In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Sofia Deleon, founder of Philadelphia based fast casual El Merkury. This two-unit concept serving Central American foods like pupusas and tostadas has been scrappy and creative during the pandemic, managing to expand even in the midst of crisis. Sofia talks about how she’s navigated the many challenges facing restaurants, including labor, supply chain and inflation, and about how she’s planting seeds now for growth in the future.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• You should find some common ground with your customers if the menu is new to them
• In this off-premises world, it pays to make your menu more travel-friendly
• A commissary model could help fuel growth, particularly into small-footprint locations
• Everyone is raising prices, and your customers will probably forgive you for it 
• Unique store extensions can be great billboards for growth

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 Birkinshaw, CEO of Chicago-based Aloha Poke. This emerging fast casual with 18 locations to date and plans for 8 more openings this year is leaning into its very simple business model to attract franchisees who want to expand their portfolios, and Chris has a lot to say about how franchisors can simplify their businesses and maximize the efficiency of everything they do on the path to success.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• The poke category has staying power — with the right pieces in place
• In franchising, the simpler the better
• Everything on your menu should have a purpose
• The key to your future success is owning the relationship with your guest 

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 Smith, owner and CEO of Zunzi’s. The Georgia-based sandwich concept features global flavors and launched a new bar-centric business model, Zunzibar, that creates a unique experience for the fast-casual industry. Zunzi’s is now franchising across the Southeast, and Chris, a former Five Guys franchisee, discusses how the cross-section of both convenience and experience —plus an emphasis on hospitality — are key to making the business a success.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• You should go all in on the aspects of your business where there’s brand equity
• You can win the marketplace if you elicit a feeling from your customers
• Bar service can be a win even for fast casuals
• The restaurant business sucks, and any way you can fix it creates value for your stakeholders 
• You can’t pay someone enough to be in the restaurant business; you have to give them something more
• A simple, streamlined menu will allow you to focus on your experience

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with AJ Kumaran, co-CEO of chicken-finger giant Raising Cane’s. The brand is opening its 600th location and has plans for 100 more this year, and Kumaran shares how the company has managed to sustain its growth momentum while navigating all of the challenges of the past two years.

 In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• Showing your appreciation for your team members can go along away
• You should train your teams well in advance of growth
• The human touch still counts for something
• There’s nowhere to hide from inflation                    

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 Deviney, president and CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. The 200-plus-unit fast casual franchise offers a unique product with interesting scaling opportunities, and Scott shares how the brand leverages those opportunities for incremental growth.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• Selling your product in bulk taps into multiple of your customers’ need states
• A grab-and-go version of your product opens up many new points of distribution
• You should know your core demographic’s lifestyle and put your brand where they are
• Packaging is as much about branding as it is portability
• Your hospitality in off-premises channels can make up for the lack of an experience your guest would get from dining 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 Bettina Stern, the cofounder of Chaia Tacos. Chaia is a Washington, D.C.- based fast casual serving plant-based tacos out of three D.C.-area locations, and Bettina joins to talk about how she and her business partner Suzanne Simon have managed to navigate the last two years as a trendy emerging lifestyle brand planning to scale.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• It pays to catch a wave.
• The power to change minds and win customers starts with delicious food.
• Emerging brands in cities have unique opportunity big brands don’t have.
• The commissary kitchen model provides a lot of flexibility for growth.
• Local restaurant communities should be collaborative in this difficult season.

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Craig Dunaway, president of Penn Station East Coast Subs. The 315-unit, Ohio-based sandwich concept is almost entirely franchised, and Craig shares how the company has developed a relentless focus on franchisee success as a means for emerging from the pandemic, the labor crisis and supply chain issues.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• The closer a franchise owner is to the counter, the better an experience for both the customer and the employee
• in the midst of supply chain issues, you should focus your messaging around parts of your menu that don’t get much attention
• Not all digital tools are a perfect fit for every brand
• Through thick and thin, communication with your franchise base is key to success

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 chief restaurant officer at Chipotle. In the nearly 5 years Scott has been with the company, Chipotle has been a rocket ship, once again becoming the standard bearer for fast casual. In 2021, that included opening more than 200 locations and developing a digital-order-only prototype with drive thru and walk-up window, and there is even more in the pipeline for 2022.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• Your dine-in guest and your off-premises guest are probably looking for two wholly different experiences
• Off-premises guests are seeking an experience more in alignment with traditional QSR
• As you seek to improve your guest experience, you should watch how your customers engage with your brand and ask them about the experience
• Ghost kitchens can be a smart way to relieve pressure off your busy restaurants in a particular trade area

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Don Fox, the CEO of Firehouse Subs, which was recently acquired by Restaurant Brands International, parent to Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons. Don gives an inside look at that deal, what it means for Firehouse, and what could be possible for the brand in the coming years. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• As dine-in business continues to lag, you need to transfer your storytelling from the dining room to your messaging 
• An exciting menu and brand alone won’t make your business attractive to potential buyers
• International expansion is the white space available to these major restaurant groups
• The resources available to these super groups makes them formidable
• The M&A market is hot right now both for successful brands and those with work to do

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

In this special episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam is live in New York talking with the SVP of Strategy at Kitchen United Corey Manicone, who previously cofounded the ghost-kitchen company Zuul. He talks about the state of ghost kitchens, the opportunity that lies ahead and what to expect from ghost kitchens in 2022. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• The ghost kitchen movement is young but evolving quickly
• The ghost kitchen model creates basically limitless white space
• The digital marketplace could give way to the virtual reality marketplace

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