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 from a team member. Larry joined the podcast to talk about what operators should take into account when they’re redesigning their physical footprint and how Jim ’N Nick’s is empowering its guests with the changes to its service.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Treating your guest as family can be a huge differentiator
• Menu bloat leads to irrelevancy among your guests
• Your physical footprint must be sized to account for your revenue channels
• A restaurant makeover does not need to significantly alter the guest experience
• Fast casual and casual dining can converge into something high quality yet efficient

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