“Modern franchising isn’t about more support—it’s about smarter, scalable support.”

Jenna Henderson has spent nearly two decades inside franchise systems, operating across field ops, brand services, development, growth, and tech. After almost 15 years at Saladworks, she stepped into SaaS as COO at WorkMerk (helping build the ServSafe Ops platform), then returned to franchising leadership as Group Chief Operating Officer for NewSpring Franchise. Today, she oversees operations, marketing, and supply chain across Great Harvest Bakery Cafe, Duck Donuts, and Federal Donuts & Chicken.

In this episode, Jenna joins Rachael Nemeth (Opus CEO) to break down what the modern franchisor must look like: agile, cross-functional, and intentional about franchisee support. She explains why “one size fits all” fails, how segmenting single-unit vs multi-unit operators changes outcomes, and why operations must help approve franchisees—because ops lives with what happens after the check clears.

Jenna also shares the structural fix that instantly improves alignment between development and ops: an onboarding specialist connecting signing through opening day. She unpacks where franchisors still operate too manually, how tech and AI only matter when insights become action, and what private equity brings when done right: discipline, a clear North Star, and shared infrastructure.

Key Takeaways

→ Smarter Support Scales: Modern franchising isn’t about more touchpoints—it’s about systems that scale support intelligently.

→ One Size Fits None: Franchisee support must be segmented by operator type and brand maturity.

→ Ops Belongs Upstream: Operations should help approve franchisees, not just manage post-sale fallout.

→ Onboarding Drives Alignment: A dedicated onboarding specialist linking signing → opening improves execution.

→ Tech Must Be Actionable: AI only matters when insights drive real behavior change at the unit level.

→ Discipline Beats Sprawl: Clear ROI, a North Star, and shared infrastructure outperform tool overload.

Perfect For

Franchisors building scalable support models, operators navigating growth, PE-backed leadership teams, and brand executives reducing tech sprawl.

About Jenna Henderson

Group Chief Operating Officer at NewSpring Franchise, overseeing operations, marketing, and supply chain across Great Harvest Bakery Cafe, Duck Donuts, and Federal Donuts & Chicken.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Intro + Jenna’s role

02:06 The modern franchisor

06:16 Development vs operations

09:26 The onboarding specialist

11:10 Tech debt, AI, and action

16:32 PE-backed discipline

21:34 Lessons from Saladworks

33:13 Lightning round

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business.

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business.

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

"Brand building starts with your P&L, not your logo."

Josh Halpern has one of the most unconventional careers in the industry: P&G, Clorox, Anheuser-Busch, CEO of Big Chicken, and now Chief Business Officer of Craveworthy Brands—leading strategy across 19 concepts while still running Big Chicken. In this episode, he joins Rachael Nemeth (Opus CEO) to break down what brand building actually means across chicken, pizza, coffee, taverns, Mediterranean, and more.

Josh explains how Craveworthy acquires brands with strong IP but weak foundations, why unit economics must be fixed before scale, and how he uses real-time guest and employee feedback to remove friction. He shares their 6–18 month “fix before franchise” rule, why no sacred cows survive growth, and how quarterly goals (EOS) create the traction most restaurant companies lack.

He also unpacks the CPG lessons that translate to restaurants, why hyper-customization is a non-negotiable for Gen Z + Gen Alpha, and the leadership framework—love + accountability—that drives cultures where GMs speak up, teams actually execute, and stores move from average to exceptional.

Key Takeaways

→ Unit Economics First: Brand strength depends on prime cost, occupancy, and a working P&L.

→ No Sacred Cows: Anything dragging down results—recipes, vendors, or locations—gets reworked.

→ Fix Before You Franchise: Spend the first 6–18 months removing friction and stabilizing the model.

→ Mind the Bell Curve: Averages hide underperformers; weak stores define your real reputation.

→ Shopper vs. Consumer: Loyalty must target the decision-maker, not just the card swiping.

→ Hyper-Customization Wins: Gen Z expects full choice—chains must adapt.

