EP10: Breaking the Turnover Cycle That Kills Restaurant Expansion

Etkin Tekin left his corporate strategy position at AB InBev's innovation arm to co-found one of the Northeast's fastest-growing restaurant concepts. While most operators struggle with an expensive recruiting cycle—hire, train, lose people, repeat—Haven Hot Chicken broke this pattern. In this episode, Etkin reveals how they built an internal pipeline that promotes 40% of store leadership from within while maintaining just 10% turnover. This approach has slashed hiring costs, ensured brand consistency, and created the team stability necessary for sustainable rapid expansion.Key Takeaways:Why hiring for culture fit beats skills every time (and how to spot it)Specific tactics that reduced hourly worker turnover to just 10%When to hire specialists vs. generalists during rapid growthHow to build community impact directly into your business modelThe framework for making tech investments that actually improve your bottom lineHow to manage shared leadership with multiple co-founders without chaosPerfect for: Multi-unit restaurant operators, franchise executives, anyone struggling with high turnover, and leaders building teams during rapid growth.About Etkin Tekin: Co-founder and CEO of Haven Hot Chicken, former innovation strategist at ZX Ventures (AB InBev), helping scale Nashville-style hot chicken across the Northeast while building a company culture with industry-leading retention rates.Time Stamp Chapters00:00 Intro: Meet Etkin and Haven Hot Chicken02:04 Origins: Nashville inspiration to pandemic pivots06:50 Career Switch: From AB InBev to hot chicken09:28 Corporate Lessons: Scaling in innovation12:13 Authenticity vs. Scale: Big brands' innovation struggles17:15 Leading Through Ambiguity: When to provide clarity21:06 Low Turnover: How Haven keeps staff24:28 Internal Promotion: Finding leaders without traditional experience27:30 Hiring Evolution: Generalists vs. specialists during growth32:51 Multiple Founders: Division of responsibilities37:26 Beyond Growth: Haven's true mission41:13 Hiring Instincts: Finding the right people43:58 Lightning Round: Career insights and communication basicsAbout UsOpus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. Learn more at www.opus.soHave an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!