In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Anita Adams, CEO of California-based Black Bear Diner, a 150-unit franchise that is adapting to more off-premises service while also protecting its core offering: a warm, friendly experience inside the four walls. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• Off-premises service is sticky for those full-service brands that hadn’t previously invested much in it
• Full-service brands should strive to convert new, off-premises guests into dine-in guests
• The off-premises revolution is about giving customers more control over their experiences
• If you weathered the pandemic and emerged on solid footing, it’s time to go on the offensive

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

Visit www.nrn.com for more information, and register for CREATE: The Future of Foodservice at www.informaconnect.com/create.

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Nick Stone, founder and CEO of Bluestone Lane, a New York based coffee and café chain that’s inspired by the coffee culture of Nick’s native Australia, and which is investing in the intersection between artisanal products and service with digital-driven convenience.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• Convenience is not always king
• Creating premium experiences doesn’t require ditching digital tools
• You can create multiple concepts for multiple use cases
• There is opportunity at the intersection between the home and the office
• Young families are a goldmine for long-term loyalty — and breakfast is the daypart to bring them in

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

Visit www.nrn.com for more information, and register for CREATE: The Future of Foodservice at www.informaconnect.com/create.

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Scott Lawton, cofounder and CEO of Bartaco, which experienced a whiplash-worthy evolution during the pandemic to a digital-forward experience that has completely changed how the brand will operate in the future.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• The digital revolution is poised to totally shake up the full-service industry;
• Restaurants have only scratched the surface with data;
• Digital tools like smartphones can’t replace your workforce entirely;
• Solving the labor crisis requires a deeper commitment to better employees.

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

Visit www.nrn.com for more information, and register for CREATE: The Future of Foodservice at www.informaconnect.com/create.

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Betsy Hamm, CEO of Duck Donuts, the emerging doughnut franchise that in the past year survived what many thought would be the demise of the breakfast daypart, crossed the 100-location milestone, and even found a new owner that is set to carry the brand into a brighter future. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why: 

• Flexibility is key to surviving crises;
• Operators should look for opportunities outside their core competencies;
• The pandemic proved restaurants always have another gear; 
• You should adjust your experience to fit your real estate;
• You shouldn’t get too caught up in growth mode;
• Your attitude in how you lead goes a long way.

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

Visit www.nrn.com for more information, and register for CREATE: The Future of Foodservice at www.informaconnect.com/create.

In the inaugural episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Zach McLeroy, CEO and founder of Zaxby’s, the chicken fast casual born in Athens, Georgia, that has grown to more than 900 locations doing roughly $2 billion in annual sales.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Being efficient can be smarter than being fancy;
• Transferring the experience of the restaurant’s interior to the exterior is important;
• Being calculated and methodical in your growth is a wise expansion strategy;
• It’s never too late to bring on an equity partner;
• You should go toe to toe with your competitors, even if it requires major change.

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

Visit www.nrn.com for more information, and register for CREATE: The Future of Foodservice at www.informaconnect.com/create.

Nation’s Restaurant News is excited to announce the launch of Take-Away with Sam Oches, its latest podcast serving the needs of the U.S. foodservice industry.

Hosted by NRN editor in chief Sam Oches, Take-Away will feature interviews with CEOs and founders of restaurant companies big and small, sharing their stories and ideas for the future but also real, tangible insights for how to innovate in our foodservice future.

“No industry evolves quite as quickly as restaurants — and that was true even before the COVID-19 pandemic,” Oches said. “Restaurant leaders were forced through an intense period of rapid innovation in the past year, inventing the future of food on the fly as they navigated unprecedented barriers to getting their menu items into the hands of loyal guests.”

Each week, Take-Away with Sam Oches will share a candid one-on-one interview along with Oches’ Take-Away — on-the-go observations about how each leader’s strategy fits within the broader foodservice context, and what actionable insights you should be applying to your own business.

Oches, who joined NRN in May, has covered the restaurant industry for over a decade, and previously hosted the podcast “Fast Forward.” Take-Away will tap into his access to leading foodservice innovators who have an outsized role in influencing the way that Americans eat — those leaders who are responsible for guiding this undercurrent of change in the restaurant industry.

“I want to give you an all-access pass to those decision makers. I want to give you a peek behind the curtain as they create that change and leave their fingerprints all over the future of how and what we eat,” Oches said. “I want to show you how the chief executive of a billion-dollar company can still engage directly with store employees, and how a startup entrepreneur can affect change that resonates far beyond their footprint.”

Subscribe to Take-Away with Sam Oches on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.