The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, Pepe chats with Graham Humphreys, Chief Executive Officer, and Haley Kabus, Associate Director of Strategy at The Culinary Edge, about creating new fast casual concepts, launching virtual brands and how cryptocurrency can impact a restaurant’s bottom line.

Humphreys brings an extensive design experience background to The Culinary Edge. He talks about creating branding that not only engages the user's sense of sight, touch and sound, but smell and taste as well. He talks about the diverse team at the company that he collaborates with everyday from design experts, anthropologists, researchers and MICHELIN Star Chefs. He says, “We're an innovation agency for the food and food service industries.” He adds, “If you haven't heard our name, you've probably tasted our food.”

Kabus talks about her history working with big brands in the advertising and marketing space and how her real love and passion for working in the food and beverage industry led her to The Culinary Edge. She talks about driving food to the forefront of culture. She shares that this is definitely an area that has been propelled by COVID because it brought people back into the kitchens or into the kitchen for the first time, igniting a new passion for cooking. She says, “For the vast majority of us, our relationship with food has never been more personal or more fun and engaging.”

When Pepe asks Humphreys about the advantages and disadvantages of trying new concepts versus tried and true mainstream brands, Humphrey shares that the company actually spends a lot of time on both. He talks about how virtual brands and ghost kitchens have given brands more direct access to the market than ever before and can therefore scale more quickly. He provides an example with MRBEAST BURGER,  a virtual brand that was able to open out of the back line of an existing restaurant and it managed to scale to over 1000 locations within 18 months. He says, “That kind of growth, scale and reach, it might have been possible before, but it certainly didn't happen very much. But it's all being facilitated now by big changes in what makes a restaurant a restaurant.”

Pepe asks Kabus about what she has seen with regard to cryptocurrency and the restaurant industry. Kabus shares that crypto is becoming another way that people are looking at what it means to be a restaurant, and what payment looks like today. She shares that according to Yahoo Finance almost 50% of people aged between 24-40, already own cryptocurrency. Major mainstream companies like Yum Brands, Taco Bell and KFC are starting to accept these payments. She says, “But for the most part what we love about embracing crypto is really the signal it sends to your customers about your brand being modern and adaptable and built for the future.”

To hear more from Humphreys and Kabus about cryptocurrency, how TikTok is shaping user experience, and what’s next for The Culinary Edge, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, Pepe chats with Alan Nathan, Co-Founder and CEO at Sweetfin about his start in the industry, moving into the fast casual space and 94 million poke bowl combinations.

Nathan shares how he got started in the hospitality industry over 30 years ago. He had a nightlife and entertainment company that opened nightclubs, hotels and created fine casual restaurants over the years. Nathan talks about his next endeavor which involves him moving into the fast casual concepts segment.

Nathan talks about how he got involved with Sweetfin. He was approached by a friend of the family who wanted to discuss a concept for fast casual poke bowls. Nathan shares that the timing was great because he was already looking to expand into the fast casual markets. Nathan decided to review the idea with Dakota Weiss, his head chef at the time. After discussing the concept and their vision for creating a poke bowl that was “a touch above what the Hawaiian soul food was all about”, Nathan shares that Chef Weiss developed recipes with California born inspiration and accents of Japanese sauces.

Nathan talks about agreeing to the partnership in 2013, and immediately starting the search for great locations. Nathan talks about the process taking 2 years and ultimately deciding on Santa Monica to launch the first Sweetfin. Nathan talks about the instant impact in the sector, resulting in lines outside of the restaurant for the first 3 months and demand so high that the staff would need to close the restaurant between lunch and dinner to try and keep up. Nathan says, “It was quite an amazing experience, just for the demand of what we created. I would say that we pioneered the poke space and I think that we've continued to be the premium product of the sector.”

Nathan shares more about the uniqueness of Sweetfin. He says, ”I'd say we're unique because we're not just what I feel is a premium product in the poke sector, but we're a lifestyle brand that integrates with collaboration with other chefs with other artists. I would say that that's one of our biggest awareness campaigns. We're not just coming up with everything ourselves. It's almost like an open forum.”

Nathan talks about the wide variety of bowl choices at Sweetfin. He says that there are over 94 million combinations where you can build a bowl and that 70% of all their orders are build your own bowl, not the signature bowl. He adds, “People truly want to customize their bowl.” Nathan says that’s why they decided to do things differently by collaborating with other chefs, artists and musicians; it truly sets Sweetfin apart for the pack. He says, “I think that sharing the canvas for other artists to paint on and other chefs and other musical inspirations and lifestyle inspirations makes us very different to just kind of offering a poke bowl.”

