Sink or Swim: Scaling a Legacy Brand through the Storm


Michael Ungaro knows exactly what it takes to protect a legacy when the stakes are at their highest. As the CEO and Visionary behind the legendary San Pedro Fish Market, Michael has steered one of the nation’s highest-grossing independent restaurants through a "perfect storm" of challenges—from a high-profile eviction from their 65-year waterfront home to the complex, grueling delays of launching a new flagship.

Join Cherryh Cansler, publisher of FastCasual, for a candid fireside chat on the intersection of brand innovation and high-stakes crisis management. Michael, the driving force behind the Amazon Prime series Kings of Fi$h, reveals the "Visionary" blueprint he used to keep his team focused and his customers loyal even when the physical foundation of his business was in flux.

In this session, Michael shares his strategy for:

  • Leading through Displacement: How to maintain brand equity and operational momentum when you're forced to find a new home.
  • The Power of Content: Leveraging media and storytelling to bridge the gap during "limbo" periods and long-term construction delays.
  • Strategic Rebirth: Turning a forced relocation into a massive opportunity for modernizing a multi-unit franchise model.

Discover how to scale a global entertainment brand while anchored in "mom-and-pop" authenticity—proving that with the right mindset, even the toughest setbacks are just part of the story.

Presenters
Cherryh Cansler
VP of Events & Publisher of FastCasual.com
Networld Media Group
Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.
Michael Ungaro
CEO
San Pedro Fish Market
Michael Ungaro is the CEO/Visionary/C0-Owner of the World Famous San Pedro Fish Market and it’s Kings of Fi$H reality series on Amazon Prime. He also hosts a weekly podcast called Fi$H Factor which tells the behind the scenes stories of the family’s iconic business. The business was started by his grandfather in 1956 as a small 200 sq/ft corner store which grew into a 3000 seat, waterfront fish market restaurant serving over 2 million guests annually, setting 4 Guinness world records and being ranked as one of the top 10 most instagrammed restaurants in the USA. Under his leadership the business enjoyed double digit annual growth for over a decade till the Pandemic and then subsequent displacement due to redevelopment on the LA Waterfront. He and his team were able to pivot into a temp pop-up location with 900 seats producing over $10 million annual sales. Thanks to storytelling through the TV show on Amazon Prime, the brand grew through these downturns and expanded into new locations including neighboring Long Beach and will soon open in Northern California on Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey.
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