Friends of Branded!
Happy Saturday and I hope you had a great week.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Supreme Court had “Movie Day” where law clerks and the Justices sat down to eat popcorn and see porn films for cases awaiting their decisions.
Justice Hugo Black, who served from 1937 to 1971, always refused to participate in Movie Day by saying "if I want to go see that film, I should pay my money." Justice Black and Justice William Douglas, who served from 1939 to 1975, at the time were the only two Justices who believed that speech should be entirely free of restrictions.
In 1964, Justice Potter Stewart tried to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is “obscene,” by saying, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced...but I know it when I see it."
On Monday, May 19th, 2025, in a meeting at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, and in response to a specific question about how Branded could prove helpful to a large company that sells into the restaurant industry, part of my answer to the question asked were the words “we know it when we see it.”
My partner and Branded’s Head of MARCOM, Julie “Queen Z” Zucker, shot me a text (you just found your theme for this week’s “Top of the Fold”).
Sorry, not sorry, but there will be no further comments about obscenity or the Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184 (1964) case although I did just share with you some identifying information in event you’d like to take a look at this case that led to the book, The Brethren, by Bob Woodward (on sale in paperback at Amazon for $12.79).
The expression “I know it when I see it” conveys the idea that some concepts and topics, especially ones that are more abstract such as wisdom, beauty, authenticity, and integrity are difficult to define with precision. However, these topics, with the help of either intuition or maybe experience, are in fact recognizable.
One of my favorite comments when trying to decern between intelligence and wisdom: intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, while wisdom is knowing a tomato doesn’t belong in a fruit salad (that sidebar was for you Mr. Barton).
I promise we’re going to dive into the relevance of all this for the hospitality and foodservice industry, but I want to make it clear that the phrase reflects the intuitive and often ineffable nature of true insight. I don’t think it’s easily possible to codify wisdom, but through experience, pattern recognition, judgement, and my dad’s favorite, some much needed common sense, we often know it when it’s present.
The hospitality and foodservice industry, the one Branded is exclusively focused on and loves, is full of tourists. That’s right, I went there.
To be clear, there are many businesses full of tourists. Don’t believe me? Think of the fans in the blue seats at a NY Ranger’s at the Garden (the world’s most famous arena, right JB?) yelling in frustration at their team for a failed play. For clarity, the “blue seats” are the ones closest to the rafters and are known as the ‘worst seats’ in the house, although they often contain the most knowledgeable fans and I’ve been told that the beer is of a slightly higher quality upstairs (although I can neither confirm nor deny that claim).
A professional athlete playing a level unfathomable to most humans being shredded by a fan expressing their frustration. Happens all the time. Tourist!
The tourist doesn’t know, what they don’t know.
New Yorkers aren’t bad people, but if you exit the subway and stop at the top step blocking everyone behind you to gaze at the large buildings or check your phone, you’re going to hear something about that (and then you’ll go home and tell your friends how rude New Yorkers are). Tourist!
Every industry has its own workflow, processes, operations and otherwise. It also has its own ecosystem and the people, both well-known and less-so, that get stuff done and make things happen.
There’s a story about a banker from Lazard, that during the financial crisis of 20028 (“The Great Recession”), had his fee proposal challenged b/c the client in need of help felt the fee was excessive for the banker simply making a phone call. The banker responded that the client was free to make the call himself, to which the client said he couldn’t do that. And that’s why the fee was, what it was. The time associated with the making of a single phone call wasn’t the value of the service being offered. The value was derived from the totality decades of work, relationships built, and trust created, that justified the fee.
A person needs to know his limitations and that’s not weakness, that’s wisdom.
It’s not hard to go fast (alone), but it is hard to go far (without help).
I enjoyed my time out at the Restaurant-NRA show and was most enthused by the real-conversations I had with others who love this industry, play from different positions, and lenses than Branded and wanted to explore collaboration.