→ Staff as Personal Brands: Under-40 workers sell better when their own identity is empowered.

→ Love + Accountability: High-performance teams thrive on care, clarity, and follow-through.

→ Train GMs Like Owners: Most need stronger financial and leadership skills.

Perfect For:

Operators deciding when to accelerate or tighten, franchisors preparing for scale, multi-brand leaders, and teams aiming to blend strong operations with disciplined growth.

About Josh Halpern:

Chief Business Officer at Craveworthy Brands and CEO of Big Chicken. Known for disciplined growth, turnarounds, and a leadership approach rooted in love, accountability, and traction.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:09 Role at Craveworthy & the “restaurant vs. business” split

04:28 Brand building, unit economics & real loyalty

07:30 Fixing foundations: menu, locations & “no sacred cows”

10:47 90-day goals, EOS & driving traction with Opus

14:16 CPG lessons: data, bell curves & store-level performance

16:49 Shopper vs. consumer & targeting the right guest

19:08 When to scale vs. slow down (franchising & failed bets)

21:35 What brands will win by 2030: customization, chicken & everyday staples

24:32 Leaders who shaped Josh: love + accountability

30:23 Who thrives at Craveworthy: legacy, GMs & truth-telling culture

35:30 The GM skills gap & staff as personal brands

42:55 CEO as left tackle, empowerment & what Josh is learning now

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business.

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

"If you want to scale hospitality, don’t add more tech—make people feel seen."

Anthony Valletta, CEO of bartaco, started flipping pizzas at 13 and spent two decades across QSR, premium casual, and Michelin-level dining before taking the helm at bartaco. In this episode, he joins Rachael Nemeth (Opus Training CEO) to unpack how he delivers full-service hospitality at fast-casual labor costs, rethinking roles, building wage equity, and using tech only where it removes friction instead of replacing connection.

Anthony breaks down bartaco’s service-leader model, why QR ordering supplements rather than replaces hospitality, and how reinvesting labor efficiencies into leadership development lifted guest sentiment. He shares how wage equity reshaped teamwork, the two traits every growth brand needs (grit and adaptability), and his interview litmus test: Would you have a beer with them?

Whether you lead five restaurants or fifty, Anthony’s blend of curiosity, empathy, and discipline offers a real-world playbook for scaling hospitality without losing its soul.

Key Takeaways

→ Tech That Lifts People: QR and handhelds cut friction (reorders, pay and go, Apple Pay) so servers can focus on connection.
→ Service Leaders Drive Sentiment: A salaried bridge role improved consistency without inflating labor.
→ Reinvest the Win: Labor savings funded coaching for every manager.
→ Wage Equity That Works: Shared upside, including BOH, built true team service.
→ Hire for Grit + AQ: Fast-moving brands need adaptability and learning agility.
→ Train the Feeling: Teach teams to read sound, light, and pace before grabbing a playbook.
→ Clarity Over Complexity: Simplify communication to keep focus on guests.
→ The Frontline Asked for Opus: Teams drove the shift to a 360° learning hub.

Perfect For:
Operators blending full-service hospitality with fast-casual economics, L&D teams modernizing training, HR designing equitable comp, and leaders scaling culture, not just units.

About Anthony Valletta:
CEO of bartaco. A 20-year industry veteran who’s worked every role from pizza line to Michelin dining, he leads a 33-unit brand known for pairing tech with genuine hospitality, championing wage equity, and developing leaders who walk the floor.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Intro + Anthony’s path
02:48 Why hospitality hooks you
04:55 QR without losing the human touch
05:51 The service leader role
07:09 Using tech to reduce friction
08:05 Memory vs. data
11:23 Handhelds with history
13:38 What guests actually want
15:07 Wage equity + pooled upside
19:59 Scaling and competing for talent
20:29 Hiring for grit + AQ
23:35 The interview litmus test
26:27 Turnover + development
29:38 Training the feeling of a room
33:14 Why bartaco moved to Opus
35:32 Lightning Round

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job and get the frontline intelligence needed to drive your business.

Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-so/

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business.

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!