In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Mohaimina “Mina” Haque, the CEO of Tony Roma’s, a legacy casual dining chain specializing in ribs that once had hundreds of locations, but which is now is in rebuild mode with a few dozen open locations, only 6 of which are in the U.S. Mina is a lawyer by trade, and she was brought on by Equity Investors of New England when it bought the chain in 2021 to do due diligence on the brand and serve as general counsel. Recognizing her potential, the board asked her in 2023 to stay on as CEO, and now Mina and her team are out to resurrect this legacy chain by essentially shifting to startup mode and designing a Tony Roma’s 2.0. Mina joined the podcast to talk about her big vision for Tony Roma’s turnaround and how the company is particularly looking out for both existing and potential franchisees. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• There is no one path to restaurant leadership 
• No matter your trade, it pays to be a professional problem solver
• Lawyers interact with all departments, which sets them up for C-suite success
• Legacy chains can find new life by acting like startups 
• Get rid of meetings and replace them with brainstorm sessions
• In the midst of tech innovation, be sure to protect your brand identity 
• Social media offers low-hanging fruit for amplifying your brand

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