Tastemakers Podcast

This is a conversation with Josh Patchus, the Chief Data Scientist and Director of Technology for Cava Grill. Cava is one of the hottest restaurant startups in the US, with 90 million in investor funding, 30+ restaurants open, many more in the pipeline, and a growing prepared foods business as well. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Jimmy Harmon. Jimmy worked his way up from a team member at Taco Bell to running multiple units for the corporate team. He spent 11 years at Arby's on both the franchise and corporate side. Most recently, he became the CEO of Bennett Management, a large Burger King franchisee and owner of the famous Tony Packo's restaurant. They are now charting much bigger future for this legendary chain. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Michael L Atkinson. Michael made a career of working on big restaurant and technology deals as an investment banker. In 2007, he launched FohBoh which became a leading social media company serving the food service industry, including a membership group of over 100,000. Last year, he founded Orderscape, a new conversational commerce platform that connects restaurants to customers through voice and chat. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Jae Kim, the founder of Chi'Lantro. Jae opened his first food truck serving Korean BBQ inspired food in 2010 when he was 26. Since then, they've grown to brick and mortar locations and food trucks all over Austin and are currently expanding to new cities in Texas. Last year, Jae appeared on Shark Tank and got a deal with Barbara Corcoran. Chi'Lantro is also the original maker of Kimchi fries. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Christopher Sebes. Christopher had a massive career in hotels and restaurants before finding his way into restaurant technology. He is now the President of Heartland Commerce which is one of the largest restaurant POS providers with clients including Taco Bell, Arby's and Jack in the Box. They're about to launch their cloud-based, device agnostic point of sale system called Xenial. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Michael Abt. Michael grew up on the franchise side of the business, working his way up through the ranks at the largest franchisee in the Arby's system. He then went to the corporate side at Arby's as the SVP of Operations before taking on the CEO role at Huddle House, a 400 or so restaurant chain that focuses on making 'Any meal, Any time.' Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Jordan Thaeler. Jordan is the co-founder of WhatsBusy, a data science company for restaurants and retailers that he launched in 2011. I met Jordan through a site he created called Reforming Retail. It's one of the most thought-provoking sites on the restaurant industry. It also pulls no punches, and neither does Jordan in this interview. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Geoff Goodman. Geoff has been in the cravings business for nearly 20 years, including leadership roles at Bruster's Ice Cream, Rita's Italian Ice and Cici's Pizza. He is now the President of Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt. They have about 300 locations and are now developing new brand concepts including Purpose Snackery, Eote coffee and Crazy Doughs Pizza. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Mike Lukianoff. Mike founded Czar Metrics in 2009, which focused on analytics for restaurants and retailers. In 2015, the company joined forces with Fishbowl. Mike now leads their analytics practice. Fishbowl now serves over 65,000 restaurant locations. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Paul Mangiamele. Paul is a former boxer who trained under the legendary boxing coach Cus D'amato. He's spent over 30 years in restaurant and hospitality, having held the CEO role at Salsarita's Fresh Cantina and Dalt's Classic American Grill, and the COO role at Sport Clips. He is now the Owner, Chairman and CEO of Legendary Restaurant Brands, the parent of Bennigan's, Bennigan's on the Fly and Steak and Ale. Enjoy!