{"id":11545,"date":"2025-04-25T11:22:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T11:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.restroworks.com\/blog\/?p=11545"},"modified":"2025-04-25T11:22:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T11:22:26","slug":"joseph-unger-restaurant-industry-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/joseph-unger-restaurant-industry-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Brands and Breaking Norms: Joseph Unger\u2019s Restaurant Industry Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Joseph Unger\u2019s career is a powerful story of growth\u2014starting as a sandwich artist at Subway to leading 100+ restaurants at Taco Bell, driving innovation in ghost kitchens at Reef, and now playing a key role in shaping the future of GOSH Enterprises. In this exclusive conversation with Ashish Tulsian on Restrocast, Joe shares the leadership lessons, entrepreneurial mindset, and innovation focus that have defined his remarkable journey across the restaurant industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Building Brands and Breaking Norms: Joseph Unger\u2019s Restaurant Industry Journey\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rTXpFPIPdGU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joe, what got you into the restaurant industry in the first place?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> My journey began in Indiana, where I grew up. I started in the restaurant business as a sandwich artist at Subway during my younger years. Eventually, I went to the University of Tampa to play baseball and study business and law, but something always pulled me toward entrepreneurship\u2014specifically, the people side of business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve described your journey as one of \u201cinevitable entrepreneurship.\u201d Why do you say that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> I had close friends growing up who owned 50 Subway restaurants. Watching them build their business from one unit to a larger scale really inspired me. That early exposure gave me a strong entrepreneurial itch. I saw firsthand what it meant to lead, create jobs, and build something with purpose. So when I graduated, starting my own franchise felt like the natural next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joe, when you\u2019re leading large teams, how do you align people with the company\u2019s vision\u2014especially when their short-term goals or mindsets aren\u2019t always aligned?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great question, and it comes down to connection and communication. People inherently want to belong. The key is making the vision clear and spending time explaining the \u201cwhy\u201d behind decisions. When people understand the purpose, they\u2019re more likely to buy in. It\u2019s not about just handing out marching orders\u2014it\u2019s about helping people feel they\u2019re part of something bigger. And when there\u2019s confusion or resistance, I or my team invest time in honest conversations. We don\u2019t ignore misalignment\u2014we talk about it, understand it, and work through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You spent nearly a decade at Taco Bell leading 100 corporate restaurants. How did that experience shape you as a leader?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong>&nbsp; It was foundational. I learned from great mentors like Mike Grams and Tim Bisbacci who taught me to lead with purpose, consistency, and empathy. Greg Creed\u2019s &#8220;smart, heart, and courage&#8221; philosophy stuck with me\u2014balance intelligence, care for people, and have the courage to make tough decisions. That time shaped my leadership style in every way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What happened after your decade-long stint with Taco Bell?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> After Taco Bell, my name was referred to someone at Reef Technology. It was the early days of ghost kitchens and virtual brands, and Reef was experimenting with everything\u2014food trucks, cloud kitchens, even robotic delivery. It was during COVID, which accelerated all those ideas. I took the opportunity and joined as the CEO of the Wendy\u2019s campaign, where we had signed a deal for 700 non-traditional units globally .The goal was to test new formats and get into markets without large brick-and-mortar investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do you believe in the ghost kitchen model long-term?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> I do\u2014but with nuance. Ghost kitchens work better internationally, where big brands like Wendy\u2019s don\u2019t yet have saturation. For example, we saw strong performance in places like the UK and Canada. It\u2019s a cost-effective way to enter markets\u2014$150,000 to $200,000 instead of millions for a full restaurant. Domestically, where the market is mature, the model is tougher. Margins are a challenge, especially when relying only on third-party delivery. But hybrid models with multiple brands in one kitchen\u2014those still have real potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What led you to GOSH Enterprises?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> I got a call from a recruiter about an opportunity at GOSH Enterprises. When I spoke with Charlie, the founder, his vision, values, and purpose really resonated. Initially, I interviewed for the president role at Bebebop, a wellness-focused Asian concept. But soon we expanded the conversation to include Charlie\u2019s Cheesesteaks and Lenny\u2019s Grill &amp; Subs. I joined as President and COO of Lenny\u2019s and also took on a broader role helping shape GOSH\u2019s overall tech stack and systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>GOSH is founder-led, which is very different from structured giants like Yum. How do you navigate that transition\u2014from corporate rigidity to entrepreneurial fluidity?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> It\u2019s definitely different. Yum is very structured\u2014great systems, but less flexibility. At Taco Bell, I helped lead innovation when we rolled out digital ordering platforms, kiosks, and delivery integration. That gave me my first taste of building at scale. Reef was the opposite\u2014pure innovation, long hours, ideas flying around the clock, often with the founder in the room. Now at GOSH, it\u2019s a bit of both. We&#8217;re founder-led but mature. We have a big footprint, and yet we\u2019re still building. I love the challenge of bringing structure to scale while staying agile and founder-driven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s your focus now at GOSH?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> For Lenny\u2019s, it\u2019s growth, operations, and performance. For GOSH, it\u2019s broader\u2014tech enablement, supporting all three brands, and ensuring we\u2019re building systems for the future. We\u2019ve got a massive opportunity to scale responsibly while preserving the culture Charlie has built over 39 years. That\u2019s what excites me every day. The goal is always the same\u2014build a business that empowers people and delivers value at every level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What&#8217;s exciting you most about 2025?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Joseph Unger:<\/strong> Personalization. At GOSH, we\u2019re working hard on building tech that helps us deliver uniquely personal guest experiences. Whether it&#8217;s how we send texts, how guests order, how loyalty works, or how drive-thrus operate\u2014we want to tailor it all. We\u2019re working with partners&nbsp; on our CDP strategy to not just collect data, but <em>use<\/em> it meaningfully. In 2025, the brands that personalize best will win. And we\u2019re determined to be one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From his early days at Subway to shaping brand growth at GOSH, Joseph Unger\u2019s path is a compelling example of what it means to evolve as a leader. With a unique blend of franchisee grit, corporate discipline, and startup-style agility, Joe pushes the boundaries of what\u2019s possible in the restaurant industry. As GOSH Enterprises prepares for an exciting, tech-driven 2025, it\u2019s clear that personalization, purpose, and people will remain at the heart of his leadership playbook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joseph Unger\u2019s career is a powerful story of growth\u2014starting as a sandwich artist at Subway to leading 100+ restaurants at Taco Bell, driving innovation in ghost kitchens at Reef, and now playing a key role in shaping the future of GOSH Enterprises. In this exclusive conversation with Ashish Tulsian on Restrocast, Joe shares the leadership [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restrocast-podcast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.restroworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}