Closed Monday

Hosted by Kyle Inserra

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256

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May 2026

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About the show

Ever wonder what it really takes to go from one location to ten? Every Monday, top restaurant operators share their actual playbooks for scaling - from site selection and systems to funding and team building. No basics, no fluff – just real conversations about what works (and what doesn't) in multi-unit growth.

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June 16, 202623 min

The CEO of a 500-Unit Global Brand Just Shared His Real Estate Playbook

Live from the National Restaurant Show, Pepper Lunch CEO Troy Hooper joins Kyle Closed Monday to talk restaurant real estate at scale. Site selection, co-tenancy strategy, AI-powered site scorecards, franchisee support structure, and the B-minus site mistake they made against their own instincts and what it cost them. If you're a franchisee, franchiseor, or multi-unit operator thinking about your next location, this one is a must listen.Key ConversationsHow Pepper Lunch gets 68-72 seats in 1,700 square feet Why cotenancy isn't just a preference The 362-point site benchmark scorecard How they structure franchisee real estate supportcWhy they approved a B-minus site The one thing to fight for in a new development TI vs. rent and escalations Chapters0:08 — Troy intro: Pepper Lunch's US and global pipeline2:03 — Box size, kitchen design, and hitting 68 seats in 1,700 square feet3:27 — How Pepper Lunch supports franchisees through the full real estate process5:58 — Why emerging brands can't get real estate wrong6:34 — Cotenancy strategy: what they look for and how it gets written into the lease8:01 — East Coast vs. West Coast development and why the model has to flex10:55 — Rents and escalations: why TI is a trap and how to run the 10-year math13:08 — How to present franchisees to landlords and what landlords are asking for now15:32 — The 362-point AI site scorecard and what the data changed18:38 — The B-minus site mistake: what happened and what they'd do differently20:10 — New development: the one thing worth fighting for20:43 — Where Pepper Lunch will be by NRA 2027Where to Find Kyle and 10Repkyle@10rep.co | @kyleinserra | www.10rep.coRestaurant Real Estate Profitability Calculator: https://calculator-app-softmind-solut...

May 26, 202616 min

What Should You Actually Negotiate in a Restaurant Lease? (It's Not the Rent)

Everyone fights over the rent. And every operator moves it about five percent. Meanwhile, the other 30 pages of the lease go untouched. In this episode, Kyle breaks down the five terms that actually determine whether your restaurant location is profitable.If you're about to sign a lease, or you already signed one without negotiating these, this is the episodeQuestions This Episode AnswersWhat should a restaurant operator negotiate in a lease besides the rent?How does a tenant improvement allowance work for restaurants?When should rent commencement start on a restaurant lease?What is an exclusive use clause and how do I protect my restaurant concept?Can I assign my restaurant lease if I want to sell?What is a personal guarantee burn-off in a commercial lease?How do I negotiate a restaurant lease as a first-time operator?Kyle Inserra is a commercial real estate broker and founder of 10Rep, where he serves as a fractional Director of Real Estate for restaurant brands across the country. With 15 years as a chef and restaurant owner and a decade in CRE, Kyle helps operators and franchisees make smarter real estate decisions.Free ToolsRestaurant Real Estate Profitability Calculator: ⁠https://calculator-app-softmind-solutions-projects.vercel.app/⁠Lease Review: ⁠https://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/lease-review⁠LOI / Pre-Signing Review: ⁠https://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/presigning-site-loilease-review⁠Where to Find Kyle & 10RepEmail: kyle@10rep.coInstagram: @kyleinserraLinkedIn: Kyle InserraWebsite: www.10rep.co

