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PODCAST

Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation"s Restaurant News

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

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

44:55

Currito cofounders Joe and John Lanni on adapting a...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/02/25

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talksJoe and John Lanni, the brother cofounders of Thunderdome Restaurant Group, a Cincinnati-based outfit that is among the 10 largest restaurant groups in the U.S., and which counts the 23-unit fast casual Currito among its portfolio. Currito is celebrating its 20thanniversary this year, and the Lanni brothers are looking to rapidly expand through franchising. Joe and John joined the podcast to talk about what it was like to grow up in the

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37:02

Wahlburgers CEO Randy Sharpe on building a brand...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/02/18

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talksRandy Sharpe, CEO of Wahlburgers, the upscale burger chain founded by renowned actor Mark Wahlberg and his family. Wahlburgers has roughly 30 units around the U.S. alongside a handful of international locations, with plans to continue growing globally with a flexible format that includes both limited-service and full-service models. Randy joined the podcast to explain why Wahlburgers is all about finding the right partner in the right place at

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43:04

Sip Fresh founder Sharon Arthofer on building a...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/02/11

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks withSharon Arthofer, founder and CEO of Sip Fresh, an emerging beverage franchise out of Southern California that is serving high-quality, fresh fruit juices in small-footprint locations. Sharon has been in the foodservice business for 30 years, having been one of the first hires by Rick Wetzel and Bill Phelps when they launched Wetzel’s Pretzels in the mid-90s. She later became Wetzel’s first franchisee, and before launching Sip Fresh in 2017,

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45:23

Donatos CEO Kevin King on the intersection of...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/02/05

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks withKevin King, president and CEO of Donatos Pizza. Kevin recently took over the chief executive position after former CEO Tom Krouse retired, and he’s now overseeing a new franchise expansion effort. Leading the way in this growth is Donatos’ commitment to innovation and consistency —and particularly where those two traits intersect, as they have with new automated kitchen equipment that Donatos is rolling out across its system. Kevin joined

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52:33

Fogo de Chão CEO Barry McGowan on building one of...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/01/28

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks withBarry McGowan, CEO of Fogo deChão, a Brazilian steakhouse chain that has grown to more than 100 locations globally, including 80 in the U.S. The brand specializes in churrasco, or high-quality, fire-roasted meats, and it’s using its quality positioning in the full-service space to build incredible momentum —including being named one of America’s Favorite Chains from NRN and Technomic. Barry is a 40-year veteran of the restaurantindustry

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49:40

The Granola Bar cofounders on falling forward into...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/01/21

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks withJulie Mountain and DanaNoorily, cofounders of The Granola Bar, a breakfast-and-lunch, modern diner concept with eight locations across Connecticut and New York. These long-time friends initially started a granola business out of one of their kitchens in 2010, and in 2013 opened their first restaurant essentially just to give them a commercial kitchen to manufacture granola. But customers in their Westport, Conn., hometown had different

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53:19

Twin Peaks CEO Joe Hummel on taking your brand seriously

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/01/14

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks withJoe Hummel, the CEO of Twin Peaks, a sports-bar franchise with more than 100 locations across the U.S. The company is maniacal about food and beverage quality, and its corporate team is intent on rolling up their sleeves and getting into the stores so they can be experts at every facet of what they do. Joe joined the podcast to talk about why Twin Peaks takes its guests and its restaurants so seriously and how his experience as a franchisee

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45:26

Handel’s CEO and CMO on being good stewards of a...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/01/07

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks withJennifer Schuler and Hillary Frei, the CEO and CMO, respectively, of Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, a treat franchise that has around 150 locations across the country and is celebrating 80 years in business this year. Jennifer and Hillary are bothfairly newto Handel’s, but they’ve already brought an exciting energy to the company as they seek to find a balance between its rich heritage and its potential for fast growth. They joined the podcast

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53:49

Tom’s Watch Bar co-CEO Brooks Schaden on elevating...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/12/17

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks withBrooks Schaden, cofounder and co-CEO of Tom’s Watch Bar, a sports-bar concept with 13 locations that is capitalizing on the rising demand for more experience entertainment. This brand is out to reinvent the sports-bar category by elevating its food and beverage offering and focusing growth on what Brooks called “gravities of traffic,” notably urban districts with event-oriented foot traffic like arenas, convention centers, and casinos. He

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46:10

Vitality Bowls cofounder Tara Gilad on building a...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/12/10

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks withTara Gilad, cofounder and president of Vitality Bowls, a superfood franchise with more than 70 locations across 18 states. Vitality Bowls got its start in 2011 when Tara and her husband Roy launched the brand as a response to the fact that their young daughter had food allergies and there were no restaurants that could accommodate them. She joined the podcast to talk about the opportunities and challenges in developing a concept around

