A Deeper Dive

There is no question what the biggest story of the year was. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” includes a discussion between Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze and Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo on the pandemic and its impact on the restaurant industry. They also discuss the stimulus package and its potential to help the industry this time around. They discuss the vacc...

Ghost kitchens are popular right now. But how long will the trend last? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Dan Rowe, the CEO of Fransmart and co-managing partner at The Kitchen Fund, to talk about a number of topics.

Restaurants facing a long pandemic winter have a number of strategies they can use to survive and thrive. That, at least, is according to Navin Nagrani, who joins the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss what he calls the “gain train,” a number of strategies on finance, real estate, operations and acquisitions that operators can use to grow their business.

Restaurants seem to be more resistant to state shutdowns this time around. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo, who sits down with host Jonathan Maze to discuss the current state of the pandemic.

Earlier this month, the fast-casual chicken chain Zaxby’s took a major investment from Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division. Cofounder and CEO Zach McLeroy details the investment in this week’s episode of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive.”

The restaurant industry is going to look a lot different once the pandemic is over. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features the consultant John Gordon, discussing this and a host of other issues.

A vaccine may be on its way, but so are additional restaurant closures. And that could make for a difficult winter. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Adam Werner, global co-leader of the restaurants, hospitality and leisure practice at the consulting firm AlixPartners.

Inspire Brands’ proposed purchase of Dunkin’ Brands was the culmination of three years of acquisitions that have taken the brand operator into the stratosphere. In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive,” Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze and Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo discuss this deal and what Inspire CEO Paul Brown is building in Atlanta.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Lorn Davis, who leads corporate and product strategy at the financial data firm Facteus. Davis discusses some of the sectors performing particularly well, such as chicken wings, and those that have a longer runway for improvement, like coffee.

Private equity groups may be hurting U.S. restaurants. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast  “A Deeper Dive” features Joel Silverstein, the founder and CEO of East West Hospitality Group, who speaks on private equity in the restaurant business as well as international development.

Franchising can be a bigger risk than many expect. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast "A Deeper Dive" delves into that risk with one of the country’s foremost experts on the topic of franchising: Bob Purvin, the CEO of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Stephen Cohen, a solo practice attorney who works with a wide range of restaurants on real estate issues, including Dunkin’, Famous Dave’s, Caribou Coffee and many others. Cohen discusses the pandemic’s impact on leases, and why relations between operators and landlords have been relatively good thus far. But he worrie...

Restaurant design is adapting quickly to meet changing consumer needs. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Rapha Abreu, global head of design for Restaurant Brands International, to discuss the intersection of restaurant design and new technology and how it’s all being adapted in a post-COVID era.

Reef Kitchens has a unique business. But its model is more traditional than you think. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Alan Philips, the chief creative officer for Reef Kitchens. Ghost kitchens are expanding quickly around the country, and investors have poured a ton of money into these companies, banking on a new business model that takes advantage...

The recovery in full-service dining likely hit a big speed bump last week, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control cited in-restaurant dining as factor in the spread of the coronavirus. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” focuses on that topic, and features former Red Robin CEO Denny Marie Post.

Mark Wasilefsky, head of franchise finance for TD Bank, joins the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss COVID-19’s impact on financing.

It’s almost as if there are two restaurant industries, with one struggling to survive the pandemic, and the other flourishing. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” discusses that dichotomy. Dennis Monroe, chairman of the Minneapolis law firm of Monroe Moxness and Berg, joins the podcast to talk about these issues.

Virtual brands are all over the place. But the trend is riskier than it appears. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Robert Byrne, the director of consumer and industry insights with RB sister company Technomic, to talk about what has suddenly become one of the biggest trends in the restaurant space.

Andy Wiederhorn has a penchant for burger chains. The CEO of brand-collecting company Fat Brands joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive to discuss its planned $25 million purchase of Johnny Rockets, announced last week.

Firehouse Subs’ sales are on fire. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Don Fox, CEO of the Jacksonville, Fla.-based sandwich chain, talking about the company’s strong sales coming out of the pandemic.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Keith Guilbault, CEO of Qdoba Mexican Eats, the 730-unit fast-casual Mexican chain. Guilbault talks about Qdoba’s response to the coronavirus and how the company got creative to serve customers during that time.

The economy will not recover until the pandemic is under control. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features economist Joel Naroff discussing the prospects for an economic recovery in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Mexican fast-food chain’s CEO joins the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss how his chain has responded to COVID-19, and also Taco Tuesday.

BurgerFi president Charlie Guzzetta joins the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive” to talk about the coronavirus and its merger with Opes Acquisition.

This week’s edition of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive” features editors Jonathan Maze and Peter Romeo discussing the coronavirus resurgence and its impact on the industry.