Interview with Lauren Fernandez, Founder & CEO of Full Course

CEO and Founder Lauren Fernandez brings two decades of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry to Full Course. She served as General Counsel and Head of Franchise Administration for FOCUS Brands, a multi-brand restaurant company with more than 4,000 restaurants in over 15 countries.

Prior to this, Fernandez was a co-founder and operating partner of Origin Development Group, where she served as both a multi-unit franchisee and an investor working with brands such as Chicken Salad Chick. As a multi-unit operator, she purchased three under-performing restaurants and successfully grew them to 11 successful locations in just three years.

An expert in the business of restaurants, Fernandez has a track record of helping restaurants grow their brands and thrive within a notoriously difficult industry.

Interview questions:

Introduction | Can you provide an introduction to Full Course?

Experience | Your background included General Counsel at FOCUS Brands and an operating partner at Origin Development Group. Please provide an overview of your career and the decision to start Full Course?

Brands | You were an investor and a franchisee in Chicken Salad Chick. What were some of the milestones?

Process | What is the Full Course process?

Clients | Who are some of Full Course’s clients?

Tips | Can you share the 5 tips to thrive during Covid? How are restaurant entrepreneurs rethinking the restaurant business?

Fund |Full Course has an affiliated investment fund – FC Polaris Fund. Tell us about the fund’s investment criteria? Fundraising status? investments?

Growth | What are the growth plans for Full Course?

Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn

About Full Course: Full Course is a non-traditional restaurant investment group created for operators by operators that is changing the way new businesses grow their brands. The Company partners with restaurants in the early stages of development to optimize existing operations, develop strategies for sustainable growth and bring the right investors or franchise partners to the table.

This diverse, inclusive, female-led company is carving out a new and necessary niche within the investment management industry. The leadership team at Full Course, all of whom have in-restaurant experience, takes a collaborative approach to investment, acting as mentors and coaches first, and investors second. Full Course provides support and expertise for clients throughout their growth, setting up a strong foundation for burgeoning restaurant brands and their potential investors.


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