Take-Away with Sam Oches

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Russell Weiner, the chief executive officer at Domino’s Pizza, at the company’s headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich. Russell shares the strategies that have driven Domino’s to become a dominant global leader in pizza, and he reflects on his 17 years with the company, which included what could be the most remarkable brand transformation in retail history. Sam also talks with Russell about how brand perception can affect product quality, why you have to rethink the KPIs you’re using to measure success, and how a disciplined decision making process can ensure consistent innovation. 

This is part of NRN’s 2025 Brand Icon package featuring Domino’s and powered by The Coca-Cola Company; for more, click here.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• A singular focus will help you accomplish bigger success
• Your brand perception is probably affecting your product quality 
• The success of your innovation might not be what you think it is 
• By promoting a fun working atmosphere, you’ll have harder working teams 
• With a disciplined decision-making process, you’ll stay ahead of the game

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Kate Trumbull, EVP and global chief marketing officer at Domino’s Pizza, in person at the chain’s Ann Arbor, Mich., headquarters. She joined the podcast to talk about why Domino’s takes big swings in its marketing, how it crafts its voice in the social media age, and what went into that major brand refresh the company announced earlier this month. 

This is part of NRN’s 2025 Brand Icon package featuring Domino’s and powered by The Coca-Cola Company; for more, click here. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• If your marketing doesn’t feel a little risky, then you’re not pushing hard enough 
• Social media audiences need content that is surprising or unexpected 
• Consumers must be a part of the conversation when you make big changes
• Consumers notice and appreciate even subtle changes to your brand
• Work on your brand is never finished 

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Lars Smith, chef and owner of State of Mind Pub in Palo Alto, Calif., and Abby Hughes, head of growth strategy for Belle Communication. They’ve been tracking the rise of chef content on Instagram and TikTok, and joined the podcast to share their tips both for chefs and foodservice businesses on how to leverage chefs for exposure in the age of social media, and why authenticity is key to any partnership between a brand and a chef. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• The industry continues to turn to social media for menu inspiration
• There’s nobody better suited to inspire menu innovation on social media than chefs 
• If you have a particular SKU you’re trying to push, a chef can help
• The best chef partnerships are those that are authentic 
• Most restaurateurs don’t have time for the formal foodservice channels

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Mark Cote, CEO of both Wild Wing Café and Back Yard Burgers since 2022. The brands each recently emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Mark joined the podcast to talk about the filing process, how to prepare for it, what it looks like, and why there’s reason for optimism even when it seems like the sky is falling.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• If you hire people with your same skill set, you’ll fail miserably
• Bankruptcy is about the future more than failure 
• Nobody in the bankruptcy process wants you to fail 
• You still have to run a smart business during a bankruptcy filing 
• If you think bankruptcy is in your future, start preparing now 
• Through thick and thin, never lose sight of who you are as a brand

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Mark Greenblatt, president of Barry Bagel, a Toledo, Ohio-based franchise founded by Mark’s dad Barry Greenblatt back in 1972. He joined the podcast to talk about the lessons he picked up working alongside his dad, how he’s learned big lessons from dumb mistakes, and how he’s finding efficiencies in the business without messing with the good thing his dad started. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You should consider the personification of your brand — and lean into it for marketing 
• Brand leaders must lead by example if they expect hard work
• Your dumbest mistakes are a chance to learn your biggest lessons
• A hub-and-spoke growth model gives you great real estate flexibility 
• Catering is a bigger opportunity than you probably realize

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Koji Kanematsu, founder of Onigilly Japanese Kitchen, a San Francisco based franchise introducing Americans to the rice ball snack onigiri. He joined the podcast to talk about the brand’s humble beginnings as a food cart, how he had to completely rethink his product to adapt to American palates, and how COVID forced him to focus on a new growth strategy — much to the brand’s benefit.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Great brands can start in the smallest of footprints
• Manually operating your brand from the start is the best way to know its true potential
• It’s better to adapt your product to the market rather than wait for the other way around
• You should embrace the opportunity for a brand reset 
• If you believe in your brand, you can’t afford to quit

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Kaleb Harrell, cofounder and CEO at Hawkers Asian Street Food, a 15-unit casual chain based in Orlando. Hawkers filed for bankruptcy in September 2024, even though it had been enjoying double-digit year-over-year sales growth. The bankruptcy filing was to protect the brand from an overreaching lender, and after settling that dispute earlier this year, Hawkers entered into an equity deal with Utah-based Savory Fund. Harrell joined the podcast to explain the bankruptcy decision and share his tips for selecting the right financial partner. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You should give your guests credit for the details they notice
• There’s no finish line when you’re growing a restaurant brand
• Great execution is way more important than fast growth
• Your financial partner’s values must align with your own
• Tenacity and perseverance breed success
• Think through short and long term when choosing a capital partner
• In every great story, the protagonist faces challenges

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Michael Meche, president of Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes. Michael has three decades of experience in the restaurant industry, most of that with Papa Johns, where he started as a store employee before working his way up to vice president of franchise operations. He then spent a few years at Capriotti’s and Wing Zone before taking on his current role earlier this summer. Michael has a passion for operational excellence, particularly as it relates to franchisee success, and he’s bringing that passion to Mooyah, the Dallas-based better-burger brand with around 75 locations. He joined the podcast to talk about his philosophy on great operations, franchise growth, and how to turn a minimum wage job into a career you can be passionate about.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• If you don’t know how to run the restaurant, it’s hard to do anything else
• No matter how fast you scale, don’t forget to grow one restaurant at a time 
• Great operations are what help you beat the restaurant across the street
• You should equip your employees with life-long skills
• The most important thing you can give your team is your time

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

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 Ball, president of FiiZ Drinks, a specialty soda shop franchise that started in Utah in 2014 and now has more than 70 locations across the U.S. With about 150 locations in the pipeline, FiiZ is capitalizing on the incredible rise in dirty soda’s popularity, but the brand features a wide range of beverages plus food items like cookies, popcorn, pretzels, and cookie dough bites. Scott joined FiiZ about a year ago after spending 17 years as the head of a Dunkin’ franchise, and he recently sat down with Sam in person at a location outside Columbus, Ohio, to talk about the category’s remarkable growth and the keys to sustaining that momentum in ways that past trends could not.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• The secret ingredient to dirty soda’s success is the fun factor
• The beverage category is an all-day opportunity 
• Menu customization is not dead
• Nontraditional could be fuel for the ongoing beverage boom
• The ability to innovate could make or break beverage brands

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

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

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rick Cardenas, the CEO of Darden Restaurants. This is the fourth edition in our Signature Series — in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company — which are conversations with some of the biggest CEOs in the restaurant industry. Rick started as a bus boy at Red Lobster when he was 16 years old, and over the course of four decades he climbed the entire ladder of the company that would become Darden, rising to the chief executive role in May of 2022. He joined the podcast to talk not only about Darden’s growth strategy and the role the company plays in the lives of its loyal customers, but also about his remarkable career and the lessons that restaurant employees of all types can pull from it.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Every restaurant has employees who have the ability to grow and develop
• The broader your experience, the better a leader you become
• As a leader, you either play not to lose or you play to win
• If you’re not getting passed over for jobs, then you’re not dreaming big enough 
• As you scale, you should lean into what you know
• You don’t have to sacrifice your values in order to innovate
• Your employees create your culture, so invest in them accordingly

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

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