Full transcript of Surcheros: The Tex-Mex Franchise Winning in Towns Everyone Else Skips — episode 351 of the Restaurant Technology Guys podcast, with Luke Christian, founder and CEO, and Jake Philpotts, Vice President of Business Development, at Surcheros. Speaker labels preserved; lightly edited for readability.
What this episode covers. Luke Christian, founder and CEO of Surcheros, and Jake Philpotts, vice president of development, on building a fast-casual Tex-Mex chain toward 50 restaurants in the South Georgia towns other brands skip. Luke started it, in his words, trying to create a job for himself. The conversation covers why community involvement is not a marketing tactic in a small market, how the team approaches site selection analytically rather than opportunistically, catering and off-premise sales, what they look for in a franchise partner, and why being accessible to franchisees matters more than any process. Also, which sauces to order.
A note on attribution: both guests were recorded on a single track, so this transcript cannot reliably separate Luke Christian from Jake Philpotts. Guest turns are labelled with both names. Jeremy addresses each of them by name throughout, which is the best guide to who is speaking.
- In this transcript:
- Meet Luke Christian, Founder and CEO of Surcheros
- Why Luke Started Surcheros
- Where the People-First Belief Comes From
- Cutting His Teeth in the Restaurant Business
- Getting the Basics Right First
- Community Involvement and Why It Matters
- The Origin Story and Small-Town Georgia
- Why Underserved Markets Are the Opportunity
- Site Selection and the Real Estate Challenge
- Catering and Off-Premise Sales
- What Surcheros Looks For in a Franchise Partner
- Where Surcheros Is Concentrated Today
- What to Order at Surcheros
- How to Explore Surcheros Franchising
Jeremy Julian (0:01): Welcome back to the Restaurant Technology Guys podcast. I thank everyone out there for joining us, as I like to say on every episode. I know you guys got lots of choices, so thank you guys for hanging out. Today, we are joined by uh two people that I’ve gotten to know over the last year, I guess, um as we’ve been working with them. And I’m excited for them both to share the story because it’s a unique one, but a fun one, quite frankly. I’m going to not steal…
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (0:02): Thank
Jeremy Julian (0:27): his thunder, but why don’t you guys both introduce yourself, Luke, why don’t you start and then Jake, you can pass it over to Jake to introduce each other. And then we’ll jump into a little bit about what y’all get to do on a daily basis at Saturus.
Meet Luke Christian, Founder and CEO of Surcheros
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (0:40): Okay. Good morning. I’m Luke Christian. I’m the founder and CEO of Sir Charo’s. uh We’re a fast casual takes makes restaurant chain based here in Alpharetta, Georgia. Here with me is Jake Philpotts. Yeah. Good morning. Jake Philpotts, vice president of development here at Sir Charo’s.
Jeremy Julian (1:03): Awesome. Well, like I said at the onset, uh I’ve gotten a chance to know these guys over the last year or so as we’ve uh been working on just kind some tech projects with them. Luke, your founding story, and you and I had this on the side of just kind of where you came up in the restaurants. I’d love for you to talk a little bit about why did we need another fresh uh Mexican food concept and why did you think that it was kind of the way to go? Because uh I love the story and I think it’s fun to tell and I love listening to founders kind of just just riff on on why they created it and what they were trying to do.
Why Luke Started Surcheros
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (1:38): Yeah, I mean, transparently, I was trying to create a job for myself. Didn’t know at the time we needed another concept, but through developing oh Sarcheros and creating it, I really listened to my guests in prior lives at other restaurants. um So there are some differentiators that Sarcheros has, and that’s the reason now why we need another concept or another fast casual Tex-Mex chain. But originally it was just to create the opportunity for myself to be a business owner, be my own boss. Those were the desires I had and love the concept, love the simplicity compared to other restaurants and fell in love with it and started tweaking it and making it better to help myself and anybody that I was around, I guess you could say.
Jeremy Julian (2:34): I love that. And I know you and I talked kind of on the side about the fact that oftentimes entrepreneurs become unemployable, especially after they’ve started something of their own. Is that a fair assessment?
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (2:48): Um, it may be, it would be tough to go back there. There’s the creativity factor, some of the, um, I guess making your own hours occasionally. Um, those are things that you get used to, but you also, uh, you know, some of the flip side is the hours sometimes are uncontrollable and unlimited and, uh, and never end. So, uh, But unemployment, I don’t know. I’d like to think I still could fit in.
