Building a Restaurant Brand at 20% Growth. Convo w/ Tom Holt
Spotify What does it take to grow a restaurant brand without sacrificing long-term stability?
Tom Holt, founder and owner of Urbane Cafe, joins Ty Wilson from the CREATE conference to share how he's built the fast-casual concept from a single restaurant in 2003 to 50 locations by focusing on disciplined expansion, strong unit economics, and investing in people. Holt explains why he turned down private equity before the business was ready and how a strategic partnership with Panda Restaurant Group helped fuel the next stage of growth.
The conversation explores choosing the right capital partners, expanding into new markets with patience, and why Holt believes the biggest investment any restaurant can make isn't real estate or marketing—it's developing great people.
Episode Links
- Tom Holt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-holt-86111736/
- Urbane Cafe: https://urbanecafe.com/
- Urbane Cafe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanecafe/
- Urbane Cafe X: https://x.com/UrbaneCafe
- Urbane Cafe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urbanecafe/
- Ty Wilson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyedwardwilson/
- Tab Commerce: https://tabcommerce.com/