To hear more about what Sweetfin has planned for menu updates, future strategies and what Poke House is, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Produced by Lisa Pepe

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, Pepe chats with Karl Goodhew, Chief Technology Officer at BurgerFi about the latest restaurant technology, labor shortage solutions, and Patty the Robot.

Goodhew shares how he got started in the industry and restaurant technology, he says that his background was originally in big box retail where he was responsible for both the customer-facing e-commerce platforms and the in-store experience. Goodhew says that the way BurgerFi was approaching both online and in store experience just made sense to him, so he decided to transition from retail to the restaurant industry by joining the team at BurgerFi.

Goodhew talks about the other key reason he decided to join BurgerFi, he says, “They have a really great product.” He adds, “I really enjoy working for a company that I love the product.” He also enjoys a really great burger, just one of many items on the company’s menu created with Chef Paul Griffin, chief culinary officer at BurgerFi. Goodhew says that because they offer a diverse variety of food options, he is able to take his wife, a vegetarian and whole family to the restaurant and everyone is able to have a meal that they really enjoy.

Goodhew talks about labor shortages and how technology can help in this regard by supplementing and supporting both front and back of house staff. He says that ensuring systems stay up and running, streamlining POS and making sure innovation is helping staff is key. “There's nothing worse than having a room full of customers and maybe the POS goes down. That's not acceptable. I believe technology partners have to help our staff and an example of that might be as simple as making sure that the systems are always up and running. Things like that just help.”

Goodhew shares news of the latest addition to the BurgerFi team, Patty the Robot. Goodhew says that Patty the Robot is not intended to replace anyone but instead, she is there to assist the team and solve daily challenges. Goodhew says “I think we should focus on how can technology help solve problems that exist today.” Patty the Robot supports employees by helping to serve meals to tables, returning trays to the kitchen and by interacting with guests. Goodhew ads, “It’s extremely important that technology is driving that growth at BurgerFi and also the solutions.”

To hear more about how BurgerFi will be utilizing the latest technology to implement touchless QR codes, game changing drive-thrus, and how your next car might be able to order your burger for you, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Produced by Lisa Pepe

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with Abe Ng, founder and chief executive officer of Sushi Maki about brand development, innovation and growth over two decades. 

Ng, a lifelong restaurateur, has been in the industry for many years, he says since birth. His parents had Chinese restaurants and Ng worked in them as he grew up. After university Ng spent some time in public accounting but his love for hospitality brought him back. He founded a fast casual burrito chain but transitioned to Sushi Maki in 2000. Twenty-two years later Sushi Maki is still a family business and today operates twenty-five restaurants. 

I asked Ng about the Sushi Maki concept and he says, it started as a neighborhood sushi bar. He took into consideration what the area had already and what it needed. Ng says, “Hard to believe that in the early 2000 where we were in South Miami and in Coral Gables Florida there weren't a lot of sushi bars.” He adds, “I actually spent some time in California at the California Sushi Academy to get some basic understanding and respect for the cuisine. I went to a hospitality school and had a rudimentary understanding of restaurants and commercial kitchens.” 

Ng talks about seeing the importance off-premise could have to the business early after opening, and began selling wholesale sushi to country clubs and hotels. Sushi Maki today does all of the sushi for Whole Foods Market in Miami Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. You can also find Sushi Maki locations at universities in South Florida. 

Polished fast casual restaurants is a concept Ng says he started dabbling in a few years ago and feels it is the future of his concept. Sushi Maki Las Olas introduced the 2,500-square-foot new concept for the brand and it represents the company’s first stand-alone location in Broward County. The restaurant differs from the traditional fast casual by including real glassware and plates rather than disposable options. 

To hear Ng talk about the Sushi Maki tech stack and the brand’s marketing approach, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I talk with Massimo Noja De Marco, chief executive officer and co-founder of Piestro about his extensive background as an entrepreneur in the restaurant industry and an emerging leader in kitchen automation.

Noja De Marco was born and raised in the hospitality industry, he is part of a seven-generation family in hotels and restaurants. He tells me that his mom was a fabulous chef and his grandparents and great grandparents ran hotels in Italy on the north side of Milan on the Swiss border. He says, “So I was born, I was literally born in the hotel just like my father and my grandfather were so you know I just fell in love with the hospitality from a very very young age. You know, when I was a little kid I asked my grandfather to promise me that when I would turn five years old he would teach me how to make cappuccino in the hotel and you know by the time five years old came around I already knew how to do it.”

When Noja De Marco moved to New York in his twenties, he opened restaurants, a few Italian and one French restaurant. He talks about hospitality and says, “I really embrace that the hospitality, the ability to change people's perspective on life on any given day by just being excited by serving them something delicious and just making them feel like they were your best friends that you hadn't seen for a lifetime.” Noja De Marco moved to California and opened restaurants there too. He worked for the Ritz-Carlton as well as Wolfgang Puck Catering and did events including the Oscars.

