Nothing Bundt Cakes CEO on how it topped America’s Favorite Chains list two years running

Take-Away with Sam Oches

Nation's Restaurant News

Entrepreneurship, Business

4.9 • 17 Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Dolf Berle, CEO of Nothing Bundt Cakes, the Dallas-based chain of nearly 800 bakeries that was just named America’s Favorite Chain by Technomic. It wasn’t just the overall winner; it was also best among the top 10 chains in service and hospitality, unit appearance and ambiance, food and beverage, and convenience and takeout, and the No. 1 favorite limited-service brand among millennial consumers. So how do they do it? Dolf, who became CEO in 2023, joined the podcast to share how Nothing Bundt Cakes has built significant momentum over the past couple of years and how it’s capitalizing on moments of positivity and celebration among its guests.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

With unit growth, you should build the airplane before it leaves the runway
Consumers love opportunities to celebrate
The simpler the operation, the more time operators have to engage with the community
Your brand can thrive on the virtuous cycle of positivity

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at sam.oches@informa.com.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Takeaway with Sam Ocas, a podcast for leaders of growing restaurant companies looking
0:05.3	to take their businesses to the next level. In nearly two decades covering restaurants, I've gained
0:11.0	access to some of this industry's most influential decision makers, and I'm letting you in on
0:15.9	the conversations. In today's episode, you'll hear from the CEO of the food service brand that was just named America's favorite chain by Technomic for the second year running and find out the secrets to achieving that incredible feat.
0:30.5	Dolph Burley is the CEO of Nothing Bunt Cakes, the Dallas-based chain of nearly 800 bakeries selling, you guessed it,
0:39.2	Bunt Cakes in a variety of flavors and sizes.
0:42.2	On our just-released America's favorite chains report in partnership with Technomic,
0:47.3	nothing Bunk Cakes wasn't just the overall winner.
0:49.9	They were also best among the top 10 chains when it came to service and hospitality,
0:54.9	unit appearance and ambiance, food and beverage, and convenience and takeout.
0:59.4	It was also the number one favorite limited service brand among millennial consumers.
1:04.2	So how do they do it?
1:06.4	Dolf, who became CEO back in 2023, joined the podcast to share how Nothing Bunk Cakes has built significant
1:13.4	momentum over the past couple of years and how it's capitalizing on moments of positivity
1:18.4	and celebration among its guests. In this conversation, you will learn more about why you should
1:24.1	build the airplane before it leaves the runway when it comes to growth,
1:32.7	why the simpler the operation, the more time operators have to spend with their community,
1:37.5	and why your brand can thrive on the virtuous cycle of positivity.
1:42.8	If you learn anything from this episode, go follow takeaway wherever you listen to podcasts and leave some feedback. It's the best way to get that lesson to a fellow restaurant leader.
1:47.5	Jumping now into my interview with Nothing Bun Kakes CEO, Dolf Burley.
1:51.7	Also, don't forget to stick around after the interview as I will share my four
1:54.8	takeaways from this conversation, actionable insights that you can take with you on the go.
	...

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