Hey there, welcome to Takeaway with Sam Ocus, 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 talking with Randy Sharp, the CEO of Walburgers, the upscale burger chain

that is founded by renowned actor Mark Wahlberg

and his family. Walbergers has been around now for about 14 years, and it was the inspiration

for a reality TV show of the same name that ran for 10 seasons on the A&E network.

Now it has roughly 30 units around the U.S.

alongside a handful of international locations,

and it has plans to continue growing globally with a flexible format

that includes both limited service and full-service models.

Randy joined the podcast to talk about why Walburgers is all about finding the right partner in the right place

at the right time and to set the record straight on the recent news that Walburgers and the

supermarket chain Hi-V, which had previously been an operator for the chain, have parted ways.

In this interview, you will learn more about why restaurant brands don't need to adhere to

one service experience, why the best high profile or celebrity business partner is one who is

very involved, and why growth is only good when it's the right growth. By the way, I'm excited to

tell you that you can learn more about Wahlbergers and even hear from Mark Wahlberg himself at this year's Restaurant Leadership Conference held April 13th through 16th in Phoenix.

That's right. Mark Wahlberg is this year's RLC keynoter, a conversation that you certainly do not want to miss.

If you would like to register for this year's RLC, click on the link in this episode's show notes. Jumping now into my interview

with Wahlberger's Randy Sharp. Also, don't forget to stick around after the interview, as I will

share my five takeaways from this discussion, actionable insights that you can take with you on the go.

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