{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"NWA Founders","title":"#2 - Lewis Chase (Feed and Folly, City Park, The Guisinger)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":5182,"description":"What happens when three longtime friends decide Fayetteville needs more than just another bar?In this episode of NWA Founders, we sit down with Lewis Chase, the visionary co-founder behind some of Northwest Arkansas’s most popular food and drink destinations: Feed & Folly, City Park, and The Guisinger. A Fayetteville native with deep family roots in the city, Lewis didn't start in food, he started in real estate. But after a trip to Colorado and a realization that Fayetteville needed better hospitality experiences, he rallied longtime friends and restaurant pros Matt and Mikey Sutton to bring their talents home. Together, they’ve created spaces that balance fun and function, craft and comfort, each one designed with intention, community, and storytelling at its core.This episode dives into how they built it all from scratch: scraping by with small business loans, hustling through COVID, and staying rooted in the culture and character of Northwest Arkansas.SummaryBefore launching Feed & Folly, Lewis was working in residential real estate, but he didn’t love it. A bachelor trip to Durango opened his eyes to what was possible when food, culture, and community collide. Inspired by what his friends were building out west, he convinced them to return to Fayetteville, and together they turned a dream into a destination.With no prior experience opening a restaurant, Lewis quickly became the “fluff and vision” guy, leaning on his ability to see potential in old buildings and his partners’ strengths in operations. They learned fast, scrapping through permitting, lawsuits, and even a pandemic. Their success is a masterclass in figuring it out, staying scrappy, and betting on people over polish.From offering health insurance to helping staff buy cars, Lewis and his team are redefining what it means to be an employer in the hospitality world. Each space they’ve created has its own personality, but all share a core value: take care of your people and the business will follow....","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/cZx0QH4NDDsfTzCuRyOPmG2L5qXGaYahrg-ELcKxcwc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jMzYw/MDBiMGUzNThjNjIy/ZjFmY2UxMzgyYTk3/MjdhYS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}