Founders of Four Foods Group - Andrew and Shauna Smith

Episode 308, Andrew and Shauna Smith

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Part 2:

Andrew and Shauna Smith

In 2008, Andrew and Shauna Smith embarked on their first experience with restaurant ownership. For this new culinary adventure, Andrew and Shauna chose Kneaders Bakery and Café, a Fast Casual restaurant famous for European breads, homemade sandwiches, fresh soups and salads, and gourmet pastries– all made to order. For many years, Kneaders Bakery and Café had been a popular restaurant in Utah County, where the Smiths lived, but it had yet to grow beyond that area.

As Andrew and Shauna opened their first location, they began to develop big plans to grow this Utah Valley staple to new levels. As he and Shauna operated their first restaurant, Andrew developed an innovative partnership model that would not only benefit Four Foods Group and its shareholders and investors, but their operator-partners as well. Equity has been issued to every partner of every restaurant that Four Foods Group owns and operates. This has ensured consistent hands-on ownership at all levels of the business.

In 2009, Andrew and Shauna negotiated an exclusive multi-state development agreement between Four Foods Group and GCW Corporation, parent company to Kneaders Bakery & Café. In 2015, an additional 15 states west of the Mississippi were granted to Four Foods Group to develop up to 110 new Kneaders Bakery & Cafe restaurants over the next five years.

Since 2008, Four Foods Group has experienced remarkable growth, every year. They began with one Kneaders Bakery and Café restaurant and now operate 43 across four states, with 11 more under development. Same-store sales year over year continues to trend upward, even as the market in many sectors remains flat.

You can follow Andrew on Linkedin.

You can follow Shauna on Linkedin.