honeygrow is growing at a pace founder and CEO Justin Rosenberg believes the company can sustain.
The fast casual has added about a third more restaurants over the past year, entered Michigan, expanded farther into Massachusetts and Ohio, and expects to surpass 100 locations by late 2027. Yet Rosenberg says the biggest factor determining how quickly honeygrow expands isn’t real estate or financing. It’s people.
“You’re only going to grow as fast as your talent, your team, so can’t overdo it,” Rosenberg says. “We spent a ton of time developing folks internally. That’s really what’s dictating the growth.”
That philosophy has shaped honeygrow since its earliest days. Founded in Philadelphia in 2012, the concept carved out a niche by offering customizable stir-fries, salads, and honeybars through a fully digital ordering platform years before kiosks became commonplace. Today, with 79 restaurants across nine states and another seven planned before year’s end, honeygrow is entering its next phase without changing the formula that got it there. The 2027 pipeline is already locked in, and it’s building the development framework for 2028.
The strategy isn’t about racing across the country.
honeygrow continues expanding through neighboring markets, but not to simply announce it’s moving into a new state.
“We’re doing it smart and slow,” he says. “Quite frankly, lessons learned through the years. You’re only going to grow as fast as your talent.”
That people-first mentality is about more than just the corporate office.
Rosenberg describes district managers as CEOs of their own businesses, responsible for running operations, managing profit and loss statements, and making decisions that improve performance.
“It’s just finding the right people and letting them do their thing,” Rosenberg says.
That approach comes during a busy period for the brand.
honeygrow plans to open 15 restaurants this year, maintaining roughly a 20 percent annual growth rate. The company is also investing in menu development, an area Rosenberg says has reached a new level of sophistication. For the first time, honeygrow has built a structured innovation pipeline with dedicated culinary resources and expanded marketing leadership.
“We’ve been doing, I think for the first time ever, some really awesome robust testing of a bunch of different things,” Rosenberg says.
Those tests range from new sauces and dressings to premium proteins and seasonal offerings. The company recently launched its Ginger Scallion limited-time offering and is experimenting with dishes including a short rib stir-fry, flank steak, and a Mexican-inspired stir-fry.
“One of the cool things right now is just putting a bunch of things in the water, seeing what really resonates with our customer, learning a lot about our customer in the process, and having fun with it,” Rosenberg says. “We want our customers to walk in and be really excited and come back.”
Maintaining excitement without relying on deep discounts has become a priority as restaurants across the industry compete for value-conscious consumers.
Honeygrow has taken a different path.
Rosenberg says the company has been deliberate about limiting price increases since the pandemic and has resisted the aggressive discounting strategies many brands have adopted.
“I hate raising price,” he says. “I’m a customer of a bunch of places, and when I see the price get too high, it’s egregious, and I just get turned off.”
He’s equally cautious about promotions.
“I think it’s a slippery slope once you start that discount road,” Rosenberg says. “You’re hooked on it, and I’ve seen a lot of people get stuck and then suddenly you’re just chasing a discount marketing campaign over and over again.”
Instead, honeygrow believes food quality and operational execution will keep guests returning.
“We want to make sure the food is really good, it comes out quick, it’s accurate. Hospitality is great, the restaurants are clean. That’s the five things we worry about all the time,” Rosenberg says.
Technology also continues to separate Honeygrow from many competitors.
Long before self-order kiosks became a standard fixture across quick service, Honeygrow built its entire ordering experience around digital channels. Every guest places an order through kiosks, the mobile app, the website, or third-party delivery platforms.
The model wasn’t developed to eliminate cashiers.
“It was more like when I created the concept, if you wanted a stir fry and I wanted a salad, I didn’t think the assembly line model would work,” Rosenberg says.
The digital platform gave guests the freedom to customize meals without slowing service, something he believed traditional ordering methods couldn’t accomplish.
Today, Honeygrow still operates on that same foundation.
“We’re 100 percent digital as an organization,” he says.
The technology also creates opportunities aside from speed.
“The beauty of being digital would be the opportunity for the upsell,” Rosenberg says. “Oftentimes, I noticed, and I’m the same way, you don’t want to ask for that honey bar. You just push the button, you’re good, don’t worry about it, and that really allows us to command a higher average check.”
The machines were made to be incredibly user-friendly.
“I had my 3-year-old who’s now 17, who’s now interning for us, she was actually testing as a 3-year-old,” he says. “If a 3-year-old can get from beginning to end, the public will go do this.”
Honeygrow’s uniqueness has also become an advantage in development conversations.
Unlike brands competing in crowded categories like Mediterranean bowls or salads, Rosenberg believes honeygrow occupies a lane of its own—and landlords love it.
“We’re just heads down,” Rosenberg says. “Great team, great group of people working here. We’ll be at 100 units and above next year, which we’re excited about and locked in. So just staying focused.”
