From $6,000 to a Multi-State Franchise: The Home Frite Story with Co-Founder Ian Vernon
Some of the best businesses start with a simple idea, a small budget, and a lot of grit. That’s exactly how Home Frite began. In this episode of Grit Won’t Quit, Tom sits down with co-founder Ian Vernon to unpack how a hand-cut fry stand at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg market grew into a rapidly expanding fast-casual franchise with locations across multiple states.
Ian’s journey is equal parts hustle, strategy, and heart — and it all begins long before Home Frite ever sold its first fry.
The Spark: From Project Manager to Foodpreneur
Before launching Home Frite, Ian was living in New York City working as a project manager, watching restaurants pop up around him and feeling the pull toward entrepreneurship.
In 2013, he took the leap.
Armed with a simple idea — take the European-style pommes frites concept and merge it with classic American home fries — Ian saw an opportunity: something craveable, affordable, and built on freshness.
With just $6,000, he built a website, developed a brand, and partnered with his longtime friend Crystal Lingal, who soon became co-founder. Together, they got accepted into Smorgasburg, Brooklyn’s iconic outdoor food market.
And that’s where the real story begins.
The Smorgasburg Days: Three Years of Just Fries
For the first three years, Home Frite sold only fries and dipping sauces — and it worked.
They cut potatoes by hand, made sauces from scratch, and built a cult-like following one paper cone at a time. Every weekend, Ian and Crystal juggled full-time jobs during the week and spent nights prepping fries in a commissary kitchen before selling out at the market the next morning.
“We were a grassroots company. We’d prep until midnight, wake up early, and sell fries all day. It was insane — but it was the foundation.”
Their low-inventory concept was intentional. When it came time to expand, they wanted a model that was easy to replicate, easy to staff, and easy to scale.
2017: Opening the First Brick-and-Mortar
The momentum from Smorgasburg led to opening their first restaurant in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn in 2017.
With the larger space came a larger menu — but the same philosophy.
Every ingredient still had to be fresh, simple, and high-quality. They added:
Grass-fed beef burgers
Fried chicken sandwiches
A house-made veggie burger
Milkshakes
A menu built around their scratch-made sauces
Everything stayed true to what made Home Frite special: flavor, freshness, and attention to detail.
Scaling Smart: Building a Franchise-Ready System
From the start, Ian and Crystal designed Home Frite to be scalable.
They built:
Standard operating procedures
Training manuals
Diagrams
Recipes
A streamlined inventory model inspired by Chipotle’s “under 100 ingredients” system
During the pandemic — when delivery more than doubled — they finalized their franchising system.
By 2022, Home Frite officially launched its franchise program.
Today, they have:
7 franchise units signed
3 open
2 more under construction
A fourth location opening soon
A growing presence across New York, Delaware, and North Carolina
Maintaining Quality Across States
Expanding beyond NYC created new challenges — especially maintaining consistency.
Home Frite uses:
A director of franchise operations
A 56-point quality control checklist
Monthly visits to every location
Secret shopping to ensure food quality stays top-tier
“The system is strong. But the entire business ultimately comes down to the people representing your brand.”
Ian’s biggest focus: keeping standards high and protecting the brand’s reputation as they grow.
Home Frite vs. Fast Food: Competing on Value
With inflation tightening wallets, customers are rethinking where they eat — and Home Frite is benefiting.
Their October sales beat last year’s. Why? Because today, Home Frite costs the same or less than McDonald’s — but the quality difference is night and day.
Hand-cut fries. Fresh ingredients. Real sauces. Bigger portions.
Value without compromise.
They’ve even matched or beat Shake Shack on several menu prices.
“If people are going to spend that much, they want real food. That’s where we win.”
Delivery, Data & Growth
Home Frite doesn’t shy away from delivery apps — but they use them strategically.
With a company called First Delivery, all orders across Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub funnel into one dashboard, letting Ian see exactly where customers are ordering from. That data fuels targeted marketing like EDDM mailers to high-order neighborhoods.
It’s a blend of old-school hustle and new-school analytics.
The Vision: 50 Locations and Beyond
Ian and Crystal don’t want explosive, chaotic growth. They want smart, steady expansion.
The goal?
50 Home Frite locations — built on systems that outlive the founders themselves.
But for now, they’re laser-focused on nurturing the first seven, strengthening infrastructure, and building a brand that lasts.
A Story of Grit, Family, and Taking the Leap
Ian left his project management job in 2014 — before marriage, kids, mortgages, or certainty. He knew it was now or never.
That decision changed everything.
Today, he runs a growing franchise, supports a family, and leads a brand built on the simple belief that if you focus on quality and consistency, success will follow.
“I sometimes stop and think — I’m lucky to do this. It was just a small concept, and now we have a real business that’s still growing.”
Where to Find Home Frite
Hungry for fresh fries and bold flavors?
Interested in franchising?
Looking for your next favorite burger?
Visit: www.homefrite.com
This podcast episode was filmed at Wingman Planning in Belmar.
