A podcast that feeds food & beverage brands

EP77

Duck Donuts is one of the fastest growing donut shops in the nation, with 32 new locations last year and another 45 planned this year. The brand’s fresh, made-to-order donuts are a big part of that successful formula. Leading that growth is marketer-turned-CEO Betsy Hamm. 

In this episode of Forktales, Michael and Betsy talk about the Duck Donuts origin story, what makes an ideal franchisee, managing rapid growth and why donuts really are the key to happiness.  


Forktales
Forktales
Ep 77: Betsy Hamm / CEO of Duck Donuts
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Forktales is a podcast and video series that feeds the food, beverage, restaurant, and hospitality industries with insights, innovations, and incredibly entertaining stories. Each episode we interview the industry's leaders from veterans to the up and comers, to get a glimpse of trends, trials, tribulations, and more.

Latest Episodes & News

Ep 77: Betsy Hamm / CEO of Duck Donuts

Duck Donuts is one of the fastest growing donut shops in the nation, with 32 new locations last year and another 45 planned this year. The brand’s fresh, made-to-order donuts are a big part of that successful formula. Leading that growth is marketer-turned-CEO Betsy Hamm.

In this episode of Forktales, Michael and Betsy talk about the Duck Donuts origin story, what makes an ideal franchisee, managing rapid growth and why donuts really are the key to happiness.

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Ep 76: Jay Cipra / CEO of Broaster Company

If you live in Wisconsin and the surrounding region, you know broasted chicken and how good it is. And the only way to make broasted chicken is with pressure-frying equipment and ingredients from Broaster Company. Jay Cipra is the CEO of Broaster Company and one of the many people tasked with promoting and protecting that trademark.

On the menu in this episode of Forktales, Michael and Jay talk about global expansion, pressure-fried cheesecakes, the future of pressure-frying in the home and how a passionate consumer base can be a brand’s best police force when it comes to protecting a brand.

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Ep 75: Mark Schostak / Executive Chairman of TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants

Mark Schostak is the third generation of a four-generation family business that oversees 150 restaurants throughout Michigan. It’s a portfolio of culinary options that includes Applebee’s, MOD Pizza, Wendy’s and the company’s own brand, Olga’s Kitchen.

In this episode of Forktales, Michael and Mark talk about core values, the challenges of instilling those core values on teams spread across 150 locations, how to retain talent, why looking within to recruit high-quality managers is always a good idea and how to keep tabs on your restaurant’s competitors.

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Ep 74: Rob Grimes / Founder & CEO of IFBTA

As the founder and CEO of the International Food & Beverage Technology Association (IFBTA), Rob Grimes spends his time forecasting tech trends and helping brands apply those trends to stay one step ahead of the competition.

In this episode of Forktales, Rob joins us from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas where he offers his thoughts on what’s hot (and what’s not) at CES, drones, robotics, the rise of electric vehicles, and why we should all keep an open mind about plant-based steaks.

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Ep 73: Andrew Glantz / Founder of GiftAMeal

Studies have shown that 84% of Gen Z shoppers are more likely to purchase from a brand if the brand gives back and 71% of Millennials would pay more for a product if they knew that some of the proceeds were going to a good cause. That’s the inspiration behind GiftAMeal, an app created by Andrew Glantz that makes a donation to local food banks when diners take photos of their meals at participating restaurants.

In this episode of Forktales, Michael and Andrew talk about cause marketing, the profits-with-a-purpose business model, entrepreneurial spirit and how GiftAMeal beat out thousands of competitors to win a $25,000 Amazon Business grant.

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Ep 72: James Passafaro / Co-Founder of opsi

James has 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry and a strong vision for technology’s role in it. One day, while working as a chef de cuisine in an overworked, frenzied and disorganized kitchen, that tech vision and the need to create a more streamlined and organized kitchen became the inspiration behind opsi.

In this episode of Forktales, James talks about how opsi is changing how modern operators manage restaurants. James and Michael also talk about robots in restaurants, elk recipes and the light switch moment as an 11-year-old that made James pursue a career in the kitchen.

Read More »
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