In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rick Cardenas, the CEO of Darden Restaurants. This is the fourth edition in our Signature Series — in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company — which are conversations with some of the biggest CEOs in the restaurant industry. Rick started as a bus boy at Red Lobster when he was 16 years old, and over the course of four decades he climbed the entire ladder of the company that would become Darden, rising to the chief executive role in May of 2022. He joined the podcast to talk not only about Darden’s growth strategy and the role the company plays in the lives of its loyal customers, but also about his remarkable career and the lessons that restaurant employees of all types can pull from it.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Every restaurant has employees who have the ability to grow and develop
• The broader your experience, the better a leader you become
• As a leader, you either play not to lose or you play to win
• If you’re not getting passed over for jobs, then you’re not dreaming big enough 
• As you scale, you should lean into what you know
• You don’t have to sacrifice your values in order to innovate
• Your employees create your culture, so invest in them accordingly

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

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Sean Pourteymour, the cofounder and executive chairman of Luna Grill, as well as Rich Pinnella, the brand’s CEO. Sean and his wife Maria founded Luna Grill in San Diego back in 2004, and the Mediterranean fast casual started scaling in 2010. By 2019 it had expanded to more than 50 locations between California and Texas, but paused growth in order to right-size its infrastructure and systems. That included bringing in Rich, who spent more than 20 years at Taco Bell and who was recently promoted to the CEO role as Luna Grill looks to once again ramp up expansion. Sean and Rich joined the podcast to talk about the steps that restaurant companies should take ahead of scaling and how they’ve built a culture designed to win.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• The team that builds a brand from scratch isn’t necessarily the same that can scale it
• You should know when it’s time to hit the brakes
• Growth can be aggressive and responsible at the same time 
• A great culture drives behaviors that win 
• Competitors in your category aren’t necessarily a bad thing
• If you surround yourself with brilliant people, then brilliant things will happen

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

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Tony Scardino, aka Professor Pizza, and Megumi Robinson, the vice president of services at Belle Communication. Tony is both a restaurant operator and an influencer, having both a pizza shop in Chicago and a sizeable following on social media with his Professor Pizza moniker. Meanwhile, Megumi and Belle Communication have been NRN’s partner on the Influencer Insider series, which you can find at NRN.com and which leverage’s Belle’s Brilli platform to provide insights on tapping into influencers for your restaurant success. Tony and Megumi joined the podcast to talk about the benefits of influencer marketing but especially the unique opportunity that brands have to create their own content.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• In a cutthroat industry, content can be a differentiator
• Influencer partnerships are a must for driving foot traffic
• Restaurants should prioritize usefulness on social media versus chasing trends
• Consumers are excited to go into your restaurants alongside you via social platforms
• If you can, document your restaurant journey on social media before you open the doors
• When it comes to social media, prepare and set yourself up for success

Check out the Influencer Insider here.

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

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jeff Fenster, the founder and CEO of Everbowl, an acai bowl concept that has grown to 100 locations in nine years, and which now counts athletes like Jayson Tatum, Drew Brees, and Shaquille O’Neal among its investors. Much of Everbowl’s success can be attributed to Jeff’s knack for disruption in the marketplace, his entrepreneurial mindset, and his intense passion for his business. For example, Jeff started an entire construction company just so he could cut down on build-out costs and build Everbowl stores more quickly. Jeff joined the podcast to talk about how he’s rethinking the standard way restaurateurs scale their businesses and why there’s no replacement for hard work, determination, and love for what you do for a living.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• As a restaurant leader you should be a problem solver, not a problem seeker
• Your competition isn’t necessarily in your category
• Streamlining your construction process could help you grow faster
• Every restaurant you open will teach you something about location and real estate
• The opportunities right in front of you are the catalysts for brand change 
• If you love what you do and work hard toward your goals, you can be unstoppable

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

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Pike Howard, the co-owner of Felipe’s Taqueria, a six-unit fast-casual concept out of New Orleans that has prioritized its systems and business model in its nearly 20 years in business as it slowly grows across the South. Pike was a finance guy when his father-in-law pulled him into the Felipe’s business, and that mindset has benefited the company as Pike has helped it develop a strong brand identity, vision, and infrastructure and to resist the urge to grow quickly. Pike joined the podcast to talk about why unit growth has not been as much of a priority as internal growth and how the fast-casual category’s evolution has made hospitality all the more important to today’s consumer.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Sometimes you need to let guests choose their own adventure in your restaurant
• Growth can be a distraction, so set clear growth goals and stick to them
• Restaurants are a math problem and operators need to know that math
• You have to be honest with your customers when things go bad
• The data you collect is a relationship building tool 
• Innovating with your beverage program is not a very heavy lift

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

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Christine Barone, CEO of Dutch Bros. This is the third edition in our Signature Series, which are conversations with some of the biggest CEOs in the restaurant industry. And there are few companies bigger right now than Dutch Bros, which is turning heads all across the U.S. as it races across the country and redefines the coffee category. Christine was named CEO early in 2024 to steer the brand into its next growth phase, and Sam sat down with her at Dutch Bros’ new headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, to learn more about her leadership style, how she’s bringing lessons from her previous roles at Starbucks and True Food Kitchen into the CEO gig at Dutch Bros, and how the company plans to maintain its cool vibe and strong company culture amid rapid growth.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You must give every position you have 110%
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help 
• Sometimes you have to say no to good ideas
• Your team should have fun while working in your restaurants
• Time spent on your infrastructure will pay off down the road as growth 
• Guests want to be a part of your brand even beyond the menu 

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

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with the director of culinary at Chili’s, Brian Paquette, as well as the director of culinary innovation at Wendy’s, Becky Davis. Chili’s and Wendy’s were each winners at NRN’s 2025 MenuMasters Awards, which were hosted in partnership with Ventura Foods and presented during a special gala at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Brian and Becky were both on hand in Chicago to win their awards, and the next day sat down with Sam in person at the Show to find out more about their menu development process and the keys to developing items that really resonate on social media.

(Want to see Kevin Bacon and The Bacon Brothers at our CREATE event for emerging restaurateurs? Register by clicking here.)

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You should continuously explore ways to make your existing menu better
• Marketers are key allies to the R&D process
• Social media must be a filter through which chefs look at new menu items
• Traditional flavors with a twist are a dependable way to succeed with sauces
• Brand partnerships bring menu items to life and tap into customer passion

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

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

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

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

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].

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Curtis Duffy, the James Beard award-winning chef and owner at the Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant Ever — a restaurant that features prominently in the FX show “The Bear.” Curtis has consulted with and cooked for the show, which is starting its fourth season this week. But long before “The Bear,” he was a renowned chef who trained under Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz before opening the restaurant Grace in Chicago’s West Loop in 2012. Grace closed in 2017 and Curtis opened Ever in 2020, followed by the next-door cocktail lounge After. Curtis recently won NRN’s MenuMasters Innovator Award, and ahead of the ceremony, he joined the podcast to talk about his approach to culinary innovation and what he believes consumers are looking for in their restaurant experiences. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Restaurants don’t need to be boxed in by cuisine or category 
• Restaurants are art, so why not draw inspiration from other mediums
• Consumers are getting pickier, and are looking for memorable experiences
• As more full-service restaurants jump into off-premises business, we must solve for quality 

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

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