Women in Restaurant Leadership

Women in Restaurant Leadership is a new podcast from the teams at QSR and FSR magazines and the podcasts QSR Uncut and The Restaurant Innovator. It will explore stories and insights from women leaders across the industry, creating a space to share ideas, aspirations, and help progress the sector forward. Join the WiRL movement!

Women in Restaurant Leadership is a business podcast hosted by Satyne Doner, with 61 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Satyne Doner hosts Women in Restaurant Leadership, a business show with 61 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #7

  HOT OFF THE PRESS: Maureen DiStefano, Director of Franchise Development at Slim Chickens

  Aug 11, 202632 minS5

  Maureen DiStefano just stepped into her new role as Director of Franchise Development at Slim Chickens. And we wanted you to hear her story first. With 20 years of franchise development experience across Potbelly, Dunkin', Starbucks, GNC, and Magnolia Bakery, Maureen is a Certified Franchise Executive, frequent speaker, and someone who genuinely believes "the best part of franchise development has always been the people." She's not just talking the talk. She's spent her entire career building authentic relationships with franchisees, understanding what operators need, and developing the kind of culture that makes people stay. On this week's WiRL Podcast, we sit down for a fun, fresh conversation about what drew her to Slim Chickens, her 20-year journey across different brands, what she's learned about building successful franchise partnerships, and why she's excited about what's next for the brand.

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  Episode #6

  Jennifer Durham Is the Architect Behind Potbelly's Growth

  Jul 28, 202631 minS5

  Great growth doesn't happen by accident. It's architected. Designed and built with strategy, discipline, and a deep understanding of what actually works. Jennifer Durham, Senior Vice President of Franchising and Development at Potbelly, is the architect behind the brand's expansion as they head toward 500 locations. Jennifer's path to this role is unconventional. She started as a CPA at KPMG, then pivoted into the restaurant industry. She's held senior leadership roles across multiple concepts—Checkers & Rally's (where she was Chief Development Officer), Cooper's Hawk, and Hand & Stone—each time bringing her unique combination of financial discipline, process improvement, and franchise development expertise. What makes Jennifer different is that she doesn't just execute growth. She designs it. She brings financial rigor to franchise strategy. She builds high-performing development teams. She understands how strong leadership directly influences long-term brand success. In this episode, Jennifer talks about her unconventional career journey, what she's learned leading development across different brands and formats, how she thinks about smart, sustainable growth at Potbelly, and what it takes to build a franchise strategy that actually works. You'll hear about evolving guest expectations, team development strategies, franchise partnership models, and how financial discipline and process improvement become competitive advantages in franchise development. But mostly, this is a conversation about what it means to architect growth—not just chase it.

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  Episode #5

  Shannon Swenson Is Making Her Next Bold Move at Swig

  Jul 14, 202628 minS5

  Sometimes winning at something means knowing when it's time to move. Shannon Swenson just did exactly that. After helping drive one of the most explosive growth periods at Dave's Hot Chicken, she's now Chief of Franchise Partnerships at Swig, taking on a pivotal leadership role as the beverage concept rockets forward. But why would she leave something so personal and successful? In this episode, Shannon shares the real story. What it was like scaling Dave's during that crazy period. What made Swig stand out at exactly the right moment. And what that decision taught her about leadership, risk-taking, and knowing when it's time for the next chapter. We talk about building authentic franchisee relationships during rapid expansion, how leadership evolves when you're in growth mode, and what women leaders should know about trusting their instincts and pursuing opportunities that genuinely excite them—even when it means leaving a winning situation. But mostly, we get into the story of a leader who knows her value, trusts her gut, and isn't afraid to make the bold move. This is the conversation about calculated risks, clarity, and knowing when to leap.

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  Episode #4

  Chef Adrianne Calvo on the Kitchen That Started It All

  Jun 30, 202620 minS5

  Thank you to Foodbuy, our sponsor for this episode. Strategic procurement supports effective menuing and operations. Foodbuy Foodservice resources its Members to develop effective procurement strategies. Learn more at https://www.foodbuy.com/. There's a kitchen in Chicago where it all started. A kid running home from school instead of playing sports. A mom cooking dinner. Afternoons spent watching, learning, creating together. That's where Chef Adrianne Calvo fell in love with food—and where her entire life was set in motion. But Chef Adrianne's story goes so much deeper than just becoming a chef. It's about building an empire while staying connected to that original spark. It's about creating a restaurant that's on national "must-eat" lists, reaching 1.2 million followers across social platforms, collaborating with everyone from Formula One to the NFL to luxury brands, and still making time to give back through her Make It Count Foundation. In this episode, we trace Chef Adrianne's journey from that Chicago kitchen to Miami restaurants to YouTube series to global influence. We talk about her philosophy on "Maximum Flavor," what drives her to create across so many platforms, and how she balances ambition with the core values that got her started. More than anything, this is a conversation about staying true to your roots even as you build something big. About remembering that kitchen. About cooking with intention and purpose. If you've ever wondered what it takes to turn a childhood moment into a life of creativity, connection, and impact, this episode is for you. You can learn more about Chef Adrianne, her foundation, and her cookbooks here: https://adriannecalvo.com/

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  Episode #3

  Jane McPherson Is Playing the Long Game

  Jun 16, 202652 minS5

  30 years. That's how long Jane McPherson has been shaping brands in the restaurant industry—and she's still innovating, still evolving, still pushing forward. In this episode, I'm sitting down with Jane, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Penn Station Sandwiches, to trace her remarkable career journey across franchising, the sandwich category, and multiple periods of massive industry transformation. We talk about what it means to play the long game—to lead with strategy, patience, and a commitment to building something that lasts. Jane brings deep expertise in unit expansion, systemwide sales growth, and franchise partnership. But what makes her story really compelling is how she's remained relevant and forward-thinking across three decades of change. She's watched the industry transform from pre-digital to tech-enabled, and she's adapted every step of the way. We dig into the pivotal moments that shaped her career, the trends she's witnessed, the lessons from leading across nationally recognized brands, and how she's now focused on enhancing customer experience through technology-driven solutions at Penn Station as the brand approaches their 500th location. You'll hear about her philosophy on supporting franchisees, balancing growth with culture, and what it means to lead with both strategic depth and human awareness across an entire era of restaurant business. This is the story of a leader who knows that real success isn't about quick wins—it's about playing the long game.

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