Why I Built This
Hi, I'm Dustin.
For years I was the CMO at Dickey's Barbecue Pit. I sat in on franchisee onboardings. I watched grand openings. I saw what worked and what blew up on day three.
And I noticed something that bothered me.
The independent operators down the street, the ones with the better brisket, the better idea, the bigger heart, were getting crushed. Not by the chains' food. By their systems.
The chains had a 200-page operations binder. Pre-vetted vendors. Pricing models. POS setups. Marketing templates. Employee handbooks ready to print on day one.
The indie owner had a Pinterest board and a prayer.
I'd watch someone pour their savings into a food truck, then waste three months figuring out permits a chain owner gets handed in a folder. I'd watch a new bar owner overpay a vendor by 40% because nobody told them what fair looked like. I'd see incredible cooks open restaurants and close them six months later because they didn't know how to read a P&L.
It wasn't fair. And honestly, it wasn't necessary.
That's why I built Opening Day.
Big-Business Knowledge. Small-Business Price.
Opening Day exists to put the chain-level playbook in the hands of the independent operator.
Every kit we sell is the thing I wish I could've handed to every first-time owner I ever met. The vendor lists. The legal templates. The marketing calendars. The pricing strategies. The hiring scripts. The "here's what to do on day one, day thirty, day ninety" roadmaps.
No fluff. No upsell funnel disguised as a course. Just the actual stuff you need, organized so you can use it.
A first-time food truck owner should be able to buy our kit on a Tuesday and be operating with the same systems a 50-unit chain has by the following Tuesday.
I'm Not a Guru. I'm an Operator.
I don't have a course on how to manifest your dream restaurant. What I have is years inside one of the largest barbecue chains in the country, watching what actually makes a hospitality business work and what makes it die.
Real Experience
I've sat through franchise development meetings. Reviewed the unit economics. Launched stores. Closed stores. This is the real view, not a hot take.
Pressure-Tested Systems
Every template has been used in actual locations. Every vendor recommendation comes from someone I'd send my own brother to. Nothing here is theory.
A Founder Who Answers
If something in a kit doesn't help you, tell me. I read every email. This isn't a faceless brand. It's me, and I'm paying attention.
I Actually Answer.
Got a question, an idea, or want to tell me about the business you're starting? Hit me up. I read every email.
Email Dustin