---
title: "Fox Business: Inside 'Top Chef' Star Tom Colicchio's Plan to Build a Fast-Ccasual Sandwich Empire"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/78aa648c-10c3-40e9-99e9-02563d13af8e
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/fox-business-inside-top-chef-star-tom-colicchios-plan-to-build-a-fast-ccasual-sandwich-empire-2712012
category: "Sandwich & sub"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Sandwich & sub"
published: 2020-01-13T21:16:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:42:54.527Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/c56ee696b116e6366bcdd2824eb689ea6765.jpg
---

# Fox Business: Inside 'Top Chef' Star Tom Colicchio's Plan to Build a Fast-Ccasual Sandwich Empire

**TL;DR:** Tom Colicchio, founder of 'Wichcraft, plans to franchise his gourmet sandwich shops with proven franchisees. Colicchio has focused on 'Wichcraft's branding and management structure in his four successful New York City locations.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2020-01-13. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/fox-business-inside-top-chef-star-tom-colicchios-plan-to-build-a-fast-ccasual-sandwich-empire-2712012).*

## Story

In a recent article in FOX Business , “Top Chef” and founder of ‘Wichcraft , Tom Colicchio discussed his experience in the quick-service restaurant world and his plans to approach franchising his gourmet sandwich shops. After facing restaurant closures in recent years, Colicchio is strategically hunting franchisees with proven success and knowledge of their home markets so that they will stand out among their competitors.

“I think we were ahead of the curve in terms of fast-casual food that was healthier. It was something we never really talked about because my feeling was, that was my brand,” Colicchio told FOX Business. “Now we realize, in a crowded market, we need to stand out and talk about that stuff. We don’t do a BLT in New York until mid-July, when tomatoes are coming off the vine.”

Colicchio took time to focus on ‘Wichcraft’s branding and management structure in his four successful locations in New York City in order to create the best possible structure for growth across the country.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- franchising (topic)
- fast casual (topic)
- restaurant expansion (topic)
- Fox Business (company)
- brand management (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/fox-business-inside-top-chef-star-tom-colicchios-plan-to-build-a-fast-ccasual-sandwich-empire-2712012). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/78aa648c-10c3-40e9-99e9-02563d13af8e).