Ron Schaich is an industry legend. The man built Panera, he is the chairman of Cava and he is one of the most brilliant minds in this business. I am also a huge fan of Cava—it is a killer brand. But on Closing Bell, Ron said something I hear all the time, and I have got to push back:
“This is a winner-take-all industry.”
Look, I have heard this line so many times it is practically a cliché at this point. Hell, I have even bought into it before. But here is the truth: it is just not how this industry works.
Let me take you back to my days at Jimmy John’s. Subway? They were the big guy. They had scale, dominance and had “won” the market, right? So what did we do? We did not try to out-Subway, Subway. We just came in, kicked ass and took what was ours. Freaky-fast delivery. Killer execution. An obsession with the details. We did not just carve out space—we dominated in our lane.
And guess what? We grew like crazy. Subway kept doing their thing, but Jimmy John’s? We exploded. Why? Because it is not about trying to outdo the big guys or copy what they are doing. It is about knowing who you are, owning your lane and straight-up crushing it.
Here is the deal: this industry is not about one player taking it all. That is a lazy way to look at it. The reality is, when you focus on kicking ass in your space—whether you are the scrappy up-and-comer or the seasoned vet—everyone can win. Your franchisees win. Your employees win. Your partners win. You just have to want it and be relentless about going after it.
That is why I have such a problem with the “winner-take-all” mindset. When people like Ron say it, it becomes a limiting belief. It scares off franchisees. It makes banks and investors pull back from emerging brands. It kills innovation and crushes opportunities before they even have a chance to take root.
At Craveworthy Brands, we do not play that game. Our entire model is built around proving that this industry is not about one player taking the crown. Let the big guys do their thing—educate the market, set the stage, whatever. But then? Go in, kick ass and take what is yours. Be bold. Take risks. Build a cult following. And most importantly, help your franchisees and team win big. Because when you win together, success is unstoppable.
The name of my podcast, Room for Seconds, says it all. You does not need to be in first place to dominate this industry. You just need to get in the game, focus on execution and bring the fire every single day.
At Craveworthy Brands, we are building the next great brands—the ones that dominate in their lanes and become the best second-place brands out there. These are the brands that do not just survive—they crush it for our franchisees and partners. Wing It On! is redefining wings. Soom Soom and taim Kitchen are blowing up Mediterranean. Fresh Brothers is owning premium pizza. Dirty Dough is flipping the cookie world on its head. And The Budlong? It’s all about bold, craveworthy Southern chicken.
There is always room for seconds. And if you are willing to kick ass, you can grab your piece of the pie.
Gregg Majewski has a vast amount of experience as a corporate executive in the restaurant industry. As the former CEO of Jimmy John’s, he played a major role in expanding the franchise from 33 to 300-plus stores in just five years by surrounding the Company’s marketing strategy around the innovative approach of delivering sandwiches and being “freaky fast”. Majewski has worked to develop restaurant concepts over the last two plus decades, before starting Craveworthy Brands in 2023, which currently includes a growing portfolio of restaurant brands. Craveworthy Media is Majewski’s gift back to the industry that has given him so much. The goal of Craveworthy is to inspire the up and coming industry leaders by providing important information, stories, and insights from titans past and present.