Jeremy Julian (3:20): You still could figure it out. I love that. Before I flip over to you, Jake, Luke, one of the things that always impressed me every time I’ve engaged with you is your passion for people. And I guess I’d love to have you talk a little bit about that because it is, in my opinion, part of what makes the Charoes so such a such a fantastic brand that you’ve really built around the people that have helped you get to where you are. And I guess I’d love for you to talk a little bit about that um and why you’re so passionate about
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (3:38): joke.
Jeremy Julian (3:48): pouring into the people and allowing them to do what they do.
Where the People-First Belief Comes From
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (3:53): Yeah, I think it, you know, it stems from my beliefs oh as far as being a believer in Jesus Christ and a follower of Jesus Christ. I think it starts from there at its core. oh just, had said, but then when you put in the restaurant part of it, mean, we’re generally literally are there to take care of people and to serve people. And that comes from that, that mindset of serving. So it, I see. My guests, my team, they are all people I’m serving. you know, that’s, so I do naturally have a passion for people, but then it flips over to the business side. And I, you know, when I set out franchising, I was going to be the, this new guy that you didn’t have to have a certain wallet size and you just needed passion and some experience. And I was going to help you get started. that doesn’t always work. And you know, You may want to, you know, maybe I started that too quickly, but I still see that. I still see guys that man, they would make fantastic restaurant owners. They just don’t have the financial backing. They need the support. But also on the other flip side, I see people that want to invest their money, but they don’t have any operational desires or, know, they want to be a silent owner. They want to own a restaurant because they love the brand. And they think it’ll make them some money, but who’s going to run it? So I can, my vision is to continue to merge those folks that were finding that, that you got great operators, passionate, love being in the restaurant. I love being in the restaurant. We’re in an office. get more, more passionate when I’m in the restaurant sometimes. So I just, I still see that. I think there’s a way to really, you know, part of our mission is to bring prosperity to. to uh each guest, each other, and each community we serve. And I just, I truly believe that there is a way to get the money out there that needs the expertise and to get the expertise when that’s kind of a long-term goal of mine, and vision. oh
Jeremy Julian (6:04): I love that. And the cool part for me is I’ve watched it. I’ve watched you guys execute on that and kind of getting to see on the front lines. Jake, this isn’t your first rodeo. Talk to me a little bit about your background and your history. Obviously you chose to come partner with the team and try and grow the brand with them. And you and I had a chance to speak most recently, just kind of a little bit about your background, but I’d love for your listeners to hear a little bit about your background and why you feel so passionate that Chachero’s is really on the precipice of just kind of exploding. because I’m excited to hear it and see it and kind of, what did you see inside the curtain that you would want our listeners to hear?
Cutting His Teeth in the Restaurant Business
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (6:40): Yeah, of course. I, you know, I cut my teeth in the restaurant industry working for Chick-fil-A shortly after I graduated from college. And I feel like that was the foundation for me to understand how excellence is achieved within the restaurant space. Right. Chick-fil-A has their challenges just like every other brand out there. think sometimes there’s this kind of halo around them that they think everything’s going right. That’s just… Not the case, but they are working hard, right? They have a great culture there. They have a great product. And I was able to be a part of that story and a part of that journey. And then I decided for a season to step away from restaurants altogether and didn’t know if I would ever be back. Probably thought I wouldn’t, to be honest with you. I think that my time in graduate school, I received my MBA from the University of Clemson. ah I specialized in entrepreneurship through that program and I’ve actually not considered myself an entrepreneur, like if I look at my career, uh but I am just maybe my personality a little bit. But when I met Luke, I think there were two things that stood out to me very quickly as I looked at where SearchEros was at. And one is that there was a room that had the I appreciated and wanted to follow. And so I’ve always said follow the leaders, don’t follow companies. Right. And so I found a leader that I wanted to follow. I also looked at their product. looked at, you know, I honestly have been exposed to some great, great brands, great products. I Went and dined at Sir Cheris for the first time. And I just, I said, and all of the Tex-Mex concepts that I had tried, was like, Hey, this is, this is a superior product. This is a better offering than what everyone else is doing. And I think with the right, you know, group of people, the right skillset, I think there’s a, there’s a runway here. And so that, that’s what got me excited about working with Sir Cheris.
