Crafting a solid real estate strategy is obviously central to growing any restaurant brand, but there those plans differ dramatically depending on the brand, a lesson I learned firsthand during a podcast during ICSC in Las Vegas.

I sat down with Dannon Shiff, VP of Real Estate for Dave's Hot Chicken, and Abe Nasrallah, SVP of Real Estate at Wonder, to discuss how shifting consumer behavior, off-premise dining and changing market dynamics are shaping site selection.

Wondering about growth

Wonder, launched in 2021, has grown from a food truck concept to more than 120 locations. The company operates a multi-brand model, offering dozens of restaurant concepts under one roof, with roughly half of sales from delivery and half from in-person dining.

Nasrallah told me that Wonder designs sites for two uses: Quick pickup and in-person discovery. Urban locations prioritize high visibility and foot traffic, while suburban sites focus on grocery-anchored centers with strong access and visibility.

Wonder is targeting Texas as its next major growth market, planning about 100 locations across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston Austin and San Antonio. Long term, the company estimates it could expand to 4,000 to 5,000 locations nationwide.

The Dave's real estate plan

Dave's Hot Chicken, meanwhile, has grown from a 2017 parking lot pop-up to more than 430 locations worldwide.

Shiff said the brand has sold franchise rights in all 50 states and multiple international markets, with further global expansion planned, while also testing nontraditional formats such as airports and food courts, including a recent opening in a New York City food court.

Delivery and off-premise dining have changed site-selection models, with decisions increasingly driven by customer data rather than traditional trade areas. About one-third of sales come from third-party delivery, while most customers still dine in.

To hear more details on both brand's strategies, check out the podcast.

How does an independent pizza brand with zero initial restaurant experience scale to seven — and soon nine — locations while going head-to-head with venture-backed national chains?

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, sits down with Enga Stanfield, co-owner of Texas-based Mattenga's Pizzeria, to uncover the tech stack driving their massive success. Stanfield shared how shifting from a grueling, hands-on survival mode to a tech-forward strategy completely changed the game, specifically highlighting their tech partnership with Owner.com.

Discover how automated SEO, frictionless custom-branded apps featuring 8-second reordering and rapid text-based customer feedback loops helped Mattenga's capture passive local sales and maintain a steady 10% to 15% growth rate — proving that independent operators don't just have to survive against the big chains, they can out-innovate them.

Stanfield said her favorite part of Owner.com is the reviews segment of the software. "Those reviews and those rankings, those are forever," she said. Her team responds to negative reviews quickly, but all of her restaurants have a 4.5 ranking or better.

To learn more about how Owner.com is aiding restaurants compete in today's market listen to the podcast in its entirety.

It doesn't matter how good your food is if your restaurant is in the wrong place. That was the primary takeaway from a recent episode of The Restaurant Operator podcast, where I interviewed Ebere Anokute, head of retail research for CBRE, during the ICSC real estate conference in Las Vegas.

We dove into the shifting dynamics of restaurant real estate, modern data trends, and the intangible elements that make a brick-and-mortar location successful.

Here is a sneak peek at what you're missing if you haven't tuned in yet:

• The 20-year crunch: Retail availability has hit historic lows, creating the tightest market seen in two decades. Anokute explains how this supply constraint hands significant leverage to landlords — and what it means for your next lease negotiation.
• The power of 'co-tenancy': While data analytics drive modern site selection, human behavior and retail synergy remain the biggest indicators of long-term success. Discover why being close to your direct competitors might actually be the best thing for your brand.
• Debunking the hybrid office myth: Despite early fears that remote work would kill urban restaurant traffic, CBRE data tells a completely different story about where consumers are spending their dining dollars.
• AI vs. reality: Artificial intelligence is top of mind for everyone, but how is it actually being used in site selection and restaurant operations today? Hint: It's not what you think.

To get the full breakdown on navigating today's hyper-competitive real estate market, tune in to the complete conversation on The Restaurant Operator podcast.