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52:22

Texas Roadhouse CEO Jerry Morgan on what makes the...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/12/03

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jerry Morgan, CEO of Texas Roadhouse, which was part of NRN’s recent Brand Icon feature. The brand closed 2023 with nearly $5 billion in system-wide sales across 638 U.S. stores, good for a $7.6 million average unit volume and helping it leapfrog Applebee’s to become the No. 2 full-service chain in America. So how is this company pulling off such impressive performance in a season when so many other brands are struggling? Sam sat down with

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01:03:14

Gastamo Group’s Peter Newlin on building great casual...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/11/26

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Peter Newlin, cofounder and partner at Gastamo Group, a multi-concept group out of Denver that owns brands like Park Burger and Homegrown Tap & Dough, among others. Gastamo Group is specifically developing casual-dining restaurant brands throughout Colorado and sees a lot of opportunity in operating its brands in the suburbs next door to the biggest national chains. Peter has a lot to say about developing great concepts and restaurant

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44:06

Red Robin and Wingstop franchisee Mike Axiotis

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/11/19

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Mike Axiotis, CEO of Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands, a Pennsylvania-based franchise group operating Red Robin and Wingstop. Mike has an incredible story of how he worked his way up from being a dishwasher in his uncle’s diner to being the CEO of a 30-unit franchise portfolio, and today he’s leaning into that lifelong expertise both to grow his restaurant company and to serve as a voice on the board of the National Restaurant Association

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45:06

Some fun ideas for your next marketing campaign,...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/11/12

In this episode of Take-Away withSamOches,Samtalks with Pat Conlin, president of Wayback Burgers, a better-burger franchise with roughly 150 locations here in the U.S. Like everyone else in this industry, Wayback Burgers is leaning into its marketing efforts to generate traffic, and it’s found some fun and creative solutions that have engaged its local communities and driven some of its best sales days. Pat joined the podcast to talk about why marketing around things like food holidays has become

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52:24

How Crust Pizza Co.’s CEO is positioning the...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/11/06

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Carl Comeaux, CEO of Crust Pizza Co., a 30-unit pizza franchise based outside of Houston. Carl has been an entrepreneur since he was a teenager and was part of the team who cofounded Main Squeeze Juice Co. back in 2017. Now as CEO of Crust, Carl is tasked with scaling this pizza brand that serves Chicago-style thin-crust pizza with a hybrid service model that thrives both with dine-in and to-go business. He joined the podcast to talk about

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37:01

The secret to Jeni’s renowned menu R&D

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/10/29

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams CEO Stacy Peterson and director of innovation Beth Stallings. Jeni’s has made a name for itself with incredibly creative and indulgent ice cream flavors, including a seasonal rotation that gives the company a chance to take some big swings with flavor profiles. Sam joined Stacy and Beth in person at a scoop shop in Columbus, Ohio, to sample the new holiday collection and discuss Jeni’s approach to R&D.In this

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01:12:16

Sweetgreen falls in love with food again, plus a...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/10/22

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with NicolasJammet,cofounderand chief concept officer for Sweetgreen, the fast casual that has been changing customer perception of healthy and locally sourced ingredients since 2007. Sweetgreen has been a touchpoint for fast-casual innovation since its earlydays andhas especially been seen as a tech innovator. But it’s spent the past few years refocusing the narrative on its menu innovation and the quality of its sourcing. Nicolas joined the

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33:37

How Another Broken Egg is leaning into R&D to drive...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/10/15

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Paul Macaluso, CEO of Another Broken Egg Café, a breakfast, brunch, and lunch franchise with 100-plus locations. Another Broken Egg aims to stand out from a crowded family dining segment with a creative, New Orleans-inspired menu, and Paul joined the podcast to talk about its new lunch menu and how Another Broken Egg’s innovation is both maximizing its existing business and widening its opportunity to draw customers new and old.In this

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39:45

How the grind of entrepreneurship helped this couple...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/10/08

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Brandon Knudsen, cofounder and CEO ofZiggi’sCoffee, a Colorado-based franchise that is closing in on 100 locations. Brandon started Ziggi’s with his wifeCamrinin 2004 after convincing her to drop out of college and move to Colorado with him to start a business. They spent 12 years experiencingall ofthe hardships of running a business, grinding their way to 6 locations before franchisingZiggi’s. Brandon joined the podcast to talk about how

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56:53

Lessons in entrepreneurship from a DC-based founder...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2024/10/01

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with AmirMostafavi, founder and CEO of South Block, a Washington, D.C.-based juice, smoothie, and bowl concept with 17 locations. Amir has been grinding as an entrepreneur for 20 years, and earlier this year his hustle paid off, as South Block secured an investment with Savory Fund to expand initially on the East Coast. He joined the podcast to share his entrepreneurial journey, how he’s tackled the many challenges along the way, and why people

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