Founder of BBQ Productions: From Small Hustles to 5 Powerhouse Locations

Summary

Living Your Legacy Podcast

Host: Rudy Mawer
Episode: Founder of BBQ Productions: From Small Hustles to 5 Powerhouse Locations
Guest: Chris Schoenberger, Founder of BBQ Productions
Date: February 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on Chris Schoenberger’s entrepreneurial journey from humble childhood hustles—like selling rocks—to establishing and expanding BBQ Productions, a barbecue restaurant group now boasting five thriving locations. Chris candidly shares his personal motivations, challenges, and pivotal moments, emphasizing the importance of core values, leadership through adversity, team-building, and leaving a legacy based on uplifting both customers and employees. The conversation is both inspiring and practical for anyone aspiring to grow their own business from scratch.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins as an Entrepreneur

[02:14–03:10]

• Chris recounts his earliest business as a child in Illinois—selling cleaned and painted rocks instead of lemonade to stand out in a crowded market.

"At 6 years old, everybody was selling lemonade. Okay. And I knew that in order to sell and be successful, I needed a unique product...So I was trying to be unique and I could sell rocks, though, Because I'm cute." — Chris Schoenberger [02:37]

2. The Birth of BBQ Productions

[03:17–04:00]

• A love of cooking, nurtured by his mother, evolved into a family catering company, then a restaurant.
• His mother’s encouragement and values continue to inspire his approach, even after her passing.

"She, you know, instilled these amazing values in me of doing what you do with love. You'll never fail. And she said she was going to help me. Unfortunately, she passed away when we opened." — Chris Schoenberger [03:44]

3. Scaling Up: From 1 to 5 Locations & the Power of Delegation

[04:00–07:41]

• Learning on the job: Chris admits he lacked restaurant experience and had to learn every aspect—bartending, serving, cooking—while paying others and learning from them.

"They don't give you a book and say, here's how you run a restaurant. You have to learn..." — Chris Schoenberger [04:07]

• Key to expansion: Delegation and trust become crucial as operations spread; developing systems and procedures is transformative.

"I used to like to do everything myself, but I also didn't have all the answers myself. So I had to find who had the answers, learn from them, but then also adapt it and grow it into the vision of what I wanted the company to be." — Chris Schoenberger [05:45]

• Challenges with growth: Trust but verify; theft and oversight are ongoing issues.

4. Pivotal ‘Oh Crap’ Moments & Responding with Community Impact

[07:41–09:43]

• The week after opening his first location and his mother’s passing, a tornado hit the town. Instead of panicking, Chris distributed food and drinks to first responders and locals, setting up makeshift kitchens in the heart of the disaster for 10 days—all for free.

"The week we opened, after my mom had passed away, our town got hit with a tornado...I put up a bunch of tents on a street, literally on a street corner, set up tents, put one of my trailers there, and we cooked for 10 days...free food for everybody. And that was my oh. Moment. Like, I'm gonna go broke. But that right there is what I think really steered my company to where it is today." — Chris Schoenberger [07:52–09:26]

5. Struggles with Delegation, Catering Snafus, and Building the Right Team

[10:03–14:31]

• As growth accelerated, Chris tried to oversee all catering orders himself, leading to missed contracts and costly mistakes—until he finally hired a dedicated catering manager.

"I was handling all of the catering stuff still, too...We were over an hour and a half late, and we ended up losing that deal, that big contract with that company...After the second time...I hired somebody." — Chris Schoenberger [10:10–11:32]

• Chris highlights the importance of surrounding yourself with competent, empowered team members and fostering bottom-up feedback.

"A quarterback is only as good as offensive line and his wide receivers...there's times where we're in the restaurant and I tell people, like, listen, if I'm doing something wrong, tell me, because it's up to all of us to make sure this works." — Chris Schoenberger [12:25]

• Humility and risk-taking are recurring entrepreneurial themes:

"Often their biggest breakthroughs is like taking a risk in life. Like, I've never done weddings. Most people would say no, right? But I say, as crazy ones, we'll go like, yes, girl, we can do that. And then you like, figure it out somehow." — Host Rudy Mawer [13:39]

6. Letting Go, Letting Teams Thrive, and Surreal Owner Moments

[14:00–15:47]

• Chris emphasizes how, as the business grows, he’s become less hands-on—and sometimes isn't even recognized by his own staff, which he views as a sign of successful delegation.

