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Aug 25

Chili's Comeback, Decoded

Chili's now goes through 65 million pounds of mozzarella a year, up from just 12 million four years ago. The reason traces back to a single TikTok video of a cheese pull that quietly turned a decade-old menu item into one of the biggest comeback stories in restaurant history. Today, Sammi breaks down exactly how Chili's pulled off what one analyst called the best turnaround in restaurant history. She digs into the operational fixes nobody saw coming, from a shrimp-counting ritual that wasted hours of labor every day to a salt shaker redesign that cut seasoning time by more than 80 percent. She also traces how CEO Kevin Hochman, who came from Procter & Gamble and Yum Brands, rebuilt the kitchen experience from the inside out while his marketing team leaned into the viral moment instead of manufacturing one. Then, Sammi unpacks the marketing engine behind the comeback, including the Triple Dipper's rise from a forgotten combo platter to 16 percent of total sales, the launch of Nashville Hot Mozzarella, and nostalgia plays like the Boyz II Men jingle and the Margarita of the Month program. Finally, she reveals the number buried in Chili's most recent earnings report that complicates the celebratory headlines, and what it means for the road ahead, including the struggles at sister brand Maggiano's Little Italy. Go check out the incredible Fast Company article on Chili's comeback: https://www.fastcompany.com/91549042/chilis-comeback-restaurant-retro-redesign Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Here's What Sammi Covers Today: 00:00 Chili's Mozzarella Explosion 01:30 Sammi's Intro to the Story 01:40 How Far Chili's Had Fallen 02:20 Kevin Hochman Takes Over 02:50 "Marketing Brings Them In, Ops Brings Them Back" 03:13 The Listening Tour That Started It All 03:29 The Shrimp-Counting Fix 03:54 The Ordering Glitch Costing 15 Plates a Night 04:15 The iPad and Wi-Fi Overhaul 04:33 The Salt Shaker Fix 04:53 Cutting the Menu and Adding Staff 05:13 Reformulating the Food 05:41 The Viral Cheese Pull Video 06:17 The Triple Dipper's Sales Surge 06:57 The Launch of Nashville Hot Mozzarella 07:30 Nostalgia Marketing: Boyz II Men and Margarita of the Month 08:05 The Three for Me Deal and "Value Theater" 08:24 The Numbers Behind the Comeback 09:11 Rolling Out the Retro Redesign 09:19 The Number That Complicates the Story 09:36 Why Traffic Is Actually Down 10:00 Maggiano's Little Italy Struggles 10:24 What's Next for Chili's 11:27 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 18

Ankur Jain (Bilt) on the AI Commerce Race, Celebrity Rent Day Collabs and Neighborhood Concierge

Last year, $100 billion in housing payments flowed through Bilt's platform, and one in four apartment buildings in the US now runs on its system. So how did a rewards card for rent turn into one of the biggest players in AI-powered commerce? This week, Sammi welcomes back Bilt founder and CEO Ankur Jain to unpack how the company has evolved from a direct-to-consumer card product into a full ecosystem connecting apartment buildings, local merchants and now AI agents. Ankur explains why the card now represents a small fraction of the business, how Bilt responded when a portion of customers started gaming the rewards system, and why listening to customer feedback in real time reshaped the recent Card 2.0 rollout. Then, Ankur breaks down Bilt's viral Rent Day celebrity collaborations with stars like Madonna and A$AP Rocky, the strategy behind its unbranded scripted series "Roomies," and why the company is investing in original entertainment instead of traditional advertising. Later, he makes the case for why Bilt, Google and Anthropic are the only companies positioned to power agentic commerce in the physical world, and how its new Neighborhood Concierge tool can plan your night out, book your workout classes and even pay your restaurant bill automatically. Plus, Ankur shares how Bilt builds trust with landlords and merchants by making them co-owners in the business, what he thinks is next for AI hardware in the home, and the productivity system that's changed how he works. Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Follow Ankur Jain Here's What Sammi Covers with Ankur: 00:00 Ankur Jain's Social Currency 03:38 A Full-Circle Moment at Bilt's New NYC Headquarters 04:19 Where Bilt Started and the Affordability Problem 06:17 How the Bilt Card Became Just 11% of the Business 07:29 Building Housing's First Unified Platform 08:54 The Hotel Experience Analogy 11:36 Card 2.0 and the Trade-Offs of Cutting Off Bad Actors 13:46 Listening to Customer Feedback in Real Time 17:00 Inside the Rent Day Celebrity Collabs 19:41 Stories From Madonna and A$AP Rocky 22:07 The Martha Stewart vs. Ryan Reynolds Moment 22:25 Why "Roomies" Was Launched Without Bilt's Branding 25:16 Building Community Through Bilt's Comedy Series 25:56 Neighborhood Concierge and the Agentic AI Future 27:23 Why Even the Big AI Models Aren't Integrated Locally 29:23 How Consumer AI Behavior Is Shifting 31:31 Why Bilt Belongs in the Same Sentence as Google and Anthropic 34:03 Building the Pipes for Both Sides of the Ecosystem 35:15 What Wins Over Landlords and Local Merchants 37:00 The Seamless Checkout Experience at The Corner Store 40:26 The Disney and Amazon Comparison 42:37 How Small Businesses Compete Like the Big Guys 44:26 Lightning Round 45:30 Ankur's AI-Powered Productivity System 46:44 Social Currency Corner: Could Bilt Enter AI Hardware? 48:50 Listener Question: Building Credibility as an Outsider Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4d ago

How to Meet the Most Important People In Your Life

We’re told that our networks are our most valuable resource. But that’s a lot of pressure! You might worry: Do I know the right people? How can I meet more of them? Today, Jason offers a different way to think about your network — one that doesn’t treat it like some asset or a collection on a shelf, and that doesn’t feel like a failure if you’re lacking that perfect collaborator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
6d ago

This Is the WORST Cold Outreach Email Ever. Help!

