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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

39:46

Philz Coffee CEO on the artisanal niche its carving...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/11/12

In this episode ofTake-Awaywith Sam Oches, Sam talkswithMahesh Sadarangani, the CEO of Philz Coffee, an artisanal coffee brand that, for more than 20 years, has committed itself to serving hand-crafted coffee using sustainably sourced beans from around the world. Mahesh arrived at Philz from Wingstop in 2021, and he set out to modernize and optimize the chain while protecting its quality commitment. He joined the podcast to talk about how Philz manages to obsess over its high-quality coffee even as

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37:27

&pizza CEO Mike Burns on cutting prices and playing...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/11/04

In this episode ofTake-Awaywith Sam Oches, Sam talkswithMike Burns, CEO of &pizza, a fast-casual pizza joint based in Washington D.C. that has grown to 45 locations. &pizza made headlines earlier this year when it announced it would buck the trend and cut its menu prices, offering unlimited free toppings with its $12 personal-sized pizzas rather than charging for toppings. Mike joined the podcast to share how &pizza is staying profitable with this change and why it’s an especially

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39:56

CAVA CEO Brett Schulman shares the blueprint for the...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/10/28

In this episode ofTake-Awaywith Sam Oches, Sam talkswithBrett Schulman, cofounder and CEO at CAVA, the Mediterranean fast casual concept that has grown to more than 400 locations across the U.S. Brett sat down with Sam during the Investment Summit portion of the recent CREATE Event for Emerging Restaurateurs, where he shared the blueprint for CAVA’s remarkable growth, which started back in 2010 as a fast-casual offshoot of a full-service Mediterranean restaurant. In this conversation, you’ll learn

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41:05

Domino's CEO Russell Weiner on how the company became...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/10/24

In this episode ofTake-Awaywith Sam Oches, Sam talkswithRussell Weiner, the chief executive officer at Domino’s Pizza, at the company’s headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich. Russell shares the strategies that have driven Domino’s to become a dominant global leader in pizza, and he reflects on his 17 years with the company, which included what could be the most remarkable brand transformation in retail history.Sam also talks with Russell about how brand perception can affect product quality, why you have

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44:40

Domino’s CMO Kate Trumbull on the right way to change...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/10/22

In this episode ofTake-Awaywith Sam Oches, Sam talkswithKate Trumbull, EVP and global chief marketing officer at Domino’s Pizza, in person at the chain’s Ann Arbor, Mich., headquarters. She joined the podcast to talk about why Domino’s takes big swings in its marketing, how it crafts its voice in the social media age, and what went into that major brand refresh the company announced earlier this month.This is part of NRN’s 2025 Brand Icon package featuring Domino’s and powered by The Coca-Cola

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44:55

A chef and social media expert explain the power of...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/10/14

In this episode ofTake-Awaywith Sam Oches, Sam talkswithLars Smith, chef and owner of State of Mind Pub in Palo Alto, Calif., and Abby Hughes, head of growth strategy for Belle Communication. They’ve been tracking the rise of chef content on Instagram and TikTok, and joined the podcast to share their tips both for chefs and foodservice businesses on how to leverage chefs for exposure in the age of social media, and why authenticity is key to any partnership between a brand and a chef.In this

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58:38

Wild Wing Café CEO on how to navigate through bankruptcy

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/10/08

In this episode ofTake-Awaywith Sam Oches, Sam talkswithMark Cote, CEO of both Wild Wing Café and Back Yard Burgers since 2022. The brands each recently emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Mark joined the podcast to talk about the filing process, how to prepare for it, what it looks like, and why there’s reason for optimism even when it seems like the sky is falling.In this conversation, you’ll find out why:If you hire people with your same skill set, you’ll fail miserablyBankruptcy is about the

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51:50

Barry Bagel’s president on scaling a business as a...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/10/01

In this episode ofTake-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithMark Greenblatt, president of Barry Bagel, a Toledo, Ohio-based franchise founded by Mark’s dad Barry Greenblatt back in 1972. He joined the podcast to talk about the lessons he picked up working alongside his dad, how he’s learned big lessons from dumb mistakes, and how he’s finding efficiencies in the business without messing with the good thing his dad started.In this conversation, you’ll find out why:You should consider the personification

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46:42

Onigilly’s founder on knowing when it’s time for a...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/09/23

In this episode ofTake-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithKoji Kanematsu, founder of Onigilly Japanese Kitchen, a San Francisco based franchise introducing Americans to the rice ball snack onigiri. He joined the podcast to talk about the brand’s humble beginnings as a food cart, how he had to completely rethink his product to adapt to American palates, and how COVID forced him to focus on a new growth strategy — much to the brand’s benefit.In this conversation, you’ll find out why:Great brands can

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49:14

Hawkers’ cofounder on averting disaster and scoring a...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/09/16

