Ken Lopaty was fresh out of the Army in the 1950s and playing poker with a few friends. They wanted “to go into this new thing called McDonald's and they needed a third partner. They wanted $2,000 and I didn't have $200,” the 88-year-old man recalls today from his seven-store operation in California.

“You can smoke just about anything.” Mike Albrecht has just finished listing the many class iterations that have evolved under BrisketU, the business he co-founded to bring pitmaster status to the masses.

A British lawyer, pilot and farmer plans to expand BirdsiVideo in England, to start, as she aims to be at the forefront of commercial drone use in a country that's also about to exit the European Union.

There's a restaurant renaissance happening in a suburb of Salt Lake City. Much like the wealthy Medici family that bankrolled some of the greatest Renaissance artists, Four Foods Group is empowering early-stage restaurant concepts to become the next Leonardo da Vinci of fast-casual or Michelangelo of sandwich sculptors.

There are a lot of pizza joints out there, but nothing like Mozzeria, which is owned, managed and entirely staffed by people who are deaf. Located in San Francisco's Mission District and open since 2011, it's been designed with franchising in mind so the concept can be replicated and brought to other cities to help address chronic unemployment and underemployment in America's deaf community one slice at a time.

Few things drain a person's batteries more than walking the teeming streets of New York City during rush hour, which is the idea behind the YeloSpa, a premier day spa that also includes napping, now set to expand through franchising from its single Midtown location high up inside an office tower.

As camper expectations swell along with attendance, Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts has joined an arms race in luxury family camping, while attracting institutional investors. Zombie hunts and pudding wrestling matches are part of the model.

Everyone who's been to a rock concert knows the feedback loop. One little sound can turn a collection of speakers, microphones and amps into an overwhelming screech.

Sam Batt is a believer in TCBY, where he signed on when the brand and he both turned 30. He relies on a rockstar manager and a ‘discovery day' for new hires to make sure they fit the store and vice versa.

The beef is just barely visible through the gooey web of cheeses, and it's not until that first bite into my Good Stuff Melt that the burger reveals itself, flavorful juices and all.