Wahlburgers CEO Randy Sharpe on building a brand alongside Mark Wahlberg

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks Randy Sharpe, CEO of Wahlburgers, the upscale burger chain founded by renowned actor Mark Wahlberg and his family. Wahlburgers has roughly 30 units around the U.S. alongside a handful of international locations, with plans to continue growing globally with a flexible format that includes both limited-service and full-service models. Randy joined the podcast to explain why Wahlburgers 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 Wahlburgers and the supermarket chain Hy-Vee, which had previously been an operator for the chain, were parting ways.  

Want to see Mark Wahlberg live at Restaurant Leadership Conference? Click here to register.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Restaurant brands don’t need to adhere to one service experience
• One key to restaurant success is learning from your mistakes
• The best high-profile or celebrity business partner is one who is very involved 
• Growth is only good when it’s the right growth 
• Some business deals aren’t built to last — and it’s OK to move on

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