Tastemakers Podcast

The Tastemakers podcast is a behind the scenes look at the marketing of food and restaurants. We’re talking to people in the business of selling food including founders, marketers, chefs, investors, technologists and data analysts to find out how they do their part creating experiences that their customers love. We're brought to you by Plein Air, the agency that helps brands grow through connected, shareable and useful customer experiences.

Hopdoddy & Grub Burger Bar - Jeff Chandler 06/14/2022

Hopdoddy & Grub Burger Bar - Jeff Chandler This is a conversation with the CEO of HiBar Hospitality Group, Jeff Chandler. HiBar is the newly formed entity that runs Hopdoddy Burger Bar and Grub Kitchen & Bar, both experiential combinations of premium burgers and a bar setting. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/23431130

Pokeworks - Jayson Tipp 06/14/2022

Pokeworks - Jayson Tipp This is a conversation with Jayson Tipp, the Chief Marketing Officer of Pokeworks. Jayson has had an incredibly interesting career including Strategy, Analytics, and Technology leadership roles at Starbucks, Potbelly, Redbox, Papa Murphy’s, Pincho, and Bridg. Pokeworks is a high-growth fast-casual Poke restaurant that launched in 2015 and already has more than 60 locations today. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/23431076

Nextbite - Alex Canter 06/14/2022

Nextbite - Alex Canter This is a conversation with Alex Canter, a fourth-generation restaurateur originally from Canter’s Deli. After multiple successful restaurant tech ventures, he started Nextbite to help restaurants fill unused capacity with virtual dining concepts. Those include Packed Bowls by Wiz Khalifa and George Lopez Tacos. In 2020, they closed their 120 million dollar series c round of funding. This year, he was a member of Nation’s Restaurant News Top 50 Power List. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/23430986

Mimi's Bistro & Bakery - Tiffany McClain 09/11/2019

Mimi's Bistro & Bakery - Tiffany McClain This is a conversation with Tiffany McClain. She is the head of marketing for Mimi’s Cafe, which is now Mimi’s Bistro & Bakery. Previously, she held senior leadership roles with Fridays, Texas de Brazil, Which Wich, and Boston’s Restaurant and Sports Bar. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/11210300

Original ChopShop & bellagreen - Jason Morgan 08/23/2019

Original ChopShop & bellagreen - Jason Morgan This is a conversation with Jason Morgan. He is the CEO of bellagreen and Original Chopshop and a board member for Newk’s Eatery. He joined the restaurant industry in 2008 when he became the CFO of Zoe’s Kitchen when the brand had only 20 units, then helped lead it all the way to IPO. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last April. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/10972304

Culver's - Joe Koss 08/13/2019

Culver's - Joe Koss This is a conversation with Joe Koss, the President & CEO of Culver’s. Joe started at Culver’s as Controller in 1997 before getting elevated to CFO just 3 years later. In 2017, he took the helm as CEO. Culver’s is one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in the US, now with nearly 700 locations and $1.5B in sales. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last April. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/10872595

Hooters - Jim Parrish 08/02/2019

Hooters - Jim Parrish This is a conversation with the great Jim Parrish. Over his career, Jim has been the COO of Hooters, Friendly’s Ice Cream, and Church’s Chicken. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last April. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/10752932

Front Burner Restaurants - Jack Gibbons 07/17/2019

Front Burner Restaurants - Jack Gibbons This is a conversation with Jack Gibbons, the President and COO of Front Burner Restaurants. They are the minds behind brands like Twin Peaks, Velvet Taco, Whiskey Cake, Ida Claire, Mexican Sugar, the Ranch, Sixty Vines, Legacy Food Hall and more. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last April. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/10557896

True Food Kitchen - Christine Barone 07/09/2019

True Food Kitchen - Christine Barone This is a conversation with Christine Barone, the CEO of True Food Kitchen. Christine started her career in investment banking before making her way into the food business. She spent nearly 6 years with Starbucks with roles including VP, Global Strategy, VP, Food, VP, Handcrafted Coffee, and SVP of food, evenings and licensed stores. True Food Kitchen has nearly 30 locations across the US, with another 9 opening by next spring. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/10455491

