In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Steve Kislow, CEO of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, a polished casual chain based in North Carolina that now has nearly 70 locations in 21 states. Steve started as a GM with Firebirds more than 20 years ago before working his way up to the chief executive position, and he has overseen an evolution of the brand that has always protected the quality of its menu and hospitality first and foremost. Firebirds sits on the upscale side of the casual-dining spectrum, but it’s still committed to providing value to all manners of guests, from kids and families to couples on dates to business lunches. Steve joined the podcast to talk about how Firebirds is uniquely connecting with all of these guests and providing a value-driven experience.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You should embrace evolution, not revolution
• Your branding opportunity begins with your storefront
• Kids are just as ready to engage with your brand as their parents
• Your beverage program demands as much creativity as your food
• Technology can help you ratchet up your hospitality as a differentiator

Register for CREATE here: https://informaconnect.com/create/

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Create 2026

https://informaconnect.com/create/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=create26

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with CEO Kevin Miles and CMO Alicia Mowder of Mendocino Farms, a Los Angeles-based sandwich and salad fast casual with about 100 locations in six states. Mendocino Farms — affectionately known to fans as Mendo — has been around now for over 20 years, and in the course of its history has helped to redefine what is possible in a fast-casual setting. Mendo serves high-quality sandwiches and salads in a counter-service setting, but with an emphasis on dine-in occasions driven by high-touch, friendly service. That experience sits somewhere between traditional fast casual and full service, and while it leads to a higher ticket average, it’s clearly resonating with guests; according to the most recent Technomic Top 500, Mendocino Farms grew sales by about 20% last year to around $300 million, with AUVs coming in at $3.76 million. Sam first sat down with Alicia live at the Restaurant Leadership Conference, and later virtually with Kevin, to talk about Mendo’s unique guest experience, how they’re building guest loyalty in markets new and old, and why they’re both optimistic for the future of fast casual.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You should take the quality of your experience seriously — but not much else
• There is an opportunity in the market for full service quality with fast casual service and price
• Brands don’t have to change, but they do have to evolve
• Lifestyle brands are alive and well and capturing guest loyalty with key differentiators
• Even when your sales are positive, question how you can get better
• Visually appealing food invites customers to do the marketing for you

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Create 2026

https://informaconnect.com/create/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=create26

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Debbie Stroud, CEO of Whataburger, a 76-year-old company that now has more than 1,000 locations across 17 states. Debbie spent more than 30 years as an executive at McDonald’s and Starbucks before joining Whataburger in 2023 as COO. She was named CEO in 2025, and she’s earned a reputation as a warm and personable leader who is often found in restaurants listening to team members about how the company can improve. That’s a great fit for Whataburger, which is still partially owned by its founding family and which calls its 50,000-plus team members “family members.” Sam recently sat down with Debbie in a brand-new location outside Raleigh, NC, for an episode of the Signature Series, powered by The Coca-Cola Company, and talked about how she’s setting the tone for a family-like company culture — and about how Whataburger is tapping into its rabid fan base to expand its footprint.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• An aligned team empowered to do the work can accomplish great things
• Leaders create the conditions for success
• Data tells a story — and it should guide your decision making
• Brands should embrace the authentic relationship their guests have with them
• Curiosity plus diversified experience makes for a strong future leader

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rachel Cope, founder and CEO of 84 Hospitality, which has four concepts in its portfolio, including the eight-unit Empire Slice House. Rachel — who NRN recently named to the Power List of restaurant founders, and who was also named a 2026 James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur — opened the first Empire in 2013, and every restaurant that she’s opened since has been imbued with the five things she’s passionate about: people, art, music, booze, and of course food. In fact, 84 Hospitality is so committed to the atmosphere of their restaurants that they don’t even call them restaurants; they call them “hangouts,” because their main goal is for customers to enjoy themselves on site and plug into their community. Rachel joined the podcast to talk about the details that go into a great restaurant atmosphere — from a curated music playlist to free prosecco pours — and about how she’s positioning Empire Slice House and its counter service offshoot, Empire Slice Shop, to be a major growth opportunity.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• The best leaders figure out how to adapt to their situation
• A carefully tailored restaurant atmosphere can be the difference between a good time and a great time
• Creativity must be balanced with practicality
• Quirky real estate is a great characteristic — until you need to scale
• The restaurant industry must resist becoming too transactional

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rafael LaRue, the chief creative officer for global foodservice consultant Livit and its sister company, Fast Fine Restaurant Group. Rafael and his partners have a fascinating perspective because they study the industry at the global level, and not only do they consult on everything from guest experience and architecture to interior design, culinary, and operations, but they also put their advice into practice through their portfolio of restaurants. Sam and Rafael talked in person at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last month in Scottsdale about growing trends from around the world that are soon to influence the U.S. restaurant industry.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• There is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing concepts
• AI lets GMs and employees focus solely on guests
• AI can create one-of-a-kind restaurant experiences
• Gen Alpha is the algorithm generation — and could totally disrupt restaurants
• Authenticity will continue to win the day

