Interview

Secrets to Restaurant Success with Isak Fagerholm, COO at Friends & Brgrs, Finland

Ever wonder what it takes to scale a small family-owned restaurant into a fast-growing chain—without losing the heart and soul of the brand? 🍔 Isak Fagerholm has the answers.

From One Location to Nearly 30

As COO of Friends & Brgrs, Isak’s journey is nothing short of remarkable. From joining just months before the first store opened to steering the business to nearly 30 locations in 10 years, his insights on growth, leadership, and operational excellence are pure gold. 💡

Growing from 7 to 140 people in just 18 months was tough.

Isak Fagerholm
COO at Friends & Brgrs, Finland

Here’s what you’ll learn:

✅ Early-stage perseverance: “We made mistakes, but we never quit. We learned, adapted, and kept pushing forward.”

✅ SOPs: “Planning is everything. Your processes should be so clear that anyone can step in and take over seamlessly.”

✅ Operational excellence: From sourcing fresh ingredients to making buns in-house, standardisation is key when scaling with quality in mind.

The challenge was to make every experience as good as the next one.

Highlights

➡️ How Friends & Brgrs opened 15 new locations during the pandemic.

➡️ The shift in workplace culture: “Employees today expect transparency and respect—and it’s changing leadership in the restaurant industry.”

➡️ Their bold vision for the future: 50 locations, all while keeping their quality and operational efficiency top of mind.

This episode of The Food Service Growth Show is packed with actionable insights from one of the most exciting burger restaurants in Europe.

Employees now expect more from their employers, and that’s a positive shift in the industry.

👉 Want to know how Isak Fagerholm helped scale Friends & Brgrs while maintaining high quality and operational efficiency? Tune into the episode to learn key strategies for managing rapid growth, keeping consistency across multiple locations, and navigating the challenges of expansion in the foodservice industry.

Listen now

Geert Merckaert

Geert Merckaert is the Content and Research Director at Apicbase and the producer of The Food Service Growth Show. He specialises in operational excellence, sustainability, and digital transformation in the restaurant and catering industry. Geert has a diverse background in content marketing, writing, and research, with previous roles in corporate finance at Bank van Breda, food marketing at VLAM, and the trade association Bakkers Vlaanderen. He holds degrees in Communications and Journalism from Plantijnhogeschool, as well as Art History from the Kunsthistorisch Instituut. During his studies, Geert spent nine years working weekends as a restaurant chef. He is dedicated to helping foodservice companies achieve sustainable growth through engaging and insightful content.