I’ve always shared that Branded is an operator-centric investment & solutions platform. I think I’ve maybe struggled to define what operator-centric means and how it’s our commitment to work with companies (tech, supplies, service providers or otherwise) that are on the side of helping operators win.
Friend of Branded and one of the best minds in our industry, Danny Klein, the Editorial Director at QSR and FSR, captured what Branded is committed to when he shared over LinkedIn an important takeaway from this year’s NRA show and that was more about “logical tech” instead of “theoretical tech” (Danny: I so loved your post on this topic, that I’ve clearly used it here without permission, but with absolute respect and appreciation for you and your work).
For those interested, here’s the post from Mr. Klein that I found so perfect: Logical Tech instead of Theoretical Tech
While Danny goes into some specific technologies that have been embraced by the good people at Wingstop to address wait times and improve guest satisfaction and reduce employee turnover, “logical versus theoretical” (or Branded’s “operator-centric”) is about the stuff that matters to operators and helps them get sh#t done. Readers of the H^2 know that our industry is unique as a result of its fragmentation, high-touch, guest familiarity & understanding (which is really their false-sense of familiarity and understanding) and just-in-time (“JIT”) incentives.
What I loved about this year’s NRA show, and I (clearly) agree with Mr. Klein, is that Branded also saw at McCormick Place and in our conversations with executives was a deeper desire and interest in being real and helping operators win now (as in right now and not in 36 months). Branded has always believed that technology and innovation must address the challenges and opportunities that are most important to operators, and you can only understand those challenges and opportunities if you’re fully engaging and listening to the operators.
To those that want to navigate emerging restaurants and technologies that are making things happen in this industry we love, you can try to do this from the blue seats, or work with folks grinding it out on the ice.
It takes a village.
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The first shoutout this week might appear to be a little self-serving, but it goes to our friend and partner, Mr. Michael Beck, CEO at Ink Tank GTM.
Michael has become a good friend of Branded, and our respective platforms continue to find ways to collaboration (Our Influencer Row out at the Restaurant Leadership Conference is an example of such a collaboration).
Michael brings energy, passion, care and authenticity to everything he does, and we appreciate how he’s help bring Ink Tank and Branded as we work to amplify events and level-up digital storytelling.
The National Restaurant Show was a big for event for Branded and we had a number of important projects that we needed to deliver on for our friends & corporate partners.
Michael wrote a LinkedIn post about one of our events out at NRA 2025 and I’ve copied a link to his post here: Some rooms are full of noise. Others are full of purpose.
The Branded Team was touched by Michael thoughtful words and his re-cap of the event. Let this shoutout be to Michael, to his team at Ink Tank, to the Branded MARCOM & Media team and to everyone who showed up to make our Cocktails & Connections event at this year’s NRA event such a wonderful evening.
As our friend & an IFMA The Food Away from Home Association Silver Plate recipient, Geoff Alexander would say, “here’s to you.”
The second shout this week goes to our partners at Chowly, the number 1 solution to power everything outside the 4 walls for SMBs.
Do you want to know who is also a #1?
Google and they're specifically the first-place people go to when they’re hungry.
Your restaurant’s URL is not where people go to find you. People go to Google to find what’s nearby, check hours, browse menus, and - most importantly - decide where to order from. For restaurants, Google has become the front door to your digital storefront.
That’s why Chowly is getting this shoutout, b/c Sterling Douglass and the Chowly team have created a free Google Business Profile Primer which is packed with updates, tips, and trends to watch.
The Branded team loves working with our friend Lisa Landsman, Global Business Development at Google. Google is moving fast - and independent restaurant operators can’t afford to get left behind.
You rewatch Chowly’s Profitability Workshop and access the Google Business Profile Primer here: Mastering Google for Restaurant Success
I also want to thank Sterling for taking my place when I had to leave our Hospitality Hangout – the NRA edition recording early. No one has appeared more times on our podcast than Sterling and he’s also been the only person to fill in as a guest host, earning himself the on-air nickname, “The Technology Guy” (and the behind-the-scenes nickname, our very own “Joan Rivers”). 😊
My young daughter thinks I’m friends with Thor b/c she’s met Sterling. Who am I to tell her she’s wrong! (SD: I figured I owed you that for my Joan Rivers joke). 😊
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Branded invites readers of the H^2 that are interested in learning more about our portfolio companies, and investment strategies to become part of our Access Hospitality Network ("AHN").
