---
title: "Inside Pokeworks’ real estate strategy: From hoodless kitchens to suburban expansion"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/f8137282-03b4-432f-9d5d-d016f5f812cc
source: "FastCasual"
original_url: https://www.fastcasual.com/podcasts/inside-pokeworks-real-estate-strategy-from-hoodless-kitchens-to-suburban-expansion/
category: "Fast casual"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Fast casual"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2026-05-21T14:15:52.000Z
modified: 2026-05-26T17:00:28.575Z
image: https://nmgprod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/file/0f/67/b7e85cc7de48cbec5f5f4300bf82/cover_image__MJDxtyva__808b1247-24e7-4311-9fea-7e70807d1.jpg
---

# Inside Pokeworks’ real estate strategy: From hoodless kitchens to suburban expansion

**TL;DR:** Pokeworks, an 85-location poke brand, has developed a disciplined growth strategy after going viral on social media. The brand's co-founder and Head of Development, Peter Yang, discusses the company's real estate strategy, including hoodless kitchens and suburban expansion.

*originally published in FastCasual on 2026-05-21. [Read the original](https://www.fastcasual.com/podcasts/inside-pokeworks-real-estate-strategy-from-hoodless-kitchens-to-suburban-expansion/).*

## Story

Test Link CONTINUE TO SITE » or wait 15 seconds Fast Casual Nation Inside Pokeworks’ real estate strategy: From hoodless kitchens to suburban expansion In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Peter Yang, co-founder and head of Development at Pokeworks, to explore how the 85-location poke brand turned a viral social media moment into a disciplined, founder-led growth story May 21, 2026 50 Million Views Later: The Brutal Reality of Scaling a "Viral" TikTok Food Trend - Fast Casual Nation Restaurant Podcast \| Spotify Play on Spotify 50 Million Views Later: The Brutal Reality of Scaling a "Viral" TikTok Food Trend May 19· Fast Casual Nation Restaurant Podcast Save on Spotify Change progress -00:0036:42 Something went wrong - Play on Spotify - Follow on Spotify - Copy link Privacy Policy· Terms & Conditions In this episode of Fast Casual Nation, hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler sit down with Peter Yang, co-founder and Head of Development at Pokeworks, to explore how the 85-location poke brand turned a viral social media moment into a disciplined, founder-led growth story — covering everything from psychographic-driven site selection and hoodless real estate advantages to suburban expansion, unit economics, and why protecting AUV matters more than chasing location count. 50 Million Views Later: The Brutal Reality of Scaling a "Viral" TikTok Food Trend - YouTube Tap to unmute 50 Million Views Later: The Brutal Reality of Scaling a "Viral" TikTok Food Trend Savorfm Savorfm449K subscribers Business Strategy and Profitability Franchising Operations Fast Casual Pokeworks More From Fast Casual Nation More Fast Casual Nation\\ \\ How Tarka Indian Kitchen scaled fast casual Indian cuisine Fast Casual Nation\\ \\ The birria playbook: How Mike’s Red Tacos is using the Dave’s Hot Chicken strategy to scale Fast Casual Nation\\ \\ Streamlining success: Randy Sharpe on pruning franchises, menus at Wahlburgers Fast Casual Nation\\ \\ The $600K gamble: Why Jae Kim nearly walked away from the Sharks Related Media News\\ \\ Pokeworks gearing up for expansion News\\ \\ Loyalty program fueling growth at Pokeworks News\\ \\ Pokeworks bowls up record Q1, expands pipeline and menu Podcast\\ \\ The fine art of fast casual: How bōl, Pakpok Poe elevated modern dining News\\ \\ Pokeworks growing in Florida Podcast\\ \\ Multi-brand mastery meets AI innovation: Inside Conscious Hospitality Group's growth strategy ©2026 Connect Media, All rights reserved. Visit Other Connect SitesATM MarketplaceDigital Signage TodayFast CasualFood Truck OperatorKiosk MarketplacePizza MarketplaceQSR WebRetail Customer ExperienceVending Times b'S2-NEW' COOKIE NOTICE We use cookies to enhance user experience and measure traffic on our site, as detailed in our privacy policy.

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## Entities

- unit expansion (topic)
- QSR (sector)
- FastCasual (publication)
- Pokeworks (company)
- Cherryh Cansler (person)
- real estate strategy (topic)
- Peter Yang (person)
- Paul Barron (person)
- suburban expansion (topic)
- social media growth (topic)

---
Originally reported by FastCasual (https://www.fastcasual.com/podcasts/inside-pokeworks-real-estate-strategy-from-hoodless-kitchens-to-suburban-expansion/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/f8137282-03b4-432f-9d5d-d016f5f812cc).