Jeremy Julian (8:59): I love that and the cool part. And again, I feel like I’m fanboying out here for both of you guys and that’s not my intention, but it’s been fun to kind of watch how you guys have treated each other and treated the brand. so you guys have talked about it being a Tex-Mex concept. I guess, why don’t you walk through a little bit of kind of just what’s the basics of the concept? Luke, why don’t you get started and kind of what, where do you think there’s some uniquenesses? And then Jake, we’ll talk a little bit about how do we get. how do we get into the communities to be able to really serve the purpose that Luca alluded to here just a minute ago?
Getting the Basics Right First
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (9:33): Yeah, your basics, you know, we first started. is something I said probably a million times. Burritos, tacos, nachos, quesadillas and salads. And I said it in that order how I off my tongue. As of late, as we’ve all seen, many concepts exploded in the bowls and bowls has risen to the top of our so your basics there are burritos and bowls. We do offer, as I said, quesadillas, salads, nachos and tacos as well. some of the concepts may not have as many offerings. That’s probably been something we’ve, oh you know, went a little too far on in some cases, having uh many versions of those, I just said, whether it be a mini or, oh you know, different levels that you could build that to, those items. But the basics, you know, are there. I think, you know, as far as rice, beans, meat, all of your fixings that you’re to put on your burrito or your bowl. some differentiators for us, things I just listened to when I was early in the space. um We thought that burritos that you warm the tortilla to make it pliable to roll, and then you may add three hot items, rice beats meat, and then you start adding cheese, pico, lettuce, sour cream, cold items, and you wrap that up and the process takes a moment. you think you’re getting a warm or hot burrito, but you’re getting a… a cold burrito when it’s all said and done. we grill all of our burritos after they’re done. We also, another differentiator, also offer sauteed veggies. Now you have taken the flavor profile, what you can build there is so unlimited. People ask me what my go-to is. I don’t know because it’s different every time. And maybe that’s honestly unique to me. Some people, they get the same thing, but I get something different every time. That’s the beauty of it. It’s another reason why I love it. So, yeah, we’re grilling veggies to add more heat. We’re grilling the burritos to add more heat. And we also try to offer a lot of sauces that go. You can saute in different sauces. So it can really get complex. And we have to be mindful of that when it comes to speed and execution. But oh I would say those are the main three differentiators. A fourth unknown and one we have not perfected yet is going to be that level of hospitality, that engaging. going the extra mile, you know, level of service for someone. We really see a need for that in the space. And we’ve got a lot of success with just, you know, from our personalities and how we run things and how we want to treat people that we talked about a little bit earlier. It’s just a natural desire for you to walk out that door and say, wow, that place is amazing. And that’s another reason why I see a lot of potential here when you can get the consistency of that over and over and over and really give. the guest in the world and your future team members and franchisees, they can see that consistency and that quality of it. That’s what I think is going to build a really large, beautiful brand.
Jeremy Julian (12:37): Yeah, and I think it’s I mean, it’s a blessing and a curse. And think you alluded to it earlier, Luke, is it’s a blessing because you’ve got so many options and it’s a curse because you’ve got to make sure you execute. so, Jake, I’d love for you to talk a little bit about how do you think about that? Because there are unlimited options. Part of what I love about the brand is I feel I’ve not had the same thing having gone in quite a few different times. I’ve never had the same item. I’ve always tried something different and whether it’s a different sauce, a different veggie mix, a different protein mix. But I guess on the flip side of that, how do you think about it when it comes to, in general, just finding franchisees that can execute at that, especially talking back to what Luke’s vision was that says, we’ve got some people that love restaurants but might not have the finances. We have people that have the finances and might not necessarily understand that. That’s a good balance to have to, I guess, figure out as you guys continue to grow and scale.