"I showed up one day and I was walking around...she goes, can I help you? And I'm like, no, I own...I guess I own the place." — Chris Schoenberger [15:05]

7. Future Vision: Expansion, Innovation, and Living the Dream

[16:09–17:56]

• Plans include converting a fire truck into a food truck and possibly expanding the brand to warmer U.S. states—a lifestyle and business decision.

"Our company vehicle is a fire truck. Because I said, why not? You know?...I think one of the things that I might want to try next is opening up a location in another state..." — Chris Schoenberger [16:22–16:56]

• Rudy and Chris discuss how entrepreneurship can create the freedom to build a life anywhere, encouraging listeners to pursue big dreams.

8. Legacy and Impact: Changing Lives, Living Core Values

[18:49–20:04]

• Chris views his mother’s legacy as the seed for his own; he strives to “be somebody for somebody” both as an employer and through customer experiences.

"I say that when her legacy died, mine started. And so really, it's about changing people's lives. Not only both customers externally, but also internal with employees..." — Chris Schoenberger [18:54]

• The “one person at a time, one meal at a time, one experience at a time” philosophy is central to his mission.

9. Advice for Growing Entrepreneurs

[20:04–21:45]

• Top guidance: Hire for knowledge gaps.
• Establish core values early—they serve as a “blueprint” for leadership and company culture.
• Define and regularly revisit the business’s unique selling point (USP)—not just internally, but in the eyes of the customer.

"If you don't know the answer, hire somebody who does. I wish something that I did from the beginning was have core values, because I didn't have my core values until probably my third year in." — Chris Schoenberger [20:15]
"I'm so excited to get home and. And really just start, you know, seeing what the next thing brings." — Chris Schoenberger [21:45]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You have to learn as. But one of the things that's really important to me, to my core values, is partnerships and having the right partner." — Chris Schoenberger [04:07]
• "It's a challenge. Every day I'm learning something new." — Chris Schoenberger [07:19]
• "That was my oh. Moment. Like, I'm gonna go broke. But that right there is what I think really steered my company to where it is today." — Chris Schoenberger [09:21]
• "A quarterback is only as good as his offensive line and his wide receivers." — Chris Schoenberger [12:25]
• "I want to be somebody for my staff...changing people’s lives, one person at a time, one meal at a time, one experience at a time." — Chris Schoenberger [18:53]
• "If you don't know the answer, hire somebody who does." — Chris Schoenberger [20:15]

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Earliest Hustle/Entrepreneurial Spirit: 02:14–03:10
• Founding BBQ Productions, Mom’s Influence: 03:17–04:00
• Learning by Doing, Value of Partnerships: 04:00–05:45
• Delegation & Growing to Multiple Locations: 05:45–07:41
• The Tornado & Defining the Company Culture: 07:41–09:43
• Scaling Issues: Catering Breakdown: 10:03–11:32
• Empowering the Team, Entrepreneurial Risks: 12:25–14:31
• Owner Moments, Letting Go: 15:05–15:47
• Future Expansion, Food Truck Innovation: 16:09–17:56
• Legacy & Core Values: 18:49–20:04
• Advice for Entrepreneurs: 20:04–21:45

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Final Thoughts

Chris Schoenberger’s path from painting rocks at a Fisher Price table to leading a multi-location restaurant group embodies the grit, heart, and adaptive mindset found in memorable entrepreneurs. The episode is packed with actionable lessons, candid advice, and motivating stories—anchored in the philosophy that legacy isn’t just about success, but about transforming lives inside and outside the business.

Listeners are left with a clear take-away: embrace challenges, value your team, stand by your core values, and never underestimate the power of a unique idea—no matter how small its beginnings.

Transcript

[Chris Schoenberger]

I used to like to do everything myself, but I also didn't have all the answers myself. If you don't know the answer, hire somebody who does. I got a restaurant full of food, but nobody's going to come and keep pushing me to the next level is what's going to allow me to keep growing my company. The week we opened, after my mom had passed away, our town got hit with a tornado.

