From Qdoba to CKE Restaurants: COO Lessons on Scaling, Labor, and Profitability

Running multi-unit restaurant operations comes with constant pressure: labor challenges, rising costs, and the growing complexity of technology.

Join Eric Williams, former COO of Qdoba and CKE Restaurants (Carl’s Jr. & Hardee’s), as he shares hard-won lessons from overseeing thousands of locations and navigating both enterprise and day-to-day challenges as a current Hardee’s owner.

He’ll be joined by Jay Altizer, COO of Fourth, for a candid conversation on where operators are losing margin, how AI and data are reshaping decisions, and what it takes to lead through change.

Tune in to hear:

• Where multi-unit restaurants are leaking profit today
• How to cut through tech noise & focus on what works
• What makes a great manager in today’s labor market
• How to use data without overwhelming your teams
• Steps to future-proof ops for the next 3–5 years