How chef Sean Brock + fast casual = success at scale

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Nick Pihakis, founder and CEO of Pihakis Restaurant Group, a Birmingham, Ala.-based portfolio with six distinct concepts. That includes Rodney Scott’s BBQ, with the renowned pitmaster out of Charleston, S.C., and most recently Joyland, a fast casual concept in partnership with James Beard Award winning chef Sean Brock. Nick joined the podcast to talk about solving an important restaurant equation: how restaurants that are laser focused on high-quality foods can scale without diluting the brand or the menu.  

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• An obsessive commitment to efficiency is key to scaling high-quality concepts
• Your opening staff should be the best-trained staff you’ll ever have
• The restaurant business is just a math equation
• People make places
• Operators must decide whether off-premises business is worth lowering quality standards
• A diverse portfolio of concepts can help you maximize impact with guests

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at sam.oches@informa.com.