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Justin Rosenberg, founder of Honeygrow, a Philadelphia based stir-fry brand. The first Honeygrow opened back in the fast-casual boom of 2012, and much like his fast-casual peers at that time, Justin quickly scaled the business into major urban markets like New York, Boston, and Chicago. But the brand found itself mired in some bad leases, and Justin realized he needed to close some locations and double down on brand excellence in order for Honeygrow to meet its full potential. Today, Honeygrow has 76 locations, and Justin and his team have created a model that ensures continuous growth in cities both big and small. Justin and Sam sat down in person at last week’s Restaurant Leadership Conference in Scottsdale to recap a session they did on the mainstage, in which they covered Honeygrow’s early brand reset and how it’s developing loyal fans in cities that aren’t always on restaurants’ radars.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Potentially strong AUVs should not fool you into bad leases
• You shouldn’t reinvent the wheel if the wheel keeps spinning
• There are no bad teams; only bad leaders
• Fast casual has a copy-cat problem

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers, a Texas-based fast casual that had 40 units at the beginning of this year but plans to double that count by the end of the year — with projections showing it could have more than 500 locations open by 2029. Garrett and his partners acquired Layne’s from founder Mike Layne in 2017 and took three years to develop the model, building out a support team at headquarters and the right infrastructure that would ensure franchisee profitability. With all that work done, Layne’s is now stepping on the accelerator and finding success even as countless other chicken chains race across the country. Garrett joined the podcast to talk about how he thinks the chicken category will shake out in the coming years — and why he thinks there’s room for 4,000 Layne’s units in the U.S. alone.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• When introducing franchising, take your time and stress test the model
• By ensuring franchisee profitability, you can ensure future growth
• A dose of humility can rev up your business’s growth
• There’s plenty of runway left for chicken — but quality and culture will determine the winners and losers

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jack Gibbons, CEO of FB Society, a Dallas-based hospitality group known for founding chains like Twin Peaks and Velvet Taco — both of which it has since sold — as well as current portfolio concepts Sixty Vines, Whiskey Cake, and Mexican Sugar, among others. As a sort of restaurant incubator, FB Society has spent the past couple of decades developing something of a recipe for successful new concepts, and as a cofounder of those concepts, Jack has discovered how founders serve as a secret ingredient to restaurant success. NRN named Jack to the just released Power List, which this year recognizes 34 restaurant founders who are improving the industry through their creative power, and Jack joined the podcast to talk about why founders can help differentiate a growing concept and why it’s important to him to pass lessons down to future restaurant leaders.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• New brand development isn’t formulaic, but it can be standardized
• Your customers will tell you what your secret sauce is
• “Founder mode” offers an extra lever for some brands to navigate growth challenges
• Restaurant leaders risk sewing confusion when they don’t filter their ideas
• You can’t change the world without taking some risks

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks once again with Kevin Hochman, president and CEO of Brinker International, parent company to Chili’s Grill & Bar. Today’s episode is part two of a conversation Sam recently had with Kevin in a Dallas area Chili’s as part of the Signature Series, powered by The Coca-Cola Company. (Check out part one of the conversation here.) This week, Sam and Kevin get in the weeds on how Chili’s has transformed into the hottest thing going in foodservice, with Kevin laying out very plainly what it took to jumpstart the brand and go from roughly $3 million AUVs to nearly $5 million in the span of three years.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Quick wins help give brand turnarounds some momentum
• You should prove your employees wrong by taking their feedback seriously
• There are no quick fixes in the restaurant industry
• Behaviors trump metrics when measuring success
• It’s OK to make mistakes, but not OK not to learn from them
• Prepare today for the opportunity waiting for you tomorrow
• Great operations plus great marketing equals unstoppable success

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

Check out more information on this years Menu Masters: https://menumastersevent.com/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=mm26&utm_content=podcast

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Kevin Hochman, president and CEO of Brinker International, parent company to Chili’s Grill & Bar. Chili’s has been the buzziest restaurant chain of the past two or three years, having recorded 19 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth with help from value deals like its $10.99 3 for Me and viral videos like its mozzarella stick cheese pull. That success took off when Kevin joined Brinker in 2022 and implemented a turnaround plan that focused first on operational improvements and then on effective marketing to drive customers into the newly improved stores. Sam recently sat down with Kevin in a Dallas area Chili’s for an episode of the Signature Series, powered by The Coca-Cola Company; this is part one of that interview, where they cover Kevin’s career in the lead-up to Chili’s and in particular the lessons that he picked up working for two iconic American institutions: Procter & Gamble and Yum Brands. Next week we’ll share part two, where they get in the weeds on how Kevin and his team have transformed Chili’s into the hottest thing going in foodservice.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You’re never a finished product
• Clear communication is critical to executing with excellence
• The answers are in the room, you just have to listen and ask the right questions
• Brands have a DNA and personality that you can’t lose sight of
• If you do the right thing for the business, no matter the ROI, you’ll win in the long term

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