In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Shauna Smith, the CEO of Savory Management, the operational arm of the Salt Lake City based private equity group Savory Fund. Savory invests in emerging restaurant concepts like Swig, Via 313, PINCHO, and Mo’Bettahs, and Shauna oversees the operations of these concepts, which includes a team of 65 in-house specialists who support the brand founders and leaders who choose to bring Savory in as equity partners in their businesses. Sam sat down with Shauna at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago to check in on the Savory portfolio, how the group is tapping into economies of scale to benefit each of its concepts, and what Shauna sees as the big challenges and opportunities for the remainder of 2025 and beyond. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Being a part of a restaurant portfolio can give you the operational capacity of a much bigger brand
• It pays to have a close network of restaurant operators who are in your shoes
• Certainty is the enemy of unity
• Consistency, accuracy, service, and experience all factor into value
• Optimism is a survival tactic

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

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