Community Involvement and Why It Matters
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (13:29): Yeah, I think that you alluded to it on the community involvement piece, right? And that’s like a cornerstone for us when it comes to the success of our restaurants, no matter if they’re corporately owned or franchise owned. But in my world, as I’m selecting franchisees, right? To Luke’s point, you know, we look for several things where you’ve got to be well-capitalized, right? These are expensive restaurants and, you know, there’s a part of the financial side that needs to be seriously considered. if you’re going to go on this journey. Restaurant experience is not a do or die for us, but it helps. If you have restaurant background, we are kind of a unique people out there, right? And there are things just about managing people and P &Ls. And if you have some of that experience or someone on your team that has that experience, that’s helpful. But as a caveat, we have… several franchisees within our system right now that did not have restaurant experience prior and they’ve been very successful. They’ve learned quickly and we feel proud of that. ah And then there’s the local piece, right? And this is, I would say unique to us. ah There are other brands that are doing it, right? But we like our franchisees to live in or close to the communities of which they are serving.
Jeremy Julian (14:35): Uh huh.
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (14:55): the where you go to school, where you go to church, being a member of the chamber, all of those things matter. And we have seen that to take, I would say maybe mediocre real estate selection to high volume restaurants because of that integration within the community. on the franchise selection side, and this kind of overlaps into that community play. But the fourth thing, that we look for is the cultural fit, the value piece. Right. And that’s something, you know, out there, everyone’s trying to sell franchises and there’s different criteria and there’s different standards. But for us, there’s a very specific type of person that we’re looking for that encompasses the values of originally Luke Christian and what he set out to do and how he set out to do it. And then it has developed into this entire company that’s got close to 50 restaurants all across the southeast that are showing up that way in all of the areas that we’re serving our guests.
Jeremy Julian (16:08): I appreciate you sharing that. And I often talk to people on the show and they talk about these things. The part that I guess I was able to witness is I watch your teams live it. They truly are part of these communities. so Luke, one of the things that I also found super unique is you guys have gone to, least initially gone to some of the less served communities. I’d love for you to talk a little bit about that. And by less served communities, you’re not in the heart of Atlanta. You’re not, mean, you might have stores that are going to grow there eventually, but you’re not taking the same cookie cutter, everybody says you gotta go to the center of the cities that are there. You guys have found success in some of these suburban areas and some of these, I guess, less served areas become the go-to. And now when these other larger chains come in, they oftentimes find that the competition’s pretty fierce in some of these communities that you guys have built such great restaurants in. So I’d love for you to talk a little bit. Was that intentional? Was that on accident? Was that kinda, you know, talk to me a little bit about where that’s at, cause I know you guys are gonna get to a place where you guys are in. every major city in the US, but at least initially from my research and talking with you guys, it feels like you guys found really good success in some of these less served communities. I’d love to hear a little bit more if that was an intentional act or not.
The Origin Story and Small-Town Georgia
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (17:20): Sure, think a lot of it’s just the origin of where we began. So being in Southern Georgia, you’re serving rural communities and they were close proximity to where I was in Douglas. So obviously I started in Douglas, then I went 45 minutes one way to a city called Wake Grove, Georgia. Then I went 45 minutes the other way to a city called Tifton, Georgia. And that’s how originally, and then I went about an hour and 15 minutes north to a similar sized town called Dublin, Georgia. So that’s how it was growing just where we are. hitting those underserved markets. oh We also, you know, being as there were other competitors in this space and us not having that uh confidence that we do now, know, transparency, we’re dodging some of those competitors. We didn’t know how we would stand up against them. Now we have found that we stand up against those guys very well. And, oh but we’re still looking for markets that… fulfill a need. It goes back to the original piece of serving someone and serving the community and serving them by creating jobs, serving them by oh creating a restaurant that they can depend on that’s going to be clean, that’s going to have fantastic food, and it’s going to give them service and also participate in their community, where Jake was talking about churches, schools, civic organizations, things like that. We’re able to give back and it fulfills a need. It also fulfills a need. don’t, a lot of these under underserved markets, they just don’t have a lot of concepts. They have, you know, mom and pop diner or mom and pop burger place and that’s great and they’re doing a fantastic job and then there’s a lot of, you know, no offense to anyone out there but your normal row of QSRs, there’s just nothing that has, you know, our restaurants have fresh food, there’s no freezers, we’re making everything from scratch. So we’re serving, if that is an underserved market in a fresh quality product.
Jeremy Julian (18:51): Mm-hmm.