May 14, 202626 min

70,000 People & No One Talking About This

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Shawn Walchef , founder of Cali BBQ and Cali BBQ Media to preview the 2026 National Restaurant Show and call out the conversation nobody's having: restaurant real estate.Shawn runs a 220-seat barbecue restaurant where off-premise revenue now exceeds dine-in. The show floor he's preparing to walk has 70,000 people and barely any conversation about leases, occupancy, or the squeeze choking first-time operators. Kyle gets blunt about the post-COVID lease problem and walks through the exact conversation operators should be having with their landlord before the doors close.Connect with Shawn:LinkedIn: Shawn P. Walchef | calibbqmedia.comFree tool : Restaurant Real Estate Profitability Calculator:https://calculator-app-softmind-solutions-projects.vercel.app/Services:Lease Review: https://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/lease-reviewLOI Review: https://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/presigning-site-loilease-reviewWhat you'll get:How to use AI to plan a 70,000-person show floor before you landWhy drone delivery is operational, not aspirationalWhat off-premise revenue exceeding dine-in means for site selectionHow to clean your data before stacking AI on top of itThe framework for renegotiating a lease that's no longer workingWhy landlords will take the call in 2026 — if you make it firstEmail: kyle@10rep.co | Instagram: @kyleinserra | LinkedIn: Kyle Inserra | www.10rep.coKyle Inserra is a commercial real estate broker and founder of 10 Rep, a fractional director of real estate service for restaurant brands nationwide. Former chef and restaurateur with 20+ years across hospitality and CRE.Chapters:00:00 Cold open01:00 Why Kyle is going to NRA this year02:30 The scale of the show04:30 Using AI to prep the show floor06:30 Starbucks rolls out AI for baristas08:00 Zipline drones — Rwanda to Dallas10:00 The last-mile problem and the developer gap12:00 Off-premise > in-store at Cali BBQ13:30 Shawn's NRA schedule and Rising Tide meetup17:00 Why real estate is missing from NRA17:30 The post-COVID lease squeeze18:30 How to approach your landlord23:00 Clean data before stack24:30 Wrap

April 30, 202617 min

The Quiet Way Restaurants Overpay for Space

Kyle breaks down one of the most overlooked real estate problems in the restaurant industry right now: the off-premise lease mismatch. Over 50% of restaurant revenue is now coming from delivery and takeout, but most leases are still written for a dining-room-first business model. That gap is costing operators real money in ways that never show up on a P&L. Questions this episode answers:Should I pay for a high-visibility corner location if most of my revenue is delivery and takeout?How does off-premise dining affect my restaurant lease strategy?What should I negotiate for in a lease if my concept is delivery and pickup-heavy?How do I use my DoorDash or Uber Eats data to pick my next restaurant location?What lease provisions should I ask for to support third-party delivery drivers?Is visibility still worth paying for if most of my customers are ordering online?Actionable TakeawaysPull your sales mix from your POS before your next lease negotiation. Know your dine-in vs. off-premise split down to the percentage.If you're 50%+ off-premise, your rent ask should reflect that visibility is worth less to your model.Negotiate for pickup staging and dedicated short-term parking for third-party drivers in your LOI, not as an afterthought. Look at your DoorDash and Uber Eats dashboards as a site selection heat map. Chapters00:00 — Client story: 60% takeout, main & main rent02:37 — What this episode is about05:38 — The off-premise lease mismatch07:12 — Why your lease was built for a business you no longer run11:30 — Kitchen layout as a real estate problem13:48 — The pickup experience: when the driver walks into your dining room15:17 — What to negotiate: staging, parking, and driver flow20:32 — Dedicated parking for third-party drivers — put it in your LOI21:24 — The flip side: where off-premise is actually a negotiating advantage25:32 — Your delivery data as a site selection tool28:38 — How to bring this into your next lease negotiation32:00 — The new lease checklist for off-premise operatorsWho This Episode Is ForAny restaurant operator or multi-unit owner with a lease coming up for renewal, a new site under consideration, or a delivery-heavy business model they haven't fully integrated into their real estate strategy. Restaurant Real Estate Profitability CalculatorRun the numbers on your next location before you commit:https://calculator-app-softmind-solutions-projects.vercel.app/Lease Reviewhttps://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/lease-reviewLOI / Pre-Signing Reviewhttps://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/presigning-site-loilease-review📩 kyle@10rep.co | 📸 @kyleinserra | 🔗 www.10rep.coAbout Kyle InserraKyle Inserra is a commercial real estate broker and restaurant real estate advisor with roughly 20 years of combined restaurant and CRE experience, including 15 years as a chef and restaurant owner. He is the founder of 10Rep, a fractional director of real estate service for restaurant brands nationwide, and the host of Closed Monday. Kyle specializes in site selection, lease negotiation, and expansion strategy for independent operators and emerging brands across Westchester, Fairfield County, the NYC five boroughs, and Central Connecticut.📩 kyle@10rep.co | 📸 @kyleinserra | 🔗 www.kyleinserra.com , 10rep.co

