In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace, chats with Amanda Potts, vice president of marketing and innovation for A&W Restaurants, about Potts' diverse background and how she returned to a foodservice career after working in the automotive industry.

Potts has more than 30 years of experience working in diverse industries including Valvoline and Fazoli's. She graduated from college and achieved her dream job working for an agency for Fazoli's. She left the food service industry for about seven years and worked in automotive, where she learned a wide range of new skills. She wanted to return to restaurants given she considers herself a foodie. "I love food. I still kept up with all the (food) industry news in restaurants and so I saw this opportunity to and thought, 'What a great chance to get back into restaurants,'" she shares in the podcast.

At the time of our interview, Potts had been with A&W for just two months, but the brand is already thinking about next year.

"There's been a lot of advances, a lot of changes since I've been gone but the business itself is the same," Potts said. "You're just trying to provide a great experience and hope customers come back to you."