Hey there, welcome to Takeaway with Sam Ocas, a podcast from Nation's Restaurant News.

I am Sam Ocas editor-in-chief here at NRN, and this is the show where I give you an all-access pass to the restaurant industry's most influential decision-makers.

This week, I'm sharing two interviews that I recently conducted in-person at the National

Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.

Both of these leaders are marketers with emerging restaurant businesses that are looking to make

impact both for their teams and for their brands.

First up is Nico Nieto, the chief marketing officer at NAFNAF Middle Eastern Grill.

Nico is a restaurant marketing veteran, including past stints with McDonald's and with

roti, and today he is tasked with spreading the word about fast casual franchise NAFNAF.

He shares some tips on marketing and emerging restaurant concept,

particularly one with a cuisine that is still fairly unfamiliar to many Americans.

And after my interview with Niko, I chat with Jade Hedgeman Chioki.

She is the vice president of sales and marketing for Primo Partners, a Ben & Jerry's franchise in the Southeast U.S.

Jade shares more information about Primo Partners' mission to develop strong business leaders in its pipeline and particularly black entrepreneurs.

And she also shares how the company is trying to connect that mission to its communities

in which it is serving.

If you like what you hear from these in-person interviews, be sure to subscribe to NRN's

YouTube channel and keep your eyes on NRN.com in the coming weeks as we will be rolling

out dozens of interviews with restaurant executives

from the National Restaurant Association Show Floor.

Of course, you can also follow along here at Takeaway and our sister podcast Extra Serving

for more of those conversations.

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