrastructure in the world = a match made in heaven. We’re proud to be an official Restaurant Partner with Amazon Web Services (AWS)! See how we’re helping operators hire faster, onboard easier, and scale smarter in this video from AWS. 🚀

A salad company just hit unicorn status. $200 million raised. Nearly $1 billion valuation. 100+ locations. If you haven't heard about this fast-casual that's changing the game for healthy dining, here's your quick breakdown: Just Salad was launched in NYC in 2006, when founder Nick Kenner had a simple idea: what if healthy food could be fast, sustainable, and convenient - all without compromising on quality? Now, nearly 19 years later, Kenner’s vision is redefining the healthy dining experience. Here's how Just Salad is rewriting the rules: 🥗 From-scratch dressings, daily-prepped produce 🥗 Reusable bowl program that customers actually use 🥗 AI-powered customization for their Build-Your-Own-Bowls 🥗 Carbon labeling so you know your impact 🥗 Drive-thru locations (first in Livingston, NJ) With locations in 7 states and an expansion strategy that’s both rapid and intentional, Just Salad is growing faster than most. Recently, Wellington Management led their $200M raise, fueling their next phase of growth. And it isn't just the food. Customers aren't just buying healthy meals. They're buying into a purpose: sustainability over convenience, health over habit. In an industry obsessed with who can sell at the lowest price, Just Salad took a different route: premium ingredients, sustainable practices, and tech innovation. They're proving that purpose isn't just good PR. It's a profitable strategy.

A few weeks ago, Crumbl announced they’re expanding into beverages, starting with a new line of cookies & cream milk, chocolate milk, and whole milk, available in select stores. It’s a bold move from a brand known for reinventing the cookie experience. Now, they’re thinking beyond the cookie and meeting guests where the demand is growing. In the QSR space, we’re seeing more and more operators expand their offerings to meet new guest expectations. Whether it’s adding beverages, rethinking digital ordering, or improving scheduling and staffing, this industry keeps moving forward. Excited to watch this evolve.