In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Peter Frey, chief brand officer at Sonny’s BBQ, a Florida-based concept that has grown to nearly 100 locations after more than 50 years in business. Sonny’s recently announced a new brand campaign called “It’s Always Sonny’s Here,” which is meant to reflect the easy-living vibe the brand tries to create. Peter joined the podcast to discuss the new campaign and how it’s setting the brand up for not just traffic growth, but also franchise growth. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Sometimes craftsmanship should trump innovation
• Fast-casual service has major benefits, but risks being too transactional in nature
• General manager development puts you in the ideal position to succeed
• Restaurants are as much about unplugging as they are about nourishment
• Legacy brands have permission to innovate with technology and ordering

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jodi Boyce, chief marketing officer for Teriyaki Madness. This 155-unit fast casual serving made to order bowls recently launched a new curbside pickup platform called Mad Dash that is designed to boost guest frequency. Jodi joined the podcast to talk about the newfound potential in curbside pickup and how it’s helping Teriyaki Madness avoid discounting as it looks to drive more traffic to stores.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Curbside is a perfectly suitable alternative to drive-thru
• Technology makes curbside far faster and more efficient than drive thru
• If you can’t beat third-party delivery players, at least take share from them
• Catering is another underappreciated off-premises channel 
• You shouldn’t pull a Bed Bath & Beyond with your discounting  
• Frequency, not discounting, is the right tool to help you weather economic woes

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 Ungaro, the CEO and co-owner of San Pedro Fish Market, an iconic restaurant on the San Pedro waterfront south of Los Angeles. Mike is part of the third generation to lead San Pedro Fish Market, and he helped the restaurant launch a hit online TV series, “Kings of Fi$h.” He joined the podcast to share how San Pedro Fish Market has capitalized on its status as a Southern California icon and how it’s seized control of its narrative to the betterment of the business.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You should pay attention to how your guests are engaging with you
• It’s never been easier to turn your brand into a show
• Content is king, so make it a priority 
• Any part of your story you leave blank, customers will fill in

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Andy Howard, president and CEO of Huey Magoo’s. This chicken-tender fast casual based in Florida recently opened its 66th location and is quickly franchising around the country. Andy was a part of the team that took Wingstop from about 80 stores to 600 before he discovered and bought Huey Magoo’s, and he joined the podcast to share the story of Huey Magoo’s incredible success and what it takes to stand out in the very busy and very popular chicken category.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• A killer tagline can help you stand tall among competitors
• New store prototypes can unlock access to new potential franchisees
• To excel in this industry, you need to be good student of it
• Just like Goldilocks, your menu shouldn’t be too simple or too difficult, but just right

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 Doody and Matt Harding, the CEO and chief creative officer, respectively, for Piada Italian Street Food, a fast-casual Italian brand that is approaching 60 locations across six states. Having launched in 2010, Piada was a part of fast casual’s first big wave, and Chris and Matt joined the podcast to explain why the brand has finally earned the right to grow through outside capital.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• A strong dinner daypart is critical to fast casual success
• You don’t have to charge an arm and a leg for high-quality fast-casual food
• Achieving a 2.5:1 sales-to-investment ratio is when you deserve to grow
• You shouldn’t emphasize growth until you’ve earned brand awareness in your existing markets
• Italian food is harder than it looks
• Customers should know who is in charge of your restaurants

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 Meyers, the COO at Marco’s Pizza. The fifth-largest pizza chains in America had one of the best years among the pizza chains last year, according to the Technomic Top 500, enjoying 7.6% sales growth and 7.2% unit growth. John has been with the brand for about 4 years, but only recently stepped into the role as COO. He joined the podcast to share how his past experience working at Disney taught him how to manage the operational complexities of a national system such as Marco’s.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Your employees should be empowered to enhance the guest experience
• Operational empathy will improve your path as a leader
• The better the experience you create, the better your sales become
• You can’t afford to not have a deep bench of leaders

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam re-shares a conversation he had with Maria Rivera, CEO of Smalls Sliders, on a visit to her office in Atlanta last summer. Smalls has enjoyed incredible success since this interview first aired, and NRN is excited to announce that Maria will join Smalls and Walk-On's founder Brandon Landry, as well as Morven Groves of 10 Point Capital, for the keynote conversation at NRN's Investment Summit this Oct. 8-9 in Nashville.

If you're the founder or leader of an emerging restaurant chain looking for capital resources to grow, join us at the Investment Summit and CREATE in Nashville by registering for free at create.nrn.com.

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Heath Nielsen, president of HTeaO, an iced tea franchise that is enjoying incredible growth in its home state of Texas and beyond. HTeaO showed up for the first time on this year’s Technomic Top 500, growing its unit count by 47% in 2023 to 103 locations and climbing to spot No. 442 on the Top 500. Heath joined the podcast to talk about how this upstart tea franchise first got his attention and why he thinks it has so much upside at a time when coffee seems to be king.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Self-service could be a game-changer for the booming beverage category
• Drive-thru-only is not the only growth opportunity for beverage
• The PM side of the road is just as important as the AM side
• Line extensions are a great way to support franchisees and enter retail space
• Efficiency, innovation the name of the game in beverage — but cost considerations crucial

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Robert Thompson, founder and CEO of Joy Trade, an eatertainment platform that has two concepts within its portfolio: Camp Pickle and Jaguar Bolera. Joy Trade is a platform that Robert believes can capitalize on white space in eatertainment through newly developed brands and acquisitions, and he joined the podcast to talk about how the company represents the next growth phase for eatertainment, how consumer trends are shaping the category’s future, and why food and beverage are so crucial to eatertainment’s success.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• The redefined nature of work is helping to power the latest eatertainment surge
• Eatertainment today doesn’t need the activities to excel
• A diversity of activities will help eatertainment not be a “one-trick pony”
• The platform model will help eatertainment capitalize on white space
• Platforms are as much about strong leadership as efficiencies of scale
• Dying malls and big-box stores are key to eatertainment’s growth
• Eatertainment is so much broader than you might think

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam shares two interviews that he recently conducted in person at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Both of these leaders are marketers with emerging restaurant businesses looking to make impact for their teams and their brands. First up is Nico Nieto, chief marketing officer at Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill, a restaurant marketing veteran who is tasked with spreading the word about fast-casual franchise Naf Naf. He shares some tips on marketing an emerging restaurant concept, particularly one with a cuisine that is still fairly unfamiliar to many Americans. After that Sam chats with Jade Hedgeman-Chioke, VP of sales and marketing for Primo Partners, a Ben & Jerry’s franchise in the Southeast. Jade shares more about Primo Partners mission to develop strong business leaders in its pipeline, particularly Black entrepreneurs, and how the company connects that mission to its community. 

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