A Deeper Dive

How does a small growth chain expand when the operating environment is so difficult? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Jason Morgan, CEO of the 17-unit Original ChopShop, to talk about it. Original Chop Shop is a better-for-you fast casual chain. The company has done quite well during the pandemic and has some significant growth plans, but it has faced...

How has life changed for Portillo’s since the brand went public? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Michael Osanloo, CEO of the hot dog and Italian beef chain, to talk about life as a public company. Portillo’s has been a fast-growing chain of massive quick-service restaurants. It went public last year in what now looks like some bad timing. Stocks have...

What happens with third-party delivery from here? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” attempts to answer that question. Joe Guszkowski, RB’s senior technology editor, joins the podcast to discuss the service and some interesting data and trends. Third-party delivery took off during the pandemic. It provided a lifeline for many restaurants. Yet it remains in flux.

Everybody wants a drive-thru these days. And that has an impact on the prices for real estate that can accommodate that wish. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Barry Wolfe, senior managing director of investments for the real estate investment firm Marcus and Millichap, to talk about the demand for drive-thru sites.

What is 2022 going to be like for restaurants? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Hudson Riehle, SVP of the research and knowledge group with the National Restaurant Association, to talk about the group’s recent State of the Restaurant Industry report. The report is an annual compilation of data and surveys on the industry and provides a snapshot of whe...

How has the omicron variant affected restaurant traffic? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features RJ Hottovy, head of analytical research with the data firm Placer.ai. Hottovy is a longtime industry analyst who went to work with Placer last year. Placer tracks consumer traffic, and he talks about how that traffic has been changing of late.

Tracy Johnstone wanted to go into academics. Instead she found plenty of teaching opportunities with McDonald’s. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features the now-former, longtime McDonald’s franchisee, who discusses her more than 30 years in the business.

How does a small, Midwestern coffee chain compete with the big giants? Bob Fish, the co-CEO and cofounder of Biggby Coffee, joins the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” this week to discuss the chain’s growth strategy. Biggby is a 260-unit chain based in Lansing, Mich. The company has plans for some enormous growth in the near future after largely making it through the pandemic unscathed....

Virtual brands and ghost kitchens have been hugely popular since the outset of the pandemic. But just how big will they be? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Denny Marie Post, the former Red Robin CEO who is now an advisor to the virtual brand operator Nextbite, among other roles.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features staff editors, all discussing their takes on the year’s biggest stories. Editor At Large Peter Romeo, Technology Editor Joe Guszkowski, Independents Editor Heather Lalley and Menu Editor Pat Cobe join me in discussing issues related to labor, technology, the plight of independents, finance and menu trends.

Will high labor costs derail restaurant industry mergers and acquisitions? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Nick Cole, head of restaurant finance for the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, or MUFG.

The omicron variant is spreading. Will it cause problems for restaurants? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Roslyn Stone, chief operating officer of Zero Hour Health, who talks about this new variant and what it means for restaurants.

Will people eat enough salads to fuel Sweetgreen’s potential growth? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Nancy Kruse, RB’s new menu trends columnist.

A Deeper Dive: Jim Balis, managing director with CapitalSpring, joins this week’s episode to talk about overcoming labor and commodity inflation.

How is Andy Wiederhorn doing it? In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive,” the CEO of Fatburger and Johnny Rockets owner Fat Brands discusses his company’s latest deal, a $130 million acquisition of Fazoli’s. It is the fourth major deal in 14 months, starting with Johnny Rockets, then Global Franchise Group and then Twin Peaks. All told, Wiederhorn’s company has ma...

Just how bad is the labor shortage? In this episode of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive,” I debate with Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo about that very topic. Restaurants have been dealing with one of the worst shortages of labor in history, with many locations shortening hours or reducing services because they do not have enough workers. Operators are paying much higher wage rates and they’re paying mor...

Want to grow your brand? Make sure you get your franchise relations right. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Darin Harris, the CEO of the San Diego-based burger chain Jack in the Box, to talk about the company’s growth plans.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Frances Allen, CEO of Checkers and Rally’s, who talks about the chain’s growth, the industry’s current challenges and her outlook going forward. Checkers, traditionally a drive-thru-only chain, has thrived since the pandemic as consumers shifted more of their dining toward such service models. That has also given the c...

Is there any positive outlook on the labor front? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Kevin Bazner, the CEO of A&W Restaurants, talking about the impact of the labor shortage on his company’s restaurants.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission appears ready to take a harder look at franchising. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features two people who are asking the agency to do just that. Eric Karp, an attorney with the law firm of Witmer Karp Warner and Ryan, and Subway operator and franchisee advocate Keith Miller, explain their recent request of the commission to...

When will independent restaurants catch a break? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features a discussion on the state of independent restaurants with Senior Editor Heather Lalley. Restaurants are currently facing a major shortage of alcohol, which has made it difficult to get some specific brands—the latest in a string of shortages that have affected all kinds...

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Mark Rossi, the CEO of Avanti Restaurant Solutions, who talks about current challenges with the supply chain. Challenges getting equipment in the door have caused all sorts of problems with restaurants. Avanti works with restaurants to design their foodservice options and has been paying close attention to the problem....

Fast growth isn’t necessarily the best growth. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast features Pete Pascuzzi, the CEO of MRI Heritage Brands, to discuss the best strategies for unit and franchise growth in a post-pandemic era. MRI is a Texas company that operates several chains, including Uberrito, Casa Ole, Monterey’s Little Mexico, Tortuga and Crazy Joe’s. Pascuzzi talks about wh...

What did Sam Fox learn from his early struggles in the restaurant business? Fox, the founder of Fox Restaurant Concepts, joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to talk about his career in the restaurant industry. Fox is one of the industry’s most influential concept creators. He has created 20 unique restaurants, including North Italia, Flower Child, True Food...

Restaurants have a love-hate relationship with third-party delivery services. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” covers that relationship. Senior Editor Joe Guszkowski joins the podcast to talk about the issue, including several recent developments in an ongoing battle about charges and other delivery companies' practices.