In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Brett 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 more about why you should be patient to find the right investor, why setting expectations early is critical to building a business, and why the things you say no to are more important than things that get a yes.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• If you have a good product, brand, and team, money will find you 
• You should be patient to find an investor who is aligned with your interests
• Set your expectations early for the kind of business you hope to build 
• Consider how you can achieve escape velocity within your market 
• Restaurant leadership is a matter of solving the next problem in front of you 
• What you say no to is usually more important than what you say yes to

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].