Heroes & Headwinds

In this episode of Heroes & Headwinds, we’re sharing an interview with Geoff Alexander, President and CEO of Wow Bao and a longtime leader in food and beverage innovation: from digital ordering to dark kitchens to a staffless front of house. From listening to Geoff, you might be forgiven for thinking that the success of Wow Bao was inevitable, however, Geoff and his team pioneered these innovations during one of the most challenging eras our industry has ever seen, provoking us to consider new paradigms in restaurant operations. And while Wow Bao is heralded as a leader in technology solutions, you might be surprised to discover Geoff’s even stronger drive for human-centric hospitality.

In this episode of Heroes & Headwinds, we’re talking shop with Sam Oches, the award-winning Editorial Director of Informa Restaurant & Food Group, which publishes Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. Sam has such a unique and big picture vantage of the F&B landscape; he is deeply in touch with the million challenges our community faces, but persists in forging a path from those challenges towards a better and more vigorous industry.

While so many were furloughing staff or shuttering their businesses in early response to the COVID pandemic, Andy Hooper gave his entire staff a raise and extended benefits. Today Andy is the CEO of Hart House, a plant-based QSR concept founded by Kevin Hart. We learn in this episode of Heroes & Headwinds, how through Andy’s commitment to best-in-class employee benefits, Hart House is creating a provocative alternative to traditional QSR business models.

Why on Earth would you create space for "bad" ideas in pursuit of the good ones? How do you ideate today for tomorrow's food future? In this episode of Heroes & Headwinds, the extraordinary Mindy Armstrong, Sr. Director at Inspire Brands, answers these questions and more. This interview was a trip, not only because of Mindy’s energy and transparency, but also her people-first approach to innovation, and, actually, pretty much everything else in life.

In this episode, we’re chatting with Annemarie Vaupel, Vice President of Marketing at Hormel Foodservice. We’ll hear about the pivotal role that food has played in her personal life, but also how her career in F&B has informed her definition of hospitality. What can brands do to make a lasting impression on her? How do restaurants capture a finite amount of consumer dollars? She shares effective ways for restaurants to over-deliver without extra lift.

Today we’re sharing a recent interview with Dan Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of Taziki’s Mediterranean Café. Taziki's Cafés are a hallmark of the American East, but with locations stretching as far west as Colorado, delivering fresh, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.

We launched Heroes & Headwinds with an interview featuring Jennifer Schuler, CEO of Wetzel’s Pretzels. We found Jennifer’s personal story and professional insights so compelling that we simply couldn’t edit it down to one episode. And so we’re back to wrap up the story of a beloved West Coast snack chain and its dynamic leader. In this week's episode, Jennifer Schuler shares just how she solves for the sizable challenges of 2022 - which is by finding even bigger challenges to tackle first

In this episode of Heroes & Headwinds we’re sharing a recent interview with Jarrett Whitlow, Senior Vice President Concept Development & International at Red Lobster. Jarrett has had an illustrious career coming up through Red Lobster and Darden restaurants for the last quarter century. A serious operator by training, Jarrett is also a creative leader, and brings this quality to bear in his professional and personal life. Give it a listen!

This week, we’re chatting with Jamil Dib, founder of the restaurant group, Vida & Estilo, which since 1996 has created a stable of globally-inspired restaurants, from Miami to Las Vegas. Jamil has an uncompromising, yet empathetic attitude to growth. And while he can be pretty tough on our industry, no-one loves it more.

This week, we’re chatting with Jennifer Schuler, CEO of Wetzel’s Pretzels, a beloved snack chain born here on the West Coast. Throughout our chat, we observe how Jennifer matches precise critical thinking with an irrepressible sense of fun and joy. And for Wetzel’s fans who revere the brand's sense of levity, that should come as no surprise.