Pillar Mindset

About Pillar Mindset

Real restaurant industry insights from operators with over 40 years of experience. We help franchise owners and restaurant managers build better businesses through proven strategies and honest conversations. Welcome to Pillar Mindset!

Publisher

F&P Media

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Feb 2026

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   What Makes a Brand Worthy?

   Before you get into anything, know how you're gonna get out. In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob and John break down how to pick a franchise brand the right way, starting with Dairy Queen's viral AI drive-thru video (12.9M views) and why Bob won't roll customer-facing AI out across F&P's restaurants. From there, they walk through how to predict where a brand is headed in 5 to 10 years: who's behind the leadership team, who the other franchisees are, why you should look at 50 brands before picking one, and why you should eat at the restaurant several times before you ever look at a P&L. Plus: the Crumbl cautionary tale about rapid growth, why the "top quartile" numbers in an FDD can mislead you, franchise vs. independent (and why we should stop bashing each other), what P. Terry's can teach us about building loyalty, how franchisors actually make their money, supply chain risk, cannibalization, and why you should always leave room to scale. #PillarMindset #Franchising #FranchiseBusiness #RestaurantIndustry #DairyQueen #AIinRestaurants #Crumbl #PTerrys #RestaurantFranchise #QSR #HospitalityLeadership #FoodAndPeople #BobLozano #JohnZertuche #FMPGroup #BuildingABusiness CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro0:32 - Welcome Back to Pillar Mindset1:08 - The Viral DQ AI Drive-Thru Video (12.9M Views)2:27 - Is 90% Accuracy Good Enough?3:04 - Why We Won't Put AI in the Drive-Thru5:19 - AI's Real Power Is on the Back End5:42 - Staffing & Culture: Chick-fil-A vs. Wendy's6:19 - Picking a Brand: Where Will Corporate Be in 5 Years?7:06 - Who's Behind the Brand? Public, Private & PE-Backed8:54 - Look at 50 Brands Before You Pick One9:33 - Leadership Turnover & Brand History10:16 - Know Your Fellow Franchisees11:25 - Can You Feel a Brand's Culture Before the P&L?11:50 - Go Eat There: When to Visit and What to Watch For13:23 - Only 14 of 100 Brands Grew This Year14:00 - Why Growth Isn't the #1 KPI14:42 - The Crumbl Cautionary Tale16:49 - Crumbl's Numbers: Volume Drops & Franchise Churn17:26 - The FDD "Top Quartile" Trap19:07 - Spotting Hype Cycles: Buying Low, Selling at Peak Hype20:10 - Building for Decades, Not a 5-Year Run20:28 - Know Your Volatile Product (The Chicken Wing Test)21:38 - Franchise vs. Independent: Which Route?22:06 - "What Will Make You Happy?"23:20 - Stop Bashing Each Other: Franchises & Independents24:38 - "Profit Maxing" and Why Profit Isn't Everything26:11 - Shoutout: First Bites & Learning From Local Restaurants26:36 - Why Franchise at All? Systems vs. Creative Freedom28:11 - Know How You'll Get Out29:11 - "There Will Always Be More Money, Never More Time"30:10 - UT Longhorns Comeback & Loyalty Lessons31:43 - P. Terry's: Built for Stability, Not Speed33:10 - Burger Prices: P. Terry's vs. Five Guys vs. In-N-Out34:00 - P. Terry's Story: Family-Owned, 38 Units & Employee Ownership36:59 - Why Private Equity Would Love P. Terry's39:16 - How Does the Franchisor Make Money?42:10 - Franchise Landscape & Supply Chain Risk44:18 - Room to Scale: Mom's Corner Lot Lesson45:34 - Cannibalization & Closures Are Real46:39 - Final Advice: People, Product & Taking Your Time47:20 - Outro Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we share real strategies, real data, and honest conversations that help restaurant operators and business owners build better companies. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group: 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Pillar Mindset breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry. About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company.

2. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Chili's is Winning While Others Struggle

   Texas has seen over a thousand restaurant closures in just the first half of the year. What's really driving that? In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob Lozano and John Zertuche trace it all back to COVID-era overdevelopment, cheap capital, and stimulus-fueled spending, and why the bill is coming due now through margin compression, harder lending, and a staffing crisis pulling workers toward Amazon, H-E-B, and Uber. Plus: why staffing jumped back to the #1 challenge for operators, the career-path problem restaurants need to solve, and how F&P is experimenting with paying employees to create content. Then, the other side of the story: why chains like Texas Roadhouse and Chili's are actually growing sales and margins right now. Bob breaks down the value equation, brand identity, conservative pricing, and consistency that's keeping them ahead, including a hilarious international review of Texas Roadhouse steak prices that says it all. #PillarMindset #RestaurantIndustry #TexasRestaurants #RestaurantClosures #StaffingCrisis #TexasRoadhouse #Chilis #Hospitality #Mentorship #RestaurantBusiness #FMPGroup #BobLozano #JohnZertuche #FoodAndPeople CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro0:38 - Welcome Back & Mentorship Theme1:42 - Texas Restaurant Closures: Over 1,000 in Half a Year2:08 - Going Back to COVID: Excess Capital & Overdevelopment4:19 - Consumer Stimulus Checks & Spending Behavior6:11 - Margin Compression: Food, Gas & Property Costs7:16 - Getting a Loan Is Harder Now8:24 - What Banks Actually Look At (Long-Term Business Viability)9:41 - Why Texas Specifically? Social Media & the Reward Economy11:06 - More Entertainment Options, Less Restaurant Loyalty13:16 - Why Texas: Business-Friendly Growth & Overdevelopment14:52 - More Capital = More (Undertrained) Business Owners15:04 - What Should a Struggling Restaurant Focus On? Hospitality & Humility16:36 - Staffing Is the #1 Challenge Again (33% of Operators)17:13 - The "K Economy": Amazon, H-E-B & Uber Pulling Labor Away19:29 - The Stigma of Restaurant Jobs & Social Media Culture21:04 - Rising Pay Expectations vs. What Restaurants Can Afford21:53 - The Price-Hike Mistake: Losing Customers After COVID24:41 - Career Paths: The Sommelier Success Story25:52 - F&P's Content Program: Paying Staff to Create Content28:36 - Why Texas Roadhouse & Chili's Are Growing29:41 - Consistency & Value: The Real Winning Formula30:39 - A Japanese Tourist's Texas Roadhouse Review32:35 - The US Supply Chain Advantage32:41 - The Fatburger/FAT Brands Bankruptcy Lesson34:51 - Brand Identity: Chili's Cheese Pulls & Applebee's Nostalgia36:01 - Conservative Pricing: How Chili's & Texas Roadhouse Held the Line37:36 - Volume, Consistency & Winning Long-Term38:31 - Outro Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we share real strategies, real data, and honest conversations that help restaurant operators and business owners build better companies. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group, with 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Pillar Mindset breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry. About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company.

3. 

