In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Michael Osanloo, the CEO of Portillo’s. Michael has been with the iconic Chicago-based Italian beef brand for five years now, and Portillo’s remarkable success in the past few years can be largely credited to the work he and his team have done in building efficient systems and a people infrastructure that can sustain the brand’s growth momentum. Today, Portillo’s does a staggering $8.5 million-plus average unit volume at roughly 80 locations and it’s on track in its evolution from a Chicago brand to a national brand. Michael joined the podcast to talk about how a servant leadership mentality is behind that success and how Portillo’s maintains such a massive operation without the wheels coming off.  

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You should provide white-glove service to your most loyal guests
• Strive for frictionless service in every channel you serve
• Efficiencies can be achieved by breaking your operation down into individual parts with dedicated employees
• Don’t move into a new market without team members who know the business inside and out
• Have a development plan for everyone
• Your job as a leader of a brand is to put your team in a position to succeed

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