From hustling out of a small gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia, to serving up the most iconic food item in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Derrick Hayes is changing the culture of the franchise industry. Derrick founded Big Dave's Cheesesteaks to honor his late father and build a lasting legacy for his children. Today, it ranks among the top fast-casual concepts in America.

In this episode of the Franchise Whispering podcast, host Bob McKay talks with Derrick about the grind, the vision, and the immense patience required to build an authentic brand. Derrick shares the strategic moves that fueled his growth—including a pivotal supply chain deal with Philadelphia's famous Amoroso bakery—and explains why he believes the community, not the founder, truly owns a brand.

Whether you are an aspiring franchisee or a seasoned business owner, Derrick’s story of bringing Allen Iverson-level swagger and authenticity to the restaurant space will leave you inspired to get to work.

Key Takeaways

• The Gas Station Grind: How embracing the struggle of operating out of a tiny convenience store taught Derrick the hardest and most valuable lessons in business.
• Supply Chain as Marketing: Why partnering with Amoroso rolls wasn't just about food costs, but a crucial marketing strategy to guarantee authentic Philly flavor worldwide.
• The True Brand Owners: Why the community has the biggest voice in your company, and how giving back during crises (like COVID-19) builds unbreakable brand loyalty.
• Cultivating Internal Leadership: How to incentivize employees with phantom equity, peer reviews, and cross-training to maintain an incredible 4.9-star standard across locations.
• A Culture Shift: How Derrick and his wife (founder of Slutty Vegan) lean on each other to scale their empires, and why he channels his idol, Allen Iverson, to do things his own way in the fast-casual space.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [Matt@franchisemarketingnews.com].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

How do you take a brand with cult-like status and scale it to 400 locations without losing its edge? On this episode, host Bob McKay sits down with Brandon Rhoten, the marketing mind behind Wendy's viral Twitter roasts and the current CMO fueling explosive growth at Dave's Hot Chicken.

Brandon explains why he ignores vanity metrics in favor of strict foot-traffic attribution, why Dave's relies on raw User-Generated Content (UGC) over polished influencer ads, and how to overcome the 300-unit growth plateau. Whether you are an emerging franchisor or seasoned CMO, this is a must-listen!

Key Takeaways

• Art in Service of Commerce: Why creative campaigns only matter if they drive traffic and same-store sales.
• The 300-Location Plateau: Why scaling brands stall out and how to pivot when legacy marketing channels hit diminishing returns.
• Menu as Marketing: Using intentional menu innovation—like the Cauliflower "Not Chicken" sandwich—to unlock new customer occasions.
• UGC > Influencers: Ditching highly-produced corporate ads for raw customer reactions to maintain brand authenticity.
• Foot Traffic Attribution: Why your P&L is the only metric that matters, and how to track footfall from channels like Connected TV (CTV).

Standout Quote

About Our Guest

Brandon Rhoten is the CMO at Dave’s Hot Chicken. A veteran of franchise marketing, he has driven massive brand evolution for industry heavyweights like Wendy’s, Papa John’s, and Potbelly.

Host: Bob McKay, Franchise Marketing News

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [Matt@franchisemarketingnews.com].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

Ever wonder why once you get into the franchise industry, you never want to leave? On this episode of the Franchise Whispering Podcast, host Bob McKay sits down with Ashley Mitchell, a seasoned franchise marketing expert and fractional CMO. From her early days doing local marketing for the Walt Disney Company to scaling brands like Goldfish Swim School, East Coast Wings & Grill, and Sammy’s Sliders, Ashley brings a masterclass in franchise growth.

Ashley unpacks the unique challenges of the franchisor/franchisee dynamic, explains why the menu is your most powerful marketing tool, and shares the clinical approach her team at Zorability uses to determine if a brand—and its founder—are truly "franchisable."

Whether you are an emerging franchisor trying to untangle your tech stack or a seasoned marketer looking for fresh LTO (Limited Time Offer) strategies, this episode is packed with actionable insights!

Key Takeaways

• The "Franchise Bug": Why the collaborative, unicorn-like nature of the franchise community keeps top talent locked in.
• Balancing the Zor/Zee Dynamic: How to give franchisees a "big enough box" to localize their business while fiercely protecting the core brand.
• Menu as Marketing: The difference between meticulously data-driven LTOs and opportunistic, highly-shareable "stunt" menu items.
• Inside the Franchise Incubator: A look at how Zorability’s pod system diagnoses brands and scales them across supply chain, tech, and marketing.
• Tech Stack Truths: Why chasing "shiny object" software can cripple an emerging brand, and the absolute necessity of parent-child system architecture.
• Leadership & Trust: Ashley’s transparent, anti-micromanagement philosophy for building high-performing teams.