Boston Market - Frances Allen 06/26/2019

Boston Market - Frances Allen This is a conversation Frances Allen, the CEO of Boston Market. Frances is an industry luminary with roles including Brand President at Jack in the Box, EVP & Chief Brand Officer of Denny’s, CMO at Dunkin, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson, and VP of Marketing at Pepsi. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/10305620

Restaurant Business - Jonathan Maze 06/19/2019

Restaurant Business - Jonathan Maze This is a conversation with Jonathan Maze, the Executive Editor of Restaurant Business and one of the most important and well-known journalists in the restaurant industry. He also has his own podcast called a Deeper Dive. This episode was recorded at the NRA show last May and hosted by Restaurant365. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/10213271

Corner Bakery - Donna Josephson 06/11/2019

Corner Bakery - Donna Josephson This is a conversation with Donna Spangler-Josephson, the Chief Marketing Officer at Corner Bakery. Donna had leadership roles at Chick-fil-a, Applebee’s, and Wendy’s, and was CMO of McAlister’s Deli and Fazoli’s. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/10122669

Mongolian Concepts - Doug Willmarth 05/21/2019

Mongolian Concepts - Doug Willmarth This is a conversation with Doug Willmarth, the CMO at Mongolian Concepts. He’s leading marketing for their family of brands including Ghengis Grill, bd’s Mongolian Grill, and FlatTop Grill. Over his career, Doug has been the CMO of Wingstop and Rave Motion Pictures and held senior leadership roles at Yum!, Pepsico, and Brinker. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/9866390

Rave Restaurant Group - Bob Bafundo 05/17/2019

Rave Restaurant Group - Bob Bafundo This is a conversation with Bob Bafundo, the President of the Rave Restaurant Group. Rave is the owner of Pizza Inn and Pie Five. Over his career, he’s been the President of Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, Sr. VP of Ops at Back Yard Burgers, and Sr. Director of Ops at KFC. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/9824174

Saladworks - Jena Henderson 05/13/2019

Saladworks - Jena Henderson This is a conversation with Jena Henderson, the VP of Growth at Saladworks. Saladworks has been making salads to order since before it was the cool thing to do. They now have more than 100 locations in 15 states. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/9764108

FreeRange Concepts - Kyle Noonan 05/09/2019

FreeRange Concepts - Kyle Noonan This is a conversation with Kyle Noonan, the co-founder and CEO of FreeRange concepts. Kyle cut his teeth in the Pappas restaurants family before opening his first restaurant in 2012. Only 7 years later, they’re building a restaurant empire that includes Bowl & Barrel, Mutt’s Canine Cantina, The General Public, the Rustic, and more to come. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/9717533

Fazoli's - Jodie Conrad 05/01/2019

Fazoli's - Jodie Conrad This is a conversation with Jodie Conrad, the VP of Marketing at Fazoli’s. Jodie has held marketing leadership positions at Wendy’s and Donato’s and became the head of marketing for the Fazoli’s brand in 2017. Fazoli’s has more than 215 locations in 26 states. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/9604715

Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill - Phil Friedman 04/25/2019

Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill - Phil Friedman This is a conversation with Phil Friedman, the CEO of Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill. Phil was the Chairman and CEO of McAlister's Deli, a brand he grew from 30 to over 300 locations. In 2011, he purchased the Salsarita’s brand and become the Chairman and CEO. They are now up to 80 locations in 17 states. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/9529214

NRG, Rave, Yum! Brands - Randy Gier 04/16/2019

NRG, Rave, Yum! Brands - Randy Gier This is a conversation with Randy Gier. Randy is a true giant in our industry. He was the CMO of KFC, Pizza Hut, Yum!, Dr. Pepper Snapple, Borden Dairy, and Gamestop and was also the CEO of Rave - the parent of Pie Five and Pizza Inn. He is now running NRG, a private restaurant operating and holding company. This episode was recorded at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit in Kentucky. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/9421037

Carls Jr. - Patty Trevino 03/28/2019

Carls Jr. - Patty Trevino This is a conversation with Patty Trevino, the head of marketing for the Carls Jr. brand and the SVP of Marketing at CKE. Over her career, she’s been the CMO of Bonefish Grill, the VP of Product Marketing at Outback, and the Director of Global Brand Marketing at Burger King. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/9170918

