Sam Stanovich sits down with Alexis Gillette, VP of Marketing - Craveworthy Brands, to share tips on how franchisees can make the biggest important in their market in 2026 and beyond!
In an era dominated by rapid AI adoption, automated content tools, and viral influencer trends, franchise operators face a growing challenge: how do you separate digital vanity metrics from actual, bottom-line revenue?
When opening a new restaurant franchise, it is easy for first-time operators to get caught up in digital marketing trends. From running targeted Meta ads to setting up automated text-messaging blasts and coupon drops, many franchisees assume that customer acquisition requires a heavy digital ad budget.
However, as Alexis Gillette, Vice President of Marketing at Craveworthy Brands, reveals in Episode 8 of Chicago Sam’s Franchise GPS , the real drivers of long-term restaurant sales are far simpler, far more authentic, and far more cost-effective.
Hosted by Justin Egan (guest hosting for "Chicago Sam" Stanovich), this episode serves as a tactical masterclass in unit-level growth, operational readiness, and grassroots community involvement. Below, we break down the full conversation along with the three most critical takeaways highlighted across the episode.
For prospective business owners, entering a franchise network provides a built-in operational framework, established supply chains, and regulatory systems. But while systems handle table stakes, culture dictates how a brand grows and scales.
During the episode, Alexis emphasized that joining an emerging brand like Craveworthy Brands means aligning with a shared mission and set of values:
"The foundation of a franchise business is that you are buying into a system... But ultimately, in a system like Craveworthy, you're buying into our culture. 'Prove the doubters wrong'—that's one of our core values and something that we all live by... We want to be sure that we have the right people walking alongside us, helping us build the next restaurant brand. This isn't something that we can do alone. That's why we're franchising. You can be a part of something that we're building with you, with guidance and support and that system and that process to drive the unit-level economics that you need as an entrepreneur yourself."
When operators buy into a shared culture, aligning their day-to-day work with core brand values, the friction of scaling decreases and unit-level performance improves.
In an era dominated by online ordering, self-service kiosks, and complex tech stacks, it is tempting to view technology as the ultimate fix for sales growth. While enterprise technology supports operational efficiency and data collection, Alexis reminds operators that technology is merely a tool—it cannot save a broken guest experience.
"Nothing replaces the human interaction between the front line or the franchisee in their community and those guests. So it doesn't matter how many kiosks or cool apps or fancy systems that we have. If we are not creating a solid guest experience in that tech or the basic human interaction when they arrive at the restaurant, or even having a neat, clean, and organized restaurant that people are excited to come back to, we've lost."
For franchisees, the highest-ROI investment is always inside the four walls of the restaurant: delivering hot food on time, maintaining immaculate cleanliness, and welcoming every guest with warmth.
When restaurant sales dip or a new store location opens, operators often scramble to find new digital levers to pull. However, the two most powerful marketing tools in hospitality aren't technology-based at all.
As Alexis explained during the episode, sustainable growth comes down to two foundational pillars:
"The two most effective marketing tools that you have actually aren't technology based at all. The first one is operating the best darn restaurant you can... The second tool that you have is local store marketing. Nothing replaces it. This is, for all intents and purposes, that door-to-door knocking on those businesses, those homes through community folks to make sure that people know who you are and what you sell."
Instead of spending ad dollars prior to opening—a trap Alexis notes yields a zero ROI when sales are zero—operators should focus on local community heroes. Partnering with local elementary schools, teachers, police and fire stations, and youth sports leagues creates a network of local advocates that digital ads simply cannot replicate.
Want more insider franchise tips? Listen to the full conversation on Episode 6 of Chicago Sam’s Franchise GPS with host Sam Stanovich on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube!
Alexis Gillette is a seasoned marketing executive and Vice President of Marketing at Craveworthy Brands, bringing over 22 years of industry wisdom across retail, experience-based businesses, and major restaurant concepts including Raising Cane's. Known as a dedicated "defender of dreams for entrepreneurs," she leads multimedia marketing, franchise support, and unit-level growth strategies across Craveworthy's portfolio of 20+ emerging brands. A staunch advocate for grassroots community involvement and operational excellence, Alexis specializes in local store marketing (LSM), national ad fund optimization, and grand opening execution—championing the belief that genuine human hospitality and strong local relationships will always outperform digital ad spend.
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+ stores in just 5 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.
Do you know someone who would be great on this show? Let us know by sending a DM on social media @craveworthybrands