   10 Sept 2026

   Concessions Are Not Restaurants! Here's What We've Learned

   Concessions is a whole different beast. It's not a restaurant, it's a very raw form of hospitality where you've got 30 to 40 seconds to make an impact on a customer you'll probably never see again. In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob and John break down what it's really like running concessions at UTRGV football games, combining two national franchise brands (Dairy Queen and Schlotzsky's) under one stand, serving 13,000 fans in 4 hours, and why thin margins don't matter when the real goal is building core memories with the community. Plus: the surprising Starbucks-in-Japan story about investing a decade into a community before it ever pays off, the problems that come with serving alcohol outside your core business, why queue lines are a love-hate relationship, building a positioning chart from scratch, and the moment that made all the hard work worth it: 2 Tootsie Rolls traded for a tray of Dilly Bars. #PillarMindset #Concessions #DairyQueen #Schlotzskys #UTRGV #CommunityInvestment #RestaurantIndustry #Hospitality #FoodAndPeople #FMPGroup #BobLozano #JohnZertuche #RestaurantBusiness #TeamCulture CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro0:22 - Welcome Back & Today's Topic: Concessions0:56 - Football Season Kickoff & UTRGV Vibes1:10 - What Surprised You Most About Running Concessions?2:21 - Vaqueros Win 44-0 & Suite Hospitality Shoutout3:41 - Concessions vs. Restaurants: A Different Beast4:19 - 13,000 People in 4 Hours4:30 - Running 2 Franchise Brands in One Concession Stand5:41 - DQ Ice Cream + Schlotzsky's Food: How It Works6:05 - Thin Margins & Why They Still Do It7:00 - The Dilly Bar & Tootsie Roll Story8:04 - F&P Brands Under One Roof8:18 - Investing in Community Over Profit9:10 - Building Core Memories with Fans10:26 - Bob's Own DQ Core Memory11:01 - The Long-Term ROI of Community Investment12:05 - Effort as a Superpower12:39 - What the Team Gets Back13:02 - The Starbucks Japan Story14:17 - Not Showing Up Empty-Handed & F&P's Long-Term Mission15:26 - Problems They Ran Into: Serving Alcohol17:34 - Draft Beer, Queue Lines & Operational Fixes19:11 - Building a Positioning Chart from Scratch20:08 - The Rush: Why They Keep Doing It20:39 - Team Shoutouts & Leadership Recognition21:20 - Team Camaraderie vs. Team Breakdown22:07 - Final Thoughts: Ego, Community & Feedback24:43 - What's Next: UTSA Game25:20 - Outro Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we share real strategies, real data, and honest conversations that help restaurant operators and business owners build better companies. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group: 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Pillar Mindset breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry. About John Zertuche: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company.

4. 

   26 Aug 2026

   They Give You Free Tech. They Take Your Data

   We didn't set out to build 13 companies. We were just selling burgers and ice cream. In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob Lozano and John Zertuche break down the full origin story of F&P Group — from being "the DQ team" for decades to building one of the most interesting hospitality-led enterprise structures in the restaurant industry. Bob walks through every pivot: why F&P Brands started as a P&L separation strategy (not a marketing play), how real estate became a margin engine through FMP Development, why they brought media in-house when the fragmented digital marketing world couldn't keep up, and why the whole ecosystem now rolls up under one simple belief — hospitality has a space in every industry. Plus: the "sweat the assets" philosophy, the base/ball/curl DQ analogy that explains the whole business in 30 seconds, why you should build the capability before you start the LLC, why tech companies giving you "free" equipment aren't a charity, and the bedroom-to-kitchen analogy that ties it all together. If you're a franchisor, realtor, or banker — Bob wants to hear from you. This episode is why. #PillarMindset #RestaurantBusiness #FoodAndPeople #FranchiseBusiness #RestaurantEntrepreneur #BobLozano #JohnZertuche #QSR #HospitalityLeadership #DataOwnership #FMPGroup #RestaurantFranchise #BuildingABusiness CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro0:39 - Welcome & Sponsor: First Bites / Profine Coffee1:14 - Why We're Building This Way1:22 - From the DQ Team to F&P Group2:49 - "What Are We Good At?" — Food and People3:54 - FMP Brands: Strategy, Not Marketing6:21 - Becoming a Management Company7:53 - Capability First, Companies Second12:30 - Sweat All the Assets14:00 - Real Estate as a Margin Engine17:51 - "Don't Chase the LLC. Build the Capability."22:00 - How F&P Media Started24:42 - Companies Are Breathing Entities30:59 - Base, Ball, and Curl33:25 - Hospitality Has a Space in Every Industry37:40 - Managing Beyond Restaurants40:15 - Focus on Value, Not Revenue46:00 - Capabilities Create Advantage — Ecosystem Creates Longevity50:18 - "They're Taking Your Data. And It's Not Free."52:41 - The Flywheel — One Continuous Loop53:51 - The Bedroom-to-Kitchen Analogy55:15 - Outro Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we share real strategies, real data, and honest conversations that help restaurant operators and business owners build better companies. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group — 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Pillar Mindset breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry. About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company.

