Webinar/Podcast

Mike Sebazco with Famous Toastery

Welcome to the Corner Booth!

Join hosts Chris Tripoli and Barry Shuster and their guests for a podcast for anyone who is starting a restaurant business, growing an independent restaurant business, or dreaming about starting an independent restaurant business.

Learn from successful restaurateurs who share their stories WHY they got into the business and HOW they created and built their winning concepts.

Corner Booth is a production of RestaurantOwner.com and its official magazine, Restaurant Startup & Growth.

So grab your favorite beverage, have a seat, and listen in!

Meet Mike Sebazco, president of Famous Toastery. His recent appointment to the helm of this 28-unit breakfast-lunch concept crowns a long and successful industry career, including roles at Don Pablo's, Mimi's Cafe, and Moohyah's burgers.

In this episode, Mike discusses the challenges of leading a busy made-from-scratch-menu concept with locations throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Famous Toastery is a full-service concept, with take-out and delivery. Unit seating capacity varies from 70 to over 200.

"Staying hospitality focused while expanding the concept is priority number one," says Mike, adding, "we look at growth differently than most restaurant groups. We duplicate rather than simply expand."

The business's franchising model requires rigorous franchisee selection and more than 800 hours of management training. At Famous Toastery, every staff member is involved in guest service and shares in the tips. Says Mike, this service model fosters a fun team atmosphere that results in a better guest experience.

As an industry veteran and now chief of Famous Toastery, Mike is ever-seeking incremental improvement. This includes enhancing field support for the units, perfecting the business's supplier relationships, and pausing expansion just long enough to further refine systems and procedures.