I’ve written about our newest portfolio company and fast-growing brand, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop (“BDS”) before, but this was a BIG week for Branded and BDS and that’s why this company is appearing here in the Access Hospitality Network section today!
Why was it a BIG week? Great question.
First, Branded hosted a Zoom call with some friends and LPs of Branded to talk about the roadmap BDS is advancing on.
I believe one of the reasons Branded and BDS have become so close is b/c we both believe in the power of 3s and that 3 is a magic number.
Branded has its (i) investments; (ii) solutions, and (iii) media, while BDS has its (i) restaurants; (ii) foodservice; and (iii) consumer packaged goods (“CPG”).
Since this AHN section is about BDS (and not Branded), let me stay on point.
Branded loves emerging restaurant companies that can leverage its “brand” to create and drive value in more and strategic ways. That’s why Branded believes BDS is a triple-threat and is such an exciting emerging restaurant company.
Restaurants: check! 18 units opened and 7 additional units expected to open over the next 5 months. BDS also has a pipeline of over 160 total franchise units sold.
Foodservice: check! BDS has formed a multi-year partnership with the NY Yankees up at The Stadium (that’s for you JB) that started on opening day. The company also has a concession stand at Madison Square Garden, the World’s Most Famous Arena (this is a tough edition for you JB, right?). BDS and its product line is an ideal partner for foodservice operators at stadiums, arenas and of course airports, colleges, universities as well.
CPG: check! BDS has its dumplings in over 500 retails doors and counting (and that doesn’t include its partnership with Mr. Kevin O’Leary (my 3rd favorite shark 😊) and QVC.
But wait, there's more.
I wrote "first" above, so by definition, there needs to be a "second."
Second, yesterday (yes, this section was written on Friday afternoon (before Memorial Day weekend) to the annoyance of Branded’s MARCOM & Media team...sorry) and fresh off the airways, our friend, partner and the CEO at Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Jeff Galletly, made an appearance on New York's very own, PIX11, for its Foodie Friday segment!
You can check out our media star here: Foodie Friday - Brooklyn Dumpling Shop
Everything is better IN a dumpling + everything is better WITH dumplings!
You want to discuss what Branded is doing with BDS and opportunities for collaboration? You know what to do, contact me directly!
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Featured Episode - Free Subs for Danny DeVito? How Jersey Mike’s Landed a Legend and Built a Cult Following
What do you get when you mix a legendary sandwich shop, a Hollywood icon, and an $8 billion handshake? One hell of a Hospitality Hangout episode. Mike Manzo, COO of Jersey Mike’s, joins the show to dish on how the brand became a cult favorite—with over 3,000 locations, a relentless focus on unit-level profitability, and yep, Danny DeVito as their secret weapon. From tamper-proof pickles to military-grade consistency, Mike breaks down what it really takes to scale without selling out. Plus, insider stories about the Blackstone deal, international expansion, and why Mike might owe someone a sandwich (or 5,000). It’s meaty, it’s motivating, and it’s got more than a few laughs.
Tune into the episode and subscribe to our channel here: Hospitality Hangout With Mike Manzo
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That’s it for today!
See you next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel.
It takes a village!
Jimmy Frischling
Branded Hospitality Ventures
jimmy@brandedstrategic.com
235 Park Ave South, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10003
Branded Hospitality Ventures ("Branded") is an investment and solutions platform at the intersection of foodservice, technology, innovation and capital. As experienced hospitality owners and operators, Branded brings value to its partners through investment, strategic counsel, and its deep industry expertise and connections.
Learn more about Branded here: Branded At-A-Glance