Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders

At a time when many restaurants are cutting back on what they offer guests, the One Group is raising the bar on the dining experience, and positioning themselves for huge success in the process.

Today's guest is Manny Hilario, CEO of The One Group and long-time friend of ICR. The One Group is a global hospitality company that develops and operates upscale and polished casual, high energy restaurants and lounges. Their two primary restaurant brands are STK and Kona Grill, where they aspire to be the global leader in vibe dining, a unique combination of casual, upscale lounge and restaurant experiences. They trade under the symbol T K.

Manny joined The One Group as a board member in April 2017, and in October 2017 he became President and CEO. Prior to that he was CFO of Sizzling Platter, and was COO at Einstein Noah Restaurant. Manny began his career at McDonalds where he held various financial roles with the company.

On this episode, Manny and I talked about the One Group's bold approach to hospitality, their growth strategy, and of course their unique vibe dining concept that is setting them apart from the competition.

Show Notes

Summary:
At a time when many restaurants are cutting back on what they offer guests, the One Group is raising the bar on the dining experience, and positioning themselves for huge success in the process.

Today's guest is Manny Hilario, CEO of The One Group and long-time friend of ICR. The One Group is a global hospitality company that develops and operates upscale and polished casual, high energy restaurants and lounges. Their two primary restaurant brands are STK and Kona Grill, where they aspire to be the global leader in vibe dining, a unique combination of casual, upscale lounge and restaurant experiences. They trade under the symbol T K.

Manny joined The One Group as a board member in April 2017, and in October 2017 he became President and CEO. Prior to that he was CFO of Sizzling Platter, and was COO at Einstein Noah Restaurant. Manny began his career at McDonalds where he held various financial roles with the company. 

On this episode, Manny and I talked about the One Group's bold approach to hospitality, their growth strategy, and of course their unique vibe dining concept that is setting them apart from the competition.

Highlights:
  • What the vibe dining concept offers (2:57)
  • Manny describes the STK and Kona Grill brands (4:16)
  • New restaurant locations and how they're doing (6:00)
  • The prospects for ROI on the expansion of the restaurants (7:57)
  • The total addressable market for the restaurant brand (10:10)
  • Manny discusses how their franchises work (12:41)
  • The One Group's optimism heading into the holidays (14:33)
  • Technology's role in the restaurant business (16:32)
  • Manny talks about the deal with Reef Kitchens and the ghost kitchen opportunity (18:59)
  • The One Group's philosophy on capital allocation (20:15)
  • What Manny has learned from his various roles in the industry (22:09)
  • Recent trends in the industry that have surprised Manny (24:00)
Links:
ICR Twitter
ICR LinkedIn
ICR Website
The ONE Group Website
The ONE Group LinkedIn
Manny Hilario LinkedIn
Manny Hilario, The ONE Group

Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.

What is Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders?

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value.

In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment.

This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation.

For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com