How a Multi-Unit Franchisee Uses Social Media to Build Business & Drive Real Growth

Welcome to Restaurant Influencers, presented by Entrepreneur, with your host Sean Walchef from Cali BBQ Media, broadcasting from the Coronado Lowe's Resort at the Restaurant Franchise and Innovation Summit. The show, which began in 2022, aims to highlight top hospitality storytellers, technologists, and creators, sharing their lessons from life, the restaurant business, and the new creator economy. Today's guest is Ryan, known as QSR Guy on Twitter, now X, whom Sean has followed for years. Sean expressed his excitement about finally interviewing a restaurant owner-operator and "truth-teller" who has mastered X as a storytelling platform. Ryan operates 35 restaurants, including Little Caesars Pizza, Jersey Mike's Subs, his own brand Cocoa Playa, and is involved in a new brand called Mike's Red Tacos. Ryan explained that he initially started posting on Twitter in 2022 under the pseudonym "QSR Guy" to gain freedom and authenticity without worrying about the opinions of his franchisor, lenders, or employees. He spent a year posting anonymously, sharing random written thoughts about the industry, franchising, and food space, without photos or videos. His content gained traction organically, as he wasn't focused on going viral or building a massive following, but rather on sharing his thoughts. He elaborated on the community he found on X, describing it as "amazing." He has built real friendships and helped numerous people in his DMs navigate deals, even while anonymous. Now, no longer anonymous, he continues to receive positive feedback, like a recent DM from someone whose deal, which he advised on, is "working out amazing." Conversely, Ryan has also been helped by the community, recalling a time when he sought advice on a POS system for Cocoa Playa and received numerous recommendations, ultimately choosing Toast. He highlighted the unique nature of the X community for restaurant builders, operators, and real estate professionals as a space for like-minded "truth tellers." Sean resonated with Ryan's content, appreciating its honesty and lack of "bullshitting," focusing on facts, financials, and even mistakes. Sean shared his own experience with vulnerability, noting that sharing failures, like closing ghost kitchens, has led to greater engagement and trust from his audience. Ryan agreed, emphasizing that vulnerability is a huge piece of authenticity. He recounted a post about imposter syndrome, a common but often unspoken feeling among operators, and how overcoming it and speaking one's true self can "unlock so much." Ryan transitioned from anonymous to building his personal brand for a couple of reasons. Firstly, with the launch of Cocoa Playa, he wanted to connect the anonymous content about building the brand to its final result and his true identity. He wanted to show he was a real person, not an "AI bot," and invite people to join the rest of his journey. While his brands don't have a strong presence on X, he is heavily involved in Cocoa Playa's social media strategy, primarily on Instagram and TikTok. For Cocoa Playa, the strategy involves a "huge storytelling piece" to educate the audience about the new brand, especially in its first year. The other component is being "silly and funny" to create content that makes people chuckle and share with friends, leveraging algorithm dynamics. He cited a viral, albeit copied, clip that showcased this approach. Sean then introduced Toast, a proud sponsor of the show, highlighting its role in powering over 140,000 restaurants and his involvement on their customer advisory board. He encouraged listeners with questions about Toast to reach out to him. Returning to the conversation, Sean emphasized the importance of consistency in content creation, especially in the early stages of building a community. Ryan agreed, noting that much of his X content stemmed from deep dives into brands and operators he was already doing for his business. He acknowledged that content creation can be exhausting, a sentiment Sean echoed, sharing that Cali BBQ Media went five years without making money from podcasting before gaining traction through dedication and vulnerability. Ryan also mentioned the challenges of maintaining consistency while running a large business, acknowledging that taking time away from X can mean returning to a changed landscape with new people and algorithms. Both Sean and Ryan highlighted the "human side" of content creation. While it's easy to focus on the large followings of figures like Gary V, Mr. Beast, or Alex Hormozi, they both recognized the profound B2B benefits of connecting with individuals through DMs. Sean noted that their current interview was a direct result of Ryan's courage to post and Sean's initiative to reach out. Ryan emphasized that one doesn't need millions of followers to gain true benefit, citing the great friendships, learning opportunities, and networking that have come from his posts, including professional athletes reaching out for franchising advice. He stressed that his content isn't "rocket science" but simply reflects his daily observations, which has unlocked invaluable relationships. Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Ryan plans to delve deeper into X, having found mild success on LinkedIn but feeling it offers similar stories. He isn't interested in Reddit, finding it difficult to navigate. He sees YouTube as the next potential platform, acknowledging the need to learn video production skills to translate his content. For those entering the QSR space, Ryan advises surrounding oneself with great people, asking the right questions, and not being afraid to step outside one's comfort zone, drawing parallels to his own experience on X. The conversation shifted to Ryan's personal tech stack. He uses an iPhone 16, upgrading every two years, with Verizon as his carrier. His company recently switched from Gmail to Microsoft, utilizing Microsoft 365 and Teams, with each restaurant having its own Teams channel. Power BI is a significant tool for financial dashboards. He prefers text messages over emails or phone calls and practices "Inbox Zero" across all apps. He sends around five tweets a week, noting that threading is no longer necessary on X. For tips on starting on X, Ryan suggested looking at "lists" of relevant people, like franchise lists, and named several notable X users: Ben Little (McFranchisee), Chris Hatch (Dirt Dogs), Paul Tran (Pepper Lunch Restaurants), Troy Hooper, Pat Buckley (Empire Spot), and JT Singh. Regarding AI platforms, Ryan is currently enjoying Claude, finding it superior to ChatGPT, though he still maintains paid versions of both. He also uses Grok, part of his X subscription, for feedback on content from X users, like finding stand-up comedy specials. Ryan confirmed X as the best platform to connect with him (@QSRguy), though he also has Instagram and LinkedIn. He reiterated his brands: Cocoa Playa (drive-thru coffee, cookies, dirty sodas), Little Caesars Pizza, Jersey Mike's Subs, and Mike's Red Tacos. Sean concluded the episode by thanking the audience, encouraging them to stay curious, get involved, and ask for help, and to follow QSR Guy on X. He also promoted Cali BBQ Media's new series, "Restaurant Technology Substack," a free newsletter, and their YouTube channel, inviting collaboration for digital storytelling with growing brands.