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How pro golfer Tony Finau is giving a boost to emerging restaurant chain Mo’BettahsHow pro golfer Tony Finau is giving a boost to emerging restaurant chain Mo’Bettahs

CEO Rob Ertmann shares how a high-profile brand ambassador can help take an growing restaurant concept to the next level.

Sam Oches, Editor in Chief

May 18, 2023

1 Min Read
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Tony Finau is on a tear. The professional golfer has two wins and four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, and he’s fresh off of starring in Netflix’s hit documentary series “Full Swing.”

Now he’s got another line for his resume: He’s minority owner of a restaurant company.

Finau recently inked a deal with Mo’Bettahs to become a minority owner and brand partner. Like Mo’Bettahs founders Kimo and Kalani Mack, Finau has ties to the Hawaiian Islands, but he was born and raised in Utah, where the brand is based. Rob Ertmann, CEO of Mo’Bettahs, said Finau was a natural fit to become a partner with the Hawaiian cuisine chain, which has grown to 42 units in six states since it opened in 2008.

Ertmann joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to talk about the partnership, how brands can successfully leverage high-profile spokespeople on their expansion journeys, and how Mo’Bettahs plans to bring its Hawaiian-style plate lunches to more customers around the country. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

  • It’s easier to introduce consumers to a new cuisine when it has familiar touch points 

  • High schoolers might be your best marketing team

  • Food in mouths might be your smartest marketing strategy

  • Your best brand ambassador is someone who already loves your concept

  • A high-profile name attached to your brand will encourage guests in new markets to give you a look

  • There is no ceiling for a value-oriented chain

Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].

About the Author

Sam Oches

Editor in Chief

Sam Oches is an award-winning Editorial Director with Informa Connect Foodservice and editor in chief of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. A graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Sam previously served as Editorial Director of Food News Media, publisher of QSR and FSR magazines. He’s a past president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) and a past board member with the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). His foodservice insights have been shared in national media outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, and CNBC. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and three kids.

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