Grit, drive, and a dream — that’s all Mehdi Zarhloul had when he arrived in America at 15. In this episode, the Founder of Crazy Pita shares how he turned relentless innovation and authentic flavor into a scalable, multi-brand restaurant legacy.

What if your next breakthrough came from a dishwasher-turned-founder or a tech innovator who transformed chaos into a scalable business? In this episode, Shawn Lalehzarian of Red Chickz and John Dorer of EB3.Work share the real-world insights behind their journeys to the American Dream.

Evonne Varady started by prepping meals for six women. Today, she and her husband Don have scaled Clean Eatz to over 400,000 meals a week across 110+ franchise locations. In this episode, they share the grit, growth, and heart behind that journey.

Every once in a while, you meet a Founder who reminds you why you started in the first place. Denise Tran’s story is what’s called a “power of one” moment — one decision, one trip, one bite that changed everything. In this episode, she shares how she left law behind to build Bun Mee from scratch.

After walking away from a handshake deal with nothing in the bank, James Bonanno and his Co-Founder spent a week scrambling to raise six figures — and Tap Room was born. In this episode, he shares the wins, challenges, and mindset shifts behind building Upstream Hospitality Group.

When COVID hit, Ellis Winstanley made a bold decision to legalize alcohol delivery in Texas — a move that helped his businesses and impacted the entire state. In this episode, he shares how solving problems and unconventional decision-making built his 10-business hospitality portfolio.

What does it take to go from an unhappy lawyer to a trailblazing entrepreneur? Erin Wade shares her journey building Homeroom Mac+Cheese — and the resilience, innovation, and leadership lessons behind creating a business that stands out in a crowded industry.

“Founders are the heartbeat of innovation and the backbone of the restaurant industry.” That’s the idea behind Founderology, a new podcast from FastCasual and Kathleen Wood spotlighting the resilience, passion, and strategies of restaurant Founders.