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Hospitality Changemakers: Alexander Jerejian, COO, Salsa Shop

An insightful conversation with Alexander Jerejian, Chief Operating Officer at Salsa Shop, covering Alex’s journey from Lebanese hospitality to leading a thriving Dutch QSR chain.

Welcome to Hospitality Changemakers, an interview series in which we highlight the voices of forward-thinking hospitality leaders who share their real-world operational insights.

This week, we have Alex Jerejian, the Chief Operating Officer at Salsa Shop. We talk about the unique challenges of operating in the Netherlands, how technology has helped Salsa Shop grow after some initial stumbling blocks, how Alex deals with change management and how the team measures success. 

Q: Can you tell us about your background and how you came to join Salsa Shop?

In 2017, I moved to the Netherlands after spending over 20 years in hospitality, including running my own catering company in Lebanon. When I arrived, I was figuring out the Dutch market and met four Dutch guys who had just started Salsa Shop in 2014. One of them had lived in the US and was obsessed with Chipotle. He thought, “This doesn’t exist in the Netherlands, and it should.” So they opened the first Salsa Shop restaurant and literally built it themselves.

They were passionate, but also chaotic. They loved the food but didn’t know how to make it at first, so they took cooking classes and brought in a Mexican chef. When I met them, I saw their potential and the heart behind the brand.

Coming from a structured hospitality background, I realised they needed someone like me to help organise and scale the business. I joined as a store manager in The Hague and quickly moved up to regional manager, operations manager, and now COO.

Q: Tell me a little bit about the history of Salsa Shop.

Salsa Shop was founded with a mission to bring fresh, high-quality Mexican-inspired food to the fast-casual market. Since opening our first store, we have focused on using fresh ingredients, preparing everything daily, and ensuring a fast and engaging customer experience.

Over the years, we have grown into a well-known brand, standing out in the QSR market with our bold flavours and commitment to quality.

Q: Had you scaled a business before Salsa Shop?

Yes, I love that phase of taking something from a start-up to a scale-up. It’s high-pressure but extremely rewarding. Back in Lebanon, I worked for a company called Blends that expanded across the Arab world with multiple concepts: burgers, Lebanese food, and pasta.

Eventually, I opened my own catering company. Catering is a different kind of challenge. You have to be perfect every time, especially when dealing with events of 1,000+ people. It keeps you sharp. That mindset definitely carried over into my work at Salsa Shop.

Q: How did you bring that same attention to detail to Salsa Shop?

When I joined, every Salsa Shop location was running things differently. One store would skip jalapeños, another would skip roasting vegetables. It was inconsistent, and that impacted the customer experience. Our food is made from scratch in each restaurant, so I built systems to ensure consistency, like recipes, handbooks, and training. It’s like chemistry; a small error can ruin the final product. I always say, every bite should explode with flavour, even if it’s just a bite of rice.

It’s like chemistry; a small error can ruin the final product. I always say, every bite should explode with flavour, even if it’s just a bite of rice.
Alexander Jerejian
COO

Q: What role did tech play in professionalising operations?

When I started, we had basic paper tills. Then we moved to Lightspeed POS, and eventually integrated delivery partners through Deliverect. But it was still very manual. There were multiple tablets and printers for each platform, and lots of data entry. COVID hit, and we couldn’t afford to hire more staff, so I decided to automate everything. I wanted to run the business from my laptop.

We implemented systems for inventory, food cost tracking, digital recipes, everything. But it still wasn’t fully integrated. Then I discovered Vita Mojo. I was sceptical at first, but the demo really impressed me. They weren’t just selling pretty screens; they understood operations.

The strong support and sales team, along with a seamless onboarding process, reassured us that we were making the right decision. Having a partner who understands our needs and is committed to helping us succeed made all the difference.

Q: How did you compare different tech vendors? What was the decision-making process like, and who was involved in it?

When evaluating tech vendors, it’s essential to look beyond the front-end interface. The back-end functionality, integrations, and scalability are what truly matter. I led the decision-making process since we are a scale-up company with a relatively small headquarters team. My focus was on selecting a solution that would not only work for our current needs but also support our growth in the long term.

Q: What impact did kiosks have on your business?

Huge. We didn’t have kiosks before Vita Mojo. Once implemented, they transformed our operations. In one store, 80% of transactions now come through kiosks. That created a new challenge. Too many orders for one make line. We’re redesigning that store to manage the volume.

Kiosks helped us reach a new audience: people who don’t want human interaction. They increased throughput and improved order accuracy. Without kiosks, our growth would’ve stalled.

Q: What are the unique challenges of operating a QSR in the Netherlands?

The Dutch QSR market is highly competitive, with customers already familiar with options like burgers, pizza, pasta, and poke. One of our biggest challenges has been increasing awareness and appreciation of Mexican cuisine. Educating customers about our flavours and offerings while competing with well-established food categories requires a strong marketing and operational strategy.

Q: How important is menu customisation to your customers?

Massively important. We tested fixed “hero” menus, but they didn’t perform. People want control. One day they want rice, the next bulgur, or a different salsa. It’s like home cooking. No one wants to eat the exact same thing every day. Customisation keeps it interesting.

People want control. One day they want rice, the next bulgur, or a different salsa. It’s like home cooking. No one wants to eat the exact same thing every day. Customisation keeps it interesting.
Alexander Jerejian
COO

Q: How did you handle change management during the tech rollout?

It comes down to trust. I made sure the system met the needs of every stakeholder. CEO, CFO, marketing, operations… Everyone was aligned before we signed. Then I made sure the operational front end mirrored our old system to reduce the learning curve for staff.

Training was minimal. I ran one session with store managers, mostly on how to read reports. They were relieved. There was less manual work and more focus on improving performance. We shifted the conversation to throughput, peak times, preparation, and scheduling.

Q: What did you and the team measure to reflect how the new technology was delivering?

We focused on two key metrics:

  • Average Order Value (AOV): to track how technology influences spending habits.
  • Number of Transactions: to measure overall growth in sales volume.

We chose these metrics because they directly impact revenue and operational efficiency. Since implementing Vita Mojo, we saw a 25% increase in transactions, which was a strong indicator of success.

Q: What do you think holds other operators back from switching systems?

Fear and effort. If something kind of works, they don’t want to touch it. They see a tangle of wires and think, “Let’s not make it worse.” But for me, it was worth it. We switched everything in two days—hardware, terminals, printers. It was intense, but I prefer doing it all at once.

Many operators also don’t think long-term. This change gave me 10 more years of tech scalability. But you have to choose the right partner. In the first six months, Vita Mojo was still new to us, but they adapted quickly. They’ve since added features we needed, like packaging fees and local tax rules. That responsiveness is what makes them a great long-term partner.

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