[Narrator]

Chris Schoenberger is the founder of BBQ Productions, a brand that started with backyard cookouts and a single catering trailer. What began as cooking for friends quickly turned into a booming barbecue business, leading to multiple locations and a thriving catering operation. Today, Chris is known for quality food and creating places where great memories are made.

[Chris Schoenberger]

And so really it's about changing people's lives. Not only both customers externally, but also internal. The employees. Holy shit. That just changed my life. It spans the globe like a super highest cold Internet, Elvis, Brenton and I for free. Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.

[Podcast Intro Announcer]

It's not over. Hell, I win. The living your legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has been. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan open Chicago with the lead Usain Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream.

[Podcast Host]

Hello and welcome back to another episode of Legacy Makers. Joining me today is Chris and he's gone from selling rocks to selling some of the best barbecue in America. He has over 100 staff, five locations expanding nationally with his brand. So super excited for this episode. Welcome to the show.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Thank you, sir.

[Podcast Host]

So, so let's kick off. Tell everyone about the restaurants to start.

[Chris Schoenberger]

So I have five locations, three of them are barbecue productions, fast casual barbecues, a sports bar, and then I have a 40, 000 square foot wedding facility where we do weddings and events that's called Elite Productions. And then I have a brand new restaurant that we just created called Station 51 Truck Company Bar Grill. And it's an elevated gas republic.

[Podcast Host]

And you went from selling rocks one day you said, I'm not interested in selling more rocks. I'm going to do barbecue. Tell us that story.

[Chris Schoenberger]

So when I was a little kid, at six years old, I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Growing up, growing at Romney Beach, Illinois. And at 6 years old, everybody was selling lemonade. Okay. And I knew that in order to sell and be successful, I needed a unique product.

[Podcast Host]

So you, so you go what pairs well with lemonade rocks?

[Chris Schoenberger]

No, I just said everybody sells lemonade. So I was trying to be unique and I could sell Rocks, though, Because I'm cute.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Okay.

[Chris Schoenberger]

I can't sell barbecue because you're cute. This doesn't work. But it worked. You know, I. I put a little Fisher Price table at the end of my driveway.

[Podcast Host]

And so were these painted rocks.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Plain rocks, everything. I cleaned them, I washed them, I painted them.

[Podcast Host]

There you go.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Did some stupid stuff. Glued some together.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Chris Schoenberger]

I bought this, like, rock tumbling kit.

[Podcast Host]

There you go.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Tumbled the rocks together. And I'm like, oh, yeah, these are clean.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

But people bought them.

[Podcast Host]

Love it. And then. And then let's talk about how did the restaurant idea come about what. How did it grow?

[Chris Schoenberger]

Yeah. So the restaurant started just. I, you know, I had a love for cooking. My mom, a lot of passion for it. We cooked. His family growing up, we always. Everything always ended up around the dinner table back when you're kids. So we loved. I loved cooking. And my mom kind of came up with a crazy deal when we had a little catering company to say, hey, we show up on a restaurant. And I thought she was crazy, but she's like, I'll help you. I ran a cafeteria, and I'm like, not the same thing. But she, she, you know, instilled these amazing values in me of doing what you do with love. You'll never fail. And she said she was going to help me. Unfortunately, she passed away when we opened. But that really kind of set the career path for me to where I'm at today.

[Podcast Host]

And what's the, you know, let's talk about the. The growth, right? You've grown to 500 staff, and you want to keep growing. Talk a little about that.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Yeah. So when I first started, like, I don't know how to do anything. Like, they don't give you a book and say, here's how you run a restaurant. You have to learn as. But one of the things that's really important to me, to my core values, is partnerships and having the right partner. You know, I don't have the answer for something or I don't know how to do something. Having the right partner to help me get there, give me the answer is really what's kind of helped my growth. And so when I first started, I had no clue how to bartend, no clue how to serve. I didn't know how to cook. You know, cooking for yourself is different than cooking in a restaurant. But I had to learn. And as I'm going through life of being a restaurateur, I'm paying people to do the job, but I'm also learning from them. And so that's kind of ultimately how we grew and really just staying true to my core values of being unique, being different, being somebody for somebody.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

And just living through that and just treating everyone as if they're at mom's house.