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (19:16): So it’s a really big deal when you open in markets that are, I call them bit-sized, but they’re probably when you compare it to Atlanta, know, we’re very small cities that have not been exposed to the concept yet. It’s a pretty easy home run, fish in a barrel, if you would, especially if you execute. And then when those competitors come in, they’re loyal to you on those. So those, the big guys have figured that out and that’s become part of their strategy. And that’s quite frankly, their strategy and then moving in on us in some of those small markets is what and then we, know, at first you’re worried, you’re like, oh no, this big guy’s coming in. But then you see, wow, we may have gotten busier. I maybe they thought they wanted this big main, they came exposed to it and said, oh, this really is good over here. it, you know, not to get too long winded on it, but yet it has been a big part of our growth.
Jeremy Julian (19:58): But yeah.
Why Underserved Markets Are the Opportunity
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (20:12): We’re going to always be looking for those underserved markets. There’s still a few out there. We go up in one the other day in Greensboro, Georgia, Lake Oconee. We did it on the Eaton’s inside versus near the interstate for people that may know that area and that served that market and the numbers show. So this is the most recent exam.
Jeremy Julian (20:32): love that. Jake, talk to me a little bit about site selection. Every time I talk to franchise groups, it’s not just the communities, but it’s hard because real estate has got to be one of the toughest things. Pick in the right real estate. You alluded to it earlier. You guys have had some less, I guess, prevalent locations. You guys don’t have a cookie cutter model, at least in my experience thus far. It’s not, and I’m going to use a brand that you guys directly compete with. You are going to know what you’re pulling up just about anywhere in the US. They look very similar. Right? You know what? I’m not saying that in a bad way. It’s just they’re very cookie cutter. They find the right size box. They just build out that box. You guys are not that way. And I guess I’d love love a little bit of thought on that because it is a little bit of a uniqueness that people have real estate, but you guys have been able to figure out how to make it work within the box that they may have. I had the privilege of going to the store in St. Simon, gorgeous store, the store right next to your guys’ corporate office. Also a gorgeous store, but very different. Same look, same feel, same food, same execution, same hospitality. but different boxes. And so as you sit and live in your world, that’s the hard, I mean, I feel like that’s one of the hardest parts is not only, not only picking the right franchisee, but then once you do, how do I go find the sites so that they can hit their, their goals and objectives? And so I’d love for, love for you to share a little bit about how you guys have been so creative about the way that you guys have gone into these properties.
Site Selection and the Real Estate Challenge
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (21:50): Yeah, you know, the real estate arena is challenging. I think anyone in the space knows that. ah And when I’m talking with prospect franchisees, we speak to the fact that there are two main decisions that you will make that will determine the success or failure of a restaurant. One of those is your operator who is running the restaurant day in and day out. And then the other is the real estate selection, right? And it’s very hard to undo bad real estate selection.
Jeremy Julian (22:19): Yeah.
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (22:19): Right, so we are trying to be as strategic and analytical as we know how, given the resources that we have. um I like the fact that we are a little bit unique of where we can go. And I think some of our franchisees who have come from bigger brands that do have a little bit more of a, hey, it’s the same everywhere, love the fact that we are able to be. more nimble, I would say, as we enter these markets, right? We can go in line, we can go in cap, we can, if there is a piece of dirt on that side of town, we can build out a freestanding restaurant, like we’ve done in many communities. And I think that gives us an advantage to go where we know we need to go in town and not be as restricted. Now, the challenge with that is obviously the construction side. right, that you are going to go into a 2000 square foot restaurant and you’re going to go into a 3200 square foot restaurant. And they are going to look and feel the same in many ways, but the layout could look very different. And, uh you know, we are trying to get more unified, I think, in some ways, just from the ease of getting to market and helping. those general contractors and helping the franchisees build out quicker. But I think it’s core to who we are that we can go to different markets. Our restaurants can look a little bit different ah and that the franchisee or the operator, whoever’s running that restaurant can still show up to that community, welcome folks into that space. And that’s the feel that we want folks, you know, leaving with. despite how the restaurant may or may not look maybe from the outside or inside. Yeah, I think one small piece just to add to that is it gives that potential franchisee, they can have a portfolio of types of restaurants. So if they aren’t able to purchase real estate and build a building out of the get-go, they can start with a great inline or in-cap and then they may find one that they’re partial to, I really want to own in this city and I really want to own… this dirt and they can add that in and they can build. there’s a lot of flexibility on how you build your portfolio of restaurants we found to be on that. So I just wanted to add that small to the great part.
