Extra Serving: A restaurant industry podcast

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and senior editor Joanna Fantozzi discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including the impact of last week’s midterm election results plus recent quarterly earnings reports from Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Cava, Dutch Bros, Texas Roadhouse, and many more. Sam and Joanna kick things off with details of their recent travels: Joanna attende...

Kevin Boehm has experienced the highs and lows of the restaurant industry. His award-winning restaurants range from the Michelin-starred Boka to Girl and Goat with Chef Stephanie Izard. Still, in his early days in the industry, he fought addiction and mental health issues and eventually hit rock bottom. Many of those highs and lows are detailed in “The Bottomless Cup: A Memoir of Secrets, Restaura...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Cheesecake Factory’s big results and bright spotlight, three chains that smashed the third quarter out of the park, and two shareholders’ attempted takeover of Wendy’s. First up is Cheesecake Factory, which unexpectedly found itself at the center of c...

Chef Matt Harding has been working with Italian food for more than 30 years, first as corporate executive chef at Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, and later at Piada Italian Street Food, the fast-casual Italian chain started by Bravo Brio cofounder Chris Doody. Piada opened its first location in Columbus, Ohio, in 2010, and has since grown to more than 60 locations in seven states. Originally, Harding...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Taco Bell’s renewal of its partnership with Pepsi, the QSR pizza category’s market share gains against retail, and Wendy’s efforts to win back customers. First up is the news that Taco Bell renewed its contract with Pepsi through 2036. This came in th...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including KFC U.S.’s switch from Pepsi to Coca-Cola products, Taco Bell’s expansion of its Live Mas Cafe concept, and Domino’s underwhelming sales results. First up is the news that KFC U.S. was switching from Pepsi products to Coca-Cola after 40 years. It’s un...

For more than 30 years, Amy Alarcon has served as a chef at some of America’s favorite restaurant chains, from Church’s Chicken to Taco Cabana and Arby’s. But it was at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen that Alarcon established herself as a major influence on the way Americans eat, overseeing for 18 years the development of some of that chain’s most popular menu items, including its iconic Chicken Sandwic...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including the rumor that Starbucks was exploring an acquisition of Chipotle, True Food Kitchen’s bankruptcy filing, and a class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s. First up is the news that Starbucks had explored acquiring Chipotle. While the connective tissue i...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including El Pollo Loco’s plans for growth in New York, Chipotle’s drive-thru milestone, and a new report that details major struggles at Crumbl Cookies. First up is the chicken category, starting with El Pollo Loco, which announced that it had signed three dev...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including KFC’s new Open House prototype, McDonald’s massive NEXT initiative, and Darden’s impressive results across its portfolio. First up is KFC, which introduced its Open House prototype at a new location outside Dallas last week. Alicia toured the new loca...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and managing editor Leigh Anne Zinsmeister discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Wonder’s investment from DoorDash, Chili’s intentions to grab market share from Taco Bell, and Dave & Buster’s confession that the economy was not solely to blame for its misfortunes. First up is Wonder, which had a big week: The ghost-ki...

Sarah Thompson came up in NYC restaurants like Marea and Cosme that were run by strong female leaders. When she came to Las Vegas, though, things looked very different. But at Casa Playa, her fine dining Mexican restaurant at the Wynn Las Vegas, Thompson built a team that’s about 50% female, and she’s 100% helping to change the face of Las Vegas dining. Thompson spoke to guest host Gloria Dawson a...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Yum Brands’ hint that it could acquire another brand, Jersey Mike’s attempts to attract younger consumers, and Walmart’s new deal to deliver Papa Johns pizzas. First up is Yum Brands, which just offloaded Pizza Hut and yet is already teasing about a p...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Popeyes’ reintroduction of its $6 Big Box, Domino’s new Detroit-style pizza, and new data showing that fast food’s value perception is slipping. First up is Popeyes, which reintroduced its $6 Big Box as a value offering and rolled out a new promotiona...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Wendy’s ongoing executive turnover, Taco Bell’s celebrity partnership, and sales data that’s good news for independent restaurants. First up is Wendy’s, which announced that Tariq Hassan — formerly chief marketing and customer experience officer at Mc...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Taco Bell’s nostalgic menu, Jack in the Box’s CEO-in-waiting, and Chipotle’s Gen Alpha influencer partnership. First up is Taco Bell, which never lacks for menu news. The brand introduced three new energy drinks — the Pineapple Citrus Energy Refresher...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including quarterly results from CAVA and Chili’s, new products from McDonald’s and Domino’s, and marketing promotions that have been surprising failures. First up is a recap of this week’s earnings reports, including updates from CAVA, Brinker International, J...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Salad and Go closing all of its restaurants and major chains reporting their latest quarterly earnings, from McDonald’s and Burger King to Wendy’s, Texas Roadhouse, Bloomin’ Brands, Dine Brands, Sweetgreen, and more. First up is the news that Salad an...

Chef Avishar Barua sat down with guest host Gloria Dawson to discuss his Columbus, Ohio, restaurants Agni and Joya’s, what Midwestern food really is, and how he brings humor and value into fine dining. In addition to his restaurants, Avishar makes time for numerous speaking, consulting, and TV engagements. He discusses how these projects outside the restaurant have become a part of doing business...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including a flurry of earnings reports that paint a mostly positive picture for restaurants. They kick things off with some encouraging news: Starbucks same-store sales climbed 7.9% in the most recent quarter, including a 4.2% transaction increase, demonstratin...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and managing editor Leigh Anne Zinsmeister discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Cracker Barrel's leadership transition, Domino's barely positive sales results, and Noodle & Company's standout performance. They start with the announcement that Dave Deno has been named CEO of Cracker Barrel, replacing Julie Felss Masin...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including the origin of the cyclosporiasis outbreak, the troubling rise in bankruptcies and closures, and a wave of new marketing campaigns aimed at winning back customers. They start with some explosive news related to the recent outbreak of cyclosporiasis: In...

On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including McDonald’s and Burger King’s new chicken tests, Wonder's potential IPO, and the proliferation of tiered value menus. They kick things off with product news from two of the biggest players in quick service: McDonald's and Burger King are both exploring...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Jersey Mike’s imminent IPO, the latest jobs report, and a trend in mass restaurant closures. Fresh off an exciting weekend of World Cup action, Sam and Alicia start with the summer of marketing initiatives, which have leaned heavily into the World Cup...

In this week’s episode of Extra Serving , hosts Alicia Kelso and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister dive into the latest developments shaping the restaurant industry. Domino’s Pizza makes headlines as CEO Russell Weiner announces his retirement, leaving big shoes to fill for successor Joe Jordan. The duo discusses the legacy of bold campaigns and market share dominance that defined Weiner’s tenure. Meanwhile,...