In this episode, Emi Guerra sits down one-on-one with Otto Othman — CEO & founder of Pincho (formerly

Pincho Factory) — to talk about the real story behind building a burger brand from the ground up.

From launching with $77K and literally having $6.27 in the bank, to winning Burger Bash, scaling pains at “3

locations,

” and the moment Otto decided franchising wasn’t worth it (and bought stores back to regain control)

— this is a masterclass in growth, operations, branding, and hard-earned founder lessons.

Otto also breaks down the tech + systems Pincho uses to protect quality (real-time guest feedback, training,

AI tools), the COVID decision he’s most proud of, the $30K-in-the-bank wake-up call, and the risky rebrand

stunt that made everyone talk.

Watch if you’re into: entrepreneurship, restaurants, franchising, branding/rebrands, systems, leadership, and

real business war stories.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:10 Otto’s background (tech → nightlife → restaurants)

06:02 “We had $6.27…

” the opening week story

09:23 Early revenue growth + awards momentum

14:40 Burger Bash + what it changed

26:01 Why “3 locations” is where things break

32:11 COVID decision: people first

39:18 “Over my dead body” leadership rules + mistakes57:16 $30K left: the turning point + mentor playbook

01:04:37 The viral “Factory” rebrand stunt

01:09:37 The risk + aftermath of rebranding

01:12:00 Houston expansion (data-driven)

01:17:00 Rapid fire / final thoughts