5. 

   29 Jul 2026

   Build a Team That Actually Grows

   Most evaluations are built wrong. Here's what to do instead. In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob Lozano and John Zertuche tear apart everything you thought you knew about team evaluations — and rebuild it from scratch. It starts with hiring. If evaluations hurt, it's probably a hiring problem. Bob walks through Patrick Lencioni's Hungry, Humble, Smart framework for identifying the ideal team player, the mutual hiring philosophy ("you hire us, we hire you"), and why great evaluations only work when the foundation is solid. Then: 360 Evaluations, painting the career path, creative pay structures (including Phantom Equity and profit share), performance-based vs. time-based reviews, rank and yank, confidence vs. control, the capability model and what Bob calls "the slide," and what it actually means when he says "the harder you work, the richer I get." Plus: Leaders Create Other Leaders (John C. Maxwell), a tribute to their German mentor Kai (RIP), and why growth is purposeful — but not the most important thing. #PillarMindset #RestaurantLeadership #TeamEvaluations #PerformanceReview #HiringRestaurant #FoodAndPeople #BobLozano #JohnZertuche #QSR #RestaurantManagement #LeadershipDevelopment #HungryHumbleSmart #360Evaluation CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro0:26 - Welcome: Evaluations & Career Paths1:05 - Evaluations ≠ Report Card3:27 - It Starts with Hiring5:14 - Hungry, Humble, Smart (Patrick Lencioni)9:03 - "You Hire Us, We Hire You"11:51 - "The Harder You Work, the Richer I Get"15:34 - 360 Evaluations20:39 - Paint the Career Path23:01 - "Don't Ask for a Raise — Ask How to Provide More Value"28:32 - Creative Pay Structures31:08 - Phantom Equity33:16 - Performance-Based vs. Time-Based Evaluations35:51 - Rank and Yank / Vitality Curve37:36 - Feedback Is Not Punishment38:32 - Confidence vs. Control40:51 - The Capability Model & The Slide44:10 - Leaders Create Other Leaders45:37 - Lessons from Kai47:17 - Look Beyond Performance52:46 - Closing: Hire Right, Show the Path, Measure Growth55:14 - Outro Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we share real strategies, real data, and honest conversations that help restaurant operators and business owners build better companies. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group — 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Pillar Mindset breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry. About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company.

6. 

   20 Jul 2026

   71,000 Jobs Gone to AI Since 2023. The Regret Is Setting In.