[Podcast Host]

Well, I mean, the expansion of 5 is pretty awesome because there's a lot of entrepreneurs that open one location, whether it's food or a clothing store, anything, one gym. But there's a very different entrepreneur that can do five. And it may not seem much, but it's like totally different ball game. Right. Because whenever you even just in online businesses, when you have one business and you're in it, you're controlling everything. Right. But as soon as you go to multiple businesses or big departments like I have, it's totally different game. So let's talk about that. Like, how did that expansion go? I would love to hear, like, the. The lessons, but also the losses, like some of the big oh, crap moments. Because that's so important in everyone's journ. Learning. Yeah, let's talk about that.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Yeah. So the keyword and all that I think you've experienced by yourself is delegation. You know, I used to like to do everything myself, but I also didn't have all the answers myself.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

So I had to find who had the answers, learn from them, but then also adapt it and grow it into the vision of what I wanted the company to be. As we expand and as we were growing, there was different things that I had learned as an entrepreneur that wasn't the same from day one. Even now, it's like, if you look now from where we're at today to 11 years ago, it's completely different world, especially post Covid. But learning how to transition from one and really mastering that and then going one to two was. It was hard, very hard. Delegating systems, policies, procedures, how I wanted things done.

[Podcast Host]

And then you're like running two jobs. Right. Because you're like.

[Chris Schoenberger]

And how do I get between both locations? But what I have found is that as I'm going through. Of one to two. Well, now going two to three was the same as going one to two. It's just duplicating the six.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

So one to two is very difficult.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Like very two to three. I don't say easy.

[Podcast Host]

Not bad. Not bad.

[Chris Schoenberger]

But I was like, oh, I think that's the same thing to say with kids.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Three to four. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Four to five. And now I just feel like it's duplication of Systems and processes, the things that are a struggle, I think, to this day is trusting, but verifying and then theft is a huge problem. Like, it's really hard to be on everything at one time. But I always tell people it's not a matter of if I'm going to catch you, it's when.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

It's. It's a challenge. Every day I'm learning something new. But stuff like this and, you know, I, I. Partnerships is really huge for me. Like, it's one of our core values. And I think really partnering with people that are going to help to keep me on, on pace for where I want to go and keep pushing me to the next level is what's going to allow me to keep growing my company.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And let's talk. I always like to include, like, biggest loss or like our crap moment in that big growth, because every entrepreneur has it right or often has a few. What's one that was like, oh, gosh.

[Chris Schoenberger]

So my biggest oh, crap moment was when I first opened my first location. I took an oh, crap moment and turned into a Holy shit. That just changed my life. The week we opened, after my mom had passed away, our town got hit with a tornado.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, God.

[Chris Schoenberger]

And literally it was a week after. And we opened up on the 3rd and happened, I think it was like on the 10th of August. And without even thinking, I'm like, okay, nobody can get into town. Trees are down everywhere. Within hours of closing the store, I took everything that we had in the store. I packaged it up, put it in the back of my truck of like, the fountain or not foundries, but like, the bottled soda bottle, Gatorade water. So like, that threw that in a cooler in the back of my truck, and I grabbed all my employees and I said, let's go. We're going into the heart of the storm. And we literally. Power lines are down. We're driving through town as combat workers. The utility guys are working, and we're literally just handing out drinks. And we literally did that that whole entire night. And then the next day when all the sun came up, and we're trying to just evaluate this devastation. I'm like, I got a restaurant full of food, but nobody's gonna come because they can't. The tornado just hit us. What am I gonna do? I'm gonna put my restaurant in the middle of where the tornado happened. So I put up a bunch of tents on a street, literally on a street corner, set up tents, put one of my trailers there, and we cooked for 10 days right in the middle of the. Right in the middle of where the storm happened. Literally, there's power lines behind us on the ground, trees behind us. I took all of our food, but literally brought it there. And I said, free food for everybody. And that was my oh. Moment. Like, I'm gonna go broke. But that right there is what I think really steered my company to where it is today.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Yeah. I was gonna say it's epic that you helped and all that. That crazy, you know, Like, I can't imagine that crazy.

[Chris Schoenberger]

It wasn't the plan, though.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Yeah. But it. But from a business side, it did you very good to kick off because now you've paid so much, you know.

