Choppin’ It Up by Bloomberg Intelligence

On the surface it looks like US employment is strong but labor participation is lower than pre-pandemic levels and there are nearly four million part-time workers, many of which have multiple jobs, Vivian Wang, founder and CEO of Landed, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Wang sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to d...

Honeygrow keeps G&A tight and is profitable on a net income basis, founder and CEO Justin Rosenberg tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Rosenberg sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the emerging chain’s strong unit economics and commitment to growing profitably. He also comments on Honeygrow’s developme...

This will be a year of stealing share because the restaurant industry isn’t going to drive positive traffic, Mark Kuperman, COO of Revenue Management Solutions, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Kuperman sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss why quick-service transactions, particularly at breakfast, are dec...

Blaze Pizza’s new, smaller format stores are half the size of existing units and cost 25-35% less to build, CEO Beto Guajardo tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Guajardo sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the chain’s US and international development plans and alternative store formats including drive-thru...

“We see a lot of challenges ahead, especially for the US consumer,” Howard Penney, managing director and consumables analyst at Hedgeye Risk Management, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Penney sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss his near-term outlook for restaurant spending and which companies can thrive...

The Melt’s turnaround was fueled by input from team members and customers, CEO Ralph Bower tells Bloomberg Intelligence, fueling a 400% jump in average unit volume (AUV) since 2017. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Bower sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the chain’s approach to hospitality, restaurant development, price hikes and t...

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is highly focused on its franchisees and their returns on investment, President and CEO Chris Dull tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Dull sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss how the chain works with its partners to maximize their sales and profitability, boosting...

Emotional connection drives consumer decisions and every marketing campaign needs to bring customers on an emotional journey to be successful, Beni Gradwohl, CEO and cofounder of Cognovi Labs, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Gradwohl sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss how Cognovi uses its psychology-dr...

One-third of private companies in the US have all-male boards of directors and just one in seven of those seats are occupied by a woman, Jocelyn Mangan, CEO and founder of Him for Her, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Mangan sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss how her non-profit organization is helping t...

The digitally native restaurant could overtake fast casual and become the fastest growing concept in the US, Carl Orsbourn, co-author of the Delivering the Digital Restaurant book series and chief operating officer at Juicer, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Orsbourn sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss d...

First Watch’s one shift, one menu model has given First Watch a hiring and employment advantage, Matt Eisenacher, First Watch’s Senior VP of Brand Strategy and Innovation, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Eisenacher sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the chain’s strong turnover metrics, unit economics a...

No company is immune from an “oh-no!” moment, Deborah Nitka, senior manager of cybersecurity and privacy at Cohn Reznick, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Nitka sits down with BI’s Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst Michael Halen to discuss how data security concerns affect consumer behavior and could slow the shift to one-to-one marketing. She al...

If Portillo’s can prove that its iconic and unique menu is accepted outside of its home market of Illinois it may deserve the fattest multiple in the restaurant industry, Michael Osanloo, Portillo’s CEO, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Osanloo sits down with BI’s Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst Michael Halen to discuss the chain’s impressive u...

Restaurant success is all about the employees, Fred LeFranc, Results Thru Strategy founder, managing partner and chaos strategist says. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, LeFranc sits down with Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst Michael Halen to discuss his approach to empowering employees to turn around struggling, mature brands and help emerging ones sup...

The market for restaurant mergers and acquisitions is rough seas right now, Mike Gottlieb Managing Director of National Hospitality Advisory at CohnReznick explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this podcast episode of Choppin’ It Up, Gottlieb sits down with BI Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst Michael Halen to discuss the headwinds for private equity investors, opportunities for strategic...

Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux has avoided staffing issues due to a strong culture that emphasizes team over the individual, CEO Scott Taylor explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this podcast episode of Choppin’ It Up, Taylor sits down with BI Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst Michael Halen to talk about the company’s underdog mentality, unique menu, technology upgrades and strong growth plan...

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank could make venture debt more expensive and harder to get for restaurant tech startups, Jimmy Frischling and Michael Shatzberg, Managing Partners and Co-Founders of Branded Hospitality Ventures, explain to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this podcast episode of Choppin’ It Up, Frischling and Shatzberg sit down with BI Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst Michael...

Food consistency, superior service and employee training are critical to success in the restaurant market, Marvin Alballi, Chief Operating Officer of Franchise Global Brands and author of “Restaurant Excellence: The Ultimate Guide to Success in the Food and Beverage Industry,” explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this podcast episode of Choppin’ It Up, Alballi sits down with BI Senior Restaurant...

Noah Glass, Founder and CEO at Olo, joins Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, to discuss the company’s culture, product suite and growth strategy. Olo’s online ordering and delivery solutions have been invaluable to its restaurant clients and the company continues to innovate to achieve its goal of digitizing every transaction, including in-restauran...

Joe Kefauver, Founding Partner of Align Public Strategies, joins Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, to discuss the US political climate following the mid-term elections. Kefauver explains what a split Congress means for the restaurant industry, gives an update on the FAST Act in California, discusses the progress made by labor unions and outlines wh...

Rich Reyes, CEO and Co-Founder of Mecha Noodle Bar, joins Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, to discuss the chain’s strong commitment to giving back to the communities in which it operates. Mecha’s full-service restaurants serve pho, ramen and cocktails to ‘90s hip hop, but what really sets the chain apart is its commitment to charitable giving. Eac...

Matthew de Gruyter, CEO and Co-Founder of Next Level Burger, joins Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, to discuss the plant-based burger chain’s menu, mission and development plans. Next Level Burger is America’s first 100% plant-based burger joint committed to giving customers a healthier option to traditional fast food by serving vegan, organic and...

Riley Lagesen, Shareholder and Chair of the Global Restaurant Industry Group at GreenbergTraurig, and Jonathan Sack, Shareholder at GreenbergTraurig, join Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, to discuss the impact of unionization on the restaurant industry. Restaurant employees have historically been opposed to it, but unions see an opportunity with U...

Riley Lagesen, Shareholder and Chair of the Global Restaurant Industry Group at GreenbergTraurig, and Jonathan Sack, Shareholder at GreenbergTraurig, join Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, to discuss California's passage of the Fast Act. The legislation will increase costs for fast food chains, including a potential 47% jump in hourly wages to $22....

Michael Lukianoff, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Extropy 360, joins Michael Halen, Senior Restaurant and Foodservice Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, to discuss a more localized, data-driven approach to implementing menu price increases. Dynamic pricing, the return of discounting, slowing summer sales and the health of the US consumer are some of the topics covered. See omnystudio.com/l...