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 Shauna Smith, the CEO of Savory Management, the operational arm

of the Salt Lake City-based private equity group Savory Fund.

Savory, of course, invests in emerging restaurant concepts like Swig, Via 313, Pinchot, and Mo Betas,

and Shauna oversees the operations of these concepts, which includes a team of 65 in-house

specialists who support the brand founders and leaders who

choose to bring Savory in as an equity partner in their businesses.

Shauna and I sat down at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago to check in on

the Savory portfolio, how the group is tapping into economies of scale to benefit each of its concepts,

and what Shauna sees as the big challenges and opportunities for the remainder of 2025 and beyond.

By the way, since this conversation, Savory Fund has acquired two more concepts,

Bonroo Bakery and Hawkers Asian street food, bringing its total restaurant brand investments

to 13. In this interview, you will learn more about why it pays to have a close network

of restaurant operators who are in your shoes, why consistency, accuracy, service,

and experience all factor into value, and why optimism is a survival tactic. Before we jump into this

interview, I'm 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,

education, and connection with their peers.

Already we have dynamic speakers from Kava, Dutch Bros, Paris Spaghetti, Let Us Entertain

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