A Deeper Dive

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features staff editors, all discussing their takes on the year’s biggest stories. Editor At Large Peter Romeo, Technology Editor Joe Guszkowski, Independents Editor Heather Lalley and Menu Editor Pat Cobe join me in discussing issues related to labor, technology, the plight of independents, finance and menu trends.

Will high labor costs derail restaurant industry mergers and acquisitions? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Nick Cole, head of restaurant finance for the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, or MUFG.

The omicron variant is spreading. Will it cause problems for restaurants? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Roslyn Stone, chief operating officer of Zero Hour Health, who talks about this new variant and what it means for restaurants.

Will people eat enough salads to fuel Sweetgreen’s potential growth? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Nancy Kruse, RB’s new menu trends columnist.

A Deeper Dive: Jim Balis, managing director with CapitalSpring, joins this week’s episode to talk about overcoming labor and commodity inflation.

How is Andy Wiederhorn doing it? In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive,” the CEO of Fatburger and Johnny Rockets owner Fat Brands discusses his company’s latest deal, a $130 million acquisition of Fazoli’s. It is the fourth major deal in 14 months, starting with Johnny Rockets, then Global Franchise Group and then Twin Peaks. All told, Wiederhorn’s company has ma...

Just how bad is the labor shortage? In this episode of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive,” I debate with Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo about that very topic. Restaurants have been dealing with one of the worst shortages of labor in history, with many locations shortening hours or reducing services because they do not have enough workers. Operators are paying much higher wage rates and they’re paying mor...

Want to grow your brand? Make sure you get your franchise relations right. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Darin Harris, the CEO of the San Diego-based burger chain Jack in the Box, to talk about the company’s growth plans.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Frances Allen, CEO of Checkers and Rally’s, who talks about the chain’s growth, the industry’s current challenges and her outlook going forward. Checkers, traditionally a drive-thru-only chain, has thrived since the pandemic as consumers shifted more of their dining toward such service models. That has also given the c...

Is there any positive outlook on the labor front? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Kevin Bazner, the CEO of A&W Restaurants, talking about the impact of the labor shortage on his company’s restaurants.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission appears ready to take a harder look at franchising. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features two people who are asking the agency to do just that. Eric Karp, an attorney with the law firm of Witmer Karp Warner and Ryan, and Subway operator and franchisee advocate Keith Miller, explain their recent request of the commission to...

When will independent restaurants catch a break? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features a discussion on the state of independent restaurants with Senior Editor Heather Lalley. Restaurants are currently facing a major shortage of alcohol, which has made it difficult to get some specific brands—the latest in a string of shortages that have affected all kinds...

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Mark Rossi, the CEO of Avanti Restaurant Solutions, who talks about current challenges with the supply chain. Challenges getting equipment in the door have caused all sorts of problems with restaurants. Avanti works with restaurants to design their foodservice options and has been paying close attention to the problem....

Fast growth isn’t necessarily the best growth. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast features Pete Pascuzzi, the CEO of MRI Heritage Brands, to discuss the best strategies for unit and franchise growth in a post-pandemic era. MRI is a Texas company that operates several chains, including Uberrito, Casa Ole, Monterey’s Little Mexico, Tortuga and Crazy Joe’s. Pascuzzi talks about wh...

What did Sam Fox learn from his early struggles in the restaurant business? Fox, the founder of Fox Restaurant Concepts, joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to talk about his career in the restaurant industry. Fox is one of the industry’s most influential concept creators. He has created 20 unique restaurants, including North Italia, Flower Child, True Food...

Restaurants have a love-hate relationship with third-party delivery services. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” covers that relationship. Senior Editor Joe Guszkowski joins the podcast to talk about the issue, including several recent developments in an ongoing battle about charges and other delivery companies' practices.

Why have restaurant industry sales recovered so quickly? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features David Henkes, senior principal with RB sister company Technomic, and Kevin Schimpf, senior research manager, to talk about where sales are and where they are headed. Technomic compiles industry sales data, including tracking the largest chains in the U.S., and al...

How long will the boom in restaurant sales last? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast features Michael Swanson, an agricultural economist and consultant with Wells Fargo. Wells is a huge lender in the restaurant industry and Swanson’s focus is on consumer demand. He discusses the surge in industry spending this year and why sales are increasing—and how much price is affecting tha...

What are the best strategies for companies to improve diversity and inclusion in their organizations? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features James Pogue, CEO of JP Enterprises, a Dallas-based leadership consulting firm. Pogue discusses issues related to diversity in management teams. He says that organizations need to be focused on recruiting and developing...

Can a franchisee succeed as a franchisor? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Tabbassum Mumtaz, CEO of Ampex Brands, and Ericka Garza, brand president for its latest acquisition, Au Bon Pain. The two talk about what it takes for an operator to take over operations for an entire brand. A lot of franchisees have been buying up brands lately, taking advanta...

What makes a good fast-food burger? Or a chicken sandwich? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Bill Oakley, a writer and producer best known for The Simpsons, as well as shows like Portlandia and The Cleveland Show. He is also a prolific food reviewer on Instagram. Oakley’s reviews , which are frequently done from his car and often feature major restaura...

So much for the idea of real estate availability. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Barry Wolfe, senior managing director of investments with Marcus & Millichap, who talks about the real estate market in the aftermath of the pandemic. That market is hot. Wolfe works with investors, franchisees and retailers on real estate issues and he’s been busy....

In this week’s episode of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive,” senior editors Pat Cobe and Heather Lalley join me to discuss the state of plant-based meat at restaurants. A lot is happening in that segment. Chains continue to experiment with plant-based meats, hoping to catch onto a segment of consumers who say they would like to order such items. Much of the focus is on pioneering companies like Impos...

What happens with the Restaurant Revitalization Fund now? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs for the National Restaurant Association, to talk about the status of that fund and some other issues. Congress allocated $28.6 billion in funds for grants to restaurants. They were quickly snapped up, but...

Donatos is expanding using any method it can. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Tom Krouse, the chain’s CEO, in a conversation about its various growth strategies. Donatos was one of the country’s fastest growing chains last year, with system sales up more than 14%. Krouse talks about the chain’s interesting history, including the impact of its ye...