Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit
Jeff Perera, co-founder and vice chairman of Jeff’s Bagel Run, shares a have a look at his profession, his achievements and business traits forward of his look on the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit 2026.
Picture: Willie Lawless/ Networld Media Group
January 30, 2026
At this time, we’re shining a highlight on Jeff Perera, co-founder and vice chairman of Jeff’s Bagel Run. Perera shall be a speaker on the upcoming Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, which takes place on March 16-18, 2026, in San Diego, California. He shall be a panelist on the Government Views: Inspiration for At this time’s Restaurant Leaders session.
We thought it could be enjoyable to get to know Perera a bit higher forward of his look at RFIS.
Describe your present function
I presently function a co-founder and model operator at Jeff’s Bagel Run, a fast-growing, community-driven bagel idea. My function spans model imaginative and prescient, franchise improvement, and day-to-day operational technique, with a deal with constructing programs that scale with out shedding soul.
I work intently with franchise companions and inner groups to raise retailer operations, drive constant visitor expertise, and produce our mission — Bake Contemporary, Convey Pleasure, Construct Group — to life throughout each location. I am deeply concerned in menu innovation, advertising and marketing 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 function so the model can develop with intention.
What was your first-ever profession function and what’s one vital lesson you realized from it?
Straight out of faculty, I joined Goal as an Government Group Chief, the place I realized an early and lasting lesson: innovation at all times has a seat on the desk. Progress got here from questioning the established order, testing new concepts, and bettering how work bought performed.
What impressed you to work in your business?
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 grew to become a ritual — early mornings, flour-covered counters, and the quiet pleasure of getting it excellent. These bagels weren’t meant for a enterprise. They had been meant for one particular person.
However one thing sudden occurred. Associates needed to strive them. Neighbors began asking. Conversations fashioned 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. At this time, that very same intention guides every little thing we do as we Bake Contemporary, Convey Pleasure, and Construct Group.
What do you take pleasure in most about your present function?
What I take pleasure in most about my present function is the intersection of individuals, function, and risk. I get to construct alongside passionate franchise companions and workforce members who care deeply about doing issues the appropriate method. No two days look the identical, however every single day 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 really like watching concepts flip into motion and seeing how small choices can have an actual impression on groups and communities. Most of all, I take pleasure in realizing that the work we do extends past bagels. We’re creating locations the place individuals really feel welcomed, supported, and related.
What’s a typical false impression individuals have about what you do?
A typical false impression about what I do is that my function is generally artistic or high-level imaginative and prescient. Whereas model and storytelling are vital, 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 every single day. 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 will 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 concept right into a model that creates actual alternative for others. What began as a small, private undertaking grew into one thing greater 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 progress, however within the tradition we have protected and the individuals who’ve grown alongside the model.
What business traits do you assume are presently over-hyped and why?
Two takes: viral-first advertising and marketing is one other overrated obsession. Too many manufacturers chase attain as an alternative of return, complicated views with visits. One million impressions will not repair a mediocre expertise, and hype fades sooner than operational issues do.
Tech stacks have turn into performative. Extra dashboards do not equal higher choices. The very best QSRs nonetheless win by nailing meals, individuals and course of. Every thing else is noise.
What business traits do you assume do not get sufficient consideration and why?
3 takes: What we do not discuss sufficient in QSR is the quiet work that truly drives outcomes. Boring consistency beats flashy innovation virtually each time. Relentless execution, clear expectations and easy menus do not make headlines, however they construct belief and repeat habits.
We additionally underestimate the facility 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 sooner and breaks much less.
What recommendation would you give to somebody simply beginning out in your business?
Do not rush progress. Early entrepreneurship is about reps, not recognition. Be taught the place the margins stay, the place programs 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 workforce and keep obsessive about the visitor expertise, the model will develop from there.
What do you do to have enjoyable exterior of labor?
Exterior of labor, I spend as a lot time as potential 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 take pleasure in golf, which provides me an opportunity to reset, focus and step away from the day-to-day noise. In quieter moments, I take pleasure in studying fantasy, management (and) historic fiction. Between household time, journey, time on the course and studying, these moments recharge me and assist maintain perspective each personally and professionally.
What’s one fascinating factor about you that even the individuals you’re employed with every single day in all probability do not know?
I used to be a drama child rising up, and that have nonetheless shapes how I present up at this time. Theater taught me confidence, empathy, and the right way to learn a room. Expertise that translate far past the stage. It helped me perceive storytelling, timing and the significance of displaying 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 gaggle of individuals work towards a shared second. That sense of collaboration, creativity, and connection continues to affect how I lead, talk and construct experiences
