Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation's Restaurant News•www.nrn.com

Hosted by Nation’s Restaurant News’ editor in chief, Take-Away with Sam Oches features interviews with CEOs and founders of restaurant companies big and small, sharing their stories and ideas for the future but also real, tangible insights for how to innovate in our foodservice future. Each episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches provides key take-aways from Oches’ interviews, with on-the-go observations about how each leader’s strategy fits within the broader foodservice context and what actionable insights you should be applying to your own business.

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Episodes

How is Portillo’s pulling off $8.5 million-plus AUVs?

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Michael Osanloo, the CEO of Portillo’s. Michael has been with the iconic Chicago-based Italian beef brand for five years now, and Portillo’s remarkable success in the past few years can be largely credited to the work he and his team have done in building efficient systems and a people infrastructure that can sustain the brand’s growth momentum. Today, Portillo’s does a staggering $8.5 million-plus average unit volume at roughly 80 loca...

Oct 12, 2023•34 min

How digital marketing is helping Newk’s go ‘Extra’ on rebrand

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Denise Pedini, the chief marketing officer of Newk’s Eatery. Newk’s is a fast-casual concept based in Jackson, Mississippi, with about 100 locations around the Southeast, and just this week announced a rebrand fashioned around the tagline “Extra with Every Bite.” Denise joined the podcast to talk about that tagline and rebrand, what “extra” means to Newk’s, and how the concept is updating its digital marketing strategy to appeal to cust...

Oct 05, 2023•47 min

Why brand merch is your next best way to drive sales

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Scott Snyder, the CEO of Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii. This 32-unit chain has been around since 1989, but Scott was part of a group that bought it in 2019 and has spent the past four years figuring out how Bad Ass Coffee can embrace its quirky and evocative branding and deliver the experience of “aloha” to its guests in and out of its shops. A big piece of this puzzle is Bad Ass Coffee’s omnichannel sales strategy that sees it investing in ...

Sep 28, 2023•56 min

The state of fast casual, according to one of its OGs

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Louis Basile, founder of the Arizona-based fast-casual Wildflower. Wildflower is one of the OGs in the fast-casual industry, as Louis founded the concept in 1995 when most people didn’t even know the term “fast casual” and brands like Chipotle and Panera Bread were years from becoming household names. Since then, he’s expanded it to 16 locations, all in Arizona, and he’s refined the model to emphasize high-quality menu items and a stron...

Sep 21, 2023•34 min

BONUS: A D.C. operator’s wild ride to 9 locations

In this special episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Lance London, founder and CEO of The Carolina Kitchen Bar & Grill, a regional chain serving a taste of Southern cuisine in the Washington, D.C. area. Sam sat down with Lance at the recent Prosper Forum in Amelia Island, Florida, to learn more about the Carolina Kitchen story, which is a wild, nearly 30 year ride that is now culminating with Carolina Kitchen expanding from four to nine locations in the next couple of years. H...

Sep 20, 2023•22 min

How 3 exciting brands are scaling with innovation, authenticity at their core

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with three more leaders from the recent Prosper Forum in Amelia Island, Fla.: Andre Vener, cofounder of Dog Haus; Geoff Alexander, president and CEO of Wow Bao; and Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken. They represent three fast-casual concepts that are quickly growing with innovation and talent development at the core of everything they do, and they joined the podcast to offer a look at how exciting young brands can scale while protecting the a...

Sep 14, 2023•48 min

BONUS: NRA CEO Michelle Korsmo on the ‘4 D’s’ facing operators today

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Michelle Korsmo, the CEO of the National Restaurant Association. The Association is the largest advocacy group for restaurants in the U.S. and aside from lobbying on behalf of the industry in the nation’s capital, it also provides a wealth of resources for brands as they look to overcome the myriad challenges facing restaurants today. Michelle and Sam sat down at the recent Prosper Forum in Amelia Island, Fla., to discuss those challeng...

Sep 13, 2023•14 min

Jersey Mike’s is the hottest chain in America — and this is the reason why

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with CEO Peter Cancro, COO Mike Manzo, and District Manager Shelbie Sticca of Jersey Mike’s. The three joined Sam individually at the Prosper Forum in Amelia Island, Fla., to discuss the chain’s remarkable success over the past 50 years and especially the past three years, during which the brand has grown sales by 60 percent and opened around 300 locations per year. That success is rooted in how the brand invests in its team members and turn...

Sep 07, 2023•46 min

BONUS: What’s next for restaurant technology?

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Juan George, cofounder of foodservice technology investment firm and consultancy 858 Partners. Juan was one of Olo’s earliest hires, and he’s had a front-row seat to the explosion in new technology tools, strategies, and services over the past 16 years. Now he’s giving back to the foodservice tech world through 858 Partners, alongside fellow cofounder Marty Hahnfeld and recent additions Jackie Berg and Seth Hall — all of whom are also O...

Sep 05, 2023•57 min

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