   Forget what you've been told about AI. Since 2023, over 71,000 jobs have been publicly attributed to companies firing people to replace them with AI. Amazon. Microsoft. Salesforce. IBM. Duolingo. HP. Accenture. Most of those same companies are now rehiring the people they let go. In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob Lozano and John Zertuche break down why — and what it actually means for every restaurant operator and business owner watching. Bob shares two foundational frameworks he's used for decades to grow F&P: Finders, Minders & Grinders (from David Meister's "Managing the Professional Service Firm") and Working IN vs. ON the Business. Then he walks through exactly how AI is supercharging both frameworks at F&P right now — including AI agents running 24/7 and a daily "brain health" text Bob gets every morning from their systems. He also gets personal. Before any of the business strategy, Bob shares why Miracle Treat Day on July 30th hits differently this year — and how his newborn son Leonardo's stay in the NICU at Driscoll Children's Hospital brought everything full circle. Plus: Elon Musk's surprising #1 leadership mistake, the Mark Cuban question every company needs to answer right now, and the night Bob ran out of breath trying to show his family ChatGPT. #PillarMindset #AIRestaurant #ArtificialIntelligence #RestaurantBusiness #BusinessGrowth #FinderMindersGrinders #FoodAndPeople #LeadershipLessons #ElonMusk #MarkCuban #ChatGPT #QSR #RestaurantOps CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro0:40 - Giving Back: F&P's Non-Negotiable1:12 - Miracle Treat Day — July 30th at Dairy Queen2:24 - Life Currency Podcast Announcement (July 23rd)4:57 - Leonardo & the NICU: A Full Circle Moment8:13 - Today's Topic: AI + Two Powerful Frameworks9:35 - Framework #1: Finders, Minders & Grinders13:01 - How AI Maps to Finding, Minding & Grinding17:14 - The Night ChatGPT Launched — Bob's Origin Story21:03 - Framework #2: Working IN vs. ON the Business26:16 - AI Agents Running 24/7 — What "Brain Health" Looks Like32:18 - The 3 Questions to Ask When Working ON Your Business35:34 - What F&P Is Actually Building at foodandpeople.ai37:11 - AI Grinding for You: Audits, Deposits & Reconciliations40:52 - Replace vs. Empower — The Two Sides of AI41:18 - The Data: 71,000 Jobs Lost Since 202341:46 - Ford, Amazon, Microsoft & the Rehiring Wave46:24 - Elon Musk's Biggest Leadership Mistake51:03 - Mark Cuban: Rebuild Now or Get Left Behind52:32 - Closing & foodandpeople.ai Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we share real strategies, real data, and honest conversations that help restaurant operators and business owners build better companies. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group — 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Pillar Mindset breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry. About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company.

7. 

   9 Jul 2026

   Drake Made Dave's Hot Chicken Famous. Here's the Business Lesson Behind It.

   Bob's back — and the industry just proved him right. Pizza Hut sold for $2.7 billion. We saw it coming. #PillarMindset #RestaurantBusiness #QSR #RestaurantIndustry #Franchising #FoodAndPeople #RestaurantOperator #TexasRestaurant In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob Lozano sits down with John Zertuche for a no-filter industry rant. The QSR world is splitting into winners and losers — and the line between them isn't product quality or location. It's whether operators understand what's actually driving traffic right now. Bob breaks down why third-party delivery is eating your margins (15–30% on every order), why value wars don't work the way they used to, what "interest marketing" is and why Raising Cane's and Dave's Hot Chicken are crushing it because of Drake and Post Malone, and why doing nothing is the riskiest move in the room. He also pulls back the curtain on foodandpeople.ai — F&P's new tool for rebuilding restaurant operations systems using AI. This is the comeback episode. And it hits different when the predictions start coming true. CHAPTERS0:00 - Welcome Back to Pillar Mindset2:00 - Top QSR Headlines: Flat Traffic, Disciplined Operators Winning4:30 - The Pizza Hut $2.7 Billion Sale — We Called This8:00 - Why Legacy Brands Are in Trouble11:00 - The Digital Sales Shift Nobody Is Talking About Honestly16:00 - The 15–30% Delivery Tax Killing Your Margins20:00 - Is Convenience Actually Sustainable?23:00 - Value Wars Are Back (But Price Doesn't Hit Like It Used To)28:00 - Influence Marketing vs. Interest Marketing — The Difference32:00 - Drake, Post Malone & the New Rules of QSR Marketing36:00 - Who's Winning: Raising Cane's, Dave's Hot Chicken, Taco Bell40:00 - The K-Economy: Big Winners, Big Losers, Nobody in the Middle43:00 - Money, Operators, Leadership — The Three-Way Squeeze46:00 - Introducing foodandpeople.ai49:00 - Why Workplace Culture Is the Last Bulletproof Move52:00 - The Dutch Bros Story That Stopped Bob Cold54:00 - Independent Restaurants: The Exit Problem Nobody Discusses58:00 - Think Big, Operate Small61:00 - Closing: Double Down. Take Action. Don't Do Nothing. Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we challenge mainstream narratives, help franchise owners and restaurant managers build better businesses through proven strategies and honest conversations. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group — 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Pillar Mindset breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry. 🔗 Learn more about what we're building with AI: foodandpeople.ai🔗 Visit us: www.foodandpeople.com

8. 

