Founded in 2018 as Agave & Rye in Covington, KY, by Yavonne and Wade Sarber, Epic Brands now consists of 16 Agave & Rye locations, Son of a Butcher Steakhouse in Liberty Township, OH and Tasty Dawg in Huntsville, AL, their newest concept combining Epic Chicken and Spirits. Every location is unique, designed to fit the character of the building and neighborhood it is located in, combining fine art with street art unique to the location.
Chris began his career at Epic Brands as a General Manager, then Regional Manager and then Director of Operations of the Agave & Rye restaurants starting in late 2018. He took the reins as COO of Epic Brands in February of 2022. Epic opened their 4th Agave & Rye location in Louisville shortly before the COVID shutdown in early 2020, and proceeded to open 5 more locations before being able to fully open to 100% capacity in early 2021.
Hear Chris share how their Core Values (Love, Respect, Inspire, Community, Exceed Expectations and Epic Hospitality) made the difference that allowed them to not just survive, but to grow and thrive during the pandemic and beyond.
His Key to Success: Be an Owl. Always be observing, listening and absorbing what is going on. Be self-aware and aware of what is going on around you. Listen more than you talk.
Book Recommendations: Jack: Straight From the Gut, Unreasonable Hospitality