Robbie Schloss didn’t set out to build a milkshake empire. In 2017, he and his business partner opened Shore Club, a 12,000-square-foot beachside restaurant on Chicago’s North Avenue Beach. Seasonal by design, Shore Club thrived in the summer months but left a question lingering in the off-season: what’s next?
The answer was JoJo’s ShakeBAR, a nostalgic throwback to the 80s and 90s that pairs American diner classics with over-the-top milkshakes. With nine locations now operating across four states, JoJo’s has become more than a restaurant — it’s an experience. Guests are immersed in hip-hop soundtracks, Polaroid snapshots, and themed pop-ups like Winter Wonderland, where a 40-foot Christmas tree anchors a fully transformed dining space.
Scaling with F3
Behind the spectacle lies a carefully engineered backbone of technology. That’s where F3 comes in.
“F3 is like our secret weapon,” Schloss explains. “They’re not just a vendor — they’re part of our team.”
Toast powers the point-of-sale, but F3 handles the heavy lifting: installing servers, mapping store layouts, and flying in technicians to launch new locations. Just as importantly, they provide real-time support. “Every manager in every state has the F3 helpline,” Schloss says. “They pick up on the second ring, faster than my wife.”
That support has allowed Castle Hospitality Group to grow quickly and confidently. “People used to say only expand near your headquarters,” Robbie notes. “With the right tech partners, we’ve proved you can scale far beyond that.”
Robbie’s Recs
While F3 keeps operations smooth, Robbie fuels the storytelling. His unscripted video series, Robbie’s Recs, has become a cult hit. Each short clip features him hyping a menu item — from smashburgers to milkshakes topped with donuts — with the enthusiasm of a superfan. Staff often egg him on with surprises, knowing his off-the-cuff reactions will resonate. Sometimes he brags, sometimes he jokes, but he always brings a sense of fun that feels more like hanging out with a buddy than watching an ad.
“I’m not going to sit and blog about my own restaurant,” he laughs. “But give me a mic and a milkshake, and I’ll talk all day.”
That authenticity has helped JoJo’s amass more than 124,000 Instagram followers and turned the brand into a social media staple.
Hospitality with Intention
For Robbie, success comes from pairing immersive experiences with operational discipline. “Our creativity only works if our systems do,” he says. “F3 makes sure the lights stay on, the tech runs smooth, and our teams can deliver.”
Because when you’re serving foot-long milkshakes under a giant Christmas tree, the last thing you want to worry about is your network going down. Better to save the drama for Robbie’s Recs.
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