   27 May 2026

   The Hidden Costs Killing Franchise Owners Right Now

   Most people think buying a franchise guarantees success. They're wrong — and two operators who've lived both sides of the coin are here to prove it. #PillarMindset #FranchisingTruth #RestaurantBusiness #Franchising #SmallBusiness #TexasBusiness #RioGrandeValley In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob Lozano sits down at the Playbook Conference in Edinburg, TX alongside Milliy Chirino — founder of Mili's Boutique and the first Latina-owned franchise to come out of the Rio Grande Valley. Together they break down both sides of franchising: what it means to buy into a proven system versus bootstrapping your own brand from the ground up. They get into the hidden costs most operators never see coming, why revenue is vanity but profit is sanity, what "scaling with intention" actually looks like in practice, and why real operators will always outlast finance guys who think a franchise is a passive investment. This is the real conversation from the stage — no filters, no fluff. CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro1:09 - Mili's Story: From Her House to a Franchise3:19 - Bob's Story: 2nd Generation and the DQ Legacy6:09 - What F&P Stands For (Food and People)7:10 - When Did You Know Your Brand Was Scalable?9:26 - The First Franchise Out of the Rio Grande Valley11:20 - Bob's Chapter: Learning the Hard Way13:54 - The #1 Mistake: Scaling Without Intention15:24 - Revenue Is Vanity. Profit Is Sanity.15:53 - Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About18:52 - This Is a Penny Business19:02 - You Have to Be Present: The Real Time Commitment20:32 - Smell Like Your Flock21:36 - What It Actually Takes to Be a Good Franchisee24:29 - There's No Perfect Recipe for Success25:36 - Franchising Is NOT Passive Income25:45 - Closing: Real Operators vs. Finance Guys Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we challenge mainstream narratives, help franchise owners and restaurant managers build better businesses through proven strategies and honest conversations. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group — 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Pillar Mindset breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry.

9. 

   6 May 2026

   A Restaurants Secret Weapon | Pillar Mindset

   #PillarMindset #RestaurantBusiness #TexasRestaurantAssociation In this episode of Pillar Mindset, Bob, Marcus, and John go deeper on the TRA conversation. We cover hospitality as a superpower, COVID's impact on the industry, why childcare now costs more than college, why In-N-Out's owner left California, swipe fees and the Visa-Mastercard monopoly, and why so many single unit operators still won't join. We also get into the burger flipper stigma, the influence vs interest marketing shift, and what TRA membership actually does for every operator in Texas, member or not. CHAPTERS0:00 - Intro5:17 - Marcus's Path to the Board7:17 - Hospitality Is a Superpower10:38 - How COVID Changed Everything12:53 - What $350 Actually Buys You24:30 - The Childcare Reality36:10 - Restaurants as a Stepping Stone44:26 - Why In-N-Out's Owner Left California59:36 - Swipe Fees and the 85% Monopoly1:11:39 - How to Join TRA Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we challenge mainstream narratives, help franchise owners and restaurant managers build better businesses through proven strategies and honest conversations. About Bob Lozano: Bob runs F&P Group - 40+ restaurant locations, digital marketing, and real estate across Texas. He's built teams, scaled brands, and helped operators go from chaos to systems. Life Currency breaks down what actually works in multi-unit operations, franchise growth, and building sustainable businesses in the restaurant industry.

10. 

