Are Focused Restaurant Menus Over? Why This Poke Chain Shook Things Up to Win New Guests

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Seth Cohen, cofounder of Sweetfin, a Los Angeles based fast casual that launched a decade ago as one of the first players in the poke category. Sweetfin has grown to 15 locations in Southern California, but in order to unlock more growth, the leadership team decided that the core menu needed a facelift. Chef Daniel Patterson was recruited to develop new menu items for Sweetfin, and the result was a line of warm bowls featuring cooked proteins, as well as new salads and vegetable sides. The new menu, which leans into Sweetfin’s identity as a California-Asian inspired concept, debuted at one location earlier this year, and Seth joined the podcast to talk about why the brand felt it needed to expand beyond poke, and which metrics he’s watching to see if it’s a success.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. Your menu needs to evolve every once in a while — sometimes in a big way
2. The era of extremely focused menus may be over
3. Your menu must have a point of view
4. All brand evolution must be filtered through your core values
5. To be successful, you have to make bold decisions

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with John Terzian and Brian Toll, cofounders of The h.wood Group, an LA-based hospitality group that owns restaurants like Delilah and Nice Guy as well as nightclubs like Keys and Poppy. John and Brian first got into the nightclub business back in 2008 and used their extensive network of celebrities and VIPs to establish their clubs as exclusive, see-and-be-seen destinations. Eventually they expanded into restaurants and infused their concepts with the same experiential factor that helps them stand out in busy nightlife scenes like L.A., Las Vegas, Miami, and Nashville. John and Brian joined the podcast to talk about the importance of word-of-mouth marketing when getting a business off the ground, and about the details you can’t miss when designing a restaurant experience.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. You should build your network before you open your doors
2. Word of mouth buzz is stronger than any other marketing
3. The less available your business is, the more your community will crave it
4. The rise of AI will have a corresponding demand for real experiences
5. Little details make a big difference in restaurant experiences

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

In today’s bonus episode, Sam talks with a social media influencer and a marketing expert about the latest trends in restaurant influencer marketing — and what restaurant operators should and shouldn’t do when working with influencers.

Kate Finley is the founder and CEO of Belle Communication, a foodservice PR agency with expertise in earned media, influencer relations, creative strategy, and consumer insights. NRN is a partner with Belle on their Brilli platform, which offers unique insights into food influencers and how to leverage them for your business. Kate recruited Jordan Posner, a social media influencer who can be found @midwest_foodfest, to join the podcast to talk about influencer trends that are in the rearview mirror, and trends we should expect to see in 2026.

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jennifer Weishaupt, founder of Ruby Slipper, a breakfast, brunch, and lunch joint that first opened in New Orleans in 2008 and has since grown to 26 locations across the South. Jennifer was inspired to open Ruby Slipper after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, and the restaurant quickly became a cornerstone of the recovering community. Eighteen years later, Ruby Slipper has turned its family-like atmosphere into a burgeoning multiunit group with a unique menu and devoted fans who’ve grown accustomed to the restaurants’ caring hospitality. The brand recently won the fan vote in NRN’s Breakfast Showdown, and Jennifer joined the podcast to share how Ruby Slipper’s five core traits — being gracious, genuine, neighborly, adaptable, and optimistic — have helped it develop such loyal fans and prepare the way for even more growth.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. Restaurants are an essential building block for sustaining communities
2. Customers can help you guide menu expectations
3. You must be very intentional with your core values as you grow
4. A sense of place can define your brand — but you must also respect each individual location

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Cameron Mitchell, founder and CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, a Columbus, Ohio based group that has 68 restaurants across 20-plus concepts from coast to coast. When Cameron set out to be a restaurateur over three decades ago, before he ever opened a restaurant, he wrote that he wanted to build a company with “great people delivering genuine hospitality,” and that continues to be the mantra driving the renowned hospitality in his group. His flagship brand is Ocean Prime, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and expects to close the year with around $285 million in sales at just 21 locations. Sam sat down with Cameron in Columbus at Mitchell’s Ocean Club — the original Ocean Prime location — to learn more about his philosophy around hospitality and how that has a direct impact on sales.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. Sometimes when a restaurant isn’t working, you just need to start over
2. You should hone your site selection process over time to nail your perfect location
3. When you accept status quo, things start to go downhill
4. If you take care of your team, they’ll take care of your guests, who will take care of your company
5. The P&L maybe changed, but the demand for fine dining experiences has not

