Neshannock Earns Restaurant of Excellence Under the Leadership of Samantha Grimm
Celebrating DALRT’s first Restaurant of Excellence Manager and a remarkable leadership journey
DALRT is proud to celebrate a significant achievement for Samantha Grimm and the Neshannock Dunkin’ team. Neshannock has earned the Restaurant of Excellence designation, making Sam the first Restaurant of Excellence Manager in the DALRT network. Neshannock is one of DALRT Dunkin’s highest-volume restaurants, and leading a restaurant of this size requires strong leadership, consistency, teamwork and a commitment to both people and operations. Under Sam’s leadership, the Neshannock team has demonstrated the standards necessary to earn this important recognition. For Sam, the accomplishment represents much more than a professional designation. It represents a journey that began more than a decade ago and includes hard work, growth, setbacks, new beginnings and the people who helped shape her along the way.
What Is a Restaurant of Excellence?
A Restaurant of Excellence represents a restaurant that sets a high standard for team culture, operational execution and exceptional guest service. The designation is earned through a structured qualification and certification process based on Dunkin’ brand standards. The process looks at many aspects of a restaurant and its leadership, including team development, operational execution, food safety, guest service, training and consistency. Restaurants must meet established qualifications, complete a pre-certification process and demonstrate that they are consistently operating at the expected level through the formal Restaurant of Excellence assessment. The designation is designed to recognize restaurants and leaders that consistently perform at a high level. Within a franchise network, Restaurants of Excellence can also serve as centers of excellence, providing opportunities for leadership development, training and sharing best practices.
A Career That Came Full Circle
Sam’s journey with DALRT Dunkin’ began in November 2014 as a crew member at the Mill Street store. She learned the business from the ground up, including learning to bake and gaining hands-on experience with restaurant operations. Eventually, Sam left the company to pursue a longtime dream of working in a kitchen as a cook. But her career eventually brought her back to DALRT.
In 2017, she returned as an Assistant Manager at the Neshannock location. Just three months later, she was promoted to General Manager and transferred to the Shenango store.
After stepping away from the company again for several years, Sam returned in October 2025 as General Manager of Neshannock.
This time, it felt like coming home.
“Coming back felt like coming home,” Sam said. “I never imagined I would become a manager, let alone a General Manager, and be trusted to lead DALRT’s busiest store.”
Her career path has taken her through different roles, stores and chapters of her life, but each experience has contributed to the leader she is today.
A Leader Who Puts People First
When asked what she considers most important about being a General Manager, Sam’s answer is simple: people. She believes that when team members feel supported and respected, everything else follows. She strives to be approachable and fair, while still maintaining high expectations and holding people accountable.
“I hope every employee who works with me leaves knowing they are capable of more than they thought,” Sam said. “That they can accomplish great things with hard work, consistency and support.”
That philosophy is reflected in the culture she has built at Neshannock. Sam is motivated by seeing people grow, whether that means helping someone build confidence, learn a new skill or accomplish a goal they once thought was out of reach. Her leadership has not gone unnoticed.
Michelle Csizmadia, Dunkin’ Inspire Brand’s Business Consultant, recognized the impact Sam has had on both the restaurant and its team.
“Neshannock is an extremely high-volume restaurant that requires a leader who understands the importance of culture, accountability, high expectations, and teamwork,” Michelle said. “Sam has built an environment where team members are engaged, developed, and empowered to deliver outstanding results every day.”
Michelle also highlighted Sam’s commitment to operational excellence and people development.
“Simply put, Sam is one of the best of the best,” Michelle said.
Consistency Makes the Difference
One of the most important lessons Sam has learned throughout her career is the value of consistency.
“Showing up, treating people with respect, and leading by example build trust over time,” she said.
That philosophy is particularly important in a high-volume restaurant like Neshannock. Every day brings new challenges, and maintaining strong standards requires a leader who can communicate clearly, support the team and remain focused on the details. For Sam, excellence is built through those everyday efforts. It comes from training people well, communicating expectations, holding the team accountable and continuing to invest in the people around her. The Restaurant of Excellence designation reflects that consistency and the way Sam’s leadership translates into the day-to-day performance of the Neshannock team.
A Team Effort
While this recognition is an important accomplishment for Sam as General Manager, she is quick to recognize the Neshannock team. The team has played an essential role in earning Restaurant of Excellence by demonstrating strong operational consistency, teamwork, guest focus and a commitment to doing things the right way. Sam has worked to create an environment where team members are encouraged to learn, develop, take ownership and grow. The team, in turn, has helped bring that vision to life. The designation reflects Sam’s leadership and the Neshannock team’s ability to put that leadership into action every day.
A Legacy of Belief
There is another important part of Sam’s story that makes this accomplishment especially meaningful: her former Operations Manager, Shelby. Shelby truly believed in Sam. She challenged her, encouraged her and taught her important lessons about leadership throughout the years. She also played a major role in bringing Sam back to DALRT because she saw something in her and believed in the leader she could become. Shelby was also the person guiding Sam through the Restaurant of Excellence process. She was there to see Sam’s progress, challenge her to meet the standard and help prepare her for this achievement. Sadly, Shelby passed away unexpectedly just two weeks ago. That makes this recognition especially bittersweet. Sam is, without a doubt, one of Shelby’s greatest accomplishments with DALRT. The confidence, consistency, accountability and commitment to developing others that Sam demonstrates today are a reflection of the leadership Shelby invested in her over the years. Shelby believed in Sam long before Sam fully understood what she was capable of. She saw the potential in her, challenged her to grow and helped shape her into the leader she is today. While Shelby is not here to see Sam officially recognized as DALRT’s first Restaurant of Excellence Manager, there is no doubt how proud she would be. Her influence is part of this accomplishment, and her legacy will continue through Sam and the many other people she helped develop throughout her career. We are grateful that Shelby had the opportunity to see Sam reach this milestone and to play such an important role in helping her get there. We know she would be incredibly proud of her.
More Than an Award
Sam is proud of her professional growth, earning Restaurant of Excellence and building strong teams. But she measures success by more than promotions or awards.
“Success means more than promotions or awards,” Sam said. “It’s knowing I’ve made an impact on my team, helped others to grow, built meaningful relationships and still have time to enjoy the people and moments that matter most.”
Outside of work, Sam enjoys spending time with her four children and family. She also enjoys playing softball, soaking up the sun, listening to music, spending time with her puppies and finding time to relax. Looking ahead, Sam hopes to continue growing as a leader while making more time for her family, traveling, practicing self-care and enjoying the next chapter of her life. Her career is a reminder that leadership does not always follow a straight path. Sam started with DALRT as a crew member, stepped away to pursue another dream, returned to management, took on new challenges, left again and eventually found her way back to Neshannock. Today, she is leading one of DALRT’s busiest restaurants and has earned the distinction of becoming the company’s first Restaurant of Excellence Manager.
At DALRT, we are incredibly proud of Sam’s accomplishment and the journey that brought her here. We are also proud of the Neshannock team, whose hard work and commitment have been an important part of this achievement. Sam’s story is ultimately a story about people: the people who believed in her, the people who helped her grow and the people she now has the opportunity to develop and inspire.
Congratulations, Sam, on becoming DALRT’s first Restaurant of Excellence Manager. We are proud of what you have accomplished, grateful for the people who helped you get here, and excited to see where your leadership takes you next.