Adam Issa is the Chief Marketing Officer of El Jannah and takes a seat at the table today to share how a single charcoal chicken shop in Granville grew into one of Australia’s most iconic quick service brands. From its Lebanese family roots in 1998 to more than 50 locations nationwide, with plans for 100 stores by 2027, Adam unpacks the strategy behind scaling a business that now produces over 20 tonnes of garlic sauce every single week.

Joining the brand when it had around 25 stores, Adam has helped lead a period of rapid expansion, modern marketing evolution and operational transformation, all while protecting the family values and community connection that built the cult following in the first place. This is a conversation about balancing speed with quality, redefining customer experience in QSR, and growing without losing the magic that made El Jannah famous.

You’ll also hear:

• Why El Jannah produces over 20 tonnes of garlic sauce every week
• How the El Jannah Way codifies Lebanese hospitality at scale
• The reality of cooking 100,000 chickens a week over charcoal
• Why loyalty has outperformed every other marketing channel
• How launching an app in three months changed the growth trajectory
• And what Adam would have done differently back in 1998

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Ramon Castillo is the CEO of Zeus Street Greek and takes a seat at the table today to share how Zeus Street Greek has grown from a single store in Drummoyne into a 45-store national brand — with ambitions to reach 150 locations in the next five years. Now CEO after rising through the ranks from Group GM to COO, Ramon reflects on leading a fast-scaling business built on heritage, heart and seriously good Greek food — all while expanding beyond the counter and onto supermarket shelves across Australia.

From balancing boardroom strategy with generational family recipes to navigating retail expansion into Woolworths, Ramon unpacks what it really takes to scale without losing authenticity. This is a conversation about growth, brand evolution, culture and protecting the spirit of the Yia Yias while building a modern food empire.

You’ll also hear:

• How Zeus found its niche in “Street Greek”
• The story behind their ready-to-eat Woolworths range
• What scaling from 20 to 45+ stores really looks like
• The risks (and rewards) of rapid expansion
• Insights from their Nick Kyrgios collaboration
• And Ramon’s secrets to cooking the perfect lamb at home

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Pong Patanan, the Director of the Thai La Ong restaurant group, takes a seat at the table today to share how a family-run Thai restaurant that opened in 1999 evolved into a growing restaurant group powered by adaptability, marketing, and mindset. From sleeping under the counter as a kid to walking away from a career in environmental consulting, Pong reveals how an MBA and two pivotal moments in class gave him the self-belief to go all in, back himself, and expand Thai La Ong beyond its original Newtown roots.

This episode is a candid look at modern restaurant growth: funding a new venue against his own home, opening just before COVID hit, repurposing staff instead of making redundancies, and discovering that visibility plus compelling offers can transform revenue. It’s a story about calculated risk, resilience and embracing change in an industry that never stands still.

You’ll also hear:

• Why Thai family meals are all about sharing
• The risky Parramatta expansion that paid off
• How opening just before COVID forced him to rethink everything
• What he learned working at Panda Express in New York
• Why combining ads and offers dramatically boosted sales

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