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The Pineapple PerspectiveAuthor: Troy Hooper
What would you say if we told you that every business is in the hospitality business? Join Troy Hooper, CEO of Hot Palette America, as he explores what hospitality means in every business with industry leaders. Troy and his guests will tackle how they came to deploy hospitality in their businesses, how it impacts their results, and how they came to understand, adopt, and deploy this mindset and framework. Leveraging Troy's experience, insight, and straight talk - listeners will walk away with a plan of action that's right for them. If you feel you have deployed a unique hospitality tactic to your business, reach out to be a guest. For more information on Troy Hooper and Pepper Lunch, visit: https://www.krpusa.com/ and https://www.pepperlunchrestaurants.com/ Language: en Genres: Arts, Business, Careers, Food Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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081: Franchise Expansion Lessons from a Global Fast Casual Brand with Troy Hooper
Episode 81
Thursday, 29 January, 2026
In this week's episode, Troy Hooper appears as a guest on The Local Marketing Lab to discuss brand growth, franchise expansion, and modern marketing strategies through the lens of hospitality. Hooper shares how staying visible through podcasts, social platforms, and industry conversations allows him to give back while staying closely connected to emerging operators and multi-unit franchise groups. He outlines the rapid global expansion of Pepper Lunch, highlighting its proof-of-concept success in the U.S., low-labor operating model, simplified equipment needs, and strong appeal to younger demographics seeking experiential dining. The conversation explores how Pepper Lunch approaches both B2B and consumer marketing, emphasizing diversified storytelling across email, LinkedIn, trade publications, and search. Hooper explains why direct email and LinkedIn currently drive the most qualified franchise interest, while organic media and user-generated content fuel awareness. He also discusses the growing importance of platforms like TikTok and Snapchat as discovery engines, particularly for under-35 consumers, and why brands must optimize for search and social simultaneously. The episode closes with personal insights into Hooper's unconventional background and a reminder that authentic, shareable experiences remain one of the most powerful drivers of brand growth. Topics Discussed in the Episode Building brand visibility through podcasts and industry engagement Pepper Lunch global growth and U.S. franchise expansion strategy Low-labor operating models and experiential fast casual dining B2B versus consumer marketing channel performance User-generated content and social platforms as discovery engines Connect with Justin Ulrich at Evocalize: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/justinculrich/ Website: www.evocalize.com Evocalize Social Handle: @evocalize on all platforms https://www.linkedin.com/company/evocalize https://www.facebook.com/evocalize https://www.instagram.com/evocalize/ https://x.com/evocalize https://www.youtube.com/@evocalize https://www.tiktok.com/@evocalize Podcast: evocalize.com/resource-center/local-marketing-lab-podcast/ This show is sponsored by Pepper Lunch. Find a location near you! Production and Administration work completed by Smart Podcast Solutions and Elevate Virtual Business Solutions.
