Urban Bird Hot Chicken’s
Stuck-to-Spectacular Growth
Podcast Episode #34 · 56 min
August 4, 2026
Welcome to Founderology –
Built to Breakthrough,
the ultimate podcast created by Founders, for Founders.
Founderology is your go-to resource for actionable insights and proven strategies to propel your business and yourself to new levels of success.
Hosted by Kathleen Wood
Each episode is designed to speak the unique language of Founders and address the challenges, opportunities, and triumphs of the Founder journey.
Guest Brandon Gawthorp and Chantel FiaschettiCo-Founders of Urban Bird Hot Chicken
to turn small businesses into award-winning concepts, national expansions, and billion-dollar brands.
Each episode is designed to speak the unique language of Founders
and address the challenges, opportunities, and triumphs of the Founder journey.
Urban Bird Hot Chicken’s
Stuck-to-Spectacular Growth
The episode explores how the couple launched Urban Bird after negotiating a costly lease obligation into an opportunity to open a new restaurant. Despite having limited experience with Nashville hot chicken, the founders spent roughly 60 recipe tests before opening, prioritizing product quality over speed even as lease payments mounted.
Among the topics discussed:
- Why Brandon Gawthorp sent what he describes as a difficult but necessary text message that many entrepreneurs would hesitate to send.
- How an employee who spoke little English when hired eventually became the manager of one of the brand’s restaurants.
- Why the company has turned away numerous franchise inquiries to protect its long-term growth strategy.
The founders also discuss how an operational challenge became a business opportunity. Early on, many chicken pieces delivered by suppliers were too small to meet the restaurant’s jumbo tender specifications. Rather than discard the product, the team developed a new menu item using the smaller cuts — a decision Brandon says became one of the company’s top-selling offerings and helped improve restaurant profitability.
The conversation also examines Urban Bird’s rapid expansion. After doubling its footprint in a single year, the founders recognized they needed to redesign their operating systems to support continued growth.
“What got us to 23 stores is not what’s going to get us to 46,” Brandon Gawthorp said during the episode.
Throughout the interview, the couple discusses building the brand without taking on debt, navigating operational challenges and preparing the business for its next phase of expansion.
You May Also Like…
Bloomin’ Leadership Lessons
Tim Gannon joined Outback at 40, $400,000 in debt and holding $37. Today he’s the creator of the Bloomin’ Onion, the No. 1 casual-dining appetizer for 37 years. In this episode, the Outback Steakhouse Co-Founder shares the leadership lessons behind an iconic brand.
What is Driving Kona Ice’s Success
It started with the worst ice cream truck experience a parent could imagine. Today, Tony Lamb’s Kona Ice is the largest food truck business in the U.S., with 2,200 franchises in all 50 states and over $350 million in sales. In this episode, he shares the decisions that got it there.
How Steele Smiley Sold a Fitness Empire to Bet on Healthy Fast Food
Steele Smiley spent 15 years building a fitness empire with 900+ U.S. franchisees. After a noncompete locked him out of that industry, he founded CRISP & GREEN anyway – despite experts telling him it wouldn’t work. Today it’s a 53-location healthy fast casual brand, and he’s been called the modern-day Ray Kroc of the category.
Real Talk, Damn Good Biscuits and Growing a National Brand
The people who get you to three stores are not the people who get you to 50. Lauren Coulter, co-founder of Biscuit Belly, shares the hiring mistakes, hard calls, and intentional planning behind growing a national brunch brand.
Toastique Founder Brianna Keefe Details Growth From Single Toast Bar to National Franchise
“We grow deliberately.” That’s the philosophy behind Toastique’s rise from a single Washington, D.C. café to a national franchise. In this episode, Founder Brianna Keefe shares why staying selective about franchise partners protected the brand as it scaled.
The World Pizza Champion Who ‘Let Go To Grow’
Your biggest success can hide your biggest opportunity. Tony Gemignani built Tony’s Pizza Napoletana into a legend, then spotted an underserved need next door — and it became Slice House. In this episode, he shares the decisions behind letting go to grow.