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!

Tastemakers Podcast

Mimi's Bistro & Bakery - Tiffany McClain

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!

Original ChopShop & bellagreen - Jason Morgan

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!

Culver's - Joe Koss

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!

Hooters - Jim Parrish

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!

Front Burner Restaurants - Jack Gibbons

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!

True Food Kitchen - Christine Barone

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!

Boston Market - Frances Allen

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!

Restaurant Business - Jonathan Maze

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!

Corner Bakery - Donna Josephson

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!

Mongolian Concepts - Doug Willmarth

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!

Rave Restaurant Group - Bob Bafundo

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!

Saladworks - Jena Henderson

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!

FreeRange Concepts - Kyle Noonan

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!

Fazoli's - Jodie Conrad

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!

Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill - Phil Friedman

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.

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Tastemakers Podcast

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