Take-Away with Sam Oches

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with the 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 person at the Show to find out more about their menu de...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with 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 having them order at the counter before sitting down and receiving regular table touches...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Shauna Smith, the CEO of Savory Management, the operational arm of the Salt Lake City based private equity group Savory Fund. Savory invests in emerging restaurant concepts like Swig, Via 313, PINCHO, and Mo’Bettahs, and Shauna oversees the operations of these concepts, which includes a team of 65 in-house specialists who support the brand founders and leaders who choose to bring Savory in as equity partners in their businesses. Sam sat down with Shauna at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago to check in on the Savory portfolio, how...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Curtis Duffy, the James Beard award-winning chef and owner at the Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant Ever — a restaurant that features prominently in the FX show “The Bear.” Curtis has consulted with and cooked for the show, which is starting its fourth season this week. But long before “The Bear,” he was a renowned chef who trained under Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz before opening the restaurant Grace in Chicago’s West Loop in 2012. Grace closed in 2017 and Curtis opened Ever in 2020, followed by the next-door cocktail lounge After. Curtis recently won N...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Seth Berkowitz, the founder and CEO of Insomnia Cookies, the cookie delivery concept that has been around now for 22 years and grown to more than 300 locations in the U.S., helping to carve out an early niche in the so-called “indulgence” category that has been booming the past few years. Insomnia announced that two investors had stepped in to acquire the majority stake previously owned by Krispy Kreme, a move that the brand thinks could open the doors to another thousand-plus locations over the next decade. Seth joined the p...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Maggie Farrell and Victor Chow, the VP of marketing and VP of operations for KPOT, the fast-growing Korean barbecue and hot pot chain with a unique, do-it-yourself experience at its core. According to this year’s Technomic Top 500, KPOT grew its location count by 72% in 2024, and its sales by 34%. Already in 2025 it’s opened more than 20 locations, with 115 open today — and it didn’t even exist until 2017. Maggie and Victor joined the podcast to talk about what makes KPOT so special, why it’s resonating with American consumers today, and...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jim Metevier, CEO of Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a California-based brand with more than 300 locations in 10 states. Pizza as a category had a pretty rough year in 2024, with the major players mostly seeing flat or negative traffic over the prior year. Mountain Mike’s, meanwhile, enjoyed year-over-year sales growth of 5% and unit growth of 7%. So how did this pizza concept with big-box stores and a hybrid service model manage to thrive last year while so much of the category sputtered? Jim joined the podcast to share the secret to th...

In part 2 of Sam's interview with Kelli Valade, CEO of Denny’s and Keke’s Breakfast Cafe, he talks with her about the business of Denny’s, its status as “America’s diner,” the potential she saw in the brand when she took the CEO reins in 2022, and her vision for the company going forward. They also talk about Keke’s Breakfast Cafe, the emerging fast-casual brand that Denny’s acquired right about the same time that Kelli joined the company, and the role it plays in franchisees’ success.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Kelli Valade, CEO of Denny’s and Keke’s Breakfast Cafe. This is the second edition in NRN’s new Signature Series, which are conversations with some of the biggest CEOs in the restaurant industry, powered by The Coca-Cola Company. This interview is rolling out in two parts, and in this episode Kelli talks about her career, her leadership style, and the lessons she imparts to young and upcoming leaders in the restaurant industry — particularly women in foodservice. Kelli spent 22 years at Brinker before going on to CEO roles at Bl...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Dave Paul, cofounder of Pluckers Wing Bar, a beloved sports bar concept in Texas with 32 locations in the Lone Star State. Pluckers is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and has seen plenty of change in the chicken category as competitors like Raising Cane’s, Chick-fil-A, and Wingstop have come to dominate the space. But Dave and his business partners are happy with their slow pace of growth as they double down on a high-quality, experience-driven offering, and today are seeing massive success with a paid loyalty program and a...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Darren Spicer, cofounder and CEO of Clutch Coffee, a drive-thru coffee shop that has grown to 15 locations across the Carolinas since debuting in 2018. Darren grew up in Oregon and worked as a broista at Dutch Bros before going into medical device sales, and while he travelled the country for that job, he realized there were parts of the country that had no access to the burgeoning drive-thru coffee scene — meaning there was plenty of white space to start his own concept. He ultimately chose the Charlotte, North Carolina, area...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Heather Neary, CEO of Taco John’s, in-person at the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix. Heather took the reins at Taco John’s a little over a year ago, shortly after the brand experienced the bright spotlight of the Taco Tuesday trademark battle with Taco Bell. Her strategy at the chain has been to tap into Taco John’s roots as a 56-year-old Mexican QSR that has a presence in a lot of small communities across America, and to remind fans who may be nostalgic for the chain why they...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Shannon Allen and Zach Cohen, the founder and CFO of the Miami-based fast-casual concept Grown. Shannon opened this concept with her husband, NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen, in 2016, driven by the fact that their son Walker was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was a toddler and Shannon struggled to find healthy foods served fast that she could feed him. Grown aims to disrupt the restaurant industry by serving fresh, nutrient-dense foods using organic ingredients in a counter-service setting that includes a drive-thru window. Shannon’s big drea...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Dan DiZio, cofounder and CEO of Philly Pretzel Factory, a Philadelphia-based snack concept with more than 170 locations primarily in the East Coast. Philly Pretzel Factory has achieved broad appeal with its paperclip shaped pretzels and wide variety of dips, and it’s especially found success with its Party Trays, which have been hugely impactful in getting the word out about the brand at parties, sporting activities, meetings, and more. Dan joined the podcast to talk about how Philly Pretzel Factory has essentially become a wholesale provider with its bulk...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Nathan Louer, chief brand officer at Jamba, the legacy smoothie bowl concept that is one of seven brands in the GoTo Foods portfolio. Nathan declares that Jamba is on the comeback trail, and a big part of that comeback is the just-announced new store prototype called Hello Sunshine, which updates the Jamba aesthetic but also the experience leveraging self-order kiosks, digital marketing screens, and streamlined store layouts. It also provides strategic cost efficiencies and financial incentives for franchisees. Nathan joined the podcast to talk about the art of de...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Mohammad Faraj, cofounder and chief marketing officer for Talkin’ Tacos, a fast-casual taco joint out of South Florida that has grown to 22 locations in less than five years in operation. Mohammad and his childhood friend Omar Al-Massalkhi opened Talkin’ Tacos as a food truck in the early days of the pandemic, one of the first concepts to bring birria tacos to the east coast. That menu focus plus an early pivot to halal meat helped catapult Talkin’ Tacos to massive success and a quick shift into brick-and-mortar operations. Mohammad...