[Chris Schoenberger]

We'Re still talking about.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Like.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Especially in small towns. That's never forgotten. Right. Like, it's so cool. So congrats on that. What about. What about. Same question. Like, big problem as you grew, when it's more like big employees, lots of employees, big expansion. Because sometimes it's like, people think, oh, it's like five locations. That's a great life. Now it's like, no bigger problems, too.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Yeah. So I say one of my biggest challenges when we grew is I still tried to run all of our catering.

[Podcast Host]

Gosh.

[Chris Schoenberger]

And I still remember it was a. I was driving from my store in Illinois to my store in Wisconsin, and I was handling all of the catering stuff still, too. At that time, though, we were still doing. We were just doing pickups at the restaurants and so and deliveries. We had a, A, A, A catering order for a large company in the area. Not going to say name, but a large company. And it was a union company that had to provide food for their employees. After X amount of hours of working, they ordered this food for me. I'm driving up to Wisconsin to my other store, and I get a phone call from this company saying, hey, we're here, and where's our food? And I'm like, what food? They're like, we have a catering order for today. And I'm like, you do? And they're like, yeah, we booked it with you for, like, 200 people. And I'm like, oh. And so I was like, are you coming? And I'm like, yeah, I. I little behind. Way just a little behind. And we were over an hour and a half late, and we ended up losing that deal that, that big contract with that company. It happened again with a school. And after the second time of, okay, I'm not gonna let this happen a third time. I hired somebody who. She lost my catering. I Lost a lot of money with that. That was a stupid mistake.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's. It's funny how, like, I've been through it too, right? Like, you. You keep some things on. Like, you know, for me, it's a bit different. It's not food, but it might be, like, a big celebrity client I'm supposed to send a proposal to, and they're ready to sign. I get busy, forget to ask my team to make it. Three weeks later, they're like, hey, you ever gonna send this? I'm like, oh, gosh. You know, and it's very rare for me. Like, I have this. My team joke, this, like, crazy memory. I don't miss a thing, but, like, one in 2,000 times, right?

[Chris Schoenberger]

Probably the things.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, you do again.

[Chris Schoenberger]

But now. Now I have my calendar, so literally everyone's like, where are you at this day? According to my calendar, I'm with Rudy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it does happen as you grow, right? And then. And then, you know, I think often what's funny in entrepreneurship is you then overcompensate. So it's like, now you have a great CA catering team and system and stuff.

[Chris Schoenberger]

It's really about people.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

You know, I often tell my team all the time, like, listen, a quarterback is only as good as offensive line and his wide receivers. And, you know, while, yes, I technically own the business, I created this entity, but it takes all of us to make sure that the heartbeat beats. And so, you know, there's times where we're in the restaurant and I tell people, like, listen, if I'm doing something wrong, tell me, because it's up to all of us to make sure this works.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And it's entrepreneurship. It's like, you know, I don't know much about football, but it's like you're seen as the Tom Brady, right? The famous one, the big one, doing all the great things. But like, you say, you know, you can't. Like, you are great, but you can't do all those great things at that level consistently without the people behind you.

[Chris Schoenberger]

And I think the other thing, too, is that a lot of times, like, these ideas that I come up with, like, you're crazy. Like, what are you thinking of? Like, I know when I opened up two restaurants at the same time, my second, third locations, everyone's like, what are you, stupid? Like, what are you crazy? But I was like, my first location, my first event that I did was a wedding that I had no experience with. And my brother's like, what are you, an idiot? Like, how are you going to cater a 300 person wedding with a little girl in your truck? But I made shit happen. Yeah. You know, I'm saying it's like, same thing. It's like now I depend on more people to help make shit happen. Yeah. But together as a team, you can pretty much do anything.

[Podcast Host]

And that's the common trait of great entrepreneurs is like, often their biggest breakthroughs is like taking a risk in life. Like, I've never done weddings. Most people would say no, right? But I say, as crazy ones, we'll go like, yes, girl, we can do that. And then you like, figure it out somehow. But then it's like, now this world of opportunity is just open because you took that one risk. Right.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Well. And if you were to look back, back when we first started in 14, and fast forward to now and say, hey, you're going to be catering weddings in a 40,000 square foot wedding facility and producing like these events. And I'm like, yeah, you're crazy. Like, hey, we don't know how to make stuff look pretty, but I have a team that does. And the cool thing about that place is I don't even know how to turn the lights on in that building. It's really cool. We are producing events that. It's like my team just blows it away. And I'm like, I'm so proud because I would never have guessed that I could do something like that. But my team executes it.

