Tastemakers Podcast

This is a conversation with the VP of Marketing Insights for Groundtruth, Sarah Ohle. Sarah worked in marketing for T-Mobile and Palm, then designed custom research for Nielsen before landing at xAd, which is now GroundTruth. They are one of the leading technology platforms aimed at driving and measuring in-store visits by using the location data on your phone. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with the co-founder and CEO of Jrink, Shizu Okusa. Shizu started her career on Wall Street before deciding to make juicing a living. Jrink is a digitally enabled, vertically integrated juice brand with customer experience at the core. They now have 5 tasting shops in Washington DC and a growing on-demand business through their website. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Fred LeFranc, the Founder of Results Thru Strategy. Fred was the COO of El Torito & Una Mas. He was the CEO of Louise's Trattoria and Flat Rock Grille and the President of the Ruby Restaurant Group. In 2007, he launched Results thru Strategy with a focus on helping some of the largest restaurant brands in the world find their footing in a chaotic marketplace. This conversation took place at the Restaurant Technology Summit, hosted by CohnReznick.

This is a conversation with Jon Carter, the Head of Digital at Snap Kitchen. Jon developed the digital infrastructure for Live Nation and Ticketmaster before moving into the food business with Snap Kitchen. They've since become one of the most technically advanced brands in the industry. Enjoy! This is the first of a series of interviews recorded at the Restaurant Technology Summit, hosted by CohnReznick in DC.

This is a conversation with Michael Doneff, the CMO of ThinkFoodGroup. Michael has worked in the luxury space for more than 25 years, from the launch of the Michelin Guide in the US to CMO roles at Viceroy Hotel Group and Canyon Ranch before landing his current role. ThinkFoodGroup is the restaurant group started by Jose Andres including concepts like Minibar, Beefsteak, Bazaar and many others. Enjoy! This is the first of a series of interviews recorded at the Restaurant Technology Summit, hosted by CohnReznick in DC.

This is a conversation with the President & COO of La Madeleine, John Cahill. La Madeleine was opened in the heart of Dallas in 1983 by a Frenchmen who missed the tastes of his hometown. Since then, they've grown to 80 locations with many more to come as they've evolved towards a franchise model. Tastemakers will be recording a live podcast at CohnReznick's Restaurant Technology Summit with Jon Carter, Head of Digital at Snap Kitchen. The event features speakers like Josh Patchus from Cava Grill and Christopher Sebes from Heartland Commerce, on October 18th in Washington DC. To register, find the link below. Use the code TM50 for a 50% discount. https://www.cohnreznick.com/events/2017/2017-restaurant-technology-summit

This is a conversation with the Chief Insights Officer at Technomic, Darren Tristano. Technomic is an insights company in foodservice and retail that handles industry research, menu and consumer trends, volumetrics and more. We chatted about some of the bigger trends happening in the restaurant industry at the Restaurant Leadership conference last April. Tastemakers will be live at CohnReznick's Restaurant Technology Summit, which features speakers like Josh Patchus from Cava Grill and Christopher Sebes from Heartland Commerce, on October 18th in Washington DC. To register, find the link below. Use the code TM50 for a 50% discount. https://www.cohnreznick.com/events/2017/2017-restaurant-technology-summit

This is a conversation with the founder and CEO of Sense360, Eli Portnoy. Sense360 uses mobile sensors built into smartphones to understand a user's location and activity and combines that with attitudinal data to explain the "why, what, and how." Their clients include companies like Chipotle and Firehouse Subs amongst many others, He also founded ThinkNear, a pioneer in using location data to target advertising. Tastemakers will be live at CohnReznick's Restaurant Technology Summit, which features speakers like Josh Patchus from Cava Grill and Christopher Sebes from Heartland Commerce, on October 18th in Washington DC. To register, use the link below. Enter the code TM50 for a 50% discount. https://www.cohnreznick.com/events/2017/2017-restaurant-technology-summit

This is a conversation with the CEO of Pollo Campero, Tim Pulido. Tim has had a massive career in the food business with roles including SVP of Marketing for Pizza Hut, Global New Concept Development Officer at McDonalds, President and COO of Pick Up Stix, President & CEO of Shakey's, President and Chief Concept Officer of Mimi's Cafe, and the board of Technomic. Tim has led Pollo Campero, an iconic South American chicken chain, to 5 consecutive years of growth. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with the co-founder of Slim Chickens, Tom Gordon. Slim Chickens just zoomed past 60 locations on their way to 600 planned in the next decade, including their first international location which opened this year. Last year, they were ranked number 6 in Restaurant Business's Future 50 and CNBC called them one of 6 hot franchise restaurants to watch. Enjoy!

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!

