Fast Casual Executive Summit
Sherif Mityas, CEO of BRIX Holdings Inc., is no stranger to flying high whether in an airplane or in his role. At the Fast Casual Summit, he will discuss how brands can not just survive but thrive during big challenges.
Photo: Networld Media Group
July 11, 2025 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator
The Fast Casual Executive Summit is quickly approaching from Oct. 5 to 7 in Austin, Texas. FastCasual.com is spotlighting panelists who will be sharing expert insights at the event.
Sherif Mityas, CEO of BRIX Holdings, will take part in the Happy Hour with Fast Casual CEOs, who will gather for a good drink to discuss the biggest challenges facing the fast casual space and how to tackle them.
The Fast Casual Executive Summit is a major event that gathers executives to network, learn about innovative industry trends and take their brands in the next level.
Networld Media Group is the organizer of the summit, publishers of Fastcasual.com, QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace. Click here to register for the Fast Casual Executive Summit.
The next Networld Media Group event is the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit taking place March 16-18, 2026 in San Diego, California. Top restaurant leaders will spend two and a half days of networking, inspiring stories and proven strategies.
Describe your current role.
I am currently the CEO of BRIX Holdings, a multi-brand restaurant portfolio company with over 300 locations in 45 states including the brands of Friendly’s, Clean Juice, Orange Leaf, Red Mango, Smoothie Factory + Kitchen, Souper Salad, Humble Donuts and Pizza Jukebox.
What was your first-ever career role and what is one important lesson you learned from it?
My first job out of my undergraduate college degree was with United Technologies in their Pratt & Whitney Aircraft engine division. I was a young Aerospace Engineer who thought I knew everything and was going to come in and help design the new aircraft engines of tomorrow! Obviously, I still had a lot to learn – and that was the one key lesson that has stuck with me throughout my career – you always have something new to learn, you haven’t seen it or done it all – there will always be something new, someone that has more experience or knowledge that can add to your learning and growth – never stop trying to learn something new every day and sometimes from the most unexpected sources – be open to new ideas and thoughts literally every single day!
What inspired you to work in your industry?
A majority of my career before getting into the restaurant sector was in retail — I had the opportunity to work with some of the largest companies in the retail industry and learned a great deal about the B2C relationship and truly understanding what is required to be successful. I was intrigued with the restaurant space since it married this knowledge with the added complexity of operations – not only do you have to sell the food, but you have to make it as well and then provide all the service and hospitality that is required to ensure a great guest experience. It was this challenge and the fact that everyone I basically ever met in the restaurant space were just great human beings – you can’t beat this industry, its people, its mission and purpose and I’m lucky to be included in such a great ecosphere!
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
I love my team, my franchisees and our guests — the best part of my job is when I get to interact with any of those groups to learn, to understand and to hopefully support them in their goals of either providing/delivering or receiving great guest experiences across our portfolio of brands. I also love learning about new brands and new founders out there as we review potential new acquisition targets for the BRIX portfolio. There are so many great new concepts that are growing and have so much potential, it is an honor to meet these young and new entrepreneurs as they make their way in our restaurant sector.
What’s a common misconception people have about what you do?
I believe many people think that the CEO basically dictates directives and actions from “on high” down to the brands and franchisees, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. This is a collaborative industry and company — we only succeed if we’re listening first, seeking to understand and then collaboratively working with our franchisees and store teams to create the right environment, menu, assets, marketing, etc to deliver successful and memorable experiences for our guests — my time is spent with our teams and our team members in the restaurants – that is where information starts and decisions get made!
What is one career achievement you’re most proud of?
I’m most proud of the success that people who have worked with/for me have gone on to do. I have had the pleasure and honor of working with some great people —folks that started with me as a manager or director and who now go by titles like CFO, CMO, SVP, etc – being part of their journey and helping them continue to progress and elevate their career knowing I had a small part of that is something I’m always going to be the most proud of. There are many who did that for me, so I will take every opportunity to make sure that I “pay it forward” for others.
Who is/was your mentor and what’s one important lesson you learned from them?
I’d have to say my mentor is John Antioco, our chairman and a great friend who I had the good fortune of first meeting back in the early 2000s. There are too many things to even begin to mention on lessons learned from this eight-time CEO for some of the largest and well-known brands in the country, but probably the one lesson that stands out is “never settle”. Even if you think you’ve achieved the “right” or “desired” result, take a step back, reassess and see if you can go even further, make it even better. He has and continues to be an invaluable resource and source of experience/knowledge that only makes me better in my role every single day and I can’t thank him enough for the opportunity to work with him.
What industry trends do you think are currently over-hyped and why?
I believe all the worry and angst around AI and robotics supposedly taking over the in-restaurant experience is over-hyped. We can all see the value in technology and power of AI and automation, but there is something about the restaurant industry and the HOSPITALITY that is inherent in our service model that is always going to require human to human interaction. Its part of that going out to dinner experience that is fundamental to our industry. Will there be more automation in the future? obviously yes, but will we always have people in our restaurants – also obviously yes in my opinion!
What industry trends do you think don’t get enough attention and why?
Consolidation is an area that doesn’t get a lot of attention other than when one brand gets acquired by a private equity group. However, the path to even greater consolidation in our industry is accelerating. It clearly had advantages which groups like Roark and other large firms are leveraging for the benefit of both the brands in their portfolio and their investors, but it’s also happening on a smaller scale where the opportunities to create scale and shared services to quickly grow emerging brands is becoming a key differentiator for accelerating growth in our industry. I see this trend accelerating in the next several years with the scale and buying power of more consolidated groups creating more and larger deal flow moving forward.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your industry?
Start on the ground floor, in the restaurant working every position possible. You can’t truly understand what it takes and what really happens in this industry unless you’re in the trenches with the team — working a dinner shift in the BOH or serving six tables on a Friday night — that experience is critical for everything you want to do in the future! Also just listen, observe and ask questions —this is an industry built on experience and knowledge that is handed down, no textbook or training manual will ever take the place of real-world experience in this industry and literally learning by doing and watching those that came before you!
If you weren’t working in your current field, what would you be doing instead?
I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut — but that ship has sailed unless Bezos is willing to give me a ride on his spaceship!
What do you do to have fun outside of work?
I know this is going to seem like its not outside of work, but I love to go try out new and great restaurants across the country. We’ve been to probably 50 Michelin starred restaurants around the world at this point, but we’re always looking to visit the next great spot and enjoy some of the best food from some of the greatest chefs whenever we can!
Are you involved in any charitable organizations that you would like to tell people about?
Our family loves dogs, specifically rescue dogs and so we’re big supporters of a number of both national and local dog shelters who take care of the best creatures on the planet.
Where did you grow up and how did your upbringing impact the person you are today?
I was born in Cairo, Egypt, but I actually grew up in a small town in Wisconsin of all places! The story is too long on how we ended up there, but I can tell you that Wisconsin impacts you growing up in a few key ways – we can handle the cold, we love Old Fashioneds and we love the Green Bay Packers… I think I’ve lost my patience for cold weather, but the other two are in my blood forever!
What’s one interesting thing about you that even the people you work with every day probably don’t know?
I’m not sure it’s that interesting, but I love to fly… I have a private pilot license and having the opportunity to just be amongst the clouds on a beautiful day is something I will always enjoy doing!
About Bradley Cooper