Qu - Amir Hudda 03/12/2019

Qu - Amir Hudda This is a conversation with Amir Hudda, the CEO at Qu. Amir is a technology entrepreneur who has started and grown 4 startups and raised over 100 million dollars. With Qu, they’ve reimagined point of sale for the unique needs of fast casual and quick service restaurants. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/8974769

Yumpingo - Gary Goodman 02/08/2019

Yumpingo - Gary Goodman This is a conversation with Gary Goodman, the founder of Yumpingo. They are a restaurant intelligence company that’s making customer feedback a more natural part of the dining experience, then sharing that feedback with operators in a more granular and actionable form. They recently launched into the US in a deal with Fridays. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/8570924

Cava - Brett Schulman 02/01/2019

Cava - Brett Schulman This is a conversation with Brett Schulman, the CEO of Cava. Cava Grill is one of the fastest growing restaurants in the country, and the Cava Group became one of the largest fast-casual companies in the US with their purchase of Zoe’s Kitchen last year. This was recorded at the Restaurant Technology Summit in Washington DC which is hosted by the great people at Cohn Reznick. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/8483897

Episode 62 - Roy Rogers - Jeremy Biser 11/09/2018

Episode 62 - Roy Rogers - Jeremy Biser This is a conversation with Jeremy Biser, the Executive Vice President of the iconic brand Roy Rogers. Jeremy came from the Dunkin Brands Group, where he held leadership positions within Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/7500449

Episode 61 - California Pizza Kitchen - Adam Tabachnikoff 09/21/2018

Episode 61 - California Pizza Kitchen - Adam Tabachnikoff This is a conversation with Adam Tabachnikoff, the SVP of Marketing for California Pizza Kitchen. Adam cut his teeth in the Burger King system working his way to Director, Global Product Marketing. He then led international marketing for Church’s Chicken before expanding his role to VP of Marketing Activation and Product Development. From there, he joined the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf as the SVP of Global Marketing, and then joined CPK earlier this year. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/7072538

Episode 60 - Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar - Chris Simms 09/14/2018

Episode 60 - Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar - Chris Simms This is a conversation with Chris Simms, the founder of Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar. Lazy Dog was inspired by Chris’s trips to his parent's ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They are one of the fastest growing restaurants in the US. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/7046431

Episode 59 - TGI Fridays - Sherif Mityas 09/06/2018

Episode 59 - TGI Fridays - Sherif Mityas This is a conversation with Sherif Mityas. Sherif is the Chief Experience Officer for TGI Fridays. Over the past two and a half years with Fridays, he’s led their transition from merely dabbling with new technologies to now thinking of themselves as a technology brand that happens to sell beer and ribs. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/7012537

Episode 58 - KROST - Robert Benson 08/31/2018

Episode 58 - KROST - Robert Benson This is a conversation with Robert Benson. Robert is an industry veteran with experience at California Chicken Cafe, Sea View Restaurants, Water Grill, Open Menu inc, and Claim Jumper Restaurants. He now manages restaurant operations for Krost CPAs and consultants. We chatted at the Restaurant365 booth at the NRA show. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/6991690

Episode 57 - XtraChef - Andy Schwartz 08/27/2018

Episode 57 - XtraChef - Andy Schwartz This is a conversation with Andy Schwartz. Andy is the co-founder and CEO of Xtrachef. Xtrachef simplifies how restaurants manage their inventory and invoicing and makes it easier to manage the back of the house towards profitability. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/6972256

Episode 56 - Krystal, Ovation, Fiesta Group - Jason Abelkop 08/22/2018

Episode 56 - Krystal, Ovation, Fiesta Group - Jason Abelkop This is a conversation with Jason Abelkop. Jason has held CMO roles with Krystal, Ovation Brands, and the Fiesta Restaurant Group. He was also the SVP of Marketing and National Media for Arby’s. Enjoy! /episode/index/show/tastemakers/id/6956526

Tastemakers Podcast

TOPICS