Take-Away with Sam Oches

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Debbie Stroud, CEO of Whataburger, a 76-year-old company that now has more than 1,000 locations across 17 states. Debbie spent more than 30 years as an executive at McDonald’s and Starbucks before joining Whataburger in 2023 as COO. She was named CEO in 2025, and she’s earned a reputation as a warm and personable leader who is often found in restaurants listening to team members about how the company can improve. That’s a great fit for Whataburger, which is still partially owned by its founding family and which calls its 50,000-plus team members “family members.” Sam recently sat down with Debbie in a brand-new location outside Raleigh, NC, for an episode of the Signature Series, powered by The Coca-Cola Company, and talked about how she’s setting the tone for a family-like company culture — and about how Whataburger is tapping into its rabid fan base to expand its footprint.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• An aligned team empowered to do the work can accomplish great things
• Leaders create the conditions for success
• Data tells a story — and it should guide your decision making
• Brands should embrace the authentic relationship their guests have with them
• Curiosity plus diversified experience makes for a strong future leader

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rachel Cope, founder and CEO of 84 Hospitality, which has four concepts in its portfolio, including the eight-unit Empire Slice House. Rachel — who NRN recently named to the Power List of restaurant founders, and who was also named a 2026 James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur — opened the first Empire in 2013, and every restaurant that she’s opened since has been imbued with the five things she’s passionate about: people, art, music, booze, and of course food. In fact, 84 Hospitality is so committed to the atmosphere of their restaurants that they don’t even call them restaurants; they call them “hangouts,” because their main goal is for customers to enjoy themselves on site and plug into their community. Rachel joined the podcast to talk about the details that go into a great restaurant atmosphere — from a curated music playlist to free prosecco pours — and about how she’s positioning Empire Slice House and its counter service offshoot, Empire Slice Shop, to be a major growth opportunity.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• The best leaders figure out how to adapt to their situation
• A carefully tailored restaurant atmosphere can be the difference between a good time and a great time
• Creativity must be balanced with practicality
• Quirky real estate is a great characteristic — until you need to scale
• The restaurant industry must resist becoming too transactional

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rafael LaRue, the chief creative officer for global foodservice consultant Livit and its sister company, Fast Fine Restaurant Group. Rafael and his partners have a fascinating perspective because they study the industry at the global level, and not only do they consult on everything from guest experience and architecture to interior design, culinary, and operations, but they also put their advice into practice through their portfolio of restaurants. Sam and Rafael talked in person at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last month in Scottsdale about growing trends from around the world that are soon to influence the U.S. restaurant industry.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• There is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing concepts
• AI lets GMs and employees focus solely on guests
• AI can create one-of-a-kind restaurant experiences
• Gen Alpha is the algorithm generation — and could totally disrupt restaurants
• Authenticity will continue to win the day

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Justin Rosenberg, founder of Honeygrow, a Philadelphia based stir-fry brand. The first Honeygrow opened back in the fast-casual boom of 2012, and much like his fast-casual peers at that time, Justin quickly scaled the business into major urban markets like New York, Boston, and Chicago. But the brand found itself mired in some bad leases, and Justin realized he needed to close some locations and double down on brand excellence in order for Honeygrow to meet its full potential. Today, Honeygrow has 76 locations, and Justin and his team have created a model that ensures continuous growth in cities both big and small. Justin and Sam sat down in person at last week’s Restaurant Leadership Conference in Scottsdale to recap a session they did on the mainstage, in which they covered Honeygrow’s early brand reset and how it’s developing loyal fans in cities that aren’t always on restaurants’ radars.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Potentially strong AUVs should not fool you into bad leases
• You shouldn’t reinvent the wheel if the wheel keeps spinning
• There are no bad teams; only bad leaders
• Fast casual has a copy-cat problem

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers, a Texas-based fast casual that had 40 units at the beginning of this year but plans to double that count by the end of the year — with projections showing it could have more than 500 locations open by 2029. Garrett and his partners acquired Layne’s from founder Mike Layne in 2017 and took three years to develop the model, building out a support team at headquarters and the right infrastructure that would ensure franchisee profitability. With all that work done, Layne’s is now stepping on the accelerator and finding success even as countless other chicken chains race across the country. Garrett joined the podcast to talk about how he thinks the chicken category will shake out in the coming years — and why he thinks there’s room for 4,000 Layne’s units in the U.S. alone.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• When introducing franchising, take your time and stress test the model
• By ensuring franchisee profitability, you can ensure future growth
• A dose of humility can rev up your business’s growth
• There’s plenty of runway left for chicken — but quality and culture will determine the winners and losers

