Brandon Wilhelm wanted to see Hangry Joe’s for himself before anyone knew he was there. So the Subway veteran, who spent nearly two decades developing franchise territory across the Midwest, arrived in Virginia a day before meeting the hot chicken franchise’s leadership and quietly tried several of its restaurants, according to QSR. He says it was “the best chicken sandwich I ever had.”
He went on to become a multi-unit franchisee, equity investor and board member. He also served as the chain’s acting chief marketing officer. On Oct. 6, he took over as CEO.
Founded in 2021, Hangry Joe’s now has more than 90 restaurants in over 20 states and several international markets, including the United Arab Emirates, with more in the pipeline. But Wilhelm admits some opened in less-than-ideal locations. He’s tightening site and franchisee standards, cutting food costs and putting more royalty revenue into marketing.
“I don’t want to have 300 stores with several of them B-minus locations,” he says. He’d rather have 120 to 150 stores in A locations. He also says selling to private equity has never been the goal.