Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Byrd.
Hi Marcus, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. I’ll start with my Linkedin quote because it encompasses a bit about my career so far, which is that ‘I thrive at the intersection of sports, music, hospitality, and culture’. More specifically I am a brand marketer who has spent the last 8+ years leading start-ups to more mature growth or acquisition (the National Basketball Association being the exception).
My story starts in Oakland, CA and anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes knows I’m very proud of my Bay Area roots. From Oakland, I was very fortunate to attend Georgetown University in Washington DC. While in college I was a part of a few start-ups, however the most successful was a ‘blog-era’ digital publication called Metrojolt where I oversaw the Hip Hop division and helped the site eventually peak as a “top 1 Million website” with more than 40k unique views a month.
I parlayed that experience into an internship at the National Basketball Association in the Marketing Innovation department, moving up to New York City for the summer while I worked on the NBA Draft and All-Star game, amongst other projects. It was there that I really started to grasp the principles of what it meant to run a mature business and the different spokes that a behemoth like the NBA could leverage for their own success. And more importantly to my story, I fell in love with big events, the wonders of experiential brand marketing, and one of my favorite lunch staples during my stay (more to come on this).
After graduating, I weighed a few options but ultimately accepted a job off to join a start-up back in NYC. And that start-up was Dos Toros Taqueria, a rapidly expanding Mexican restaurant I often frequented for lunch. Originally employee #6, I became the Director of Marketing where I oversaw the company’s development of in-store, digital, and social strategies including all public relations and partnerships, so basically anything that was consumer-facing. In my 5-year tenure, we grew store locations from 7 to 23 (including Chicago, New Jersey, and Brooklyn), revenue from $10-$60 million, and most fondly, an internal team of 6 to almost 30.
In January of 2020, Dos Toros was acquired and merged with another fast-casual concept Chopt where I served as head of Brand Marketing until March when the pandemic hit. During COVID I moved to Los Angeles and pivoted to the Tech space briefly as the Director of Marketing for GoParrot, an Online Ordering company that was acquired by Square late last year.
Which brings me to my current role – Director of Marketing and Brand for Hart House. A new restaurant chain committed to disrupting the quick service industry with a delicious and affordable plant-based alternative, brought to you by Comedian and Entrepreneur Kevin Hart.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road, but I’m incredibly thankful with how it’s all turned out so far. As I mentioned earlier, I have been blessed to build foundations in multiple industries which have colored how I apply my lived experience to the world of hospitality marketing. I think two of the biggest struggles for young, passionate leaders are being humble enough to learn and how to set appropriate boundaries with failure.
A friction point I encountered early in my career was being steadfast in what I wanted to do with the brand while also being very cognizant that optically, I did not have the experience of others on my team. As I sought advice within and outside the company, I quickly adjusted my POV to be “comfortable knowing what I didn’t know” and plainly seeking out help in those areas. In a start-up culture, team dynamics can have outsized impacts on the company and consciously deciding to solicit buy-in with other executives paid off in spades. I was honest about what I didn’t know and sought guidance, which in turn led to much better synergy within departments and the company at large.
Additionally, there are many cliches about failure being a precursor to growth in the business (true), but I tweak that to mean that failure one time, in one area is acceptable, if not expected – however I tell my team we can never fail twice in the same way (more true). Startups are hard! But we have too many paths to iterate, too many new technologies to test so you must be humble enough to know that you do not know but resolute enough to remember why you signed up in the first place.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Hart House?
Hart House is a new hospitality venture started by Kevin Hart and a team of passionate investors whose goal is to bring “Plant-Based to the People”. Our first location opened to rave reviews in late summer 2022 by LAX (equidistant between Marina Del Rey and Inglewood), and just a few weeks ago we opened our second in Monrovia, CA which is near Pasadena in the San Gabriel Valley. One of our brand values is accessibility so besides being geographically located in underserved markets, I’m extremely proud to be able to serve plant-based food at a level of taste and price point that is comparable to any quick-service restaurant in the country!
My role as the Director of Brand and Marketing at Hart House is much like it was at Dos Toros, where I like to have eyes on everything a customer sees before it goes live. That includes the in-store décor, partnerships, packaging, our entire digital experience and so much more.
What sets me apart from others has been my ability to merge the creative aspects of campaign ideation with the practical aspects of actually executing the activation while keeping internal and external stakeholders well-informed throughout the process. I don’t miss deadlines, I don’t sacrifice on quality, and it has been off the strength of my past work and work ethic that landed me in the position I am in now. I’ve worked on some awesome projects, but I never envisioned I would get to walk in lockstep with Kevin Hart on the original logo, brand voice, and brand aesthetic of his restaurant.
I want your readers to know Hart House is delivering 100% delicious, 100% plant-based flavor and we’ll be opening up all over LA in the months and years to come!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
At the risk of adding to the unread messages in my inbox – I love connecting with people! I have seen cold calls turn into yearlong partnerships; seemingly – random acquaintances from conferences evolve into lifelong friendships, and I myself got my first job after sending the CEO of Dos Toros a LinkedIn message!
I am always on the lookout for up-and-coming talent whether it be influencers, marketers, or like-minded brand partners. I know the collaborative and team angle of marketing is something I find joy in and I’m always looking for ways to grow or challenge my own understanding of the various touch points in our industry.
Pricing:
- Deluxe Hot N’ Crispy Chick’n – $7.99
- Double Burg’r – $7.99
- Oreo Shake – $3.99
- Tots – $3.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.myharthouse.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byrdsinthesky
Image Credits
@cameramancam, @walterwbrady, @filmmannie, @allie.eats, @kavipictures, @scottbkearney
