Episode 110: Kacie Dancy with Pop’s Beef

Pop’s Italian Beef & Sausage (“Pop’s Beef”) has been a Chicagoland favorite for more than 45 years. The original Pop’s Beef store, located at 7153 W 127th Street in Palos Heights, IL, was opened March 24th, 1980, as a small family-run sandwich concept operation. Today, it is a successful franchisor with 17 locations. 

“I was born in the business,” says Kacie Dancey, the eldest of founder Frank Radochonski’s four children. A University of Illinois graduate with a degree in finance, she worked in wine sales after college for two years before returning to her family’s restaurant as a manager. Kacie is now the concept’s vice president of operations.

Pop's Beef menu offering includes freshly made sandwiches, sausage, burgers, salads, and hot dogs. Its house special, a marinated, warmed, and thinly sliced beef sandwich, is available in a variety of sizes. “We are successful because of our commitment to consistent high quality and reasonable pricing,” says Kacie.

Kacie explains how she and her team overcame poorly structured early growth to create an expansion program that is flexible and successful. "We have learned from the loosely organized licensed units we had at first,” she says, adding that the business now oversees franchisees with freestanding locations, shopping center units, and convenience store kiosks.

"I live by our marketing slogan, ‘Don't Worry, Beef Happy,’ and spend my time between the company-owned training unit and visiting the many franchised locations,” says Kacie. Pop's Beef’s short-term plan includes their continued commitment to improve operations while integrating technology into product management and marketing.