A Deeper Dive

How do you get an 87-year-old brand ready for expansion? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Flynn Dekker, the CEO of the 352-unit donut and kolache chain Shipley Do-Nuts. Shipley is an institution in its hometown of Houston, something Dekker discovered after he took over as CEO last year. But it is also an old brand. It’s been around for nearly 90 years....

How is Cici’s becoming more like Chuck E. Cheese? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Jeff Hetsel, the president and COO of Cici’s Pizza. Hetsel discusses the chain’s rapid shift into something of an eatertainment concept. Many of the brand’s locations have been adding larger and larger game rooms, complete with tickets and prizes, much like the aforemen...

How is private equity impacting food costs? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features John Davie, the CEO of Buyer’s Edge Platform. Buyer’s Edge is a digital procurement platform that helps restaurants use data and other tools to source food and other supplies. It operates numerous technology brands, including Consolidated Concepts. As much as the restaurant i...

Subway could avoid some problems if it consulted more with its franchisees. Or so says the head of its biggest association. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Bill Mathis, a Subway operator out of Minnesota and chairman of the North American Association of Subway Franchisees, or NAASF. Subway remains the largest restaurant chain in the U.S. by unit coun...

Starbucks is the most complicated simple business on the planet. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast is all about Starbucks. I’m joined this week by RB Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo. Peter and I toured headquarters and have a series coming up on restaurantbusinessonline.com. We talk about how Starbucks has evolved over the years, from a simple coffee shop chain into a global behem...

Can a slider concept use modular buildings to get big? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Maria Rivera, the CEO of the rapidly growing slider chain, to talk about its unique method of growth. Smalls is a rapidly growing quick-service slider chain. The company has been quickly adding locations throughout the South over the past year, using its “cans,” or...

The last episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a look back at some of the year’s best episodes. The episode features clips from some key guests, including marketing expert and author Chip Klose, speaking about, well, marketing. We speak with executives from Dave’s Hot Chicken on its fascinating start. CapitalSpring’s Jim Balis gives us some news on...

How did Potbelly turn its business around? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Bob Wright, the CEO of the Chicago-based sandwich chain. Potbelly struggled going into the pandemic, which hammered its core business in urban markets. Wright took over as CEO three years ago. On the podcast, he talks about what it’s like to take on a struggling concept during...

Are restaurants becoming like Taylor Swift? Well, sort of. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Matt Tucker. He is the senior vice president with Squarespace and is head of the reservation platform Tock. Tock was cofounded by restaurateur Nick Kokonas and was sold in 2021 to Squarespace. The company sells prepaid restaurant reservations to customers. Those...

Why is the FTC looking into Subway? This episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features John Gordon, a restaurant consultant out of San Diego, who discusses the apparent investigation of the sale of Subway to Roark Capital. The investigation is apparently examining whether the acquisition of the sandwich giant would give the private equity firm Roark too much power. We discuss...

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...