Standout Quote

About Our Guest

Ashley Mitchell is a Board Member for Franchise Marketing News and an experienced Fractional CMO. She works with a diverse portfolio of brands, including East Coast Wings & Grill, Sammy's Sliders, and Zorability (The Franchise Incubator). Known for her deep understanding of unit-level economics and franchisee relations, Ashley is a powerhouse in driving franchise marketing success.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [Matt@franchisemarketingnews.com].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

In this episode of the Franchise Whispering Podcast, Bob McKay sits down with a true industry legend: Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Management Corporation. From its humble beginnings in Clearwater, Florida in 1983 to becoming a global phenomenon, the Hooters brand has seen it all. But what happens when an iconic brand loses its way?

Neil shares the candid, behind-the-scenes story of why his team had to step in and reclaim control of the brand after years of private equity missteps. He details the grit required to execute a massive turnaround in today’s challenging restaurant landscape, emphasizing a return to the brand's core roots: great food, community involvement, and a welcoming culture.

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

• The Turnaround Strategy: How Neil's team is correcting course after previous owners over-sexualized the brand and deviated from their proprietary recipes.
• Community-First Marketing: Why embedding your business in the local community is the ultimate defense against the "corporate chain" stigma.
• Franchisee Collaboration: The power of giving franchisees a seat at the table to drive innovation, plus Neil's vision for a consolidated, dividend-paying exit strategy for aging owners.
• Expanding the Brand: Leveraging the iconic Hooters name to scale online merchandise, launch a new YouTube series, and partner with cultural icons like John Daly.
• The Coach's Playbook: How Neil’s background as a high school and college basketball coach translates to C-suite leadership and building a culture where every voice is heard.

Whether you are navigating a business turnaround, looking to strengthen your leadership skills, or simply love the history behind famous restaurant brands, this episode delivers a masterclass in resilience and authentic leadership.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [Matt@franchisemarketingnews.com].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

In this episode of the Franchise Whispering Podcast, Bob McKay sits down with Kelli Schroeder (MBA, CFE), VP of Franchise Development at Threshold Brands. With a rich background spanning Wellbiz brands, international scaling with Wingstop, and her current leadership role managing a diverse portfolio of 10 home service concepts, Kelli brings a masterclass in franchise development.

Kelli breaks down why selling a franchise is never just a transaction—it is a life-changing decision where buyers are putting their 401Ks, HELOCs, and life savings on the line. She shares her candid approach to guiding candidates, matching buyer profiles to the right business model, and why she views "semi-absentee" ownership as a major red flag for her brands.

Key Takeaways from this Episode:

• The Development Mindset: Why successful franchise sales require treating candidates with immense empathy and guardianship.
• Brand Versatility: How Threshold Brands navigates selling everything from low-investment owner-operator models (like Men in Kilts) to higher-investment, scalable empire models (like Granite Garage Floors).
• The Marketing Mix: Insights into why broker networks drive 60% of their deals, the complexities of lead attribution, and how buyers now spend up to 7 hours researching online before ever making contact.
• What Buyers Actually Want: The crucial need for strong unit economics (Item 19), raw authenticity during the validation process, and deep trust in the franchisor's leadership team.
• The "Yoko Ono" Effect: Why identifying and engaging hidden stakeholders (like spouses and partners) early in the process is vital to closing the deal.
• Global vs. Domestic Franchising: Kelli shares wild stories from international expansion—including eating with locals and holding wild eagles in the freezing Gobi Desert of Mongolia.
• Lightning Round Insights: Kelli shares why The First 90 Days is her go-to leadership book, the danger of prioritizing numbers over people, and why AI literacy is the undisputed top skill for modern franchise marketers.

Whether you are a franchisor looking to refine your development strategy or a prospective buyer navigating the landscape, this episode is packed with actionable insights and genuine leadership wisdom.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [Matt@franchisemarketingnews.com].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

Are you an emerging franchisor trying to bridge the gap between your lean startup team and the massive scale you're aiming for? In this episode of The Franchise Whispering Podcast, Bob McKay sits down with franchise royalty: Liane Caruso. As a Certified Franchise Expert, founder of Hello CMO, and co-founder of the Franchise Assembly, Liane breaks down exactly why what got you to 25 units won't get you to 200.

Dive into the highly specialized world of franchise marketing as Liane explains the immense value of the Fractional CMO model. From untangling messy vendor tech stacks to acting as the ultimate "franchisee whisperer," Liane shares her playbook for turning marketing operations from chaos into a scalable, well-oiled machine.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

• The Fractional CMO Advantage: Discover how bringing in high-level marketing operations expertise can align your consumer marketing, brand fund, and franchise development efforts.
• Simplifying the Tech Stack: Why you might not need a massive "data lake" right now, and how consolidating basic data can eliminate up to 30% of wasted marketing spend.
• Empathy in Operations: Learn the "therapy session" approach to franchisee relations and why giving franchisees a space to be heard is the ultimate tool for buy-in.
• The Missing Link in Field Support: Why your Franchise Business Coaches must understand local marketing to effectively advocate for both the brand and the franchisee.
• The Power of Personal Branding: Why founders and CEOs need a strong public presence to attract high-quality franchisees who are essentially "marrying" the business.