    31 Mar 2026

    Surviving the Family Restaurant Business

    Running a family restaurant business is one of the hardest things you can do. Most fail within the first generation. The ones that survive? They have pillars, not just plans.In this episode of Life Currency, I break down the three pillars that built F&P Group: leadership, capability, and non-negotiables. We talk about business succession, why most second-generation operators fail, family business dynamics that destroy relationships, and how to structure an operation that actually lasts. If you're working with family or planning to pass down your business, this is the framework you need.0:00 - Intro 1:23 - Why Family Business Is Hard 2:23 - Trust Is the Foundation 4:27 - Authority Is Earned, Not Inherited 7:06 - The Power of Mentorship 11:36 - Get Outside Experience First 16:06 - Ownership vs Management 20:04 - Pay Matches Performance 24:30 - Balance Family and Non-Family Leaders 27:28 - Build an Advisory Board 30:08 - Succession Planning 32:17 - Transfer Control Gradually 34:15 - Let Family Choose Their Path 38:46 - Legal and Tax Structure 43:20 - Evolution and Legacy 48:04 - Revisit Your Strategy Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we challenge mainstream narratives, help franchise owners and restaurant managers build better businesses through proven strategies and honest conversations.LIKE this video if you're building a family business COMMENT your biggest family business challenge SUBSCRIBE for more episodes of Pillar MindsetAbout us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing.  Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact.Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below. 💻 Watch now and start earning Life Currency📚 Learn More: https://lifecurrencypodcast.com👍 Follow Us On Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifecurrencypodcast📸 Follow Us Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifecurrencypodcast/🎶 Follow Us TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lifecurrencypodcast 🎙️Follow Us on Amazon Podcast: https://amzn.to/3XCgUID 🎧Follow Us on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/41uBoEf Subscribe to: FOOD & PEOPLEhttps://facebook.com/WeAreFoodAndPeoplehttps://instagram.com/wearefoodandpeoplehttps://tiktok.com/@wearefoodandpeoplehttps://linkedin.com/company/wearefoodandpeople F&P BRANDShttps://facebook.com/DQRGVhttps://instagram.com/fandpbrands/https://tiktok.com/@fandpbrands BOB LOZANOhttps://instagram.com/bobl_fpg/https://www.facebook.com/BobL.FPGProduced by F&P Media*The insights and opinions shared on Pillar Mindset are based on F&P Media's years of restaurant industry experience and are intended for informational and educational purposes only. They do not constitute professional business, financial, or legal advice. Every restaurant operation is unique, consult with qualified professionals before making business decisions. Results may vary based on your specific circumstances.

11. 

    4 Mar 2026

    We Bought Pokémon History for $6,000

    We spent over $6,000 on sealed Burger King Pokémon Gold Card boxes from 1999. Midlife crisis or genius QSR move? This is about pop culture as a business multiplier: how scarcity, nostalgia, and cultural relevance drive traffic and build brands in the restaurant industry.In this episode of Pillar Mindset, I break down why pop culture matters in restaurants, how Burger King leveraged Pokémon to create collectible scarcity in 1999, and what the Goldin Auction (featuring Logan Paul's $16.5M Pikachu Illustrator card) teaches us about marketing, influence, and brand building. From Travis Scott x McDonald's to Taco Bell x Doritos, pop culture collaborations are traffic multipliers, and restaurants that ignore this are leaving money on the table.0:00 - Intro 2:40 - Pillar Mindset vs Life Currency 8:20 - The $16.5M Pikachu Card 12:15 - Why We Bought $6K in Pokémon 18:45 - The 5 Steps of Scaling 26:15 - The Restaurant Game Is Changing 31:50 - Conference Season Updates Welcome to Pillar Mindset, where we challenge mainstream narratives, help franchise owners and restaurant managers build better businesses through proven strategies and honest conversations.LIKE this video if you're a Pokemon or QSR collectorCOMMENT your favorite fast food collectibleSUBSCRIBE for more episodes of Pillar MindsetAbout us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing.  Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact.Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below. 💻 Watch now and start earning Life Currency📚 Learn More: https://lifecurrencypodcast.com👍 Follow Us On Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifecurrencypodcast📸 Follow Us Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifecurrencypodcast/🎶 Follow Us TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lifecurrencypodcast 🎙️Follow Us on Amazon Podcast: https://amzn.to/3XCgUID 🎧Follow Us on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/41uBoEf Subscribe to: FOOD & PEOPLEhttps://facebook.com/WeAreFoodAndPeoplehttps://instagram.com/wearefoodandpeoplehttps://tiktok.com/@wearefoodandpeoplehttps://linkedin.com/company/wearefoodandpeople F&P BRANDShttps://facebook.com/DQRGVhttps://instagram.com/fandpbrands/https://tiktok.com/@fandpbrands BOB LOZANOhttps://instagram.com/bobl_fpg/https://www.facebook.com/BobL.FPGProduced by F&P Media*The insights and opinions shared on Pillar Mindset are based on F&P Media's years of restaurant industry experience and are intended for informational and educational purposes only. They do not constitute professional business, financial, or legal advice. Every restaurant operation is unique, consult with qualified professionals before making business decisions. Results may vary based on your specific circumstances.

