A Deeper Dive

Customers are increasingly questioning the value of their restaurant visits. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Lisa Miller, a consumer strategist and author of the book “The Business of Joy.” And we talk about consumer attitudes on the value of restaurants right now. Miller surveys consumers every month and she has had some interesting insights on how...

How do you dust off a brand that has been dead for 15 years? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Paul Mangiamele, the CEO and chairman of Legendary Restaurant Brands, the owner of Bennigan’s. Mangiamele discusses his decision to open Steak & Ale, which is scheduled for next spring. Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale were in the same group that filed for...

What do you do with Pollo Tropical? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Alex Macedo, the chairman of Authentic Restaurant Brands, to talk about that company’s recent acquisition of Pollo Tropical. Authentic Restaurant Brands, or ARB, is owned by the private equity firm Garnett Station Partners. Macedo is a former executive with Burger King and Tim Horton...

What is the state of the labor market right now? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Brian Miller, the CEO of management recruiting firm Patrice & Associates. Miller works with hospitality companies to recruit executives and managers. We talk a lot about the labor market, which has been resilient—surprisingly so, at least if you ask economists. We talk...

Loyalty programs are all over the place. But are they really necessary? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Stephanie Meltzer-Paul, the EVP of global loyalty for MasterCard, to talk about loyalty programs. We asked Meltzer-Paul to join the podcast given how popular these programs have become. Just about every major fast-food chain, and many casual-dining...

Will restaurants need to serve more healthy food in the future? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features RB Executive Editor Lisa Jennings and we spend the entire time talking about the concept of a healthy fast-food restaurant. Lisa and I have had numerous debates over the years about this topic and we thought we’d let you in on some of them. We chat about O...

Is the tip credit dead? It sure seems that way, given the way big cities and states are doing away with the credit. So, for this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive,” I’m joined by RB Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo to talk about these things. Peter has been reporting on a rapid and increasingly successful movement around the country to do away with the tip credit, the sub...

Why are the public markets good for Cava and not Panera Bread? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Ron Shaich, the chairman of Cava and former CEO of Panera Bread. Shaich has turned his attention to investing in and building brands since Panera was sold to JAB Holdings in 2017. He recently wrote a book, “Know What Matters, Lessons from a Lifetime of Tran...

Let’s meet 7 Brew, one of the fastest-growing chains in the country. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features John Davidson, CEO of the rapidly growing drive-thru coffee chain. If you haven’t been to a 7 Brew, just wait: One will probably show up near your house sometime soon. The company’s unit count nearly tripled last year—enough to make the brand No. 3 on...

How do you build a restaurant brand platform? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Gregg Majewski, the longtime industry executive and founder of Craveworthy Brands. We spoke with Gregg at the FSTEC Conference in Texas earlier this month. Majewski had worked for years in the industry as an investor and executive, most recently as CEO of Mongolian concepts B...

How can a small restaurant operator think about marketing? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Chip Klose, the host of the Restaurant Strategy podcast and author of the book The Restaurant Marketing Mindset. We wanted to talk with Chip about marketing, and why it’s so important for restaurant companies. We initially thought we’d discuss some recent indus...

Why are consumers and franchisees so interested in chicken tenders? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Andy Howard, the CEO of the chicken chain Huey Magoo’s. Howard has had a long history in the chicken business, a history that mirrors the evolution of the chicken business. He talks about Huey Magoo’s, the Florida-based concept he acquired a few years...

o you get a popular local concept ready for prime time? This week’s episode of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Greg Vojnovic, the longtime development executive, who joins the podcast to talk about his small chain, called the Hot Dog Shoppe. Greg has had a long career in the restaurant industry and used to head development for Popeyes and then Arby’s as it formed Inspire Brands. He has sin...

How will Subway’s sale change the sandwich business? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Michael Goldberg, the CEO of the 100-unit California chain Ike’s Love and Sandwiches. Goldberg, who has been with the chain for more than four years, discusses a wide variety of topics. He discusses Ike’s history and its plans for growth. He also talks about the surg...

The restaurant industry has had plenty of its share of fraud, accounting scandals and outright theft. This episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features a discussion on some of the more interesting such events in the past and features Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo, host of the Restaurant Rewind podcast. Romeo is the unofficial historian of the restaurant business. We look back at...

What is going on with Big Boy? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Tamer Afr, the CEO of the family-dining chain, to talk about the state of the brand. Afr has an interesting story. He had never been in the restaurant business until just less than five years ago, when he bought Big Boy as a potential growth opportunity. He then had to learn the industry wh...

Where are commodities headed in the coming months? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Maloni, the principal with the consulting firm Datum FS, to talk about where food prices are headed. Maloni is a recognized expert in commodities forecasting and supply chain issues. We talk about the state of food prices in the U.S. and his projections for costs g...

What do Subway, Chipotle and Texas Roadhouse have in common? They’re all subjects of this week’s episode of A Deeper Dive. I asked a pair of, uh, veteran editors to join me on the podcast to talk about a single event they covered over the past decade that was particularly memorable. Restaurant Business Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo and Executive Editor Lisa Jennings were happy to oblige. The rule: W...

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Scott Lawton, the CEO and cofounder of bartaco. Bartaco operates 27 locations, specializing specifically in tacos. Lawton talks about how the chain was founded and discusses its current growth plans.   We also talk about the lure of tacos and why they’re so popular these days. And I ask him about loyalty, and how the cha...

What’s the state of the restaurant business and M&A right now? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jim Balis, the managing director with the investment firm CapitalSpring. We talk about the state of the industry at the moment. With 2023 halfway over, we wanted Balis to talk about where the industry is going, both on a revenue and costs front but on mer...

What is the story behind Burger King’s comeback effort? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Tom Curtis, president of Burger King in the U.S. and Canada. Curtis has overseen Burger King over the past two years after coming over from Domino’s. And he has come at a time when the chain has been in trouble. The brand struggled during the pandemic, particularly...

Grocery stores are preparing to come after your business. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Heather Lalley, the editor-in-chief of RB sister publication Winsight Grocery Business. We chat about, shockingly enough, the grocery business. Specifically, Heather and I discuss the competition between grocers and restaurants. We talk about the move grocers are...

What’s going on with MrBeast Burger? In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive,” Senior Technology Editor Joe Guszkowski joins me to discuss virtual brands and, in particular, MrBeast Burger. If you haven’t heard, the YouTube star MrBeast has said publicly that he has pulled his support from his virtual brand, MrBeast Burger. He has since pulled the tweets in which h...

No one outpizzaed the Hut in the first quarter. Can Pizza Hut keep it up? David Graves, president of Pizza Hut U.S., joined me on the “A Deeper Dive” podcast this week to discuss the state of the brand and how its efforts have won over customers. Pizza Hut struggled for years but appears to have turned a corner more recently. Its 8% same-store sales growth in the first quarter outpaced its pizza d...

How have urban markets changed since the pandemic? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Chip Wade, the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group. Wade has a long and distinguished career in the restaurant industry. He was named CEO of Union Square last year after working with the company since 2019. Before that he worked for 17 years with Darden Restaurants a...