For Brian Hipsher, being a “marketing outsider” served as an advantage. When he first started in the restaurant industry, his curiosity didn’t only help him get the job done — it helped him land the job in the first place. 

 “That's probably why I sounded so different because I didn't know, and I asked lots of questions. I was really curious and I knew I could figure things out if given the opportunity. I think I approached the business differently as a result of that,” says Brian, VP of Marketing for restaurant brands BIBIBOP and Charleys Philly Steaks. 

 In this episode of Restaurants Reinvented, Brian talks about building two very different brands — BIBIBOP, a fast casual Asian cuisine brand, and Charleys, a cheese-steak chain with almost 600 locations in 17 countries.

 He also discusses forging ahead with new, customer-centric innovative campaigns, how marketing has changed since the pandemic, the 4 P’s (now 5 P’s) of marketing, and how he addresses marketing challenges. 

 “At the core, I think for both brands, there's a lot of care for the employees and care for the guests. And that's deeply, deeply rooted in Charley himself and his spiritual beliefs. That flows through the company and what the company cares about as well,” Brian says. 

Check out Qu's Annual State of Digital for Enterprise QSR & Fast Casual Brands