Jeremy Julian (24:50): I love it and part of why I wanted to call it out is because I talked to others on the podcast and it’s like, it’s just got to be cookie cutter. need an inline, I needed 3,200 square feet or whatever the number is. And I love that you guys are constantly evolving and making it better. I’m going to talk a little bit about off-prem. um I think you guys have been doing a little bit in the way of trying to drive some off-prem, but a lot of people are trying to figure out how do I maximize the four-wall economics? How do I drive sales? You guys have a fantastic product that travels well for catering. I guess I’d love Luke, talk a little bit of you talked about the differentiator in the stores. I can grill that burrito and make sure everything’s hot. You got to manage that when you’re, when you’re delivering to an office space, I guess I’d love to, to have you talk a little bit about that because it is, if it’s not the hottest thing that I talk to people about, it’s a very hot topic for a lot of people trying to understand how do I grow sales because I’ve already maximized potentially the four walls. How do I maximize sales outside? And how do you guys think about that from a product? delivery perspective and really even product innovation perspective to make sure that you guys are delivering on the brand promise, but also driving top line sales for your team.
Catering and Off-Premise Sales
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (25:55): Yeah, just initially I just wanted to point out, you I’ve been catering and doing off-prem from the get-go. So think that probably helped. No restaurants, I feel for restaurants that, you know, have the process of trying, how do I add that as another, you know, offering. I happened to work for a gentleman one time that he did, he had done a ton of catering in his career. I mean, a ton. So I learned so much about off-prem and You know, just really that bad, Cercheros. I’ve always thought of the product, it’s different, it’s good in both ways. It’s like you’ve got an experience inside the restaurant where you’re customizing and you’re doing exactly what you want. But what we carry to an off-prem, it holds up so well and it has its own, because you are a little more limited, you have your own taste there and all the flavors that you’re getting and building. And it just carries so well. get so many compliments. There’s also, where I’m talking about the heat factor of grilling the burritos and sauteing the veggies, we’ve got another product, our party burrito, that actually gets better with a little bit of time, believe it or not. So the flavor’s mold together. Of course, we’re keeping it safe and under four hours. But if you let our party burrito sit there for about an hour or so, which is gonna happen anyway. because of transportation, setting it up for the group gets there, the product gets better and better as it sits. So we have a little slogan that says burritos travel better that we use and they really do. So some of those are, I think I hit on your questions as far as what we think about it, the innovation, we have had innovation as we’ve worked with larger groups such as the University of Georgia. They’ve asked us or challenged us, can you add this protein or can you add this? And we have accommodated and it makes us learn a lot. Again, we’re still nimble with our catering offerings. We can do a lot more that’s on our menu. We’ve even made some little bite-sized little hors d’oeuvres tacos that are amazing. One of the funnest things we’ve ever made. So there is innovation. I wouldn’t say it’s ongoing, but we really just trying to… to get the product out there and use all those services that get that and be able to go out. Again, it’s a lot of it’s community to go out and meet the folks, let them know that you can take care of them when they need food for more than just a few heads and oh take your product out there, get it in their mouths and uh the rest all works out.
Jeremy Julian (28:40): Well, and I love that. I mean, I do genuinely. part of why I asked the question is I was at your partner conference most recently last month. And I was talking to Francesc, he had of, and probably a bad word, well, you know, he was, he’s in Florida and he was serving the Florida football team, but he started his day with, you know, $1,500 in sales without even opening his doors. And to me, that is a huge advantage because there’s a lot of products out there that you can’t do that with. And, you know, I guess, you know, he and I were just talking about it. Part of why he loves the brand so much is that the opportunity to be able to go get into those communities and go serve that University of Football, you know, the University of Florida football team. He now has a regular catering order that comes through. So he knows at the start of his day, he’s got sales guaranteed even before he opens his doors and whether customers come in or not. And so I love that you guys are able to execute on that because not all brands can do that. And I just wanted to make sure that I highlighted that before we before we move too far forward.
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (29:36): Yeah, thanks.
