Take-Away with Sam Oches

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Daniella Senior, founder and CEO of Colada Shop, a fast-casual brand based in Washington D.C. that’s rooted in coffee, cocktails and Cuba. This Latin-inspired, 6-unit all-day café offers a little something for everybody, and Daniella joined the podcast to talk about the lessons she learned working with industry icons E...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Scott Greenberg, a former restaurant franchisee who is now a speaker and author of multiple books, including the just-released “Stop the Shift Show: Turn Your Struggling Hourly Workers into a Top-Performing Team.” Scott joined the podcast to talk about the state of hourly employees and how restaurant owners and operators can imp...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jared Galbut, the cofounder and CEO of Bodega Taqueria y Tequila, a Miami-based concept that has grown to 10 locations between South Florida and Chicago over the past decade. Bodega is a fast-casual taqueria in the front and full-service bar and lounge in the back, and Jared joined the podcast to talk about how Bodega is creativ...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Amy Hom, a restaurant industry executive whose resume includes stops at brands like Red Robin, Sweetgreen, and Bluestone Lane. These days, a lot of Amy’s attention is on LEAD, the organization she cofounded with other restaurant executives that invests in future restaurant leaders. Amy joined the podcast to talk about LEAD and h...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jose Armario, CEO of Bojangles, the beloved North Carolina based franchise specializing in chicken and biscuits. Bojangles has grown to more than 800 locations but historically has struggled to expand beyond its Southeast roots — until now. Jose joined the podcast to talk about how the chain’s pared down menu focused on boneless...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Chris Dawson, the CEO of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. This 20-year-old, Baton Rouge, La.-based brand has incredible runway ahead of it, and Chris was brought in as CEO 7 months ago to build out a leadership team and infrastructure that would support franchise development and growth. Chris joined the podcast to talk about the proc...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rachael Nemeth, cofounder and CEO of Opus Training, and Christine Schindler, cofounder and CEO of PathSpot. These two companies offer products and services for the restaurant industry: Opus is a training platform for frontline hospitality employees, while PathSpot is a system for restaurants that detects...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Farrah Scott, the CEO of Trapper’s Sushi Co., a full-service sushi joint based in Washington state that has grown to 15 locations across three states. Farrah started as a server at Trapper’s 11 years ago and worked her way up to the chief executive role. Trapper’s has a long track record of developing its employees, an...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Clay Walker, the president of Gott’s Roadside, a burger joint celebrating 25 years serving Northern California consumers and tourists alike with a “wine country picnic experience.” Now with eight locations, Gott’s specializes in high-quality burgers, sandwiches, salads, and hot dogs alongside an impressive lineup of wines and be...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Joel Yashinsky, chief marketing officer of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar, the casual chain that does north of $4 billion in sales at more than 1,500 locations around the country annually. As CMO, Joel’s job is to plug Applebee’s into the cultural moment, and he joined the podcast to talk about that work, how Applebee’...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Natalia Franco, chief marketing officer at Church’s Texas Chicken. This iconic chain is over 70 years old but is now in the midst of a major brand turnaround, and Natalia was recently brought in by CEO Joe Guith to help lead those efforts on the marketing front. Natalia has been a part of other brand turnarou...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rian McCartan, CEO of the drive-thru only soda fountain chain Swig. This Utah based concept has 59 locations in seven states and hundreds more in the pipeline, and it’s preparing to conquer the U.S. as essentially a category of one. Rian joined the podcast to talk about how the brand plans to capitalize on essentially infinite r...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Lauren Coulter, cofounder of Biscuit Belly, a breakfast concept out of Louisville, Ky., that has grown to nine locations serving a high-quality menu of biscuit sandwiches and other morning staples out of a fast-casual setting. Lauren joined the podcast to talk about the entrepreneurial spirit underlying everything she and cofoun...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow, co-executive chefs and partners at Flour + Water Hospitality Group, a San Francisco-based operation dishing upscale pizzas and pastas across multiple concepts and even a CPG line. Their newest venture, Flour + Water Pizzeria, is a 4,000 square foot space with a full-service pizzeria, a dough p...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Mike Cunningham, founder and CEO of Cunningham Restaurant Group. This group is based in Indianapolis and has 42 locations across Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, making it one of the top 10 biggest independent restaurant groups in the country. Mike joined the podcast to talk about how his knack for creativity drove him to scaling acr...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Chris Westcott, CEO of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, a full-service operation with 21 locations across five states. Iron Hill has been offering craft beers and scratch cooking now for 27 years, but recently overhauled its menu with 30 new dishes as it refines its post-pandemic operation to better create a high-quality expe...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Stephen Loftis and Christine Lorusso, the chief brand officer and senior director of digital marketing, respectively, of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, a polished casual concept based in Charlotte, N.C., with 56 units across 20 states. Firebirds is in the midst of a major digital transformation as it looks to appeal to all generati...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jason Berry, co-owner alongside his husband Michael Reginbogin of the Washington D.C. based restaurant group KNEAD Hospitality + Design, which today has 20 locations across 10 concepts, including Succotash and Mi Vida. KNEAD is another group finding incredible efficiencies and economies of scale through a broad po...

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Claudia Lezcano, CEO of Fuku, the chicken-sandwich fast casual founded by chef David Chang that is now expanding primarily through sporting venues. Fuku about 30 stadium and arena locations across the country, including at Madison Square Garden in New York, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Claudia, wh...

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...

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,...

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 i...

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 i...

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...

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...