Third Wave Coffee (TWC) was established Bengaluru, India, in 2016. In 2024, the company had 114 outlets in different regions of India. Though TWC increased its revenue manifold due to rapid expansion, the operational efficiency remained poor compared to the competition. Most stores lost money, and investors were concerned about the firm’s future. The founders roped in a professional CEO, Rajat Luthra, a quick-service restaurants industry veteran, .....more

It was late September 2024, just six months since Saxbys proudly opened its newest location on March 6 at Purdue University’s Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering in West Lafayette, Indiana. The fall semester was in full swing, and with students back on campus and foot traffic on the rise, Saxbys was entering a critical phase for brand visibility and growth. Nick Bayer, Saxbys’ founder and chief executive officer (CEO), recognized the importance of .....more

Teaching note (B) for product W44866.

In February 2025, President Trump’s threat of a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian products dominated Canadian news. Like management at many other Canadian businesses, Jill Conrod and Ciaro Moxey were trying to grasp the impact on their company, Novagevity. Novagevity produced Sperri, a meal replacement beverage that it sold to unwell and health conscious consumers, primarily in Canada. The company had just raised millions of dollars in support of a growth .....more

Miland and his wife Deepika were new franchisees, having acquired a franchise under Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Inc in 2022. Four months into their new business, Rob, the master franchisee for the region, visited the restaurant to assess its operations and discuss goals for the business. During the visit, Rob imposed stringent demands related to operational hours, billboard, new equipment, and ownership transfer. The professional discussion quickly .....more

Five Guys Enterprises LLC (Five Guys) had recently received significant negative publicity about its prices. In March 2024, a customer post on X (formerly Twitter) of a Five Guys receipt, along with a negative comment about the company’s prices went viral. This generated significant negative attention from the public and the story was carried by many news outlets in the United States. In December 2024, Preply Inc. conducted a study where it reviewed .....more

In January 2024, a roaring price war was sweeping the coffee industry in China. The war was triggered by a price competition between two largest coffee chains in the market, centering on a ￥9.9 per cup promotion and eventually engulfing almost every coffee shop. Industry-wide profit margins were compressed and countless independent coffee shops and smaller chains collapsed.<br><br>This presented Yongchen Lu, the chief executive officer .....more

Los Borrachos was a specialty bar in Seoul, South Korea, with the unique vision of creating an intimate gathering place that celebrated sparkling wines and European-style dishes. While the bar generated enough revenue to cover its monthly expenses, it fell short of providing significant income for its co-founders. To fulfill their vision for Los Borrachos, the co-founders need to determine how to attract more of Los Borrachos’ target clientele and .....more

Fresh Prep was a Canadian start-up in the meal kit industry. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, its three young founders, entrepreneurs Becky Brauer, Husein Rahemtulla, and Dhruv Sood, had tremendous success growing their business to CA$38 million a year in annual sales in just five years. To cap this success, they just closed a $16.7 million funding round with a private equity firm. The critical question they faced was, What should they do with .....more

Glamping UA began in 2019 as the first glamping business in Ukraine. As the chief commercial officer, Andrii Rodkin managed strategic partnerships, client relations, and project execution and established two additional arms to the business: exporting products and glamping consultancy services. Rodkin and his business partner, Alex Konovalov, pivoted through the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With 50 employees and growing .....more