From the Archives: Taking on McDonald’s with Guzman y Gomez’s Steven Marks [S1.E1]

We are reaching back into the archive to revisit a conversation from 2019 with Steven Marks, the co-founder and CEO of Guzman y Gomez. This was one of the most electric conversations of the early years of the show. Steven shared his passion for food, brand, technology, and most of all, people—with a clarity and energy that defined him as a founder on a mission.

At the time of this recording, GYG had around 130 stores. Steven was founder-CEO, still obsessing over every ingredient, every system, every hire. They had global ambition, but the U.S. was still a dream, the IPO was years away, and COVID hadn’t yet tested the foundations of hospitality businesses everywhere.

We’ll be sitting down with Steven again soon for a follow-up episode covering everything that’s happened since 2019. But before we do, here’s where it all began. Even if you have heard this episode before, or if you are new to Scaling Up since then, this is a must-listen-to episode full of nuggets that will not only act as a great primer for our next episode, but will also leave you in awe of his energy and passion.

Enjoy this re-release of one of our most-loved early episodes—with Steven Marks of Guzman y Gomez.