This week on the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with Richard Byers, President of Cash-Wa Distributing. Richard’s unique journey from working in an Italian restaurant in Philly to leading a major food distributor highlights his resilience and dedication to continuous learning. He talks about the ups and downs of his career, the challenges of closing facilities, the impact of major industry acquisitions, and the importance of cultivating strong relationships with both customers and suppliers. Nick and Richard explore the impact of great leadership and communication, and the significance of maintaining good relationships in the food service business.

This week on the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with John Miller, President and COO of Legacy Food Group. John Miller dives into the dynamics of the food service industry, discussing how he transitioned from banking into food distribution and the valuable lessons learned along the way. Nick and John discuss the significance of leveraging strong relationships, understanding geographical and customer segment fits in acquisitions and the importance of clean, detailed information during deal-making. John also offers practical advice for those looking to grow in their careers.

This week on the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with Sean Lyons, Managing Partner of Up Hospitality Partners. Sean shares his enriching journey from a finance graduate at Purdue University to becoming a prominent name in the Tennessee restaurant scene. Sean and Nick explore the practical aspects of finding investors, structuring deals, and the significance of robust operational systems. Using his experiences from working within industry-leading restaurant groups, Sean explains the benefits of surrounding oneself with experienced professionals and adopting reliable systems and processes.

This week on the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with Mike Bausch, Award-Winning Restaurateur & Certified Master Pizzaiolo. Mike shares his journey from law school dropout to owning twelve restaurants across seven brands. Nick and Mike discuss effective restaurant management, building a strong brand, and creating a thriving staff culture. Whether you’re a restaurateur or a business enthusiast, this episode delivers actionable advice on cultivating success in the food service industry.

This week on the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo continues interviewing food service titans in his “Across America in 50 Weeks” series. Nick speaks with Chris Munz, Vice President of Growth at Voosh, a company offering data-driven tools aimed at optimizing profitability for restaurant owners. Nick and Chris explore the dynamic food scene in Maine and discuss Voosh’s role in helping restaurants manage third-party delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats. Chris also shares insights into the importance of data-driven decisions, handling disputes, and the future of restaurant technology.

In this week’s episode of the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with Johnny Hughes, a veteran of Tyson Foods who has seen the company grow from $4 billion to over $50 billion in his time there. Johnny discusses his career journey from the operations floor to a senior vice president role in sales at Tyson Foods. He shares valuable insights into the benefits of understanding the manufacturing side of the business to excel in sales, how he built and maintained an extensive professional network and the importance of positivity and teamwork.