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jack Gibbons, CEO of FB Society, a Dallas-based hospitality group known for founding chains like Twin Peaks and Velvet Taco — both of which it has since sold — as well as current portfolio concepts Sixty Vines, Whiskey Cake, and Mexican Sugar, among others. As a sort of restaurant incubator, FB Society has spent the past couple of decades developing something of a recipe for successful new concepts, and as a cofounder of those concepts, Jack has discovered how founders serve as a secret ingredient to restaurant success. NRN named Jack to the just released Power List, which this year recognizes 34 restaurant founders who are improving the industry through their creative power, and Jack joined the podcast to talk about why founders can help differentiate a growing concept and why it’s important to him to pass lessons down to future restaurant leaders.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• New brand development isn’t formulaic, but it can be standardized
• Your customers will tell you what your secret sauce is
• “Founder mode” offers an extra lever for some brands to navigate growth challenges
• Restaurant leaders risk sewing confusion when they don’t filter their ideas
• You can’t change the world without taking some risks

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks once again with Kevin Hochman, president and CEO of Brinker International, parent company to Chili’s Grill & Bar. Today’s episode is part two of a conversation Sam recently had with Kevin in a Dallas area Chili’s as part of the Signature Series, powered by The Coca-Cola Company. (Check out part one of the conversation here.) This week, Sam and Kevin get in the weeds on how Chili’s has transformed into the hottest thing going in foodservice, with Kevin laying out very plainly what it took to jumpstart the brand and go from roughly $3 million AUVs to nearly $5 million in the span of three years.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Quick wins help give brand turnarounds some momentum
• You should prove your employees wrong by taking their feedback seriously
• There are no quick fixes in the restaurant industry
• Behaviors trump metrics when measuring success
• It’s OK to make mistakes, but not OK not to learn from them
• Prepare today for the opportunity waiting for you tomorrow
• Great operations plus great marketing equals unstoppable success

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

Check out more information on this years Menu Masters: https://menumastersevent.com/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=mm26&utm_content=podcast

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Kevin Hochman, president and CEO of Brinker International, parent company to Chili’s Grill & Bar. Chili’s has been the buzziest restaurant chain of the past two or three years, having recorded 19 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth with help from value deals like its $10.99 3 for Me and viral videos like its mozzarella stick cheese pull. That success took off when Kevin joined Brinker in 2022 and implemented a turnaround plan that focused first on operational improvements and then on effective marketing to drive customers into the newly improved stores. Sam recently sat down with Kevin in a Dallas area Chili’s for an episode of the Signature Series, powered by The Coca-Cola Company; this is part one of that interview, where they cover Kevin’s career in the lead-up to Chili’s and in particular the lessons that he picked up working for two iconic American institutions: Procter & Gamble and Yum Brands. Next week we’ll share part two, where they get in the weeds on how Kevin and his team have transformed Chili’s into the hottest thing going in foodservice.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You’re never a finished product
• Clear communication is critical to executing with excellence
• The answers are in the room, you just have to listen and ask the right questions
• Brands have a DNA and personality that you can’t lose sight of
• If you do the right thing for the business, no matter the ROI, you’ll win in the long term

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 Dull, CEO at Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a Wichita, Kansas-based concept that has grown to 600 locations since it first opened its doors in 2002. Freddy’s has been consistently growing all around the U.S., partly because it serves a high-quality, uncomplicated menu of burgers, fries, and custard, and partly because of its commitment to human-driven experiences. Chris has gotten a chance to see what exactly makes the brand tick as he regularly works the line at Freddy’s restaurants, a practice that has helped him streamline kitchen workflows and redesign operations. Chris joined the podcast to talk about some of the lessons he’s picked up from the frontlines and about why the pendulum is swinging back from the off-premises boom of the pandemic.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. Human beings are a brand differentiator
2. Your innovation should be crafted around what your guest gives you credit for
3. Restaurant executives must understand how their product moves through their operation
4. Managing your labor down to squeeze margin out of the business is a losing proposition

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Tom Cortese, CEO of Counter Service, an upscale sandwich concept with four New York City locations. In 2012 Tom cofounded Peloton, a brand that disrupted the fitness industry and has since become a mainstream sensation. His business partner in Counter Service is Chipotle founder Steve Ells, who in 2024 launched a robot-powered plant-based concept called Kernel before quickly pivoting to sandwiches when that automated model failed to catch on in a big way with consumers. Now Steve and Tom are using a more refined technology strategy — specifically a proprietary restaurant management system that helps them create efficiencies with labor and supply chain — to reimagine what is possible in a scalable sandwich concept. Tom joined the podcast to talk about why the restaurant industry is ripe for disruption today, the role that technology should play in that disruption, and why he thinks Counter Service could become a national sensation just like his previous company.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

1. When innovating, your first shot isn’t as important as consistent follow-through
2. Incredibly niche concepts aren’t built for scale
3. Hospitality is a quintessential part of building a scalable business
4. Technology unlocks the potential of high-quality ingredients
5. Disruptive restaurant concepts discover how to create a range of great dishes with a small number of repeatable, delicious recipes

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