Sam Goldberg lives in New York City and grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. He hosted a radio show for 8 years and appeared in commercials, print ads, television shows, and feature films. Sam is currently hosting the travel food show “Respect The Chain.”
Check out our exclusive interview below!
The Knockturnal: Tell me about your show?
Sam Goldberg: Respect The Chain is a comedic travel food show for Chain Foodies around the world. We navigate the popular world of chain restaurants, including fast food, celebrity endorsed, & exclusive posh chains focusing on what makes each one unique.
The Knockturnal: What inspired the idea?
Sam Goldberg: Not everyone knows all of the fun and unique experiences that chains have to offer. Chains have become part of our culture and i felt it was time to shed light on them. When I travel abroad I love walking into all the different chains and trying their unique menu items. There are so many fun things to try and different experiences that the chains offer. For example in Japan everyone celebrates Christmas buy eating the KFC Christmas package. There are also unique menu items at certain locations in America. People dont know that the Honolulu Cheesecake Factory offers a loco loco which is a local favorite in Hawaii. In Las Vegas Taco Bell offers the ultimate experience by allowing couples to get married in their Taco Bell wedding chapel.
The Knockturnal: How do you choose which chains to profile?
Sam Goldberg: We look for creative and unique menu items that peaks our interest. When we heard that Burger King in Italy introduced a social distancing whopper that wasn’t coming to the states, we went to Burger King, recreated it and shared our reaction on the show.
The Knockturnal: What has been your favorite episode thus far?
Sam Goldberg: I have a soft spot for Planet Hollywood since as a kid my family would take me there for my birthday and we always ordered the Cap’N Crunch chicken fingers. Ironically during the quarantine when I was “cooking” I tried to recreate the recipe and it did not taste the way I remembered. When Planet Hollywood reopened in Orlando, Florida I knew I had to taste them again and as you can see in that episode I was not disappointed.
The Knockturnal: What are your favorite restaurants in NYC?
Sam Goldberg: I have so many favorite restaurants in NYC that I wish would branch out and become a chain. Two of my favorites are Katz’s deli (especially the rueben) and Peter Lugers (a rare porterhouse). How fun would it be to go to Katz’s Deli in Las Vegas or eat at Peter Lugers in Singapore.
The Knockturnal: How has the pandemic affected filming your show?
Sam Goldberg: We began filming the show during the pandemic so featuring specialty pandemic menu items that chain restaurants were offering at that time seemed appropriate. Our first episode took us to Morton’s Steakhouse where they had introduced a wagyu burger for $13. Throughout the series we featured such items as the family meal at Panda Express, the epic hangover sandwich at Primanti Brothers, and the BOGO steak dinners at Ruby Tuesday.
The Knockturnal: Tell us about your background in acting / TV?
Sam Goldberg: After interning with Howard Stern & Maxim Radio, I created a radio show where I interviewed pop culture celebrities at red carpet events.
The Knockturnal: What’s next for you?
Sam Goldberg: Respect the Chain is currently featuring the post pandemic chain reopening phase. When the time is right, we will travel again and feature the international items being offered by chains around the world.