April 8, 20268 min

Robots Are Killing Corner Locations

Kyle saw a delivery robot in Jersey City. And it changed how he's thinking about restaurant real estate. In this episode he breaks down what autonomous delivery — robots, tiered fulfillment, short-radius economics — actually means for the location decisions you're making right now. Delivery data isn't just a revenue number. It's a map. And it's already telling you where your next location should be.Questions this episode answers:What does autonomous delivery mean for restaurant real estate strategy?How should restaurant operators use delivery data for site selection?Does autonomous delivery change the value of high-visibility restaurant locations?What is a delivery trade area and how do I find mine?Should independent restaurant operators care about autonomous delivery?Actionable Takeaways:Pull your last 90 days of delivery data today. Map where your orders are coming from. The geographic clusters you find are your real trade area — and the neighborhoods where your next location belongs. Do this before you look at a single listing. Then listen to the Crexi episode for the data-centric mindset to go with it.Who This Episode Is For:Independent operators and small group owners evaluating a second location, questioning whether their current real estate still makes sense, or trying to understand how the delivery landscape shift affects their site selection strategy in 2026.Chapters00:00 The Future of Delivery: Robots at Your Doorstep01:34 Delivery as a Location Strategy03:56 Understanding Your Delivery Trade Area06:10 Leveraging Data for Real Estate DecisionsAbout KyleKyle Inserra is a commercial real estate broker and advisor with 20 years of combined restaurant and CRE experience. He founded 10Rep to serve as a fractional director of real estate for restaurant brands across the country — helping operators make smarter site decisions, negotiate better leases, and scale without the real estate mistakes that kill otherwise good businesses.📍 Restaurant Real Estate Profitability CalculatorRun your numbers before you sign anything.📋 Lease ReviewGet your lease reviewed before you're locked in.📋 LOI ReviewBefore you sign the letter of intent — let Kyle take a look.Where to Find Kyle & 10Rep📧 Email: kyle@10rep.co📱 Instagram: @kyleinserra💼 LinkedIn: Kyle Inserra🌐 Website: www.10rep.co

March 26, 202640 min

How Tech Is Reshaping Franchise Site Selection

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Grant Director, Managing Director at Crexi, and Adam Siegel, VP of Product Growth at Crexi, two guys who spend every day building the data infrastructure that operators and brokers use to make site decisions to break down how PropTech is reshaping the way restaurant brands find, validate, and commit to new locations.If you're running a handful of locations and thinking about your next site, or you're helping brands grow and still cobbling data together from twelve different places, this one's for you.Get in touch with Grant DirectorLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/grant-directorEmail: gdirector@crexi.comGet in touch with Adam SiegelLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adam-siegelEmail: asiegel@crexi.com🧮 Before you commit to a location, run the numbers.Use Kyle's Restaurant Real Estate Profitability Calculator to stress-test your next deal before you sign anything.👉 https://calculator-app-softmind-solutions-projects.vercel.app/🔎 Need Another Opinion Before You Commit To A Location?✅ Lease Review – Send me your draft lease, and I'll use AI + expert insight to highlight what's worth pushing back on.👉 Click here to request your Lease Review: https://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/lease-review✅ LOI Review – Got a location in mind? I'll evaluate the deal terms, location viability, and broader market risk — before you commit.👉 Click here to get your LOI Review: https://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/presigning-site-loilease-review🧾 What You'll Get:AI-powered lease red flag summaryPlain-English breakdown of financial terms (escalation clauses, exclusivity, rent and escalations)Video with context on whether the deal is viable24–48 hour turnaround📩 Prefer email? Send your lease to kyle@10rep.co📲 Let's ConnectInstagram: @kyleinserraLinkedIn: Kyle InserraWebsite: www.10rep.coKyle Inserra is a 15-year restaurant industry veteran and the founder of 10Rep, an outsourced real estate service for restaurants across the country. He specializes in the strategic growth and development of emerging restaurant brands, bringing a unique insider's perspective shaped by years of hands-on operational experience. His areas of expertise include market insight and trend analysis, strategic site acquisition, advanced lease negotiation, comprehensive property assessment, tenant acquisition and retention strategies, and financial forecasting.In addition to his advisory work, Kyle is a sought-after keynote speaker on topics including restaurant site selection, restaurant consulting, content creation, and personal branding. He has been featured in Commercial Observer, Entrepreneur, The New York Times, ICSC, and the CREi Summit. Kyle also works as a commercial real estate broker focusing on landlord and tenant representation in the New York metropolitan market.Chapters00:00 Introduction 01:07 What Operators Can See Today That They Couldn't Before03:20 Emerging Brands and the Six-Store Problem05:01 Do You Still Need a Broker?07:48 Is the Data Gap Between Brokers and Operators Closing?09:58 How Current Is Real-Time Data — and What Matters Most?11:36 What Decisions Are Under-Resourced Operators Making Blind?13:21 The 60-Day Scenario: Two Sites, No Real Estate Team16:53 AI, Workflows, and Where the Industry Is Headed23:00 Where Operators Still Get It Wrong25:21 Co-Tenancy, Landlord Quality, and What Gets Overlooked28:49 The Real World: A Franchise Expansion Case Study37:06 Key Takeaways and Wrap