Nicole received what is probably the worst sales email ever. To unpack what went so wrong— and how to get it right, Nicole and Jason are joined by MNN's very own sales lead, Will Stein. Will shares the tips and tricks he uses to send outreach emails that move conversations and relationships forward— rather than emails that get moved... to Junk Mail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 27

How To Hold People's Attention

If you’re having a tricky time communicating at work, Jason has a solution: he calls it “bricks and mortar” — and it is the single most important insight he’s had as a communicator. He explains how to use it next time you need to hold someone's attention at work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 5

Rebecca Hessel Cohen (LoveShackFancy) on Building a Multi-Generational Fashion Brand, D2C Versus Retail, and Collaborations That Actually Work

Rebecca Hessel Cohen didn’t set out to build a company, she just wanted better bridesmaid dresses. But that small idea turned into LoveShackFancy, a multi-generational, cult-favorite brand with dozens of stores, hundreds of retail partners, and a fiercely loyal community. Today, Rebecca joins Sammi to break down the unfiltered reality of building a fashion business from scratch. From leaving her dream job at Cosmopolitan, to launching her first collection the same week she had her first child, to schlepping dresses in her car to early customers— this the unfiltered look at what it means to start a business. They also get into Rebecca’s viral social media moments (including the most epic bat mitzvah), building a brand that resonates from “babies to eighties,” how she evaluates collaborations from Stanley to Victoria's Secret, and what actually makes a retail store feel magical instead of transactional. Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Follow Rebecca and LoveShackFancy Here’s What Sammi Covers with Rebecca: 00:00 The Gwyneth Paltrow Moment That Changed Everything 02:03 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal Banking 03:00 Growing Up in Fashion Closets 06:00 Life as a Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan 10:30 The Bridesmaid Dress That Started It All 14:00 Turning a Side Hustle Into a Business 18:30 Launching a Brand While Having a Baby 20:53 Partner Message: Mercury for Business Banking 22:07 Partner Message: Mosh Bars 23:42 Why LoveShackFancy Wasn’t an Overnight Success 26:00 Building a Team and Scaling the Business 29:00 Opening Retail Stores During COVID 33:00 Dividing Roles With Her Husband 36:00 Building the Beauty Business and Sephora Strategy 38:30 Where Inspiration Actually Comes From 41:00 Designing for “Babies to Eighties” 43:30 How LoveShackFancy Approaches Collaborations 47:00 What Makes a Partnership Actually Work 49:30 Building a Brand Through Community and Retail 52:00 The Power of Experiential Shopping 55:00 Supporting Female Founders Through Trunk Shows 58:00 The Viral Home Tour and Social Media Strategy 01:02:00 Instagram vs. TikTok: How Rebecca Thinks About Both 01:05:00 What She Shares Online (And What She Doesn’t) Thanks to Our Sponsors! Mercury: mercury.com Mosh Bars: moshlife.com/socialcurrency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 21

Suzy Welch (NYU) on the Joy of Getting Fired, Decoding the 10/10/10 Method, and Why Most People Settle for a B+ Life

Suzy Welch has built a career helping people answer one deceptively simple question: What should I do with my life? She’s a bestselling author, professor at New York University Stern School of Business, former editor at Harvard Business Review, and creator of the “Becoming You” methodology. Today Sammi sits down with Suzy to unpack why getting fired can actually benefit your career, why so many people get trapped in what she calls a “B+ life,” and how fear, expectations, and convenience quietly pull people away from who they really are. She also shares the framework that made her famous: the 10/10/10 method, how to make better decisions by thinking about consequences in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years. Plus: why only a small percentage of people truly know their values, how AI is changing career anxiety, and what to do when the life you built no longer fits you. Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter Claim 15% off the Values Bridge with the code SOCIALCURRENCY Here’s what Sammi covers with Suzy: 00:00 Suzy Welch’s Social Currency02:15 Starting as a Crime Reporter in Miami06:30 What Covering Crime Taught Her About Human Nature09:00 Falling in Love with Business Journalism13:25 Why Everyone Should Get Fired Once17:30 The Workplace Dynamic of “Toxic Handlers”19:45 Rebuilding After Loss and Choosing Life Again23:00 The Origin of “Becoming You”25:15 Why AI Is Changing Career Anxiety28:50 Why Only 7% of People Know Their Values32:40 Can Your Values Change Over Time?34:10 Why Family Isn’t Everyone’s Top Value38:05 The Trap of a B+ Life40:50 The Four Horsemen of Values Destruction48:30 How the 10/10/10 Framework Works 51:43 Social Currency Corner 55:51 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 25

"Everyone Ignores My Emails. Help!"

Today’s guest sent Jason a cold DM over LinkedIn pitching himself for a writing gig. There was just one little problem with his initial message. Jason takes the guest through a masterclass in cold outreach and gives you hacks you can use to write emails that people actually respond to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 18

"How Could This Bad Email Be Improved? Help!"

Today, Jason and Nicole dissect a real cold email their Producer Morgan received— and it's not pretty. They talk about what went wrong, and how to write an email that people actually respond to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
02/09/2023

Four Hacks for Getting Out of Credit Card Debt

Nicole goes beyond the typical budgeting advice, and brings you four pro tips for getting that debt monkey off of your back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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