How Jon Taffer's Growing His Franchise Business

Entrepreneur

08-07-2025

Taffer, known for his role in 'Bar Rescue,' teamed up with Craveworthy Brands to expand his concept, Taffer's Tavern.
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Jon Taffer isn't just a TV personality. He's a walking, talking, table-flipping force in hospitality.
For more than a decade, he's been shouting people into shape on Bar Rescue, building brands and turning dysfunction into multimillion-dollar operations.
So when it came time to grow his own concept, Taffer's Tavern, he didn't just make a move. He made a statement. That statement? Team up with Gregg Majewski and Craveworthy Brands.
In just a few years, Majewski has grown Craveworthy Brands from concept to industry powerhouse. The company now has more than 300 restaurants, 19 brands and more than $300 million in system-wide sales — and it's still growing.
Taffer took notice.
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"I did my homework," Taffer said on the Restaurant Influencers podcast, seated with Majewski and host Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ Media. "I looked at the company, I looked at the culture, and I saw the way Gregg leads. He knows every employee's name. He's the real deal."
This wasn't just a handshake and a headline. Taffer owned 100% of his brand. No investors. No committee. Just instinct — and his instinct told him Craveworthy was different. So they teamed up on the joint venture.
It helped that Taffer wasn't the first big name to buy into Majewski's company. Before Taffer's Tavern, Craveworthy struck a deal with Shaquille O'Neal to bring his Big Chicken restaurants into the fold. That move made Taffer pay closer attention.
"Gregg is quality oriented, top of game," Taffer says. "He took the time to understand my brand. I don't worry with him."
Majewski is clear about the mission. "The goal has never changed," he says. "We want to build the best fricking restaurant company in the world. And we do that by building the best team in the world."
He's not chasing hype. He's building infrastructure. Taffer's Tavern and Big Chicken aren't trophies. They're strategic plays in a much bigger game.
To understand what makes this partnership powerful, you have to go back to where their values formed.
Related: Gregg Majewski of Craveworthy Brands on the Advantages of Being #2
The people business
Before Craveworthy Brands ever existed, Majewski made a promise to Dave Thomas.
Yes, that Dave Thomas — the founder of Wendy's and one of Majewski's earliest mentors. The deal was simple: if Thomas poured into Majewski, Majewski would pour back into the industry when it was his turn.
Now that Craveworthy is thriving, Majewski is keeping that promise. He tells stories not for the spotlight but to elevate the people who make restaurants run. His podcast, Room for Seconds, is dedicated to exactly that: sharing lessons in leadership and shining a light on the dishwashers, line cooks and unsung workers chasing the American dream.
"It's not about me," he says. "They're why we do this."
Taffer would agree. His most powerful moment in hospitality didn't happen on television or during a big deal. It happened in a hotel meeting room with a former dishwasher named Theo.
Theo had just been promoted to prep cook. Taffer asked him to help open a new restaurant. At the team meeting, Theo stood in front of 80 employees. "I was a dishwasher six months ago," he said. "Look at me now."
Taffer cried. "We're in the people business," he says. "When our employees feel that proud, everything else falls into place."
That belief shows up in everything Taffer does — from the way he builds teams to how he thinks about hospitality itself. Bar Rescue made him famous for tough love. But underneath the yelling is a core value he never strays from: authenticity.
"You don't fool the audience," he says. "You serve them. You connect with them. You create reactions. That's the business we're in."
Now entering its tenth season, Bar Rescue is still going strong. Taffer is also reviving his podcast, this time with a sharper focus on the real issues facing the industry — and the people trying to fix them.
Because for both Taffer and Majewski, legacy isn't something you inherit. It's something you build. And you build it by showing up for the people who matter most.
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