
The QUESO Framework: how Condado Tacos built a culture-first restaurant empire | 072
From The Pre-Shift by 7shifts
November 5, 2025 · 25 min
About this episode
Joe Kahn and Chris Artinian discuss how Condado Tacos grew into a large brand while maintaining its core values through the QUESO framework.
How do you grow from a single taco joint to a 50+ location brand without losing the soul of your company? For Joe Kahn and Chris Artinian of Condado Tacos, the answer is simple: QUESO. In this episode, Founder Joe Kahn and CEO Chris Artinian share the origin story of Condado Tacos, built on the principle of creating a restaurant where people would want to work forever. They detail their unique "QUESO" framework—Quality, Unique, Empowered, Service, and Opportunity—that serves as the lens for e...
People in this episode
Guests: Joe Kahn, Chris Artinian
Topics covered
- restaurant culture
- business growth
- leadership
- employee empowerment
- QUESO framework
Keywords
- Condado Tacos
- restaurant empire
- QUESO framework
- business culture
- employee retention
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Condado Tacos
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