Introducing Toastique’s Newest Trio of Owners from Las Vegas: Anna, Ozzy & Judy!
There are a few things Las Vegas is known for – gambling, world-class food, and excess – but outside of the tourist destinations and the famous Las Vegas Strip, there are thriving communities, family-friendly neighborhoods, and vibrant culture. When the Toastique team connected with a trio of friends who’d fallen in love with our health-focused menu and were looking to introduce our gourmet toast and juice bar concept to the Sin City territory, we knew we were in for an exciting opportunity to expand!
Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Anna and Ozzy Azevdeo and Judy Garb, three best friends who were looking forward to starting the next chapter of their professional – and financial – lives not only as friends but as business partners. Let’s get to know the trio and hear about their plans for opening the first – of hopefully many! – Toastique Vegas locations.
Welcome Anna, Ozzy & Judy, Our New Las Vegas Toastique Franchisees!
From Hospitality, Human Resources & Wholesale to Becoming Business Owners
Anna and Judy have been best friends for more than 20 years, and after Anna and Ozzy married, the trio became an inseparable part of each other’s lives. While Judy and Anna originally began in the food and beverage industry at Hooters on the East Coast, the pair made the move to Las Vegas to pursue a new future together. From there, Anna stayed in hospitality, working everywhere from Tao, the highest-grossing restaurant in the country, to Valley Car Group, a vehicle wholesale company, where she holds the Market Manager of Nevada position today.
On the other hand, Judy chose to change careers and dove into human resources and recruiting, with much of her work revolving around hiring in technical sectors and working hand-in-hand with many well-known companies – with retail giant Zappos! being among them. When she isn’t working, Judy spends time with her teenage son and husband and maintains her creative passions by working with her hands, sewing, cooking, and crafting whenever possible.
Ozzy became the third member of this group after moving to Vegas to also earn a living working the front-of-house side of the restaurant business. While bartending across the area, including in the Venetian Palazzo on the Strip, he met and fell head over heels for Anna. While the duo grew closer, Ozzy continued his hospitality career, becoming the general manager of a bar and restaurant where he’s been for the past seven years. The pair married and have since grown their family by welcoming two twin girls to the world in 2019.
How Toastique Stood Out
Anna, Ozzy, and Judy hadn’t started the conversation of launching their own business with franchising as their first choice, but once Toastique fell into their laps after scrolling through Instagram, they knew it was the option they wanted to pursue. While Judy had been the first to find out about our breakfast franchise opportunity, she and Judy decided to take a day trip to St. George, Utah, together to try out the healthy menu and check out the business model in action. From then on, their interest in Toastique snowballed, and after taking a good look at their community, the trio knew they had the perfect territory fit for our gourmet toast and juice bar franchise.
“There [are] a lot of people out here that are very conscious of how they look and how they present. The healthy aspect is what got us because there is a lack of that – not just in this community but in so many communities. As a mother and someone [who is] always on the go, you want something healthy that is accessible, and Toastique offers that.”
With open minds and eager financial plans, the friends navigated their way into the franchising world and went through each step of the process together. Before they knew it, Anna, Ozzy, and Judy found themselves riding around Washington, D.C., on rental scooters, affirming each other’s thoughts on joining Toastique and high-fiving one another after making the final decision to open a business together.
Looking Forward to Their Joint Venture
With Anna, Ozzy, and Judy each bringing their own unique yet complementary backgrounds to the table, the trio has already outlined the role each will play in opening and running their Toastique healthy restaurant franchise, especially with Judy and Anna pursuing this full-time while Ozzy will continue his GM position. Judy’s HR and recruiting background has made her the obvious choice for sourcing, vetting, and hiring tasks, though she also plans to do much of the daily operations and administrative work alongside her partners. Meanwhile, Anna has stepped into the marketing role, thanks to her experience in hospitality and a previous life as a YouTube content creator together with her husband.
Ozzy may be planning to continue his full-time job and only join the trio’s Toastique venture on a part-time basis – for now – his bar and restaurant management experience will be invaluable as they grow into the future, especially once they’re ready to look at additional franchise territories. His experience has led him to be most interested in the numbers and catering aspects of the business, with his highest priorities being minimizing food costs and diversifying their revenue through catering opportunities.
The Trio’s Perspective on Bringing Toastique to Sin City
While these friends have each chosen which roles they’ll play in opening and running their breakfast franchise location, Anna, Ozzy, and Judy are working together to find the perfect commercial real estate for their first Toastique healthy breakfast restaurant. Even so, the trio made time for a Q&A with our team, so check out this look into their thoughts on Toastique, their hopes for the future, and their perspective on the whole franchising process!
What about the business model felt like it was the right fit for you guys?
Ozzy: “When I saw the product, saw how they’re running things, and saw everything’s figured out. The no-waste was a big eye-opener for us. I saw Kyle and Bri and their branding and brilliance, and I could see how this could really go somewhere. They inspired me [with] how intelligent they were with branding.”
Anna: “We fell in love with the business model. You know, anybody can start [in] food and beverage, but anytime you had a question, [they] already had the answer. We started comparing this to the East Coast; when we thought about it, we [thought that] rent might be slightly cheaper [and] our weather’s better. So, if [Toastique] works there, it’s gotta work here. All the restaurants that are similar have been very successful here.”
What did you like about meeting the Toastique team at Approval Day?
Judy: “They were very down to Earth. They were very knowledgeable and had been through some of the things that we would be nervous about. So, they had that innate knowledge of questions we would experience as new Franchise Owners, and they built some confidence [with] us moving forward with this.
Anna: [They were] like somebody we would hang out with. I forget what it was about, [but] we were laughing so hard my stomach hurt after. We really did have a good time with them.”
What are you looking forward to most about opening your Toastique?
Anna: “I know it’s going to be a lot of work, so there’s part of me looking forward to prepping for it [and] I like the creativity behind the catering. That’s where I thrive – [in] being a little bit more creative. I’m looking forward to [people telling] me, ‘Oh my god, everything was so great. We loved the customer service, we loved everything, we’ll be back.’ I’m looking forward to making people happy [and] having a real responsibility in that.”
What advice would you give to someone who was in your shoes and starting the franchising process with Toastique?
Ozzy: “Talk to the people [that] have Toastique franchises – they are happy, excited, [and] want to open more. It’s a new, fresh concept that’s not by any means groundbreaking, but the way they’re doing and branding it, it’s new. It’s not like you’re getting into Tropical Smoothie, which is a little bit played out – you’re getting in on the ground level. Compared to others, the biggest thing with Toastique [is that] they seem much more involved. You can tell the support is there, and the biggest thing for us is that the support will be there.”
When you’re ready to ditch the corporate grind and start something that helps you earn money for yourself instead of your boss, it’s time to join the Toastique healthy eating franchise. Our gourmet toast and juice bar model will help you bring a healthy option to your community while building you an even healthier bank account. Take our quick qualification quiz to see if you’re on the right track to Toastique franchise ownership today.
