Smooth Ops Advisory · Case studies
Proof from our own stores
Before we advised anyone, we opened and ran these ourselves. Each story is told from the operator side, with what worked and what we had to fix.
International opening
Vietnam: four months of planning, open seven days after landing
A Southern California food brand opened in Ho Chi Minh City after four months of planning from the US. The team met weekly with the local crew through the buildout, trained recipes and procedures every month, then flew in a week before opening for hands on training and opened with about 10 local hires.
Island opening
Hawaii: two concepts opened at the same time
We opened two concepts in Hawaii at the same time. Almost everything has to be shipped to the islands, everything costs more, and everything takes longer, so every piece of logistics was planned to a T. We coordinated with general contractors from Southern California, helped the construction team troubleshoot when island delays hit, stayed on top of everyone to keep permits moving, and flew our Southern California team over for a smooth launch.
Destination location
Universal CityWalk: seven years in one of Los Angeles' hardest locations
From 2017 to 2024 we ran a shop at Universal CityWalk, one of the busiest and most demanding destination locations in Los Angeles. Opening there took far more requirements and red tape than a street location, and everything cost more. We operated there for seven years.
Multi-location growth
One shop to nine: how we grew a brand across California, Hawaii, and Vietnam
One of our brands grew from a single shop to nine locations: Westminster, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Long Beach, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Universal CityWalk, Hawaii, and Saigon. What made it repeatable was not a single big decision. It was a team that knew the system and stayed.