March 5, 202619 min

The Blind Spot In Franchise Due Diligence

Understanding a restaurant franchise’s true health extends beyond financial statements, your digital footprint holds powerful insights. In this episode, Kyle dives into how franchisees and investors can evaluate social media presence to gauge authenticity, demand, and brand strength. Get clear on what to look for before committing your resources.📲 Let’s ConnectInstagram: @kyleinserraLinkedIn: Kyle InserraWebsite: www.10rep.co or www.kyleinserra.com

February 5, 202616 min

You Snooze, You Lose...

In this episode Kyle talks about trusting your broker when they say you need to act quickly! This market is fast and unforgiving, if you see a site, that checks even some of the boxes for your brand, you better move it, because it won't be there when you circle back around.📲 Let’s ConnectInstagram: @kyleinserraLinkedIn: Kyle InserraWebsite: www.10rep.co or www.kyleinserra.com

January 22, 2026Episode 115 min

Is Your Tech Stack Feeding or Bleeding Your EBITA?

Kyle breaks down why most restaurants don’t have a tech stack, instead they have a “subscription drawer.” He gives a simple filter for every tool you’re paying for: it must lower labor, increase throughput, prevent waste, or improve acquisition efficiency. If it doesn’t, it’s probably not helping your EBITDA it’s just adding friction, and expense.Chapters00:00 Understanding the Tech Stack in Restaurants01:47 Evaluating Software Effectiveness03:32 The Four Buckets of Tech Evaluation06:02 Differentiation vs. Utility in Tech08:10 Measuring Financial Leverage of Software10:10 The Importance of Data Ownership12:33 Streamlining Operations and Reducing Friction14:38 Actionable Steps for Tech Optimization📲 Let’s ConnectInstagram: @kyleinserraLinkedIn: Kyle InserraWebsite: www.10rep.co or www.kyleinserra.com

November 19, 202543 min

Using Consumer Data To Choose Better Sites

In this weeks episode, Kyle sits down with Nicole Larson, National Manager of Retail Research at Colliers to discuss the future of retail and how it impacts site selection. Nicole highlights the expected consumer behavior changes, indicating a slight pullback in spending, while also stressing the importance of regularly monitoring sales trends.Get in touch with NicoleLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/retailinrealtime/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/retailinrealtime/?hl=enReports Referenced In The ShowQuick Hits | Food and Beverage Help Feed U.S. Retail Growth - Knowledge Leader - Commercial Real Estate Content HubRetail Remains Stable as Holiday Season Nears | U.S. Retail Q3 2025 - Knowledge Leader - Commercial Real Estate Content HubWhere Data Meets Dinner: The $11,000 Battle for America's Grocery Dollar - Knowledge Leader - Commercial Real Estate Content HubGlobal Retail: 2025 Trends & 2026 Outlook Report10Rep Services✅ Lease Review – Send me your draft lease, and I’ll use AI + expert insight to highlight what’s worth pushing back on.👉 Click here to request your Lease Review:https://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/lease-review✅ LOI Review – Got a location in mind? I’ll evaluate the deal terms, location viability, and broader market risk—before you commit.👉 Click here to get your LOI Reviewhttps://stan.store/KyleInserra/p/presigning-site-loilease-review🧾 What You’ll Get:AI-powered lease red flag summaryPlain-English breakdown of financial terms (escalation clauses, exclusivity, rent and of course escalations)Video with context on whether the deal is viable24–48 hour turnaround📩 Prefer email? Send your lease to kyle@10rep.co📲 Let’s ConnectInstagram: @kyleinserraLinkedIn: Kyle InserraWebsite: www.10rep.co