Welcome to Takeaway with Sam Ocas, a podcast for leaders of growing restaurant companies looking

to take their businesses to the next level. In nearly two decades covering restaurants, I've gained

access to some of this industry's most influential decision makers, and I'm letting you in on the

conversations. In today's episode, you'll hear from the founder of an Oklahoma City-based

restaurant group about why she's

obsessed with creating restaurant concepts with incredible atmosphere and about why the NBA's

thunder are not the only exciting thing bringing momentum to this growing city.

Rachel Cope is the founder and CEO of 84 Hospitality, which has four concepts in its portfolio,

including the eight-unit Empire Slice House.

Rachel, who was recently named to Our Power List of Restaurant Founders,

and who was also named a 26 James Beard semi-finalist for Outstanding Restaurateur,

opened the First Empire in 2013. And every restaurant

that she's opened since has been imbued with the five things that she says she is passionate

about. People, art, music, booze, and of course, food. In fact, 84 hospitality is so committed

to the atmosphere of their restaurants that they don't even call them restaurants.

They call them hangouts because their main goal is for customers to enjoy themselves on site and plug into their community.

Rachel joined the podcast to talk about the details that go into a great restaurant atmosphere, from a curated music playlist to free Prosecco pours and about how she's

positioning Empire Slice House and its counter-service offshoot Empire Slice Shop to be a major

growth opportunity. In this conversation, you will learn more about why a carefully tailored

restaurant atmosphere can be the difference between a good time and a great time,

why quirky real estate is a great characteristic until you need to scale, and why the restaurant

industry must resist becoming too transactional. If you learn something from this episode,

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