[Podcast Host]

And that's the thing too. I mean, when you start, you think you need to know everything. But I always remind people I've been fortunate enough to spend time and hang out with Richard Branson at his island and do bits with him. And I'll ask him questions about one of his many businesses because he has a lot. You know, Virgin is a massive empire and he won't be able to answer some like super basic questions. He's like, I got the idea. And that's even to me, who's pretty advanced in business. Like a reminder of like, yeah, I want to. It kind of sounds crazy. It's like you want to be so big that you got like no clue about more than a whole business, Right?

[Chris Schoenberger]

For me, when I go, like, for example, at the wedding venue, I showed up one day and I was walking around and there was like a wedding planner there who had been working on my team. And it was right before the wedding started and I was walking around looking for my catering guy. And as I'm walking around, she goes, can I help you? And I'm like, no, I own. I guess I do. I. I guess I own the place. Like, she's like, oh, you're the owner? I'm like, well, the. Like, I rent the building, but, like, I own the business that operates here. And she's like, oh, who are you looking for? I'm like, my team. Like, she's like, you look confused. And I'm like, I'm. Yeah, this is confusing. Like, because I'm never here. I gotta. Like, so. Yeah. And then, like, if I ever walk into a restaurant where somebody doesn't know who I am. Like a server.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Like, hi. Table for one. Like, no, I sign your checks. Like, it's pretty cool.

[Podcast Host]

That is good.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's.

[Chris Schoenberger]

It's.

[Podcast Host]

It's kind of cheesy. It's like a nice. Like, I think for. Because we all started with nothing or most of us. It's like, it's a. Like, oh, wow. I really comes kind of far, you know? So. So what's next? Right, Lizard? We talked a lot about where you're at and some lessons and delegation, building teams, expansion. When we talk about expansion, tell me 10 years from today.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Yeah, you know, so right now we. We're. We're having a food truck being built. Our newest restaurant, which is Station 51. It's a new concept that I created. It's like barbecue fusion. Barbecue fusion with flair, but, like, elevated dishes. Our. Our company vehicle is a fire truck. Because I said, why not? You know?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Yeah. Everyone wants to own a fire truck, so I bought one.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Bought it from a fire station, actually. That was cool, driving that home. So we're actually having a company in Texas turn that into a food truck. So I think it'd be cool, like, hey, I want to drive my kid one day to school in his fire truck. Yeah, like, that'd be really cool. But then also, like, cater events and stuff like that. But, you know, my wife and I have pondered the idea of moving out west somewhere where it's warm or maybe even down here. Yeah. In Illinois and Wisconsin, the weather sucks. So I think one of the things that I might want to try next is opening up a location in another state and learning how to take the processes of how I'm always there and then having to where I can't always be there. Because, like, when I'm here in Miami, like, this week, everything's been running smoothly. Like, no one's bothering me. And, like, I'm running big picture stuff, and I'm like, well, hell if it's working when I'm Here, why can't I do it with another restaurant? Now I can travel back and forth between the city that I love.

[Podcast Host]

And I mean, the great thing about entrepreneurship is you. You can, right? Because it's not like I always teach. If someone else has done it, it's eat, like McDonald's and hundreds of chains in the world.

[Chris Schoenberger]

They.

[Podcast Host]

They obviously do that. Right. Many states. So. And, you know, it's just the same as when you went one to two, probably the first time you'll do it, you'll be flying back a bit, and there will be challenges, and then you'll be like, well, now I can open free states, no problem. Right.

[Chris Schoenberger]

And. And it's about being somewhere where you want to be, too.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Like, you know, for me, in the wintertime, if I have an excuse to go somewhere warm, like.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's great. Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Especially down here.

