Joining Jerry on the podcast today is Meg Rose, an executive with Firehouse Subs, based out of Florida. Meg has been with Firehouse Subs for more than a decade and has had a front row seat to its explosive growth. Jerry and Meg discuss the evolution of the fast casual industry and how the current marketplace demands innovation including changes in marketing, delivery and location maintenance.

• [00:45] - Introducing Meg Rose
• [01:24] - Why Meg kept coming back to the restaurant industry 
• [02:34] - How she got to where she is today
• [03:12] - Mentors and learning leadership
• [04:14] - Meg’s start and evolving role with Firehouse Subs
• [07:35] - Marketplace change and adaptation
• [12:05] - Changes to the physical space within Firehouse restaurants
• [14:16] - The impact of third-party delivery
• [15:00] - Retrofitting older locations
• [16:04] - Off-premise marketing and sales tactics
• [17:26] - Choosing a third-party delivery partner
• [18:08] - How the altruistic origins of Firehouse are still present today
• [19:36] - Role of social media internally and externally
• [20:49] - Non-negotiables of being a leader

Meg Rose is the VP of Field Operations at Firehouse Subs. She’s been with the company since 2007. Prior to her role at Firehouse Subs, she was the Regional Director of Operations for Applebees from 1991 to 2004. 

Our host, Jerry White, has worked in operations, in foodservice distribution, and then in media sales, holding top sales and management positions with several leading food media companies during the past 35+ years. Jerry joined the team at Plate magazine in early 2010 as associate publisher and continues in that role providing solutions and opportunities for manufacturers and organizations as they anticipate tomorrow’s industry challenges. 

This episode was sponsored by Sage Intacct, a leading provider of restaurant accounting and financial solutions. Sage Intacct helps their restaurant customers reduce time, cost and resources on tedious financial processes so they can focus on servicing customers and growing their businesses. Learn more about how Sage Intacct restaurant customers make smarter decisions with critical visibility into business performance by visiting www.sageintacct.com/hospitality.

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This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.