Extra Serving: A restaurant industry podcast

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the 2025 Power List, which features 52 of the most powerful women in foodservice. They explain why a list such as this is still necessary in closing the gender parity gap within foodservice leadership, and how these 52 women provide a model for women in the development pipeline across th...

Throughout the month of April, Extra Serving is bringing you a new bonus content series: Get to Know a Nonprofit, highlighting nonprofit organizations that either benefit members of the restaurant industry or actively work through the restaurant industry to benefit others.    Next up in Get to Know a Nonprofit is Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), the largest independent chari...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss Hooters’ bankruptcy filing and the fact that it would be entirely franchised moving into the future — with leadership from the original founders. What can Hooters due to become relevant to the U.S. customer again? Then they discuss Yum Brands’ announcement that CEO David Gibbs would...

Throughout the month of April, Extra Serving is bringing you a new bonus content series: Get to Know a Nonprofit, highlighting nonprofit organizations that either benefit members of the restaurant industry or actively work through the restaurant industry to benefit others.  First up in Get to Know a Nonprofit is Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign. One in five U.S. kids is...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the recent report that McDonald’s had surpassed Starbucks in global brand valuation. After an eight-year run at the top, Starbucks’ valuation declined 36% last year to drop it to No. 2, and Sam and Alicia talk about the significance of this change and some other surprises in the top 10 m...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso start by talking about Alicia’s recent trip to Atlanta, where she visited Zaxby’s headquarters and learned about how the fast-casual chain is preparing for a big growth push; stay tuned for Alicia’s story in the coming weeks. Then they discuss Yum’s partnership with Nvidia, which will fuel the r...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso start by talking about the 5-year anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic and reflect on how much the restaurant industry has changed in those five years. Then they discuss McDonald’s new Restaurant Experience Team and how it’s designed to push back against rising competitors by bringing new ideas...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss Alicia’s time at Taco Bell’s Live Mas Live event in New York City, where company leaders announced that they would double their menu rollouts in 2025. Sam and Alicia discuss the rarefied air that Taco Bell occupies, where it’s built a cult-like following among younger consumers and can c...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss sales results from several prominent restaurant companies, including Domino’s, CAVA, Sweetgreen, Jack in the Box, and more. With some outliers, both for good (CAVA) and bad (Krispy Kreme), restaurants were relatively stagnant in both sales and traffic, and many companies are reporti...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss KFC’s announcement that it would move its U.S. headquarters from Louisville, Ky., to Plano, Texas. The news is personal for Louisville-based Alicia, who shares the dismay of many from around the industry who think it’s a mistake to take Kentucky Fried Chicken out of Kentucky. Plus they t...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss recent earnings reports from major restaurant companies, results of which have so far been a mixed bag. First up is Dutch Bros, which just crossed the 1,000-unit mark and enjoyed massive sales growth in 2024. Could its ceiling be even higher than the 4,000-unit goal it set for itsel...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the news that Dine Brands is laying off 9% of its corporate workforce as Applebee’s and IHOP continue to languish with stagnant sales and traffic. How might these chains capture some momentum like full-service peer Chili’s? Plus, Chipotle reported positive sales and transaction grow...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the never-ending news cycle that is Starbucks, where new CEO Brian Niccol has welcomed some familiar faces into the executive suite and instituted several operational changes designed to improve sales and traffic. Plus they talk about Chili’s, which announced a staggering 31.4%...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the news that Hot ‘n Now — a Michigan-based burger quick serve that once had 150 locations but is now down to just one — is planning to jumpstart growth again, spearheaded by a developer who plans to use modular build-outs. In the wake of the news that Chi-Chi’s ...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the biggest headlines coming out of the ICR Conference, which was held last week in Orlando. First they talk about Papa Johns, whose CEO, Todd Penegor, said the company would leverage local-store marketing, tech investments, and menu innovation to turn sales around. Next up is Shake...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss McDonald's announcement that it would walk back its official DEI policy, and why restaurants still must aim to diversify their talent pipelines. Plus they talk about KFC and its transformation plan; will this finally bring momentum the brand so desperately needs? Finally, managing editor...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss two trends that have already made themselves known in the early days of 2025: value menus and beverage innovation. How might these two trends influence the restaurant industry in the year ahead? And how can restaurants put value menus to work for them without getting stuck with discounted pri...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss KFC’s new Saucy concept, a spinoff brand opening in Orlando that is built around chicken tenders plus a wide variety of sauces and beverages. Why might KFC be going in this direction? And why are so many legacy chains launching spinoff concepts? Plus they discuss the biggest headlin...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss Taco Bell’s new Live Mas Café, a beverage-focused prototype that follows McDonald’s CosMc’s concept as well as the boom in drive-thru coffee chains like Dutch Bros and 7 Brew. Will this prove to be a fruitful direction in a beverage-crazed world or a distraction from the core business model?...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the news that Michael McDermott, son of Chi-Chi’s founder Marno McDermott, plans to resurrect the Tex-Mex casual chain more than 20 years after it closed its last location. Will consumers be eager to embrace it? Plus, Alicia got a preview of Technomic’s Top 500 showcasing the 500 biggest rest...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss Subway’s announcement that CEO John Chidsey would retire and be replaced on an interim basis by Carrie Walsh, the company’s president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa. While Chidsey has accomplished plenty in his five years at the helm, Subway continues to struggle in a more competitive san...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss Blackstone’s acquisition of Jersey Mike’s. The brand’s founder and CEO Peter Cancro claimed it was still in the “early innings” of growth, so what should we expect from this sandwich player going forward? Plus, McDonald’s has had a busy couple of weeks, playing both offense (debuting the McVa...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss CAVA’s massive third-quarter success, which included a same-store sales increase of 18.1% and 12.9% traffic growth. What is the limit for this fast-casual Mediterranean leader? Plus, learn more about Wonder’s acquisition of Grubhub and the one-stop-shop it appears to be building for food deli...

In this week’s episode of Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso recap the presidential election and how president-elect Donald Trump’s policies could potentially impact the restaurant industry. They also take a look at some down ballot legislation in certain states, such as minimum wage increases and tipped wages. Also, third quarter earnings are now largel...

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss third-quarter earnings reports from some of the biggest restaurant chains in America. Learn more about how McDonald’s is faring in the midst of an E. coli outbreak, why Wendy’s is closing 140 locations, how Chipotle plans to become a global powerhouse, how Chili’s is bucki...