QSR Magazine - Gregg Majewski is 47 years old and 26 of those have been spent as a C-suite executive of a restaurant company. He believes it’s the longest such run in the game, which began when he was 21. But that’s not to say Majewski is ready for a change of pace. “I don’t go to work,” he says. “It’s hard to explain that to people. I go in and have the best time.”
These days, the former Jimmy John’s CEO is heading up multi-concept platform Craveworthy Brands. The second project in asset management company FG Financial’s merchant banking division, Craveworthy began with four concepts—Wing It On, Krafted Burger + Tap, Budlong Hot Chicken, and Lucky Cat Poke Company. It also now comprises legacy brands Genghis Grill, BD’s Mongolian Grill, and Flat Top Grill, which came fully into the fold when Majewski, who had joined as Mongolian Concepts’ CEO in spring 2021, bought out the company in April. That expanded Majewski’s portfolio to 90-plus stores across 25 states, with 40-plus more in development.
As quickly as Craveworthy entered the picture, however, it’s an organization defined by the wider picture, Majewski explains. “Whoever is in a top spot in any company, your job is to be the dreamer,” he says. “If you don’t always dream bigger than you think you can, then nobody is going to get motivated to go wherever you want to go.”
Craveworthy's dartboard today projects $1 billion in systemwide sales within roughly five years. To get there, it’s going to take a combination of internal franchise growth, brand expansion broadly, and acquisitions. On that latter note, like many angles Majewski takes, Craveworthy won’t follow the worn path. In late April, the company announced intentions to raise as much as $25 million by placing a call for investors on its website. Craveworthy offered Class A units at $2 per share in a private placement, asking for a minimum of $5,000.