In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Kevin King, president and CEO of Donatos Pizza. Kevin recently took over the chief executive position after former CEO Tom Krouse retired, and he’s now overseeing a new franchise expansion effort. Leading the way in this growth is Donatos’ commitment to innovation and consistency — and particularly where those two traits intersect, as they have with new automated kitchen equipment that Donatos is rolling out across its system. Kevin joined the podcast to talk about why consistency and innovation are so important to Donatos as it fights for share in the pizza category, and how these characteristics trace back to founder Jim Grote.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• You can go home again — and bring some new lessons with you
• If you can’t find the right tool for your operations, build it yourself
• Automated technology can allow your team to focus on guest interaction
• You don’t have to take an all-or-nothing approach to innovation 
• Consistency is key to growth and relevance

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