In this episode of The Catering Cage, Erle Dardick welcomes Mike Sudermann, CEO of Ascent Select, for a deep dive into what it takes to recruit top-tier leadership in the restaurant and catering industry. Mike shares how his data-driven approach, what he calls the "Moneyball" of executive search, is helping brands build winning teams with precision and purpose.
Join the fastest growing catering community for restaurants. It’s free and built to help you grow smarter and faster. Sign up at www.caterlinked.com.
Step inside the Catering Cage as we welcome Claudie Newman, Director of Catering Sales at Founders Table. In this episode, Claudie brings energy and real-world perspective to some of the industry’s toughest questions — from building confidence in catering sales, to creating a culture where teams thrive, to navigating the challenges of scaling hospitality in today’s market.
👉 What you’ll learn in this episode:
In this episode of Catering Cage, host Erle Dardick sits down with Alyson Schill, Co-Founder and CEO of Careit, the digital platform that makes it easy for restaurants, caterers, and businesses to donate surplus food to local nonprofits.
Alyson shares her journey from “waste nerd” to food recovery innovator and explains how Careit helps operators cut disposal costs, unlock tax advantages, reduce environmental impact, and strengthen community ties while fighting hunger.
Key takeaways:
Sustainability, social responsibility, and smart business all come together in this conversation, showing why food recovery should be on every operator’s radar.
Join the fastest-growing catering community for restaurants. It’s free to join and built to help you grow smarter and faster. Sign up and download the app at CaterLinked.com.
How do you turn catering into a true brand-building moment? In this episode, host Erle Dardick sits down with Jessica Serrano, Chief Marketing Officer at Bagel Brands and former CMO at Dig Inn. Jessica has built her career creating authentic connections between guests and food brands, leading marketing efforts for Taco Bell, Burger King, Dig Inn, and, shortly after this episode was recorded, Bagel Brands.
She shares how restaurants can build brand love and drive catering growth—even with lean budgets. From national campaigns to scrappy wins, Jessica unpacks what it takes to make catering and off-prem feel on-brand and unforgettable.
Join the fastest-growing catering community for restaurants. It’s free to join and built to help you grow smarter and faster. Sign up and download the app at CaterLinked.com.
Get ready for the Restaurant Catering Workshop (RCW) in Austin! In this episode of the Catering Cage, Erle sits down with Cherryh Cansler and Kelly Grogan to preview what’s ahead at this year’s event and talk about why catering is becoming a critical growth channel for restaurants.
We cover the crowded tech landscape, how brands are balancing third-party with first-party, practical ways to align the C-suite with on-the-ground catering teams, and the key sessions that will define this year’s workshop.
The conversation also explores how the CaterLinked community is helping operators year-round — creating a space for education, sharing strategies, and building relationships that make catering stronger across the industry.
Join the fastest-growing catering community for restaurants. It’s free to join and built to help you grow smarter and faster. Sign up and download the app at CaterLinked.com.
