Rich Zaro

New York, NY

🍽️ Food & BeverageFast Casual / QSRCafes & Bakeries

“Built my foundation at a 100-year-old New York institution, launched a fast casual brand during a pandemic, and helped scale a franchise to 22 locations.”

What I've Built

About

I grew up around Zaro's Family Bakery — 100 years old, multiple locations, an institution. That taught me the fundamentals: operations matter more than concept, and margins don't lie. In 2019, I started Cutlets Sandwich Co. — a fast casual concept built around the classic NYC chicken cutlet sandwich. When the pandemic hit, I didn't wait. I launched delivery-only out of a ghost kitchen, tested neighborhoods before signing leases, expanded across Brooklyn and Manhattan, and eventually opened brick-and-mortar locations. I learned what it takes to build a brand from zero — sourcing, unit economics, and the difference between a concept people love and a business that actually works. I then took those lessons into franchise operations at Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, helping scale the brand to 22 locations across the country. Now I'm running café operations day to day and relaunching Cutlets in Brooklyn. If you're launching a food concept, trying to figure out your unit economics, navigating the leap from one location to many, or just trying to make the numbers work across NYC and the tri-state area, I've done all of it — and I know this space in a way that only comes from doing it yourself.

Reviews