12. 

    25 Feb 2026

    Think You Can Handle a Food Truck?

    Think you can handle a food truck? Most operators can't. The "easy entry" narrative is BS... food trucks are harder than brick & mortar, require better skills, and crush 60% of owners in year one.In this episode of Pillar Mindset, I break down why food trucks demand more entrepreneurial grit than restaurants, the capital trap nobody warns you about, and what separates winners from the 60% who fail. Every industry has challenges, food trucks are no exception.0:00 - Intro 2:30 - Why Food Trucks Are Harder Than Brick & Mortar 7:15 - The Reality vs The Romance 12:00 - Understanding Your WHY and Purpose 17:30 - Menu Efficiency and Speed 23:00 - Traffic, Visibility, and the Four Corners Exercise 29:45 - Building Culture Through Systems 36:20 - The Math Gap - Food Cost and Break-Even 37:42 - Life Currency Podcast 38:08 - Transactions Are EverythingWelcome to Pillar Mindset, where we challenge mainstream narratives, help franchise owners and restaurant managers build better businesses through proven strategies and honest conversations.LIKE this video if you're rethinking the food truck dream COMMENT your biggest food truck challenge SUBSCRIBE for more episodes of Pillar MindsetAbout us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing.  Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact.Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below. 💻 Watch now and start earning Life Currency📚 Learn More: https://lifecurrencypodcast.com👍 Follow Us On Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifecurrencypodcast📸 Follow Us Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifecurrencypodcast/🎶 Follow Us TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lifecurrencypodcast 🎙️Follow Us on Amazon Podcast: https://amzn.to/3XCgUID 🎧Follow Us on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/41uBoEf Subscribe to: FOOD & PEOPLEhttps://facebook.com/WeAreFoodAndPeoplehttps://instagram.com/wearefoodandpeoplehttps://tiktok.com/@wearefoodandpeoplehttps://linkedin.com/company/wearefoodandpeople F&P BRANDShttps://facebook.com/DQRGVhttps://instagram.com/fandpbrands/https://tiktok.com/@fandpbrands BOB LOZANOhttps://instagram.com/bobl_fpg/https://www.facebook.com/BobL.FPGProduced by F&P Media*The insights and opinions shared on Pillar Mindset are based on F&P Media's years of restaurant industry experience and are intended for informational and educational purposes only. They do not constitute professional business, financial, or legal advice. Every restaurant operation is unique, consult with qualified professionals before making business decisions. Results may vary based on your specific circumstances.

13. 

    19 Feb 2026

    Is Pizza Really Dead?

    Is pizza really dead? The Wall Street Journal seems to think so, but I’m here to tell you why they got it completely wrong. In this inaugural episode of Pillar Mindset, I break down the recent WSJ article claiming pizza is dead and explain why the pizza industry isn’t dying—it’s just going through some growing pains. Every industry has its challenges, and pizza is no exception. 🍕