Handel’s CEO and CMO on being good stewards of a heritage brand

Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation's Restaurant News

Business, Entrepreneurship

2.5 • 15 Ratings

🗓️ 7 January 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Jennifer Schuler and Hillary Frei, the CEO and CMO, respectively, of Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, a treat franchise that has around 150 locations across the country and is celebrating 80 years in business this year. Jennifer and Hillary are both fairly new to Handel’s, but they’ve already brought an exciting energy to the company as they seek to find a balance between its rich heritage and its potential for fast growth. They joined the podcast to talk about how they see themselves as stewards of the Handel’s legacy and how this brand excels by being a member of its local communities.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

Brand development isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon
Restaurant executives should respect the arcs of their respective brands
Generosity is an underappreciated characteristic of successful brands
Your franchisees should reflect your brand values
Your guests may treat you as an independent restaurant, and you should lean into it

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, welcome to Takeaway with Sam Ocas, a podcast from Nation's Restaurant News. I am Sam
0:05.6	Ocas editor-in-chief here at NRN, and this is the show where I give you an all-access pass
0:10.1	to the restaurant industry's most influential decision-makers. This week I'm talking with
0:15.0	Jennifer Schuller and Hillary Fry, the CEO and CMO, respectively, of Handel's homemade ice cream, a treat franchise that has
0:24.2	around 150 locations across the country and which is celebrating 80 years in business this
0:30.5	year. Jennifer and Hillary are both fairly new to Handels, but they've already brought an
0:35.8	exciting energy to the company as they seek to
0:38.6	find a balance between its rich heritage and its potential for fast growth.
0:43.4	They joined the podcast to talk about how they see themselves as stewards of the Handel's legacy
0:48.6	and how this brand excels by being a member of its local communities.
0:53.9	In this interview, you will learn more about why
0:55.8	brand development is a marathon, not a sprint, why restaurant executives should respect the arcs
1:01.8	of their respective brands, and why your franchisees should reflect your brand values.
1:08.1	Jumping now into my interview with Handel's Jennifer Schuller and Hillary Fry. Also,
1:12.7	don't forget to stick around after the interview as I will share my five takeaways from this
1:16.3	discussion, actionable insights that you can take with you on the go.
1:23.2	Jen Schuller and Hillary Frye of Handel's ice cream. Guys, thanks so much for joining me today.
1:29.1	Happy to be here.
1:30.3	Happy to be here.
1:31.4	Okay, guys.
1:32.1	So you are both relatively new to Handels, but you guys are longtime veterans of the restaurant industry.
1:37.5	So we're going to talk about this brand, but I want to start by talking about you two
	...

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