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

I'm 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 talking with Larry Ryback, the CEO of Jim and Nick's Community Barbecue,

a chain of more than 50 locations across the south that is celebrating 40

years in business with a new store prototype that is helping to drive double-digit sales growth.

Indeed, Jim and Nick's new store design takes into account its big growth in off-premises sales,

and it shifts away from a full service model into what they're calling Fast Casual Plus,

giving customers more control over their experience by having them order at the counter

before sitting down and receiving regular table touches from a team member.

About one third of the Jim and Nick's system has been converted over to the new model

over the past three years,

and is a big reason why the brand has enjoyed same store sales growth now for four

straight years. That includes over 14% system-wide sales growth in 2024, according to the

Technomic Top 500. Larry joined the podcast to talk about what operators should take into account when they're

redesigning their physical footprint and how Jim and Nix is empowering its guests with the changes

to its service. In this interview, you will learn more about why menu bloat leads to irrelevancy

among your guests, why a restaurant makeover does not need to significantly alter the guest

experience, and how fast casual and casual dining can converge into something high quality

yet efficient. Before we jump into that interview, though, I am excited to announce that registration

is now open for Create our annual event for emerging restaurateurs. This one-of-a-kind event is

tailored specifically for leaders of smaller growing chains who are looking for inspiration,

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