From Survival to Sustained Growth, with Ziggi’s Coffee CEO Brandon Knudsen

Brandon Knudsen, CEO and cofounder of Ziggi’s Coffee, convinced his wife to drop out of college to give this idea a shot. From working multiple jobs to raising a baby in the restaurant, it was hardly easy out of the gates. But once Ziggi’s hit its stride, it fast-tracked toward triple-digit locations—store No. 100 opened in 2024, 20 years after the brand’s founding. Knudsen joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the journey, how growth is about to ramp up, and what it was like launching franchising just 12 years into the business. 

Somia Farid Silber in October stepped into the top spot at Edible. At just 31 years old, she’s now leading the parent company of Edible Arrangements, a business her father, Tariq Farid, began when she was 6 years old. After serving as president for the past two years, she’s now on a mission to continue redefining Edible as a top-tier hybrid retail experience. She has big plans to target a coming generation of consumers and grow Edible’s market present through a variety of ways. She joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the journey and what’s ahead for the category pioneer.

In this episode of QSR’s CEO to CEO: Behind the Counter series, we step into the burgeoning world of drive-thru beverages. Few segments, if any, are as hot as this one—brands like Dutch Bros have climbed above 1,000 units, and even McDonald’s and Taco Bell (CosMc’s and Live Mas Café, respectively), launched offshoots to capture demand.We brought together Darren Spicer and Donny Bradley, leaders of the emerging brands Clutch Coffee Bar and Lola Beans, to fill us in on what life is like navigating a red-hot QSR sector and what it takes to separate from an increasingly crowded pack.Watch the video here: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/ceo-to-ceo-the-drive-thru-coffee-chain-edition/

Last year, in what’s become an annual tradition, restaurant operators shared their key priorities and initiatives in Qu’s fifth-annual State of Digital report. Now, CMO Jen Kern joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein once again to discuss the findings of the sixth edition, which explored everything from the race to holistic, integrated tech to the state of investments to continued kiosk growth to why loyalty doesn’t always work (without the right approach). Just like last year (and the year before that), it’s a look into the future of foodservice you won’t want to miss. Here's a link to the full report: https://www.qubeyond.com/2025-state-of-digital-restaurant-report/

Founded in 1994 in College Station, the original Layne’s Chicken Fingers became a Texas A&M cult-favorite known for its small-town charm, friendly service, iconic chicken fingers, and secret sauce. The brand has since grown past 20 stores, seen same-store sales jump 9 percent, and guest counts 7 percent. With corporate development continuing, franchising is entering the picture, too. Reed joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the rapid development and how Layne’s is thriving in one of the hottest categories in quick service.

Can drones solve some of the age-old issues with delivery? Naturally, there isn’t one answer and it’s a wide world of possibilities to explore. Tim Ridgely, VP of online ordering at Paytronix, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to paint a potential vision of the future and why some of these solutions might be closer to reality than operators realize.

Brian Lowe, CEO of BML, works with the some of the biggest brands in quick service and fast casual but also smaller brands. A common dominator across all, whether it’s multi-unit franchisees or even a restauranteur/entrepreneur opening one location? They want to slay their grand openings. Brian joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss how brands, of all sizes, should approach this with their franchisees and the lasting impression a solid strategy has on building a following and affinity within the communities they serve and setting a tone for long term sales success.

Clutch Coffee cofounder and CEO Darren Spicer joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to chart the journey of one of the drive-thru coffee segment’s hottest brands—how it got started, what it took to become successful, and where growth is now taking the fast casual. We also get into the overall state of coffee and technology in this corner of the industry and what lessons can be learned from consumers, competitors, and everything in between.

Self-ordering and automation solutions company GRUBBRR recently announced a “Guarantee” initiative that puts its money where its tech is. During any month where the solutions don’t generate an ROI, GRUBBRR will waive its SaaS fee. Why is it doing this? What does it say about the state of tech and the future? We’ll get into all of it with Parrish Chapman, chief revenue officer, as well as take a look at where the industry is headed.

CMO Anne Pritz and VP of Operations Patric Knapp join QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss how Bobby's Burgers by Bobby Flay set out to break the fast casual mold, from culinary innovation to service. The brand is ramping up franchise development as it hits its stride, striking a balance between customer experience, convenience, and all the while, staying true to the vision of its famous namesake.