Noja De Marco launched Kitchen United and drove all aspects of design with a focus on setting up a better way for off-premise business for restaurants. Kitchen United which was the first ghost kitchen space in the United States was about optimizing the space for the restaurants. He says, “I really wanted to optimize the entire space and since I had already started working with robotics probably about a year and a half earlier with Miso Robotics which you know the parent company of Flippy, I got super excited. I'm like what if I can bring that into the ghost kitchen space but what if I can bring that automation into the restaurants.”

We chatted about Piestro, which Noja De Marco calls his favorite thing and he has been dreaming about it for years. Piestro has designed robots that make pizza at a fraction of the cost. It eliminates the retail footprint and labor costs, making pizzas using high-quality ingredients for less.

To hear more of Noja De Marco’s insights for restaurant brands and Piestro’s partnership with 800 Degrees Pizza, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with Nicole Marquis, chief executive officer of HipCityVeg about her inspiration for building a vegan fast food brand and bringing plant-based food to everyone.

Marquis shares her background saying, “I was in school for a while for communications and theater. I went to Temple University and then went to California Institute of the Arts and I was studying avant-garde performance art and theater with an emphasis in classical drama. So I was doing Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, and when I came back home I was really searching for something that I was truly passionate about. I love the arts, but I felt like I needed some more direction and something else in my life and I started to read a bunch of books about nutrition and I was vegetarian at the time. LA definitely influenced me.” Marquis says she read The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Eat To Live by Dr. Fuhrman and was quickly convinced to try a plant-based diet when she learned that what we eat has a direct effect on illness and disease.

Marquis talks about how she loves business and says, “I think it's so exciting, I get a thrill out of creating something from nothing, I think it's that creative process brings me a lot of joy. I like building teams of great people who can work together to make something awesome happen.” She spent four years after she had the idea of opening a fast food vegan restaurant writing a business plan and building a financial analysis. Once Marquis developed the full concept, she looked to find the right investors. HipCityVeg opened in Philadelphia in April 2012.

HipCityVeg offers American classics that are plant-based. Marquis says customers can get well-constructed sandwiches, salads, wraps, milkshakes, and a banana whip. Adding it is presented in a way with really good ingredients, good food, and a menu that is better for the planet. She says, “I think people can expect delicious burgers, shakes, and fries in a cool environment. You know a simple and attractive and experience.”

To hear Marquis talk about her vision to create a national and international brand from the beginning, the new delivery-only model, Go Kitchens by HipCityVeg, and about being a digital company, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

In this special keynote session from Fast Casual Global, host and pioneer of the fast casual segment, Paul Barron, explores how Consumer insights and brand connections will create the next phase of growth in food service.

Three Key Points:

Fast casual continues to expand and is now busting over 150 billion dollars in revenue in the U.S. alone, and Globally fast casual revenue is estimated at approximately half a trillion dollars.

Food away from restaurants is going to be the big factor, and will continue to scale. For comparison, we saw food away from restaurants in 2019 at 51%, those numbers are estimated to reach somewhere around 68 to 73% by 2026.

The dynamic shift in landscape has driven the fast casual space to create some new models such as piloting and drive thru restaurants. Several fast casual concepts have and will continue to shift into this space. The big challenge with new model concepts will be limitations in real estate and unit economics. Brands will need to be creative to stay competitive.

Tweetable Quotes:

"I think we will see continued menu innovation, mainly around the aspect of limiting the menu requirements so that you can diversify in the way that you're delivering the product versus on-premise and off-premise..” - Paul Barron

“If you take delivery and still keep technology in the hunt, there is a big opportunity here. It's going to be wide open space, I think for drone delivery companies and also some of these robotic delivery companies” - Paul Barron

"When you look at fast casual trends, the one thing that I want you to consider is the dynamic growth in ghost kitchens and virtual brands will be the next layer that we'll see in this space,” - Paul Barron

Would you like a high-quality virtual event for your business, featuring premium content? Please reach out to our virtual events team to create your own today! Click to learn more about our Foodable.IO Virtual Platform and check out our upcoming events!

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with Amanda Powell, vice president at Coolgreens about their training program, fresh food vending machines, and expansion plans.

Powell brings twenty-five years restaurant experience to Coolgreens. She has been a regional training manager, general manager, and has developed training programs prior to arriving at Coolgreens. She says, “I arrived at Coolgreens as the director of operations of training and have spent the last several years streamlining their training processes, menu innovations in working with developing the franchisees, and growing our brand. And then I was promoted to vp of operations in 2019 and now we are here today.”

