Franchise Focus

The Pop's Beef legacy: how Frankie Radochonski joined the family grill

After sharpening his skills at another sandwich chain, Frankie Radochonski returned to his roots to evolve from a general manager into a successful multi-unit franchisee, blending "the system" with the freedom of his family’s legacy at Pop’s Beef.

Photo: Pop's Beef

February 23, 2026 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Summarize with

For Frankie Radochonski, the aroma of slow-simmered au jus and the rhythmic slicing of Italian beef wasn't just a career path — it was his inheritance. Growing up in the shadow of Pop's Beef, the brand his father, Frank Sr., founded in 1980, Radochonski always knew he belonged in the restaurant industry, though he initially sharpened his teeth as a high-performing GM for Jimmy John's.

It was there he learned the rigid power of "the system," but a pivotal phone call home changed his trajectory from corporate climber to franchise legacy. Today, alongside his mentor and business partner Ed Daley, Radochonski has transitioned from a corporate compliance officer — the guy telling owners how to fix their businesses — to a multi-unit franchisee with three Illinois locations in Romeoville, Joliet and Shorewood with a fourth on the horizon.

Radochonski initially thought he wanted to run a Jimmy John's franchise, but his father talked him into joining the family business, Pop's Beef, in 2020 for a trial run. He officially took over in January of 2021. "I liked the freedom of Pop's better," he said. "As long as you were serving the products, you had a clean store and were doing what you were supposed to be doing, Pop's is pretty hands-off.

"We have more freedom to test things with our menu and add new shake flavors and do different marketing things."

Frankie Radochonski makes a beef sandwich in one of his Pop's Beef kitchens. Photo: Pop's Beef

Operations

Radochonski said running his own business in the Pop's Beef franchise system was a huge shift from managing a sandwich shop. For years, he'd told people how to improve their business and "how to do things the right way. All of a sudden, it's your job to do all those things and to do it in a way that you're not losing money," he added. "It's a huge, huge shift."

He added that it was a tough transition, and if he hadn't had his business partner he doesn't think he would have as successful. It was Daley who showed him the ropes quickly. His father taught him that honesty is the best policy and cleanliness is one of the keys to success.

Radochonski also added that his staff is like a baseball time — every one of them is different and as a manager and owner, it was his job to learn their strengths and weaknesses to get the most out of the team.
He tries his best to stop in every one of his three stores two or three times a week.

Radochonski prefers a hands-on management style. Most of his ideas stem from being in the restaurants. He's even sat in the lobby for hours watching what was going on in his restaurants. He said the guest experience starts when a customer gets out of his or her car and walks up to the restaurant. If there's trash floating around, cigarette butts on the ground or the landscaping is poorly taken care of, this can reflect badly on the store before the customer even tries the food.

"When they walk in the door, are they being greeted? Is your lobby dirty?" he emphasized. "When there's the first contact with your customer, your cashier, how do they treat them? Do they really treat them like they're welcome there and that we're happy to see them? The food presentation -- how does it look. … It's not one thing you do it's everything you do. That's another Frank Sr. quote."

Consistency has been Radochonski's biggest hurdle, and it is the key to success. Seasoning and cooking the beef the same way is paramount. Having the same staff members make the food day in and day out helps. That stems from paying them well and continual training.

"Training never stops, never ever stops," Radochonski said. "I've trained guys that have worked for me the entire time I've been an owner and I'm still training them. I mean, it never ends."

Working with Gen Z and younger Gen Alpha employees can be a challenge, but working for Jimmy John's taught him that for every "what" there is a "why." Getting younger employees to understand why they do things how to do it and why that is the best way to do it results in a well-rounded staff. Radochoncki gives his employees respect, and as a result, his turnover is low.

Pop's Beef interior. Photo: Pop's Beef

Competition

The Chicago-style beef and hot dog market is a crowded field. Competition is fierce.

Radochonski said Pop's Beef has a quality beef sandwich product. The hot dogs come with a side of fries, which he said is a good value.

"We just try to put out the best product that we absolutely can," Radochonski said. "For the hot dog everyone knows what a hot dog is. You go to Philadelphia they still have hot dogs. You go to Texas, they still have hot dogs. But Italian beef is more specific to this area."

A word of advice

Radochonski said his advice to those considering entering into a franchise agreement should consider the amount of work involved.

"It's not one thing you do, it's everything you do," he emphasized again. "If you just focus on one part of the business, the others will naturally not do as well. So, you have to be focused on everything all of the time. And that's a tough bill to kind of come up to. You've got to find a way to balance everything and make sure that all of the things that you see are to your level of quality."

About Mandy Wolf Detwiler

Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.

An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.

Connect with Mandy: