Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit
Jeff Perera, co-founder and vp of Jeff’s Bagel Run, shares a take a look at his profession, his achievements and trade developments forward of his look on the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit 2026.
Picture: Willie Lawless/ Networld Media Group
January 30, 2026
In the present day, we’re shining a highlight on Jeff Perera, co-founder and vp of Jeff’s Bagel Run. Perera will likely be a speaker on the upcoming Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, which takes place on March 16-18, 2026, in San Diego, California. He will likely be a panelist on the Government Views: Inspiration for In the present day’s Restaurant Leaders session.
We thought it might be enjoyable to get to know Perera a bit higher forward of his look at RFIS.
Describe your present position
I at the moment function a co-founder and model operator at Jeff’s Bagel Run, a fast-growing, community-driven bagel idea. My position spans model imaginative and prescient, franchise growth, and day-to-day operational technique, with a give attention to constructing methods that scale with out shedding soul.
I work intently with franchise companions and inside groups to raise retailer operations, drive constant visitor expertise, and produce our mission — Bake Contemporary, Convey Pleasure, Construct Neighborhood — to life throughout each location. I am deeply concerned in menu innovation, advertising and storytelling, content material technique and tradition constructing, making certain the model feels each operationally sound and emotionally resonant.
On the core, my job is to align individuals, course of and objective so the model can develop with intention.
What was your first-ever profession position and what’s one necessary lesson you discovered from it?
Straight out of school, I joined Goal as an Government Crew Chief, the place I discovered an early and lasting lesson: innovation all the time has a seat on the desk. Progress got here from questioning the established order, testing new concepts, and bettering how work obtained performed.
What impressed you to work in your trade?
Jeff’s Bagel Run started with one thing easy and deeply private: a husband making a bagel for his spouse. What began as a small act of affection in our kitchen shortly turned a ritual — early mornings, flour-covered counters, and the quiet pleasure of getting it good. These bagels weren’t meant for a enterprise. They have been meant for one individual.
However one thing surprising occurred. Mates needed to attempt them. Neighbors began asking. Conversations shaped round a heat bagel and a cup of espresso, and earlier than we knew it, a neighborhood was taking form. What started as an act of affection grew right into a shared expertise — individuals gathering, lingering, and coming again not only for the meals, however for the sensation. Jeff’s Bagel Run was born from that perception: that meals made with care can carry individuals collectively. In the present day, that very same intention guides every little thing we do as we Bake Contemporary, Convey Pleasure, and Construct Neighborhood.
What do you get pleasure from most about your present position?
What I get pleasure from most about my present position is the intersection of individuals, objective, and chance. I get to construct alongside passionate franchise companions and crew members who care deeply about doing issues the appropriate manner. No two days look the identical, however daily is rooted in creating one thing significant, whether or not that is bettering retailer operations, shaping the visitor expertise, or telling the story of our model. I like watching concepts flip into motion and seeing how small choices can have an actual impression on groups and communities. Most of all, I get pleasure from understanding that the work we do extends past bagels. We’re creating locations the place individuals really feel welcomed, supported, and linked.
What’s a standard false impression individuals have about what you do?
A typical false impression about what I do is that my position is generally artistic or high-level imaginative and prescient. Whereas model and storytelling are necessary, the fact is rather more hands-on. A big a part of my work occurs behind the scenes, refining operations, fixing issues and supporting franchise companions so their shops can run higher daily. It is much less about huge concepts and extra about turning these concepts into repeatable, sustainable execution. My job is not simply to think about what Jeff’s Bagel Run may be, it is to do the unglamorous work that helps the model scale with intention, consistency and care.
What’s one profession achievement you are most pleased with?
The profession accomplishment I’m most pleased with is constructing Jeff’s Bagel Run from a easy thought right into a model that creates actual alternative for others. What began as a small, private undertaking grew into one thing larger than I ever imagined. I am pleased with the groups we have constructed, the franchise companions who’ve taken a leap of religion with us and the communities that now name our shops their very own. Success, for me, is not measured solely in development, however within the tradition we have protected and the individuals who’ve grown alongside the model.
What trade developments do you assume are at the moment over-hyped and why?
Two takes: viral-first advertising is one other overrated obsession. Too many manufacturers chase attain as an alternative of return, complicated views with visits. 1,000,000 impressions will not repair a mediocre expertise, and hype fades quicker than operational issues do.
Tech stacks have grow to be performative. Extra dashboards do not equal higher choices. The very best QSRs nonetheless win by nailing meals, individuals and course of. Every little thing else is noise.
What trade developments do you assume do not get sufficient consideration and why?
3 takes: What we do not speak about sufficient in QSR is the quiet work that truly drives outcomes. Boring consistency beats flashy innovation nearly each time. Relentless execution, clear expectations and easy menus do not make headlines, however they construct belief and repeat conduct.
We additionally underestimate the ability of nice center managers. Sturdy GMs and shift leaders do extra for model well being than any nationwide marketing campaign, but they’re not often developed or celebrated sufficient.
One other blind spot is tradition as an working system, not a slogan. When values are operationalized into hiring, coaching and decision-making, every little thing strikes quicker and breaks much less.
What recommendation would you give to somebody simply beginning out in your trade?
Do not rush development. Early entrepreneurship is about reps, not recognition. Be taught the place the margins stay, the place methods break, and the way small choices compound. Nice founders do not chase shortcuts, they construct repeatable processes.
Most significantly, keep in mind QSR is a individuals enterprise disguised as a meals enterprise. In case you construct with care, defend your crew and keep obsessive about the visitor expertise, the model will develop from there.
What do you do to have enjoyable exterior of labor?
Outdoors of labor, I spend as a lot time as doable with my household. We love being collectively, whether or not that is at Disney, out on a cruise or just unplugging and having fun with time away from the routine.
I additionally get pleasure from golf, which provides me an opportunity to reset, focus and step away from the day-to-day noise. In quieter moments, I get pleasure from studying fantasy, management (and) historic fiction. Between household time, journey, time on the course and studying, these moments recharge me and assist hold perspective each personally and professionally.
What’s one attention-grabbing factor about you that even the individuals you’re employed with daily in all probability do not know?
I used to be a drama child rising up, and that have nonetheless shapes how I present up in the present day. Theater taught me confidence, empathy, and methods to learn a room. Expertise that translate far past the stage. It helped me perceive storytelling, timing and the significance of exhibiting up ready, even when issues do not go as deliberate.
Being a part of theater additionally taught me how highly effective it’s when a bunch of individuals work towards a shared second. That sense of collaboration, creativity, and connection continues to affect how I lead, talk and construct experiences