Jeremy Julian (29:37): Awesome. So Jake, talk to us a little bit about what you’re looking for. I know you talked about the cultural fit. guess I’d love to have you talk a little bit. I’m sitting here listening going, I’ve never had a Chiaros. I don’t even know what a Chiaros is. I’m now educated. I’m super excited. I want to go figure this out. What does that look like? How do they engage and what can they expect from your team?
What Surcheros Looks For in a Franchise Partner
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (29:57): Yeah, I am accessible maybe is the best way of saying that. I think that’s one of the ah unique aspects of a new venture and a younger brand is that ah you will be speaking with me if you are interested in franchising. And when I boil it down to what I think has maybe pushed folks over the edge of selecting us comparatively to other brands out there, It is that they get to know our team. Yes, there’s a model, right? It has to be successful, right? The numbers have to work. The product is good. But what we see more than anything else right now is that everyone is being sold to, right? They’re being convinced of something and there’s a lot of marketing dollars put into franchise sales out there and all the conventions and all the material. And what we have found is just like sitting down with someone over a meal. Getting to know them, getting to know who they are as people, their family, what makes them tick, what’s going on in their lives and saying, hey, like we’re also real people. We do some things really well. There’s other things that we can get better at. There’s something about transparency and honesty in the conversation and that we are welcoming people into more of a journey with us and a partnership than we are selling them a product. And so that is where we seem to attract like-minded people who are like, I’d rather get, you know, be a part of somewhat of a messy brand, a group of folks that are trying to figure it out, but seem to be onto something, right? Again, mean, it’s still important that our model works and that our franchisees are profitable. are very important to us. But yeah, I just, think we’re in a… a world that is so fast-paced and so overly sold and there is authenticity wins, genuine people being genuine with one another wins. And so that’s what we have to offer. I think that’s another piece to just playing the cards you have instead of trying to be someone else. It’s like, we can’t be a national brand. And so instead of trying to be that, it’s like, hey, we’re gonna lean into, we’re a regional, fast casual, fresh mechs, a spot that is growing quickly and needs folks that are passionate about what we are trying to accomplish here.
Jeremy Julian (32:38): I appreciate you sharing that. Luke, talk to us a little. Where can people find us to cheros? I mean, I know where you guys are at, for those, where can they find them? And then I guess I’ll make you guys riff on kind of what’s the one item or two items that you need to make sure that they try when they first come in. Because, you know, I bet you if they ask for the mini tacos, they’re gonna be like, what mini tacos are you talking about at the cashier? But I’m sure there’s one or two things that you’re like, you know what, if this is your first time to cheros, make sure that you’re hitting this on the head. So where can they find them? Where can they find a store and kind of what should they go in and expect from an experience and what should they order?
Where Surcheros Is Concentrated Today
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (33:14): Yeah, so heavy concentration in South Georgia. South Georgia to me is Columbus making Savannah and down towards Florida. So that’s cities like Albany, Augusta, the way across to Douglas I mentioned, Savannah, Augusta. And then from there, you go a little further south, we have uh currently three restaurants open in Florida, two in Tallahassee, one in Amelia Island, Florida. There are a couple more being built there as we speak. oh Then you go up to North Georgia and we’re starting to hit some of that. It’s a little more the mountainous up there. the cities are fewer if you would. We have not gone inside the perimeter yet, but we have towns like the Launaga, Cartersville, Alpharetta, Georgia, oh Athens, Georgia, as I mentioned, Cornelia. And then we’re in Tennessee. think there’s three current restaurants up in Tennessee, either outside of the Nashville markets or the Eastern side of that market. And then in South Carolina, we have four cities. So just outside of Greenville and Spartanburg and then Buford and Columbia. So that’s where you can find us right now. As far as products, again, I think you got to try to saute veggies. I think you got to do something with that. got whether it’s a bowl and you’re adding it to the top. And let your imagination go wild. If you like sauteed spinach and mushrooms and red onions and bell peppers and fresh jalapenos, you know, throw those guys in there. And the flavor, like I said earlier, it’s something special when it’s done right and you figure it out. uh Just the product itself, I think I always do a, am I dining in or am I taking away? So if I’m dining in, I’m gonna lean more towards nachos. or quesadillas because those items don’t travel as well in my opinion. Some people do it different ways and they have a different opinion, or how they construct it, I guess you could say. I’m not saying not to get a bowl if you’re dining in, but a bowl probably carries better and a burrito carries better, as I said earlier. So I make so many decisions based off that, but I think anything you try, if you’ll be a little adventurous, but even if you go chicken and cheese. It’s you’re going to find that that also has a flavor and we have flavored tortillas also that we don’t just have flour. There’s a couple other options that you can check out. So I would just say to try something maybe you hadn’t tried. That would be my personality and to add something there that maybe you hadn’t thought about before. A certain sauce or a certain vegetable. Yeah.
