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Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation's Restaurant News
Franchising
Entrepreneurship
Social Media Marketing
Restaurant Industry
Influencer Marketing
Domino's Pizza
Community Engagement
Ziggi's Coffee
Customer Engagement
Marketing Strategy
Catering
Covid-19
Philly Pretzel Factory
Healthy Eating
AI and Robotics
Tony Roma's
Beverage Innovation
Customer Experience
Food Service
Hospitality

Hosted by Nation’s Restaurant News’ editor in chief, Take-Away with Sam Oches features 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. Each episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches provides key take-aways from Oches’ interviews, with on-the-go observati... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes163Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipBusiness

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Latest Episodes

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Julie Fussner, CEO of Culver’s, the beloved Wisconsin-based burger chain that has grown to more than 1,000 locations since Craig Culver opened the first location with his wife and parents in... more

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Anthony and Haley Sitek, the cofounders and co-owners of Crown Restaurant Group, a Cincinnati based group with seven restaurants that earlier this year expanded into a new city: Columbus, Sa... more

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with David Karam, CEO of Sbarro, the New York style pizzeria that is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. While many think of Sbarro as that mall-based pizza chain from the 80s and 90s, th... more

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Sean Thomas, cofounder of Minnie Bird, a three-unit fast-casual chicken concept that launched in Chicago two years ago and serves a range of premium chicken items alongside a lineup of dirty... more

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Recent Guests

Julie Fussner
CEO of Culver's
Culver's
Episode: Culver’s CEO on how the beloved chain pulled off 14% sales growth
Haley Sitek
Co-founder and co-owner of Crown Restaurant Group
Crown Restaurant Group
Episode: Crown Restaurant Group’s founders on scaling your business to a new city
Anthony Sitek
Co-founder and co-owner of Crown Restaurant Group; chef
Crown Restaurant Group
Episode: Crown Restaurant Group’s founders on scaling your business to a new city
David Karam
CEO of Sbarro
Sbarro
Episode: Sbarro’s CEO on how he’s completely reinvigorated the brand
Sean Thomas
Minnie Bird co-founder and Wendy's franchisee
Minnie Bird; Wendy's franchisee
Episode: Minnie Bird’s cofounder on following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Dave Thomas
Brandon Landry
Founder of Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux and Smalls Sliders
Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux; Smalls Sliders
Episode: Smalls Sliders, Walk-Ons founder Brandon Landry shares the playbook to a scalable restaurant
Josh Smith
Founder and owner of Neon Greens
Neon Greens
Episode: Neon Greens' founder on hydroponics and the need for a better supply chain
Maribeth Dela Cruz
President of Jollibee North America
Jollibee North America
Episode: Jollibee's president on the strategies that have helped it to a massive AUV
Stephan Harman
Co-founder and CEO of Fusian
Fusian
Episode: FUSIAN’s cofounder on why, 16 years in, it’s time for a brand refresh

Host

Sam Oches
Editor-in-chief at Nation's Restaurant News; hosts Take-Away with Sam Oches, focusing on interviews with restaurant CEOs and founders to extract actionable growth insights and practical takeaways.

Chart Rankings

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Culver’s CEO on how the beloved chain pulled off 14% sales growth
Q: How do you balance tradition with innovation to keep Culver's timeless while staying modern?
She emphasizes preserving core hospitality and quality while selectively adopting tech where it enhances convenience without undermining guest experience, such as order-ahead and rewards, while avoiding disruptive changes like an AI-driven drive-thru.
Culver’s CEO on how the beloved chain pulled off 14% sales growth
Q: What inspired you to pursue leadership and eventually the CEO role at Culver's?
Her early realization that marketing roles mirrored leadership responsibilities and the opportunity to lead cross-functionally eventually aligned with the CEO role, especially as she demonstrated the ability to connect teams, drive clarity, and continuously improve.
Sbarro’s CEO on how he’s completely reinvigorated the brand
Q: How do you balance honoring the brand's past with innovating for the future across global markets?
He emphasizes keeping one foot in the past to satisfy loyal fans while using new venues, recipes, and regional adaptations to meet evolving consumer tastes, paired with a relentless focus on execution and a scalable international model.
Sbarro’s CEO on how he’s completely reinvigorated the brand
Q: What opportunity did you see at Sbarro that made you take on the CEO role and pursue a full restructuring?
He explains recognizing strong brand awareness and a unique position in pizza by the slice, which allowed him to reposition Sbarro around impulse-buy, New York–style pizza, while expanding into non-mall locations to unlock new growth channels.
Sbarro’s CEO on how he’s completely reinvigorated the brand
Q: Tell me about how you first got into restaurants and why that shaped your outlook for Sbarro.
David describes a lifelong trajectory in the business, starting in Wendy's family franchise operations and learning the importance of brand leadership, decision-making, and staying close to the core consumer. This shaped his belief that leadership must actively manage brand equity and operational discipline to revive a legacy brand.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Take-Away

What is Take-Away about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on high-level conversations with restaurant operators, founders, and executives about how to scale concepts, build strong brands, and navigate an evolving foodservice landscape. Episodes typically explore growth playbooks, franchising models, operational discipline, and hospitality-centric culture, often tying strategic decisions to real-world outcomes like unit economics, supply chain resilience, and guest experience. A standout trait is the consistent emphasis on people-centric leadership and practical, actionable takeaways that operators can apply to their own businesses. The format tends to pair candid founder stories with macro insights from industry leaders, making it useful for operators, franchisors, investors, and ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Take-Away?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Take-Away:

1. Extra Serving: A restaurant industry podcast
2. How I Built This with Guy Raz
3. The CMO Podcast
4. A Deeper Dive
5. Restaurant Daily

How many episodes of Take-Away are there?

Take-Away launched 5 years ago and published 163 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Take-Away?

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What guests have appeared on Take-Away?

Recent guests on Take-Away include:

1. Julie Fussner
2. Haley Sitek
3. Anthony Sitek
4. David Karam
5. Sean Thomas
6. Brandon Landry
7. Josh Smith
8. Maribeth Dela Cruz

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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