Connect with Liane Caruso:

• Follow Liane on LinkedIn for more franchise insights.
• Check out Hello CMO to learn more about her strategic consulting and fractional marketing services.

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [Matt@franchisemarketingnews.com].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

Welcome to the very first in-person episode of the Franchise Whispering Podcast, brought to you by Franchise Marketing News!

In this episode, host Bob McKay sits down with Madison Gates, VP of Marketing at i9 Sports and founder of Empowered Consulting. With over a decade of experience driving growth for powerhouse franchise brands like Carstar, Maaco, and Neighborly, Madison brings a wealth of knowledge on how to scale effectively while keeping the customer experience front and center.

Drawing from her background as a Division 1 soccer player at the University of Michigan, Madison shares how the lessons she learned on the field translate directly to leading successful franchise operations and empowering local franchisees. We dive deep into the data-driven world of modern marketing, the pushback against youth sports burnout, and why customer retention is the ultimate key to profitability in 2026.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The Evolution of the Executive Suite: Why the CEO of the future is more likely to come from the CMO's desk than the CFO's office.
• Balancing Data and Emotion: How to blend hard operational metrics with the emotional needs of consumers and franchisees to build lasting trust.
• The i9 Sports Mission: Pushing back against hyper-specialization, NIL culture, and youth sports burnout to create a foundation of fun and development for kids ages 3 to 14.
• Winning in 2026: Why shifting your budget from customer acquisition to customer retention is the most critical move for businesses facing rising digital costs.
• Aligning Marketing & Ops: The three pillars for getting franchisee buy-in and ensuring local operations deliver on the marketing promise.

About Our Guest: Madison Gates is a seasoned franchise marketing executive and the VP of Marketing for i9 Sports. She is also the founder of Empowered Consulting, where she helps franchise brands align their marketing, operations, and revenue strategies.

Connect With Us:

• Brought to you by Franchise Marketing News
• Subscribe to the Franchise Whispering Podcast wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [Matt@franchisemarketingnews.com].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.

What does it take to turn a 25-year-old legacy brand into a Gen Z favorite?

In this episode of The Franchise Whispering Podcast, Bob McKay sits down with Kevin Keith, a veteran CMO whose pedigree spans legendary agencies (JWT, Ogilvy) and iconic franchise brands (Orange Theory Fitness, Edible). Kevin shares why he’s stepped away from the corporate C-suite to become a "Simon Cowell style" consultant—delivering the blunt, direct truths that brands need to hear to survive in 2025.

We dive deep into the "re-enrichment" of Edible, the shift from being data-driven to insight-driven, and how AI is finally making "turnkey marketing" a reality for local franchisees.

Key highlights from this episode include:

• The Courage Barometer: Why some brands want to reinvent themselves but lack the "stomach" to actually do what’s required.
• Insights > Data: Kevin’s blunt take on why we are "drowning in data but starving for insights."
• The Rise of "Treat Culture": How Edible tapped into Gen Z’s mindset of rewarding themselves to drive self-consumption sales.
• The Hybrid Media Model: Why Chipotle and other leaders are winning by fusing TikTok influencers with traditional TV ads.
• AI Agents for Franchisees: How Kevin helped build an AI agent that maps global playbooks to local stores, removing the marketing burden from the "Zee."
• Personalization vs. Creepiness: Why the next golden age of creativity belongs to those who can master hyper-relevant, personalized storytelling.

About Our Guest: Kevin Keith is a seasoned marketing executive with over 30 years of experience. He previously served as Chief Brand Officer at Orange Theory Fitness and CMO at Edible. He is currently an independent consultant and adjunct lecturer at Emory University, helping brands navigate the intersection of human behavior and emerging tech.

Timestamps for your Show Notes:

• 00:00 – Meet the "Simon Cowell of CMOs"
• 03:52 – The Edible Journey: Rebranding a 25-year-old icon
• 05:55 – Do you have a "Courage Barometer"?
• 08:26 – Building Marketing Capability vs. just Campaigns
• 11:15 – Orange Theory’s "More Life" platform: Turning a brand into a rallying cry
• 15:08 – Why Kevin is "Insight-Driven," not just Data-Driven
• 19:53 – "Treat Culture" & How Gen Z searches differently (TikTok vs. Google)
• 24:19 – AI Search & Hallucinations: Garbage In, Garbage Out
• 29:47 – Final Advice for Zors & Zees: Make it Easy to Win

Join the Conversation

Thanks for tuning in to the Franchise Whispering Podcast, published by Franchise Marketing News. Our mission is to elevate the franchise marketing conversation by aligning franchisors and franchisees around Intelligence, Impact, and ROI.

If you found value in today’s episode, please subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Your support helps us continue to bring the brightest minds in franchising to the table.

Stay Connected:

• Official Website: FranchiseMarketingNews.com
• The Podcast: Listen to More Episodes
• LinkedIn: Connect with Bob McKay

Have a topic you want us to whisper about? Reach out to our team at [Matt@franchisemarketingnews.com].

© 2026 Franchise Marketing News. Whispering the truth, delivering the results.