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithKaleb Harrell, cofounder and CEO at Hawkers Asian Street Food, a 15-unit casual chain based in Orlando. Hawkers filed for bankruptcy in September 2024, even though it had been enjoying double-digit year-over-year sales growth. The bankruptcy filing was to protect the brand from an overreaching lender, and after settling that dispute earlier this year, Hawkers entered into an equity deal with Utah-based Savory Fund. Harrell joined the podcast

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32:54

Mooyah’s new president shares tips on how operational...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/09/09

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithMichael Meche, president of Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes. Michael has three decades of experience in the restaurant industry, most of that with Papa Johns, where he started as a store employee before working his way up to vice president of franchise operations. He then spent a few years at Capriotti’s and Wing Zone before taking on his current role earlier this summer. Michael has a passion for operational excellence, particularly as it

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43:27

FiiZ Drinks president Scott Ball on sustaining dirty...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/09/03

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithScott Ball, president of FiiZ Drinks, a specialty soda shop franchise that started in Utah in 2014 and now has more than 70 locations across the U.S. With about 150 locations in the pipeline, FiiZ is capitalizing on the incredible rise in dirty soda’s popularity, but the brand features a wide range of beveragesplus food items like cookies, popcorn, pretzels, and cookie dough bites. Scott joined FiiZ about a year ago after spending 17 years as

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01:11:26

Darden CEO Rick Cardenas on how he went from bus boy...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/08/26

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithRick Cardenas, the CEO of Darden Restaurants. This is the fourth edition in our Signature Series —in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company — which are conversations with some of the biggest CEOs in the restaurant industry. Rick started as a bus boy at Red Lobster when he was 16 years old, and over the course of four decades he climbed the entire ladder of the company that would become Darden, rising to the chief executive role in May of

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55:50

Luna Grill’s cofounder and CEO on steps to take ahead...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/08/19

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithSean Pourteymour, the cofounder and executive chairman of Luna Grill, as well as Rich Pinnella, the brand’s CEO. Sean and his wife Maria founded Luna Grill in San Diego back in 2004, and the Mediterranean fast casual started scaling in 2010. By 2019 it had expanded to more than 50 locations between California and Texas, but paused growth in order to right-size its infrastructure and systems. That included bringing in Rich, who spent more than

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57:39

The restaurant operator who is also a social media...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/08/12

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithTony Scardino, aka Professor Pizza, and Megumi Robinson, the vice president of services at Belle Communication. Tony is both a restaurant operator and an influencer, having both a pizza shop in Chicago and a sizeable following on social media with his Professor Pizza moniker. Meanwhile, Megumi and Belle Communication have been NRN’s partner on the Influencer Insider series, which you can find at NRN.com and which leverage’s Belle’s Brilli

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01:05:22

Everbowl founder Jeff Fenster on disrupting the...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/08/05

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithJeff Fenster, the founder and CEO of Everbowl, an acai bowl concept that has grown to 100 locations in nine years, and which now counts athletes like Jayson Tatum, Drew Brees, and Shaquille O’Neal among its investors. Much of Everbowl’s success can be attributed to Jeff’s knack for disruption in the marketplace, his entrepreneurial mindset, and his intense passion for his business. For example, Jeff started an entire construction company just

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56:57

Felipe’s Taqueria co-owner on prioritizing internal...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/07/29

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithPike Howard, the co-owner of Felipe’s Taqueria, a six-unit fast-casual concept out of New Orleans that has prioritized its systems and business model in its nearly 20 years in business as it slowly grows across the South. Pike was a finance guy when his father-in-law pulled him into the Felipe’s business, and that mindset has benefited the company as Pike has helped it develop a strong brand identity, vision, and infrastructure and to resist

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48:48

Dutch Bros CEO Christine Barone on leading one of the...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/07/22

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswithChristine Barone, CEO of Dutch Bros. This is the third edition in our Signature Series, which are conversations with some of the biggest CEOs in the restaurant industry. And there are few companies bigger right now than Dutch Bros, which is turning heads all across the U.S. as it races across the country and redefines the coffee category. Christine was named CEO early in 2024 to steer the brand into its next growth phase, and Sam sat down

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29:50

Chili’s, Wendy’s chefs share tips for making menu...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/07/15

In thisepisode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswiththe director of culinary at Chili’s, Brian Paquette, as well as the director of culinary innovation at Wendy’s, Becky Davis. Chili’s and Wendy’s were each winners at NRN’s 2025 MenuMasters Awards, which were hosted in partnership with Ventura Foods and presented during a special gala at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Brian and Becky were both on hand in Chicago to win their awards, and the next day sat down with Sam in

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39:01

Jim ’N Nick’s CEO Larry Ryback on making the switch...

Take-Away with Sam Oches ·

2025/07/08

In thisepisode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talkswith Larry Ryback, the CEO of Jim ’N Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q, a chain of more than 50 locations across the South that is celebrating 40 years in business with a new store design that is helping to drive double-digit sales growth. The new store prototype takes into account its big growth in off-premises sales and shifts away from a full-service model to what they’re calling fast casual plus, giving customers more control over their experience by

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119 results

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