A Deeper Dive

Why are consumers less responsive to restaurant marketing right now? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Robert Byrne, director of consumer and industry insights with Technomic and a regular podcast guest.  We wanted to talk with Byrne about the general state of the industry, mostly because we had this question: Why isn’t anything working? Over the past co...

Why are so many consumers dining on a deal? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Portalatin, SVP and food industry advisor for the data and technology firm Circana. Circana just released a report showing that 29% of consumers are dining on a perceived deal, a historically high percentage. That has also grown over the past couple of years at a rate not...

Why did PJ’s Coffee dramatically cut back on its menu items? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Mesa, the president of PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans.  PJ’s has 200 locations and is growing at a healthy clip. Mesa joins the podcast to talk about the company’s rebranding. PJ’s is leaning into its New Orleans heritage with that rebranding, including its m...

What is the state of the restaurant industry right now? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Rich Shank, senior principal with the data firm Technomic. And it’s a really good question. While the stock market continues to thrive and certain segments of the restaurant industry are busy, a lot of other data suggests operators have a lot to worry about right no...

What goes into an investment into one of the country’s fastest growing restaurant brands? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Scott Romanoff, the cofounder and co managing partner of Franchise Equity Partners. Franchise Equity Partners is a long-term investor in multi-unit operators of all types and recently made a big investment in 7 Crew, a 50-unit franc...

Are restaurants missing a key opportunity on delivery? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Cameron Watt, the CEO of secret shopper firm Intouch Insight. Intouch recently completed an exclusive study on delivery for Restaurant Business and we’re chatting about some of the conclusions. We caught up with Cameron at the recently concluded FSTEC conference. The...

Why is McDonald’s taking on the tip credit?  This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive takes a hard look at the fast-food giant’s stand on the tip credit, which enables businesses to pay a subminimum wage to tipped workers, so long as the tips make up the difference.  We feature three guests on this podcast: Saru Jayaraman, the president and cofounder of the labor advoca...

What is the country’s fifth largest pizza concept doing to expand its reach? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Tom Brennan, the chief merchandising officer for the Iowa-based convenience-store chain Casey’s. That is right. Casey’s is the fifth-largest pizza concept in the U.S., at least based on sales.  This is a fascinating conversation with a top execu...

Why are some restaurants having such a tough time this year? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Chad Moutray, the chief economist for the National Restaurant Association.  We wanted to talk with Chad for two big reasons: First, the association published its data abstract on the restaurant industry,  which shows some surprisingly low profitability  for bot...

What is Todd Penegor doing at Papa Johns? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Todd Penegor, who has been CEO of the Atlanta-based pizza chain for just over a year.  This is a great conversation. Penegor has helped Papa Johns regain sales momentum during a particularly difficult time, both for the sector and the fast-food business in general. The company ha...

How are franchisees dealing with the current operating environment? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Raj Patel, a multi-brand franchisee out of the Chicago area.  Patel’s group operates nearly 100 Dunkin’ locations and a number of Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants, among others. We wanted to talk with him to get a franchisee’s perspective of the current en...

What kind of technology are restaurant companies looking for? This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive features Juan George, a former Olo executive and cofounder of 858 Partners, which connects restaurants with technology companies. Technology remains a key area of investment for a lot of companies. We were interested in hearing from George about what companies are looking for. He does not disappoint...

Zaxbys is ready to fulfill its destiny. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features a discussion with Bernard Acoca, the CEO of the fast-casual chicken chain. Acoca was hired as CEO three years ago and was the first non-founder to lead the Atlanta-based chain. He has spent that time “bunkering” and working to fix the brand’s operations. Now he’s ready to talk and...

How does a restaurant chain go from parking lot startup to $1 billion valuation in less than a decade? This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive focuses on the recent sale of Dave’s Hot Chicken to Roark Capital. It features the fast-casual chain’s CFO, James McGehee, and SVP of Finance Scott Putman.  Dave’s Hot Chicken was founded in a Los Angeles parking lot—yes, a parking lot—by four friends in 2017....

Why doesn’t Handel’s Homemade Ice cream have an app? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jennifer Schuler, CEO of the Ohio-based Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream. This is a great conversation. Handel’s was founded in Youngstown Ohio in 1945. It has been franchising for decades. But it has taken off last year—sales rose 38%. Schuler was named CEO early last year...

Why is La Madeleine adding more fireplaces?  This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features John Dillon, CEO of the Dallas-based fast-casual chain La Madeleine.  This is the last in our series of podcast episodes recorded during the National Restaurant Show in May.  La Madeleine operates 91 locations, mostly across the South. Dillion was named CEO of the chain earlie...

How does a 106-year-old brand keep customers coming back? By tapping into nostalgia. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features A&W CEO Betsy Schmandt.  This is the latest in our series of podcasts recorded during the National Restaurant show. This is a great conversation. We wanted to get to know Betsy, who was named chief executive of the chain earlier this...

What’s the story behind the growth chain Mo’Bettahs? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Rob Ertmann, the CEO of the fast-growing Hawaiian-style chain Mo’Bettahs. This is the latest in our series of podcast episodes recorded at the National Restaurant Show in May.  We wanted to talk with Ertmann to get the story behind Mo’Bettahs, which is one of the indus...

How do you take a 56-year-old brand into the future? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Heather Neary, the CEO of the fast-food Mexican chain Taco John’s. This is our latest in a series of podcast episodes recorded from the National Restaurant Show in May. Neary took over as CEO of Taco John’s last year. We speak with her about what she’s done over the pa...

What’s the next step for the owner of Krystal? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Josh Kern, the CEO of the multi-brand restaurant operator SPB Hospitality, which owns several different chains. This is the latest in a series of podcast episodes that we recorded during the National Restaurant Association Show last month.  SPB Hospitality owns and operates...

How does Velvet Taco come up with its recipes? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Clay Dover, CEO of the fast-casual taco chain. This is the latest in a series of podcasts we recorded at the National Restaurant Show.  Velvet Taco is a rapidly growing chain of taco shops. It finished 2024 with 49 locations and grew sales nearly 22%, according to data from...

How should marketing change in the era of AI? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Kyle Drenon, the CEO and co-owner of Supper Co., a marketing firm that works with restaurants and other hospitality industries.  This is part of a series of podcasts we recorded at the National Restaurant Show last month and it is a good one. We wanted Kyle on the podcast to...

Why are restaurant chains introducing so many limited-time offers? This week’s episode of the restaurant finance podcast A Deeper Dive features Katie Belflower, manager of menu research and insights with Restaurant Business sister company Technomic.  This is part of a series of podcasts we recorded during the recently concluded National Restaurant Association Show. We wanted to talk with Belflower...

How is the restaurant industry adjusting to the Trump administration? This week’s episode of the weekly restaurant finance podcast A Deeper Dive features Michelle Korsmo, the CEO of the National Restaurant Association. This is the first in a series of podcasts we recorded during the National Restaurant Association Show this week. We wanted to get a pulse on the restaurant industry and on its deali...

What does Culver’s new CEO have in mind for the chain? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Julie Fussner, who was recently named chief executive of the 1,000-unit, Wisconsin-based burger chain.  Culver’s is quietly one of the most consistent restaurant chains in the country and is one of a generation of high-growth burger concepts. Its system sales grew 16...