In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Heath Nielsen, president of HTeaO, an iced tea franchise that is enjoying incredible growth in its home state of Texas and beyond. HTeaO showed up for the first time on this year’s Technomic Top 500, growing its unit count by 47% in 2023 to 103 locations and climbing to spot No. 442 on the Top 500. Heath joined the podcast to talk about how this upstart tea franchise first got his attention and why he thinks it has so much upside at a time when coffee seems to be king.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Self-service could be a game-changer for the booming beverage category
• Drive-thru-only is not the only growth opportunity for beverage
• The PM side of the road is just as important as the AM side
• Line extensions are a great way to support franchisees and enter retail space
• Efficiency, innovation the name of the game in beverage — but cost considerations crucial

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at sam.oches@informa.com.