Powell currently runs the franchise operations and directly works with the general managers and the franchisees. She also handles the IT Department and does all of the online learning, training videos, and management systems. She says about training, “one of my favorite things to do is write training programs. Over the years I have learned that our team members learn better by watching videos and just seeing things more visual learners. So I've incorporated that into our training and so when you get hired, you go through several courses like our new team member packet and then there's a hospitality packet because you know we think all restaurants should be full of hospitality at all times.”

I asked Powell about being a mission-driven and people-focused organization, she says, “people are the best thing about the restaurants from our team members to our guests. You know our goal is to serve healthy, delicious food but we want to assure all of our guests and team members are well taken care of. We refer to this as a hospitality hug or a hospitality blanket as you will. We want our team to feel special and welcomed every day every shift.” She adds, “Our struggle is hiring as most places are but during the pandemic we actually did not lose anybody and we had people want to come work for us because it is a great place to work because our GMs just always have that hospitality within them and they share it with our teams.”

When it comes to Coolgreens company values Powell shares, “one of them is the coolest hospitality, I just feel that it's just the things I love about restaurants, if you have a clean restaurant and you have great food and you have great hospitality, you will win over every guest and every team member every time. So it's just a big focus of hospitality.”


To hear how Coolgreens took on the challenges of the pandemic, adapted to the supply chain shortages, and about the rollout of Coolgreens Markets, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

In this session from Fast Casual Global, host Paul Barron chats with Josh Chanin, Energy Efficiency Consultant of California Energy Wise and Jonah Goldman, Co-founder, Director of Strategic Marketing of PLNT Burger, to explore the reasons why emerging and startup brands are the new pioneers on how restaurants will be created.

Three Key Points:

It's no secret that consumers drive the trends. In fact, keeping up with modern consumer trends has become a necessity. For brands to continue to see growth they will need to know what consumers are doing and what they are interested in to be able to engage with them and ultimately win their business.

The digital transition has been a major element in the industry over the past year and a half. It has changed everything from the ordering process to app development. Brands will need to continue to enhance their digital business to keep consumers connected in order to create loyalty and drive sales.

Startups will need to focus on quality and innovation to overcome labor, technology, and equipment challenges when building out their units. Businesses should consider ROI for every decision made regarding startup purchases in order to scale, reduce operating costs and increase profits.

Tweetable Quotes:

"Startups are pretty much the one thing that is really, I think, at this point in the game, becoming the lifeblood of the restaurant industry. The startup opportunity is going to be one that, especially in fast casual, is going to be pretty much unmatched in the coming years for the restaurant industry." - Paul Barron

"We have to recognize the reality that today the majority of consumers are looking at their phone for their next meal, and it will make or break companies if they can pivot and exist and flourish in a digital marketplace. We certainly recognize that, and we really value our digital presence and we're always trying to improve and scale that as well."

-Jonah Goldman

"I think a big trend that we're going to see over the coming years is people realizing how to market how sustainable their business is to their customers and show them that they are an energy efficient business, or they're doing their part to save energy." -Josh Chanin

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Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with Devin Handler, vice president of brand marketing at Naf Naf Grill about restaurant trends, marketing tactics, and chicken schnitzel. 

Handler shares how he got started in the industry and restaurant marketing, he says that his background was nontraditional. He started in the advertising agency world in creative and moved into insight and strategy. Handler says he began just falling in love with the idea of using insight and consumer behavior to drive meaningful communications that help grow businesses. He talks about making a change and working for Qdoba Restaurant Corporation which had thirty restaurants when he started and they had over eight hundred when he left the company. 

Handler talks about joining Naf Naf after Greg Willman had come on board as chief executive officer. He talks about Willman’s vision for the brand saying, “I've never met anybody so all in on a brand in my life and I think that gives you a little bit of an idea of how important this brand is to him and how much potential he thinks it has.” He adds, “we want to make middle eastern mediterranean cuisine a mainstream favorite across the United States, one because it needs to be and then two because it's a very interesting way to keep the world you know sort of adventurously eating and exploring new things but doing it in a way that is healthful.” 

Naf Naf was started by Sahar Sander, who wanted to take the food and flavors of his childhood and bring them to his new home in America. Handler says Sander wanted to do it in a way that created the idea of sitting around the grill or the table and having a great meal, making lasting memories and hopefully connections that happen only over a meal.

When it comes to Middle Eastern cuisine, Handler says “I do believe that people are opening up to that. I think while there are sort of educational hurdles for let's say mainstream America there is this desire to get out there and find new things and taste new things.” 

To hear Handler’s take on off-premise, marketing strategies, Fan The Flame, and Naf Naf’s expansion plans, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory