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.
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