In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Nicolas Jammet, cofounderand chief concept officer for Sweetgreen, the fast casual that has been changing customer perception of healthy and locally sourced ingredients since 2007. Sweetgreen has been a touchpoint for fast-casual innovation since its early days and has especially been seen as a tech innovator. But it’s spent the past few years refocusing the narrative on its menu innovation and the quality of its sourcing. Nicolas joined the podcast to talk about how Sweetgreen has leaned more into the story of its food as it approaches 250 locations in 22 states. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• The evolving nature of convenience is affecting menu innovation
• With proper planning, restaurants can scale farmer relationships and their potential
• There is opportunity in the story of your food 
• Your ingredients and your suppliers are worth celebrating 
• Technology may enable innovation, but it’s food that your customers are coming for
• Automated kitchen equipment should complement the food quality 
• The great American food brands find the right balance of accessibility and craveability

This conversation is brought to you by 86 Repairs, a restaurant equipment repair and maintenance solution built for operators. Be sure to stick around for the bonus conversation with 86 Repairs CEO Daniel Estrada, who joined Sam to talk about why the old way of managing repairs and maintenance is broken, and how there is a huge opportunity to improve margins by optimizing R&M. 

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