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Chris Tomasso, CEO of First Watch, a daytime café concept with more than 600 locations doing over a billion dollars in sales annually. Chris is coming up on his 20-year anniversary with the brand, having started as CMO back in 2006 and helping late cofounder Ken Pendery build First Watch into a powerhouse over the course of two decades. Chris has become known for his accessibility as a leader; he hand-writes notes to all employees celebrating milestones and eats his lunch in the company break room just like everyone else. But Chris doesn’t think these qualities should be so rare for a CEO; he understands that the actions of a leader resonate throughout a system and ultimately help it succeed as a business. Sam sat down with Chris in a Tampa First Watch location for the latest episode of the Signature Series — powered by the Coca-Cola Company — to learn more about how this shy kid with a journalism degree ultimately became one of the restaurant industry’s most inspiring leaders

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. Good leadership resonates further than you think
2. You either grow with your company or you don’t
3. People perform better when they’re not intimidated
4. To develop culture, leaders must be aware of everything they say and do
5. Restaurants must avoid “short-termism,” even when it feels like the only option
6. Careers are like pinballs and you can’t predict where you’ll end up

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Dolf Berle, CEO of Nothing Bundt Cakes, the Dallas-based chain of nearly 800 bakeries that was just named America’s Favorite Chain by Technomic. It wasn’t just the overall winner; it was also best among the top 10 chains in service and hospitality, unit appearance and ambiance, food and beverage, and convenience and takeout, and the No. 1 favorite limited-service brand among millennial consumers. So how do they do it? Dolf, who became CEO in 2023, joined the podcast to share how Nothing Bundt Cakes has built significant momentum over the past couple of years and how it’s capitalizing on moments of positivity and celebration among its guests.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. With unit growth, you should build the airplane before it leaves the runway
2. Consumers love opportunities to celebrate
3. The simpler the operation, the more time operators have to engage with the community
4. Your brand can thrive on the virtuous cycle of positivity

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Mike Stasko Jr., president of Sunny Street Café, a 22-unit franchise based in Columbus, Ohio, that has experienced positive traffic and sales comps even while many of its competitors are struggling. It’s not crazy menu innovation or tech bells and whistles that are driving this success; instead, Sunny Street has simply doubled down on great service and great execution of its core menu items. Sam sat down with Mike in a Columbus Sunny Street location to talk about the state of daytime dining and why breakfast and brunch consumers in particular just want to go somewhere where everybody knows their name.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. Executing on your core menu items is the most important thing you can do with your menu
2. Trying some new things with your core menu is a great way to innovate
3. Meal occasions dictate how people eat — and your menu should accommodate
4. The ‘Cheers’ experience really makes a difference

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

In this special bonus episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Kate Finley, founder and CEO of Belle Communication, a foodservice PR agency with expertise in earned media, influencer relations, creative strategy, and consumer insights. NRN has partnered all year with Belle on their Brilli platform, which offers unique insights into food influencers and how to leverage them for your business.

Kate joined the podcast to talk specifically about how marketing evolved in 2025 and what kinds of trends we should expect to see in 2026. Listen in for marketing advice, including more about:

1. The importance of leveraging social media and now artificial intelligence in your marketing efforts
2. How chef partnerships have become opportunities for brands to build trust with guests
3. Why authenticity and relatability are still key to any marketing campaign
4. How social media influencers have evolved their tactics, and how restaurants can plan to leverage influencers in the year ahead

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Scott Boatwright, the CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill. Chipotle, of course, needs no introduction, but to some degree Scott did last year when he was suddenly thrust into the CEO role after his former boss Brian Niccol left for the chief executive job at Starbucks. Scott has spent his whole career in restaurants, spending the bulk of his early years helping turn around Arby’s before joining Chipotle as COO in 2017. The year since Scott was named CEO has been arguably one of the toughest in the company’s history, as it has dealt with flat sales and traffic and an overly saturated fast-casual competitive field. Sam recently sat down with Scott in a Midtown Manhattan Chipotle as part of NRN's Signature Series, powered by The Coca-Cola Company, to learn more about his career, his leadership style, and what he thinks will help Chipotle become a global iconic brand.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. Uncomfortable moments create positive career growth
2. Study the role you aspire to have
3. Your best shot at winning is to double down on what made you special in the first place
4. Your whole organization has to row in the same direction to get to your destination
5. Accurately identify your problem before you start chasing solutions
6. CEOs are storytellers as much as they are business leaders

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