In this episode of CEO to CEO: Behind the Counter, we hand the mics over to A&W Restaurants’ CEO Betsy Schmandt and Kilwins’ CEO Brian Britton. They discuss life overseeing two of the country’s most-iconic foodservice brands, what it’s taking to win over customers with experience and service, and how restaurant leaders can inspire growth and performance from the top down.

As always, CEO to CEO provides a candid dive into life directing a quick-service chain. There’s no editor. No filter. Just real and actionable insight to take to your operation and career.

For more episodes of QSR's CEO to CEO series, visit here.

Tomás Gilbert, Director, Strategic Market Insights at Curion, joins QSR Uncut to break down his adventures as a qualitative researcher in the restaurant space. We get into what’s driving traffic, what food trends are landing on menus, why beverages are hot, why menu optimization is becoming widespread, and much more. There’s a reason in-market research is a growing methodology in QSR.

This episode was brought to you by our partners at Curion.

Fuku CEO Claudia Lezcano has held jobs from chief marketing officer of the Miami Dolphins, Marlins, executive roles at Burger King, Church’s Chicken, and more. But she knew she walked into something special when the opportunity to lead Fuku—the East Village brand that began as an off-menu item by chefs at David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar—arrived. Now, Fuku and its famed “Original Sando” are gearing up for growth and looking to bring an elevated product and service model to new and loyal customers alike.

The episode is brought to you by our partners at Campbell’s Foodservice—where giving operators more is at the heart of everything they do.