In this special episode of Take-Away — guest-hosted by Restaurant Business editor-in-chief and A Deeper Dive host Jonathan Maze — Bob Vergidis, the founder of pointofsale.cloud, joins to talk about the future of restaurants and restaurant technology and equipment.

We wanted to talk with Bob simply about the future of restaurant technology and how restaurants can take the next step.

A lot of technology has been brought into restaurants in the past several years and equipment is more advanced than it’s ever been.

But how does the restaurant industry take advantage of all this to ma...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Edmond Barseghian and Brian Simowitz, the founder and president, respectively, of Houston TX Hot Chicken, aka HHC. This brand has opened 24 locations in less than four years, and a big reason why is Edmond and his massive social media following. From the jump Edmond had big plans for the brand, and with strategic executive hires like Brian — along with an investment from Savory Fund — HHC is well on its way to opening potentially hundreds of locations. Edmond and Brian joined the podcast to talk about how HHC was designed...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Mohaimina “Mina” Haque, the CEO of Tony Roma’s, a legacy casual dining chain specializing in ribs that once had hundreds of locations, but which is now is in rebuild mode with a few dozen open locations, only 6 of which are in the U.S. Mina is a lawyer by trade, and she was brought on by Equity Investors of New England when it bought the chain in 2021 to do due diligence on the brand and serve as general counsel. Recognizing her potential, the board asked her in 2023 to stay...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Wendy’s president and CEO Kirk Tanner as part of a brand new series at NRN called Signature: A CEO Series with Sam Oches, powered by The Coca-Cola Company. We’re hosting 6 Signature episodes throughout 2025, and they’re designed to introduce you to the leaders of some of the nation’s biggest restaurant companies — what has shaped their approach to leadership, how they’ve maintained balance and wellbeing, and how they’re applying their life lessons to build culture at their brands. Kirk was a natural choice to kick off the Signa...

Happy Mardi Gras! In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with James Vitrano, the CEO of Sucré, a French patisserie concept out of New Orleans that has eight locations across the Southeast. James and his pastry chef wife Abney Harper bought Sucré in 2023, looking to scale the luxury patisserie concept that specializes in macrons, gelato, and a range of handmade French desserts. James joined the podcast to talk about the challenges of scaling an emerging brand and particularly building brand awareness and balancing costs while simultaneously providing an incredible experience to each and every guest.

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks Joe 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 20th anniversary 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 restaurant industry — their father Nick Lanni founded Great Steak and Potato Company and grew it to over...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks Randy 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 the right time, and to set the record straight on the recent news that Wahlburgers and the supermarket chain Hy-Vee, w...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Sharon 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, Sharon had built a successful franchise portfolio with multiple brands. Sharon joined the podcast to talk about why s...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Kevin 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 the podcast to talk about why consistency and innovation are so important to Donatos as it fights for share in...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chão, 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 restaurant industry and has spent the past 12 years at Fogo building systems that have helped it become a favorite among younge...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Julie Mountain and Dana Noorily, 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 plans, making that restaurant so popular that Julie and Dana abandoned the granola business and became full-time restaurateurs. They joined the podcast to share th...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Joe 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 of the brand helped him better appreciate what m...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jennifer 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 both fairly new to 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 to talk about how they see themselves as stewards of the Handel’s legacy an...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Brooks 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 joined the podcast to talk about why the old standard for sports bars just doesn’t cut it anymore and how Tom’s Watch Bar...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Tara 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 ingredients that are more difficult to source and how they find the right franchisees to activate such a p...

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 Jerry in his Louisville office to share more about Texas Roadhouse’s core values, its co...

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 experiences and joined the podcast to share why Gastamo Group is so committed to growing unique full-service brands within a...

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. Mike joined the podcast to talk about how Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands is t...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks 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 such a boon for Wayback Burgers and how the company taps into its franchise community to dru...

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 how his knack for entrepreneurialism has given him a unique viewpoint...

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 conversation, you’ll find out why:

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Nicolas Jammet, 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 early days and has 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 podcast to talk about how Sweetgreen has leaned more into the story of its food as it approaches 250 locations in 22...

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 conversation, you’ll find out why:

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Brandon Knudsen, cofounder and CEO of Ziggi’s Coffee, a Colorado-based franchise that is closing in on 100 locations. Brandon started Ziggi’s with his wife Camrin in 2004 after convincing her to drop out of college and move to Colorado with him to start a business. They spent 12 years experiencing all of the hardships of running a business, grinding their way to 6 locations before franchising Ziggi’s. Brandon joined the podcast to talk about how that experience helps the Knudsen’s excel at being franchisors and how Ziggi’s is standing out in...