A Deeper Dive

Del Taco has big plans for its new prototype. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features John Cappasola, CEO of the 600-unit Mexican chain, to talk about the chain’s “Fresh Flex” prototype and why the new design can help the company expand in the post-pandemic era.

How did Golden Corral, the country’s biggest buffet chain, survive a pandemic in which it couldn’t operate much if not all of its buffets? Lance Trenary, the chain’s CEO, answers that question on this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive.”

Virtual brands are big and getting bigger. And they could change the restaurant industry. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features myself along with RB’s technology editor, Joe Guszkowski, to talk about what might be the biggest single trend in the industry: The proliferation of delivery-only restaurants, or virtual brands.

How does Hungry Howie’s compete in the pizza sector with so many giant competitors? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Steve Jackson, CEO of the 500-unit chain, who discusses the company’s response to the pandemic and its ability to grow in a market with so many bigger competitors.

Dutch Bros Coffee has quietly been one of the strongest growth chains in the U.S. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Joth Ricci, president of the 400-unit chain, to discuss its growth strategies, response to the pandemic, and its future.

Fast-food restaurant companies are busy developing new prototypes to take advantage of the growth in takeout. But they need more than that to succeed. Or so says Juan Martinez, principal and founder with the consulting firm Profitality, who joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss the proliferation of restaurant redesigns. Martinez discusses the redes...

Bartaco has had a busy three years. Scott Lawton, CEO and cofounder of the 20-unit taco chain, joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss those years and how the company has had to overcome the challenge of the coronavirus.

Ghost kitchens are a big trend, and Nathan’s Famous is taking full advantage. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features James Walker, senior vice president of restaurants, with Nathan’s Famous to talk about the trend and why ghost kitchens work for the concept.

Papa John’s turned itself around last year. Its challenge in 2021 is to keep that momentum going. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Rob Lynch, the CEO of the Louisville, Ky.-based pizza chain.

There is no question what the biggest story of the year was. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” includes a discussion between Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze and Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo on the pandemic and its impact on the restaurant industry. They also discuss the stimulus package and its potential to help the industry this time around. They discuss the vacc...

Ghost kitchens are popular right now. But how long will the trend last? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Dan Rowe, the CEO of Fransmart and co-managing partner at The Kitchen Fund, to talk about a number of topics.

Restaurants facing a long pandemic winter have a number of strategies they can use to survive and thrive. That, at least, is according to Navin Nagrani, who joins the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss what he calls the “gain train,” a number of strategies on finance, real estate, operations and acquisitions that operators can use to grow their business.

Restaurants seem to be more resistant to state shutdowns this time around. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo, who sits down with host Jonathan Maze to discuss the current state of the pandemic.

Earlier this month, the fast-casual chicken chain Zaxby’s took a major investment from Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division. Cofounder and CEO Zach McLeroy details the investment in this week’s episode of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive.”

The restaurant industry is going to look a lot different once the pandemic is over. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features the consultant John Gordon, discussing this and a host of other issues.

A vaccine may be on its way, but so are additional restaurant closures. And that could make for a difficult winter. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Adam Werner, global co-leader of the restaurants, hospitality and leisure practice at the consulting firm AlixPartners.

Inspire Brands’ proposed purchase of Dunkin’ Brands was the culmination of three years of acquisitions that have taken the brand operator into the stratosphere. In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive,” Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze and Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo discuss this deal and what Inspire CEO Paul Brown is building in Atlanta.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Lorn Davis, who leads corporate and product strategy at the financial data firm Facteus. Davis discusses some of the sectors performing particularly well, such as chicken wings, and those that have a longer runway for improvement, like coffee.

Private equity groups may be hurting U.S. restaurants. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast  “A Deeper Dive” features Joel Silverstein, the founder and CEO of East West Hospitality Group, who speaks on private equity in the restaurant business as well as international development.

Franchising can be a bigger risk than many expect. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast "A Deeper Dive" delves into that risk with one of the country’s foremost experts on the topic of franchising: Bob Purvin, the CEO of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Stephen Cohen, a solo practice attorney who works with a wide range of restaurants on real estate issues, including Dunkin’, Famous Dave’s, Caribou Coffee and many others. Cohen discusses the pandemic’s impact on leases, and why relations between operators and landlords have been relatively good thus far. But he worrie...

Restaurant design is adapting quickly to meet changing consumer needs. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Rapha Abreu, global head of design for Restaurant Brands International, to discuss the intersection of restaurant design and new technology and how it’s all being adapted in a post-COVID era.

Reef Kitchens has a unique business. But its model is more traditional than you think. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Alan Philips, the chief creative officer for Reef Kitchens. Ghost kitchens are expanding quickly around the country, and investors have poured a ton of money into these companies, banking on a new business model that takes advantage...

The recovery in full-service dining likely hit a big speed bump last week, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control cited in-restaurant dining as factor in the spread of the coronavirus. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” focuses on that topic, and features former Red Robin CEO Denny Marie Post.

Mark Wasilefsky, head of franchise finance for TD Bank, joins the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss COVID-19’s impact on financing.