This is a conversation with Chris Baggott. Chris went from technology marketer to dry cleaner to entrepreneur to farmer to restaurateur. He is the co-founder of ExactTarget, which he sold to Salesforce, and the co-founder of Compendium, which sold to Oracle. He then became a farmer with the purchase of Tyner Pond Farms and is now building ClusterTruck. ClusterTruck is what happens when technologists open a restaurant. They've re-thought the food delivery experience entirely. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Enjoy!

Next on the Tastemakers pod, a conversation with Greg Dollarhyde. Greg is the Executive Chairman and former CEO of Zoes Kitchen. Before that, he was the CEO of Veggie Grill and Baja Fresh Mexican Grill. He has also been the chairman of Riot Games, co-founded the wine company B Cellars and now invests in Starbird Chicken, teaRIOT and Drink Maple. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with the CEO of Toast, Chris Comparato. Chris has had a long career in the technology industry, most recently in executive positions with tech giants Endeca and Acquia. In 2015, he joined the Toast team, and they've since grown into one of the leading players in restaurant technology with over $2 billion in transactions. More importantly, they're reinventing the diner experience along the way. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Chris Brandt, the EVP and Chief Brand Officer at Bloomin' Brands. Chris cut his teeth in CPG at General Mills and Odwalla. He made the jump to Taco Bell in 2010, later becoming the CMO and turning them into an innovation machine. Last year, he took over all aspects of marketing for Bloomin' Brands which includes Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Michael Mabry, Chief Operating Officer of Mooyah Burgers. Michael started his career as an Executive Chef at Romano's Macaroni Grill before spending time in operations and franchise development for Brinker, Boston's Pizza and Tin Star. He joined Mooyah in 2009, and has since grown the company from 5 restaurants to more than 100, including locations in 10 different countries. Mooyah is now ranked #38 on Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers & Shakers. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Marty Hahnfeld. Marty took over as Chief Commercial Officer at Olo in 2013. Olo drives online ordering for more than 200 restaurant brands that together reach over 40 million diners. Their clients include brands like Chili's, Chipotle, Five Guys and Wingstop. We talked about how technology is transforming the restaurant industry today. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Rob Lynch. Rob cut his teeth at P&G and Heinz before moving into restaurants as the VP of Marketing at Taco Bell. In 2013, he became the Brand President and CMO at Arby's. They became an Ad Age Top Ten Marketer after a massive brand turnaround and Rob was named CMO of the Year by PR World. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with a member of restaurant royalty, David Morton. His father was the right-hand man of Hugh Hefner, where he launched the worldwide chain of Playboy Clubs before founding Morton's Steakhouse and the Taste of Chicago. The Morton family has since launched more than 100 concepts including the Hard Rock Cafe and Pink Taco. In 2009, David partnered with 5 time James Beard award nominee Michael Kornick to open DMK Restaurants. They've since launched the DMK Burger Bar, Fish Bar, and Ada Street in Chicago, among others. In a few months, he'll launch MB Steak at Hard Rock in Las Vegas with his brother Michael. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Tony Lavely. He has been the CMO of some of the largest restaurant and QSR brands in the US including Burger King, Domino's, Long John Silver's, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Church's Chicken and Friendly's Ice Cream. He currently works with Urban Plates as a part of his consulting business. We talked about his epic career and the evolution of the industry over the past 40 years. Enjoy!

'This is a conversation with Rom Krupp. Rom spent nearly two decades working in restaurant technology before founding Marketing Vitals in 2013. In 2014, they won startup of the year. In 2015, they won Company of the year in Food and Rom was named Executive of the Year. They are one of the most innovative companies in restaurant analytics today and have grown tremendously because of it. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Denise Lee Yohn. She was the director of market research and strategy at Jack in the Box and the VP of brand and strategy at Sony before starting her own consultancy working with brands like Burger King, Sprouts, Dunkin' Donuts and Jamba Juice. She is also a TED veteran, a keynote speaker and the author of What Great Brands Do, and Extraordinary Experiences, What Great Retail and Restaurant Brands Do. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Kyle Brooks, the President and Director of Marketing of the East Hampton Sandwich Company. They opened their first restaurant in 2012 and are now one of the fastest growing restaurant groups in Texas. They were also named one of the 21 best sandwich shops in America and the best sandwich shop in Dallas. Enjoy!

This is a conversation with Lisa Gross, the founder of League of Kitchens. They have been featured on the Colbert Show and Today on NBC, and David Plotz called it "probably the greatest thing that's ever been created in the world." Enjoy!

This is a conversation with the founder of Cane Rosso, Cow Tipping Creamery and Zoli's NY Pizza, Jay Jerrier. Jay has restaurants in Dallas, Houston and Austin and has owned the title of best pizza in Dallas for 5 years running.

This is a conversation with the CMO of Snap Kitchen, Tressie Lieberman. Snap Kitchen has 45 stores nationwide with aggressive growth plans and more than 50 million in funding so far. Previously, Tressie was the head of digital innovation and on demand at Taco Bell, and was the mind behind many of their buzziest social and technology initiatives over the past 5 years.