Restaurant Operator

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks with Richard Del Valle, chief of staff and chief information officer for Bojangles, and Parrish Chapman, chief revenue officer for Grubbrr, about Bojangles' partnership with Grubbrr for kiosks in house. Bojangles recently ran a trial using Grubbrr's kiosks and is now rol...

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, talks to Jim Metevier, CEO of Mountain Mike's Pizza . The California chain of 240 restaurants is making waves on the West Coast with its toppings-heavy pies and tight operations. Metevier has more than 30 years experience in the restaurant industry. He previously served as the company's preside...

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb.com and PizzaMarketplace.com, chats with Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick . The brand was started by two entrepreneurs in Auburn with one making varieties of chicken salad out of her home. The first Chicken Salad Chick location opened in Jan. 2008 with drive-thru and carryout only. The founders made...

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, talks to Brandon Hunt and Zane Hunt, brothers who launched Via 313 in Austin, Texas. Zane said he and his brother were raised in the Detroit, and grew up eating square pizza, now known as Detroit-style pizza. "You thinking about where we're at right now in 2024 with the hyper gentrificatio...

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Rush Bowls founder Andrew Pudalov, who started out in finance before trading dollar signs for menu items. Pudalov said 9/11 was a trigger for leaving the financial world. His wife worked in the Twin Towers and her first day back from maternity leave was the day the towers came...

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, talks to Little Caesars franchisee Vicki Dunn-Marshall. Dunn-Marshall's focus on philanthropy has led to start Pizza Paws, a campaign that raises money for police K-9 units across the country. The idea came about after there was a prison break in one of the towns where she operates a Little Cae...

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com talks to Geoff Henry, president of bubble tea brand Gong Cha. "The bubble tea category has been around for quite some time," Henry said in the podcast. "It kind of started back in Asia, typically in Taiwan in the early 1990s. Taiwan is known for its night markets wh...

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace , talks to Wesley Keegan, founder of TailGate Brewery, a nine-unit pizzeria and brew hall in Nashville, Tennessee. Keegan started with a brewery, but found his customers would have a beer and then leave to go find food. He tried bringing in food trucks, but that didn't seem to work. Instead, he...

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Tom Gordon, CEO of Slim Chickens . The brand launched in 2003, has more than 280 units and is based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. "We open about a store a week," Gordon said. "We do 50 to 60 domestic stores every year, and we do international stores every year, too....

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler interviews Rob McColgan, brand president and co-founder of Modern Market Eatery, at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit about how the brand has evolved since its launched in 2009 in Boulder, Colorado. The brand now has just over 30 units in six states. McColgan admits launching a brand was more difficult than he a...

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, and Jeff Hetsel, president of Cicis Pizza . Hetsel says Cicis, which is a buffet concept, is doing well with positive sales, and the brand is currently looking for ways to leverage technology to increase those sales. "One of the great things we try to do is if you don't see your favorite p...

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler talks to Amanda Millikan, vice president of chicken chain Bonchon. Millikan oversees the growth strategy for the United States and has been with the company for a year and a half. The Korean fried chicken brand has been in the U.S. since 2006. The chicken is double fried and hand brushed, making it a standout in the competitiv...

The food truck industry isn't an easy one. Food truck operators need capital to get a truck, get it set up for food production, get branding set up and more. That's not to mention meeting all regulatory rules and finding the best place to park. And lastly, they need to be able to generate a customer base willing to follow their trucks and purchase their food. How can food trucks generate...

 In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, talks to John Arena, co-owner of Metro Pizza in Las Vegas. Arena recently opened a signature pizzeria called Truly Pizza in Dana Point, California, with a group of friends. Together, they've built a concept new to the city that brings in both tourists and locals alike. 

It's not easy operating a food truck. You have to get your trailer in order, get the right equipment to prepare food and make sure your truck is up to code. That's before you begin to figure out where you're allowed to park your vehicle. In today's episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Patrick Bolanos, co-founder of Trail King Builders shared insights into how to get star...

Conversational AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can chat with guests. It uses natural language processing to understand what you say and respond in a way that mimics human conversation. This technology is used in chatbots and virtual assistants like Givex AI's ordering kiosk used in coffee shops, QSRs and more. In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwile...

Recently, Erle Dardick, the catering guru, and fastcasual.com have partnered to create the Restaurant Catering Workshop, happening October 15-16, 2024 in Denver CO. Erle joins us for a candid conversation on hits and misses in the catering business. #catering #restaurant #podcast

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Wolf Detwiler, managing editor of Networld Media Goup, talks to Lauren Coulter, integrator and chief biscuit eater at Biscuit Belly , a Louisville, Kentucky-based biscuit fast casual chain about the brand's catering program. Many restaurants are expanding their reach with dedicated catering programs. These programs offer restauran...

In this episode of the Pizza Marketplace Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace, talks with Les Tomlin, co-founder and president of PizzaForno, North America's first automated pizzeria, about the rise of food vending machines. "The concept of automated pizza is relatively new to North America but has been around Europe for almost 20 years," Tomlin told Detwiler. &...

Brand leaders spoke to Restaurant Operator Podcast host Mandy Detwiler at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit held in Kansas City in March. Detwiler spoke to leaders at Longboards Wraps and Bowls, Kansas City International Airport, Hawaii Brothers and more. "The Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit offers a wealth of information for restaurant leaders and brands," De...

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Charles Wetzel, CEO of Kalibrate, a company specializing in data, software and consultancy to restaurants. Kalibrate, which began in 1970, started on the fuel and convenience side and eventually moved to location intelligence, specifically within the hospitality, retail and res...

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Networld Media Group Editor Mandy Detwiler chats with Don Smith, director of business development for Givex North America, about the state of the restaurant industry and what's affecting it today. Givex, a best-in-class POS solution, services a number of high-profile brands. Online ordering has grown since the pandemic, and Smith said it has...

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, managing editor of Networld Media Group and editor for QSRweb.com and PizzaMarketplace.com, talks to Chris Lybeer, chief strategy and marketing officer for Revel Systems, a cloud-based technology provider, about how tech is changing the restaurant industry today. Lybeer said it's an exciting time for technology brands in...