A Deeper Dive

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...

How will tariffs affect restaurants? This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive features Neal Sherman, the founder of the used equipment company Tagex Brands. President Trump dramatically escalated the tariff rate on imported goods to an average of 27%, according to the Budget Lab at Yale. That’s expected to have an impact on restaurants. Most restaurant chains source the bulk of their food from within...

How does Chili’s keep doing this? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business finance podcast A Deeper Dive features George Felix, the chief marketing officer for Chili’s parent company Brinker International. We spoke with Felix at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. We wanted to talk about Chili’s marketing, and how it’s taken advantage of social media to draw attention to the brand. The cha...

How do you teach an old pizza chain new tricks? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Karam, the CEO of the pizza chain Sbarro. The pizza chain was founded in 1956 and for years thrived inside mall locations. But the company took on too much debt and filed for bankruptcy twice after the Great Recession.  We wanted to talk with Karam to understand what...

How did restaurants do in 2024? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive is all about the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. Kevin Schimpf, senior director of industry research at Restaurant Business sister company Technomic, joins the episode to talk about the ranking.  The restaurant industry did not have a great year in 2024 if you look at the overall numbers...

How will the bankruptcy filings of TGI Fridays and Hooters affect the market for securitizations? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Ed Cerullo, a credit analyst with Octus, to talk about whole business securitizations and the potential impact those bankruptcies can have on the market.  Whole business securitizations use a company’s cash-generating assets...

In this special episode of A Deeper Dive — guest-hosted by Nation’s Restaurant News editor-in-chief and Take-Away host Sam Oches — Sam talks with Joey Cioffi, founder and CEO of The Salad House, a New Jersey based franchise that has grown to 20 locations since it first opened in 2011. Cioffi joined the podcast to share how The Salad House attempts to strike a balance between healthy and indulgent...

What is the strategy for Authentic Restaurant Brands’ newest acquisition? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Alex Macedo, the CEO of the multi-brand operator Authentic Restaurant Brands (ARB).  The company recently acquired the New England polished casual-dining concept Tavern in the Square, its latest in a series of deals for largely regional chains. The...

How has the pandemic affected restaurants? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Lisa Miller, a consumer strategist and the author of "The Business of Joy." The podcast is part of our series on the impact of the COVID pandemic on the restaurant industry five years after it first hit. The pandemic wiped out a huge percentage of sales.  More than hal...

Why are restaurant chains still having challenges in 2025? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Rich Shank, the senior principal with sister company Technomic.  We wanted to talk with Shank because of the uncertain state of the restaurant business so far in 2025. A lot of people thought that things would improve this year after a difficult 2024. But so far...

What’s going on with egg prices? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Ricky Richardson, the CEO of the breakfast-and-lunch franchise Eggs Up Grill.  We wanted to talk to Ricky because he recently posted about a decision his franchisees made in reaction to egg prices. Egg prices have hit record highs this year because of an outbreak of avian influenza, which...

How should we think of the shift in marketing at Starbucks? This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive is about marketing restaurant brands and it features Dawn Kane, the CEO and co-founder of Hot Dish Advertising.  Kane has extensive experience in marketing and was recently named the 2024 Bonny LeVine Award winner by the International Franchise Association, which recognizes women for their contribution...

How do you take a hot restaurant concept national without destroying it? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Chris Schultz, the CEO of Voodoo Doughnut.  The doughnut chain was founded in Portland, Oregon, in 2000 by Kenneth Pogson and Tres Shannon. It quickly gained a reputation for off-the-wall doughnuts— we’ll let you check out the website for the names...

How does a restaurant chain come back from bankruptcy? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jim Greco, the CEO of the recently-emerged-from-bankruptcy Tijuana Flats. Greco is an industry veteran who has engineered turnarounds at Bruegger’s and Sbarro. He recently took over Tijuana Flats, the fast-casual Mexican chain, and is working on that comeback plan. W...

Why are some chains easily outperforming their biggest competitors?  This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Joe Pawlak, the managing principal with RB sister company Technomic, to talk about this topic. Several restaurant chains are easily outperforming top competitors right now. Chili’s is beating Applebee’s. Dutch Bros is outperforming Starbucks and Texas R...

The best time to invest in a restaurant chain may be when the industry is struggling. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Andrew Smith, the cofounder of the private-equity firm Savory Fund.  We have long wanted Smith on the podcast, largely because of Savory’s unique history. Smith has a restaurant operations background as a franchisee of brands like Littl...