Claire Crowell Talks about Her Return to A. Marshall Hospitality

Franklin-based A. Marshall Hospitality announced at the beginning of this year that Claire Crowell made her return to the family business and is now leading the company’s strategy for growth as the president.

As the daughter of CEO Andy Marshall, Crowell began working at the original Puckett’s Grocery in Leiper’s Fork at 12-years-old making biscuits and stocking drink coolers. She served as an assistant manager and general manager of other Puckett’s locations, helping the business grow from three to nine locations and working her way up to director of operations and then chief operating officer. She founded Hattie Jane’s Creamery in 2016 and stepped away from AMH for several years as she grew Hattie Jane’s to four locations and launched nationwide shipping.

While she will continue as CEO of Hattie Jane’s, the Williamson Scene spoke with Crowell about her role back at AMH and future plans for the restaurant concepts that the business operates.

What has the transition back to A. Marshall Hospitality been like? Any difficulties or challenges?

We've expanded, in my absence, we added a few new restaurants. So, you know, obviously there's just more going on. I came back right around the holidays, so really, December was just about getting through all the holiday parties and meeting and greeting. Now that we're [further into the year] I feel like I'm now at my groove and have gotten to know everybody, building those relationships with the team and getting a routine down. But, I think just the biggest challenge is the sheer volume, the size of the team, going from a team of – Hattie Jane’s is 30 to 50, depending on the time of year. We’re a very small team. And, we're pushing about 500 employees at A. Marshall, which is still a relatively small headquarters or team, if you will. But, it's a lot more people.

The expansions you mentioned certainly show the brand’s popularity in the communities they are already in – what are your plans now in leading that effort?

Well, coming out of 2024 where the economy was a little down in our industry, we're definitely in a year of just kind of stabilizing and building our teams and starting to plan for what the next phase of growth is but have nothing on the books. We're really enjoying just strengthening internally. But, we will be continuing to grow the Puckett’s brand in particular in the next few years. We've got our sights set on a few different areas that we want to target. So you know, best laid plans, really, opportunity comes and we respond accordingly. … There's nothing even remotely close to being in the works, but I'd love to see us grow in the Northern Alabama region and grow on the East side of Tennessee. But there's a lot of other areas that we're looking at, as well, that we're interested in.

You mentioned you’re focused on the Puckett’s expansion over the next few years but are you looking at expanding any of the other concepts like Deacon’s New South or Scout’s Pub?

That's always on our mind when we have opportunities that are presented to us that aren't quite a good fit for Puckett’s. We look and see it could just be another Scout’s. We think Deacon’s could work in other metropolitan areas, but it's not something we're actively going after. But rather, if the opportunity presents itself.

What are you most excited about doing with AMH in the years ahead?

For me, my greatest joy is the team and the people that we work with and we impact internally and externally. That is my motivator. I want A. Marshall Hospitality to be a positive force in our industry, both in how we build our teams and how we impact the guest experience. That's really what drives me is looking at – how can we be best in class at what we do? … After we examine [different aspects of the business], putting together a plan of whatever minor, major changes that we need to make to continue to evolve and grow and support our teams – at the end of the day, that's really what we're here to do as leaders, is support the people that are boots on the ground and interfacing with our guests and serving our guests, whether it be in the kitchen or the front of house, that's what we have to do, is make their lives easier and remove those obstacles.

Why was returning to A. Marshall right for you right now?

When we started Hattie Jane’s, Andy and I, back in 2016 he wanted it to be a way for me to learn how to be a CEO. I was always in operations before … as we went along, Hattie Jane’s was being run by a team, not by me, because of just the volume of the job I was in with A. Marshall Hospitality. So in 2021, stepping out to really focus on that, once I spent time in that role as a real founder, CEO, I understood what he meant. It's a complete mental shift in terms of the skill set and the mentality of operations versus strategic leadership, COO versus CEO. And, I think that was instrumental to be able to focus on that. But after a few years, I have a really great team. I have involved partners. We got everything stabilized, rebuilt, opened a couple locations, and started to feel like … I have more to give, and my team is taking care of this. So what else can I do? And that led to some conversations with my father and … talking about coming back into the business and what that would look like.

What is in the future for you and the company?

For me personally, my dad's been in the grocery or restaurant business since 1998 and my real goal is to make it so that he can do whatever he wants to do or doesn't want to do. He's reaching retirement age, but he likes to be involved. And, I want him to be comfortable stepping back or stepping in, whatever he wants to do. He's still CEO now. He's earned that, and he deserves a team that allows him to be as involved as he wants to be. So for me, it's just continuing this path so that when he's ready to step out completely – if he ever is – I mean, those that know Andy Marshall would kind of laugh at that, but if he ever is that I'm ready for that. So, just personally growing in that way and continuing to involve myself and more of the strategic vision and growth of the company while strengthening our operations and how we do things internally. … As we come out of 2024 and focus on 2025 as an internal strengthening year, that we're readying ourselves for whatever the next phase of growth is, and we have the team to do it. Our growth has really traditionally been about people. Do we have the people to open the next unit? If the answer is no, then we have work to do.