[Podcast Host]

It's been fun driving about entrepreneurship. You build that dream life, right? And I think so. I always teach. There's so many people in life end up living where they were born. And I'm like, why? If. You know, like, obviously, if you love it there and all your family's there, that's your choice. But most people don't. And they just don't think they can move, you know?

[Chris Schoenberger]

No. Like, I just tell my wife, I'm bored here.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Chris Schoenberger]

I want something that's different. But the businesses are established, so now it's time for us to look for where that next fun place is going to be.

[Podcast Host]

And often, if you make the leap, your business will probably be even stronger because it's like, now they're forced. It's like letting a kid go bike without the stabilizers on. Right. Like, eventually they actually get stronger because they have to to do it, versus always, like, leaning on you when they tumble a little. So that's a good point. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So. So let's talk a bit about legacy. You know, we're talking about expansion and national expansion. Where does that link to, like, legacy and impact?

[Chris Schoenberger]

So I think the thing that's really unique about just my story, my journey, is that my mom has, you know, really instilled a lot of things into me. And so for her to really kind of mold me into who I am today, she left her legacy for me to kind of take over. And so, you know, I say that when her legacy died, mine started. And so really, it's about changing people's lives. Not only both customers externally, but also internal with employees, you know, And I think that as we go throughout life, people have jobs and they get treated badly or poorly. And so I. I want to. Again, going back to my core values, be somebody for somebody. I want to be somebody for my staff, you know, and so somebody that, you know, sometimes the fit's not right. And so, you know, unfortunately, you have to make bad decisions. And some. Some people may not agree with the vision, and that's okay. It doesn't mean it just isn't a good fit, doesn't mean I'm a bad person or they're a bad person. Just wasn't the fit. But really, it's about changing people's lives, you know, one person at a time, one meal at a time, one experience at a time. And whether that's from you coming into my restaurant and us giving you the best experience that you've ever had, to an employee coming in here and truly loving where they work and being proud of where they work and understanding the story and the vision and the growth and being able to take those people along that journey with me.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I love that. And someone out there, inspired by your story, they want to open their first location or whatever they're in or go from 1 to 2. What tips would you give them? Or advice?

[Chris Schoenberger]

If you don't know the answer, hire somebody who does. I wish something that I did from the beginning was have core values, because I didn't have my core values until probably my third year in. And I think that that's so important to drive who you are. Another thing that I learned just recently is a unique selling point, and that's that, again, I'm 11 years in, and just hearing that the other day, you know, really hit home, because I think that is another way to guide the future of the company. And so it's like, while I say that I'm different, how am I really different? How do I define that? And now that can take me to another new level. And so really trying to just partner with the right people and staying true to who I am as a person and just really having, like, a blueprint to who you are as a. As an entrepreneur of what's going to define your company and staying true to that.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I love that. And, you know, just to touch on that, I see, like, core values drive the internal mission and everything you're doing and the team and the alignment of vision. But then the unique selling point drives the branding and the marketing vision, and you need both.

[Chris Schoenberger]

It's so crazy. When I heard that, I was like, it was a light bulb. I'm like, how am I just knowing about this now after 11 years. But it's funny because I'm going to go home. That's the first thing I'm going to talk about to my managers is like, what do you think is our usp? And having my team come up with that, like, I know what it is, but now I want my team to have that. And so.

[Podcast Host]

And 100 customers survey, you know, survey in your restaurant, because it's funny. You have a perception and then your customers do, and then you can combine.

[Chris Schoenberger]

Yeah, but I'm so excited to get home and. And really just start, you know, seeing what the next thing brings. And, you know, I'm really grateful for the opportunity and it's. It's been a great journey so far.

[Podcast Host]

Love it. And last question. What's to come in your main episode? And where do they find you?

[Chris Schoenberger]

So the episode is going to take you through who I am as a person, my background, my what got Chris to where Chris is today? And so some people know the story, some people don't know the story, but it was a deep dive into my past. I relive some rough times and some rough memories, but it really defines who I am as a person. And I think that as people watch the episode, they're going to understand who I am as a person and what was the guiding force behind where my brand started from and where we're going in the future.

[Podcast Host]

Love it. Well, that's a wrap, guys. Another episode done. Go check out his legacy. Check out the full episode. And as always, keep working hard to change lives. I'll see you guys soon.