Order Up

In our last episode of the 2020 Order Up season, we talked with President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Tom Bené about the state of the restaurant industry in 2020 and how that affects recovery plans in 2021. Tom discusses the resiliency of the industry in the face of unprecedented challenges and struggles. In t...

The restaurant industry has taken a massive hit thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. With no end in sight and no relief package since the original Cares Act passed in March, the National Restaurant Association is wasting no time in working with President-Elect Biden’s transition team. We’re joined this week by Sean Kennedy , Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at the National Restaurant Asso...

“An apprenticeship program is more cost effective than a college degree. Not that I have anything against a college degree, I don't, but there has to be an alternative pathway to access the middle class besides college.” – John Shortt, Director of Program Development at NRAEF Europe has a long tradition of apprenticeship programs dating back to the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci. Countries in Europe t...

“Through industry research, we know that reassuring guests that restaurants are clean and safe is now more important than ever.” – Roy Hinojosa After months of quarantine, people are hungry to get back into restaurants. However, safety is paramount to would-be restaurant goers. To help patrons feel safer, the National Restaurant Association has rolled out the ServSafe Dining Commitment. Today, we’...

"We are very proud that we've been able to help restaurants survive right now. They’ve been able to keep the lights on, pay the rents, and keep employees with the success that we're having with our dark kitchen program." – Geoff Alexander Before COVID hit, Wow Bao created an innovative dark kitchen program with the goal of giving small businesses like coffee shops and ice cream shops access to an...

The pandemic has made it imperative for restaurants to completely rethink systems and processes. Payments are the starting point for any transaction, and in this environment, contactless options are critical. Tama Looney is a Brand Analytics and Customer Engagement Executive at Xenial and our guest this week on Order Up. Tama discussed how the pandemic has changed what payments look like in restau...

Before the pandemic struck, no one could have ever imagined a world where all of our local neighborhood bars and restaurants would have to shut down. These establishments are the backbone of our neighborhoods and our economy. Now that things are starting to improve, the National Restaurant Association has a new campaign aimed at helping get customers back to their favorite restaurants. We’ve partn...

In our industry, pizza restaurants were in the strongest position to weather the storm of the pandemic. Pizza parlors already relied heavily on delivery and takeout and didn’t have to make the same kind of pivot as other restaurants. Despite this advantage, there are still challenges to overcome. Today, we’re speaking with Eric Greenwald, President of Grimaldi's Pizzeria, and Geoff Goodman, CEO of...

Hudson Riehle joined us back in May to paint a picture of what the data is saying about pandemic-induced restaurant closures. He’s back on this week’s episode of Order Up with some stark numbers: the industry is set to lose $240 billion and GDP will decrease this year by a staggering 8%. It’s not all doom and gloom though! Hudson has some encouraging news about the technological shift that is help...

When COVID initially spiraled out of control in March, the National Restaurant Association quickly worked with Congress to get loans for struggling restaurants. Since then, extended closures and uncertainty have necessitated new recovery package legislation. Sean Kennedy is the Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at the National Restaurant Association. He joins us today to explain the PPP F...

Gerry Fernandez has been a leader of diversity and inclusion in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years. Even with his track record of bringing change to the industry, he never thought he’d see the day where restaurant owners, employees, and customers are openly discussing issues of race and privilege. Gerry is our guest this week on Order Up and explains why his organization, Multicultural...

“The supply chain is like the engine of a car. You don't know we're there until you pop the hood. But the minute we don't work and we break, everyone's very aware of what we do.” – Anissa Mandell Chance We’ve talked a lot on this podcast about how restaurants are managing during the pandemic. Behind the scenes however, there’s an even bigger part of the industry that has been working hard: the sup...

The economic impacts of COVID have been catastrophic not just to restaurant owners, but to employees in the food service industry, as well. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the association and has risen to the challenge of helping restaurants and their employees stay afloat. Today, the Foundation’s president, Rob Gifford, discusses some of the...

It was supposed to be the high season but then COVID-19 hit. No one thought the shutdown would go on longer than a few weeks, and as a result, the restaurant industry has taken a massive hit. To help struggling restaurateurs, the federal government has introduced programs such as PPP. While this has helped some, it has not been adequate to help all restaurants. This week on Order Up, Sean Kennedy...

Over the last few weeks social unrest has soared after a slew of high-profile acts of racism. To help restaurateurs better navigate issues of diversity and inclusion and create spaces where all patrons feel welcome, this week, Karly McBride sat down for an interview with Jamal Rasoully, CEO and Founder of The Halal Shack . Jamal shared his zero-tolerance approach to discrimination that includes re...

This episode of Order Up is brought to you by Yelp. Yelp’s free business listings make it easy to keep your restaurant customers up to date with changing hours, contact information, as well as delivery and takeout updates.  Right now, when restaurant operations change daily, Yelp makes customer communication easy. Better yet? It’s free. Manage your page today with Yelp. In this introductory i...

The new normal for restaurants, at least for the foreseeable future, is largely dependent on curbside pickup and delivery. However, if you’re not communicating things like store hours or contactless payment options with potential patrons, you lose out on traffic. Emily Washcovick is a Small Business Expert at Yelp. She helps businesses utilize Yelp’s free tools to connect with customers. She is ou...

Waffle House has a reputation as a restaurant that remains open no matter how challenging the social climate. In the first two weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic however, Waffle House saw 80% of its business evaporate. Now that states are beginning to lift stay-at-home orders, the chain is revving up to reopen its doors. Today on Order Up, host Karly McBride is speaking with Leigh Rogers Slack, Vice P...

With all the stay at home orders in place thanks to COVID-19, the restaurant industry has taken a hit to put it mildly. The National Restaurant Association has an in-house research team that has actively been looking at the numbers and true scope of job and revenue losses in the industry. Hudson Riehle is the Senior Vice President of Research and he is joining us today to discuss, in depth, what t...

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants were already operating on thin margins. Now, restaurateurs are having to make painful decisions on whether to operate at reduced capacity, go entirely take-out, or close completely. Larry Lynch is the Senior Vice President of Certifications and Operations for the National Restaurant Association and has been on calls with the government officials that are...

The Order Up podcast brought to you by the National Restaurant Association brings you stories from behind the research and the policy.  During this time of impossible decisions in this podcast, we talk with key restaurant industry insiders as well as association leaders like CEO Marvin Urbi and SVP of our research and Knowledge Group. Hudson really each Friday will share conversations about the re...