If founders, chefs and other creatives are the beating heart of the restaurant industry, then franchisees are the veins delivering their ideas to all corners of the globe. Franchising is critical to the success of the industry, allowing brands to quickly scale their big ideas using other people’s capital. And whether it’s a mom-and-pop restaurant owner with one or two franchised restaurants or a seasoned veteran whose influence in the industry is well-known, franchisees — with all their individual attributes, styles and personalities — make a huge impact on the success of a business.
In this week’s installment of Franchisee Spotlight, we spoke with Tayler Schreiber: a Gen Z franchisee who started his career in restaurants over a decade ago, and now owns his own restaurant before the age of 30.
We spoke with Schreiber about his journey to working as a Dutch Bros broista to being recruited by 23-unit, Portland-based burger chain Killer Burger to join their franchisee squad.
Store count: One Killer Burger restaurant in Medford, Ore.
Career background
“I’m pretty young— 27, about to turn 28. I started in the industry when I was 15. I remember I was getting paid cash for the first couple of months at my first job — a local mom and pop restaurant in Arizona— because I wasn't quite old enough to work. My parents ingrained work ethic in me at a very young age. I didn’t really have a choice but to pay for my own car and all my own bills beyond groceries and housing. When I was in high school, one of my youth group leaders was working at the Dutch Bros down the road and no one knew what that place was going to become. So, he recommended I apply there, and I worked nights as a broista.
Thriving at (and leaving) Dutch Bros
I didn’t realize I was going to become the No. 1 performer in the company for like six years in a row. That really taught me as a 17-year-old kid how to just adapt to all the exposure at the store. People from corporate and the founder came out and I got to meet a lot of people. Then I was going to college full-time and working for them full-time too—I was very busy. I was getting to help open stores in new states. I had deals with my professors that I would be gone a couple of weeks at a time but would make up the work.
Immediately after college I moved to Oregon and got recruited to manage one of the flagship Dutch Bros stores that needed to be turned around. Pretty quickly after, headquarters headhunted me and recruited me for the innovation department, and I moved down to Grants Pass. I got a lot of experience seeing both sides of the business: from the field and from corporate…. I eventually saw the writing on the wall when Dutch Bros went public and I could tell that things were headed in a different direction than we were all used to. Years ago, nobody ever seemed to leave the company and I had this gut feeling…so I just took a leap of faith. I left Dutch Bros on really good terms, but it was just moving in a direction I wasn't super stoked about.
Recruited by Killer Burger
Six months later, Killer Burger got in touch with me. They found me-- I wasn't looking for an opportunity. They gave me the opportunity to purchase a store and it took a little while. I was a corporate manager for a few months and then when the bank cleared, I purchased the store and it's been a year now. It’s been lots of fun–lots of learning.
Being a Gen Z boss
I'm definitely in the median age range at my store. The employees could be my dad or grandpa’s age, which is nothing out of the norm for me. I've always been a younger leader and most people don’t care about the age gap. I try to surround myself with older, wiser people. I was working 40 hours a week for the last 10 years when other people were just working part time. So, I got to learn at an expedited rate compared to other people my age.
The youth advantage
I don't have it all figured out. I always get to play the student card. … I'm not ashamed to ask questions. Other people might have an ego around sounding dumb. For me, I’m still green. I think no matter what your age is though, you can still have that perspective, but it’s just easier because of my age.
Why Killer Burger
I love that we’re in carpenter mode: a lot of building is happening. I get to be a partner who helps to collaborate with the founder and the board. It’s a great opportunity to contribute to the company outside of my location. The culture here is very “punk rock skater” not “suit and tie.” I like the innovation that happens at a company this size. I really like the core principles. T.J. [Southhard, the founder] wants to take the brand to Texas and to other bigger markets outside of the Pacific Northwest. He’s a pathfinder, and I like being around pathfinders.
Plans for the future
Since I'm younger and I only have one location, capital has been a much harder thing for me to come by. I just found a capital partner, and I'm looking to grow in the Killer Burger brand if the opportunities make sense; I'm not going to commit to anything right now. I do have the freedom to work with other brands if I want. When you’re with a big chain like Chick-fil-A like you're locked in. I have a long runway ahead of me and I can look at other options. I still love the coffee world and my wife comes from that industry as well. So maybe we'll open a little coffee shop or get involved with a [coffee brand] in the future. Right now, Killer Burger is feeding my family and I’m going hard with that.
