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

I'm Sam Ocas, editor-in-chief of 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 Tony Scardino, aka Professor Pizza, and Magumi Robinson, the

Vice President of Services at Bell Communication.

Tony is both a restaurant operator and an influencer, having both a pizza shop in Chicago

as well as a sizable following on social media

with his professor pizza moniker. Meanwhile, Megumi and Bell Communication have been our partner

on our influencer insider series, which you can find at NRN.com and which leverages Bell's

brilly platform to provide insights on tapping into influencers for your restaurant's success.

Tony and Megumi joined the podcast to talk about the benefits of influencer marketing,

but especially the unique opportunity that brands have to create their own content.

In this interview, you will learn more about why influencer partnerships are a must for driving foot traffic,

why restaurants should prioritize usefulness on social media versus chasing trends,

and why you should document your restaurant journey on social media before you open the doors

if you can. Also, a reminder that we are gearing up for an incredible create event for emerging restaurateurs

this October 15th through 17th in Nashville.

Our agenda is nearly set in stone and it features leaders from companies like Kava, Dintyfung, Dutch, Bro's, Insomnia, cookies, salt and straw,

let us entertain you, and many others, not to mention a keynote chat and on-stage performance

by The Bacon Brothers, starring none other than Kevin Bacon himself. Also, if you are an emerging

restaurant operator, we have a special session that will allow you to pitch your concept directly

...