What to Order at Surcheros
Jeremy Julian (36:02): I’d say, Jake, I’ll let you answer that same question. What’s your go-to or what’s your go-to when you bring family into town that hasn’t been to a Sachero’s, they’re maybe coming in from out of town, you’re like, you got to try this. What is that one go-to that’s going to make people go, this is so craveable, I can’t stop thinking about it?
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (36:17): Yeah, I agree with Luke. think the sauteed veggies are critical.
Jeremy Julian (36:21): sauces man. The sauces is what kills me. Those are the ones that I can’t get out of my head. Sorry, I’ll let you guys keep going. But that’s the that’s the one that I’m just like, dude, I need to go figure out how to bottle some of that and take some of that home. So sorry, I’ll let you keep going.
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (36:35): Well, that’s it. mean, if you’re coming in the restaurant, I typically push people towards a burrito or quesadilla. I think there’s something about it going on the grill, kind of getting that crisp. I would just add to everything Ruth said, and also our Sriracha sauce seems to be really loved, right? And so some people put it right on their entree. I like to get it on the side and just dip everything in it. putting the chips, I mean, it is just that good. It’s got that little bit of spice, but it’s not overwhelming. And, you know, all of our salsas are made in-house every morning. We’re chopping up those veggies every morning. I think that no matter what you get, there is this takeaway. You know, our goal is for you to say, hey, there’s something different here, right? There’s something that feels fresher than anything that I’m trying in the same space. And so… I, you know, not to be arrogant or cocky or whatever, but I would say it doesn’t really matter what you order. The product should really speak for itself. Um, in our opinion.
Jeremy Julian (37:40): That’s a bold claim, I think having been a consumer a number of times, I would agree with that. One last thing I would tell our listeners, don’t sleep on the queso. The queso is pretty damn good. I’m not going to lie. And I’m a queso person. Anybody that knows me outside of the show knows that I almost can’t go somewhere without ordering queso, but their queso is really, really, really good. Is um there anything we missed, guys? Is there anything that you would want our listeners to hear before we sign off for today?
How to Explore Surcheros Franchising
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (38:08): I think from just a direct, hey, if you’re interested in franchising, right? Like that’s our world, that’s how we grow. There could be folks listening that based off of this conversation would say, hey, I’d like to just learn a little bit more. I would say, you you can go to our website, right? We have a franchising tab that’s right there at Surtiros.com. But I would take it a step further and just, and this is a part of who we are, but just email me directly, right? Jake at Surtiros.com. Very simple. ah You email me, I will email you back. I will call you. We can have a conversation. It’s the most fun part of my role is to talk with folks about Searcheroes, what we have to offer, why we think it’s a great investment, and it is honestly just a great group of people to spend time with. ah If you’re going to spend your life working hard and trying to make money, ah do it with people that you enjoy. working with, being around and have fun with. And so that’s uh a part of what we’re trying to create here. But I just wanted to create a path to that. And if you’re interested in franchising, find me. We’d to have a conversation. Yes.
Jeremy Julian (39:19): Awesome. Well, thank you guys so much for sharing your time. know, like I said in the beginning, I’ve gotten a chance to know you guys. I’ve gotten a chance to experience the brand and part of why I wanted the world to know about it because selfishly I need some Sacheros sauce in my life and you guys are not close enough to Texas since I got to get on a plane and fly to Georgia to see it. So to our listeners guys, please go check out sacheros.com. See if it’s a franchise that you guys would want to see in your local community. These guys are honestly great guys to work with. They’ve been fun.
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (39:31): So.
Jeremy Julian (39:47): to get to know the last little bit. thank you, Luke. Thank you, Jake. And to our listeners, make it a great day.
Luke Christian / Jake Philpotts (39:54): Thank you.
