In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Bob Andersen, president of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a 30-unit fine fast casual concept that is looking to carve a niche out of the space between traditional fast casual and full-service dining, leveraging scratch-made, high-quality food. Bob joined the podcast to talk about the opportunities and challenges in fine fast casual and how this brand is planning to go from $50 million in sales today to over $100 million a year from now.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Improving the quality of your food has a direct impact on the guest experience
• Longer ticket times aren’t impossible in fast causal, but you should communicate them to your guests
• A great training program is key to franchising an upscale concept
• Water drinkers are an upsell opportunity 
• The build-your-own fast-casual model has its limitations
• A flexible footprint will help you win the competition for real estate

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam is joined by Caroline Skinner, the COO of Tupelo Honey, a casual concept based in Asheville, N.C., that’s highlighting the rich tradition of Southern cuisine at soon-to-be 23 units around the country. Caroline has spent the past several years building Tupelo Honey’s culture, developing its employee benefits, and enhancing recruitment and retention. She joined the podcast to talk about how to be an employer of choice and how Tupelo Honey is delivering Southern hospitality to other corners of the country through its unique culture.  

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Better benefits equal better retention 
• Your recruitment message should be simple
• If you want employees to stick around, provide them with balance in their lives
• You should promote your general managers from within, because they are the key to retention
• Your most loyal guests deserve something special and unexpected
• You can’t fake relationships or build them from the corporate office
• You should keep your promises with your employees and don’t compromise

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam is joined by Nathaniel Ru, cofounder and chief brand officer of Sweetgreen. The fast-casual innovator just launched its new loyalty program, Sweetpass — available both in a free version and a subscription-based premium version — and Nathaniel joined the podcast to talk about Sweetgreen’s efforts to retool its loyalty offering and how the brand is continuing to work ahead of the curve when it comes to tech innovation. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You should look beyond traditional marketing to tell your story
• Your most loyal customers should be your focus group for brand evolution
• Some of your guests want deeper access to your brand — and a loyalty program can give it to them
• Great brands turn a simple transaction into an opportunity to build community
• There is no tech solution for bringing your food forward 
• Leveraging data to make brand decisions is both an art and a science
• Points-based loyalty programs are out; subscription-based programs are in

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam’s in Los Angeles talking with Seth Cohen, president and cofounder of poke fast casual Sweetfin. This concept was way out ahead of the poke trend when it launched in 2015 and is now closing in on 20 locations in Southern California. Seth joined the podcast to talk about how the brand rode the ups and downs of the poke craze without sacrificing its core identity and how it’s leveraging influencers to solidify itself in the lifestyles of Southern California consumers. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You shouldn’t be afraid to stick to a slow-and-steady growth model 
• A diverse menu can help you sustain supply chain disruptions
• If you’re a takeout driven business, don’t fall for the 2,000 sq. ft. leases
• Influencer partnerships are a powerful way to connect with your local audiences
• Influencers represent the evolution of the lifestyle brand 
• You shouldn’t be afraid of the competition — and don’t feel pressured to cave to industry trends

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Steve Shlemon, president of Ford’s Garage USA. This Florida based brand launched as an homage to Ford Motor Company and founder Henry Ford. Now, with help from a license agreement with Ford, the brand has expanded to 23 locations featuring big footprints with old Model T and Model A cars along with other Ford memorabilia. Steve joined the podcast to talk about how you can properly execute a theme in your restaurant without feeling too over the top or like a one-time tourist destination. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Sometimes in business you just get lucky
• A recognizable brand partner is a powerful tool for expansion
• Interactive elements can help drive excitement within your restaurants 
• You can be an anti-chain chain by embedding your community throughout your operation
• A restaurant theme shouldn’t be too in your face
• If technology doesn’t match your vibe or aesthetic, focus it where customers can’t see it

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 Taylor, the CEO of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. Founded by former LSU basketball walk-on Brandon Landry and backed by former NFL quarterback Drew Brees, Walk-On’s has grown to 75 locations in 20 years and is expecting 15 more franchises to open in 2023. Scott joined the podcast to talk about the brand’s deep commitment to people and culture and how it’s trying to balance that people-forward mentality with innovation in areas like technology. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Restaurant people are underdogs
• Technology should enhance the guest experience first and foremost, while efficiency is a great byproduct
• Loyalty is about emotion
• Franchising is the perfect model to scale culture 
• If you put people first, everything else will follow 
• If you invest enough into your culture, it should transfer to your digital experience too
• Your menu is how you make money, so don’t cut any corners
• Don’t innovate for innovation’s sake

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Ronald Benjamin, senior director of guest and employee experience at Chipotle. Benjamin’s fingerprints are all over Chipotle, as he is in charge of customer care, social media, the employee service center and even the IT help desk. He joined the podcast to talk about that big job, how the guest and employee experiences are interconnected and how technology is bringing all of this together in one big opportunity to provide great customer service.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Technology is your centralized view into all things related to both customers and employees
• Leveraging AI and personalized hospitality today is not an either/or situation but a both/and
• You should be proactive in addressing anything that might go wrong for the customer
• Customers who had a bad experience get corrected tend to come back even more
• One of the best ways to support employees is to automate the mundane 

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

In this special episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Meredith Sandland and Carl Orsbourn, co-authors of the new book “Delivering the Digital Restaurant: The Path to Digital Maturity.” This conversation was hosted via LinkedIn Live and covered digital evolution in the restaurant industry, how this evolution is creating opportunities for brands to better access and understand customers and their behaviors, and what has changed since Meredith and Carl wrote their first “Delivering the Digital Restaurant” book in 2021. 

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Uday Ahuja, chief investment officer for RSE Ventures, an investment fund started by Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross that counts restaurant companies like &pizza, Bluestone Lane, Momofuku and Milkbar among its investments. Ahuja is responsible for evaluating and executing RSE’s investments, as well as for the ongoing management of those partnerships, and he joined the podcast to talk about the state of financing for restaurants and how emerging brand leaders can find capital to fuel their growth plans. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Founders are the heartbeat of an emerging restaurant brand 
• There are multiple ways to achieve scale
• Today more than ever, strong unit economics and profitability are key to securing capital for growth
• The capital will start flowing when there’s more certainty in the economy
• A team that starts a business is very different from one that’s scaling it in the future
• If you’re planning to scale your business, you should be networking with as many investors as you can

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Warren Thompson, president and chairman of Thompson Hospitality, the largest minority-owned food management company in the U.S. Closing in on $1 billion in revenues, Thompson Hospitality has a unique model operating across restaurants, contract foodservice and hotels, with a restaurant portfolio of about 70 restaurant locations under 18 individual brands. A veteran of Marriott before launching Thompson Hospitality 30 years ago, Warren joined the podcast to talk about why his diversified operations model works so well, how it’s finding success both through brand development and brand acquisition, and how the group’s talent development is helping to pave its way to becoming a billion-dollar company.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• There are plenty of blueprints for success available to you
• You can hedge against the volatile economy by diversifying your revenue streams
• Brand acquisition allows you to move into a market much faster than if you built from scratch
• It’s better to compete with yourself than to compete with someone else
• With multiple brands in your portfolio, you can focus your geographic reach and create multiple efficiencies
• In the restaurant arms race, the winners will be those who can attract and retain the best and brightest employees
• If you want to start your own company, start by getting as much experience as you can with other industry leaders 

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