QSR Uncut

Jacob Karnes, founder of Waves Business Coaching and the author of Master Your First Job, spent more than a decade with Chick-fil-A—both in-restaurant and at the corporate level. He joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss lessons in leadership he picked up along the way, as well as how to nurture culture and outperform expectations, in all aspects of restaurant life.

Jim Balis, partner, Strategic Operations Group at CapitalSpring, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the state of restaurants as 2025 gets going and why more closures could be on the way. What about tech, expansion, and other trends? Let’s take a look into the crystal ball.

In the inaugural episode of QSR’s new series, CEO to CEO: Behind the Counter, Wow Bao’s Geoff Alexander and Big Chicken’s Josh Halpern quiz each other on what it’s like to run a restaurant in today’s landscape, how you build teams, pick the right technology, inspire employees, and way more in a candid, unfiltered back-and-forth between two of the industry’s most-respected CEOs. The episode kicks o...

Zunzi’s + Zunzibar CEO Chris Smith joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the journey behind the fast-casual restaurant and beach bar concept Smith grew from its roots in Savannah to multiple locations across Georgia and South Carolina. He acquired the brand in 2014 and is now preparing for significant growth. Under Smith's leadership, Zunzi’s has earned accolades like “The 33 Be...

Carl Comeaux, the CEO of Crust Pizza Co., joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the growth and journey of the rising franchise as it prepares for a banner year. Crust plans to invest in its people and infrastructure as it looks to triple unit sales—a possibility empowered by a decision to bring technology operations in-house by the end of Q1. From control of the customer experience t...

Doug Taylor, founder and CEO of Taylor Chip, a dessert experience company based in Pennsylvania, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss how a business that started with a $50 mixer on Facebook Marketplace has evolved into a growth-ready concept with a $25 million valuation. How can you grow a company without investors, debt, or start-up capital? What’s the future of the snack industry...

Megan Hastings, head of customer insight strategy at Quantum Metric, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss Chick-fil-A’s recent decision to get into the engagement game and, more broadly, how mobile platforms and devices are paving way for QSRs to foster innovative digital experiences with customers. 

Bryan Ketelhut, National Director of Non-Traditional and Development Services at Little Caesars, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss how the iconic pizza brand is diversifying its growth strategy, from markets to models, as it expands across the country. Little Caesars has found success everywhere from college campuses to New York City. We’ll get into those steps in the journey, ho...

Noodles & Company is entering a new phase of its strategic menu transformation in collaboration with The Culinary Edge. Scott Davis, Noodles & Company's chief concept officer, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to share insights on the creative process behind these new dishes, the collaboration with TCE, and what’s next for Noodles in 2025 as the legacy brand continues to lead w...

Mason Wiederhorn, the Chief Brand Officer of multi-concept operator FAT Brands, joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss a first of its kind co-branded site for Great American Cookies/Marble Slab Creamery and the launch of a “3D Cookie Cake Builder,” among a host of other tech-forward, customer-centric evolutions. 

Dr. Emily Williams Knight, the CEO of Texas Restaurant Association, joins QSR editorial Danny Klein and WiRL associate editor Satyne Doner for a special crossover episode between QSR Uncut and our sister podcast, Women in Restaurant Leadership. We discuss everything from climbing the ladder to the industry’s most-pressing issues and regulatory challenges to this February’s upcoming WiRL Summit, an...

Healey Mendicino, the president of Port of Subs, began as a franchisee and opened the chain’s 100th restaurant. Now, she’s serving as president and plotting a path to 500 units in five years with a commitment to quality, differentiation, and leading as a best-in-class franchisor. 

VP of Marketing Steven Clarke Joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the 35th anniversary of Golden Krust, a brand that remains to this day a family-run operation that started from a single location in the Bronx, New York, before expanding nationwide. After immigrating to New York from Jamaica in the 1980s, Lowell F. Hawthorne and his 10 siblings founded Golden Krust in 1989. Clarke i...

Brix Holdings CEO Sherif Mityas, the leader of a group that includes Red Mango, Smoothie Factory + Kitchen, Souper Salad, Orange Leaf, Humble Donut Co., Pizza Jukebox, Friendly’s, and, most recently, Clean Juice, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to dive into the workings and inspiration anchoring the portfolio, as well as the state of franchising, investing, consumer preference, and much m...

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop’s Jeff Galletly—the brand’s first CEO in its history—joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to take a look inside the hybrid-automat and how it’s redefining dining with cutting-edge self-service technology. We also get into the future of the space and where the consumer is taking restaurants, and how his background (most recently as VP and General Manager of Tim Hortons US...

Linked Eats president and Virtual Dining Concepts cofounder Robbie Earl joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley for a deep dive into a category and topic that continues to evolve. All the rage when dining rooms shut down, how have virtual brands innovated to remain a viable revenue option? How are operators viewing the potential? What kind of technology has entered the fray to open more avenue...

Competing in the QSR coffee game is always a wild journey. Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii CEO Scott Snyder joins QSR magazine editorial director Danny Klein to discuss how the 1989-founded brand is standing out in the segment and why it’s poised for expansion. We also get into broader beverage trends, design, the state of the consumer, and way more.

WOWorks’ CEO Kelly Roddy joins QSR editorial director to discuss the inspiration, development, and evolution of one of the category’s fastest-growing multi-brand groups, which now includes Saladworks, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, Frutta Bowls, The Simple Greek, Barberitos, and Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!). As the former president of Schlotzsky’s, he repositioned the brand from a sandwich deli chain to...

Bruno Cardinali, global head of marketing at açaí brand OAKBERRY, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the fast casual’s rise, which closed out 2023 with 35 stores in North America and is on track to double that by the end of 2024, and again by the end of 2025. Cardinali was also previously the marketing chief at Popeyes and shares some stories about the so-called “Chicken Sandwich...

Alissa Partee, the Chief People Officer at Restaurant Technologies, which was recently recognized with three national workplace awards, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss how you can win with culture in today’s hiring landscape. Can you build workplace culture from the top down and get franchisees onboard? In what ways can operators recruit/attract, and retain the best talent? We...

Starting as an intern in 2003, Lance Vaught has held every position within the operations and training departments at Penn Station East Coast Subs, culminating in his appointment as president in January 2022. His experience and understanding of day-to-day tasks shaped his leadership style, which focuses on getting back into restaurants and helping operators stay disciplined as they navigate the ch...

Ryan Ostrom, the marketing chief at the legendary fast-food brand, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss how restaurants can reach and engage customers amid today’s challenges and opportunities, from technology to social media to value. Ostrom oversees Jack in the Back’s iconic brand marketing, directing out-of-the-box campaigns like its 2023 collab with Snoop Dog to Jack himself bei...

What lessons can restaurants learn from Blockbuster’s fall? How are on-trend ingredients like Ashwagandha resonating? What kind of partnerships make the biggest impact with Gen Z and millennial diners? Mitch Baker, the VP of marketing at Robeks, gets into those topics and a whole lot more as the famed juice and smoothie brand shares how it’s evolving toward the future of guest engagement.

Matt Wampler, the CEO and cofounder of ClearCOGS, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the state of digital solutions, how an operator became a tech maven, and where the next wave of technology is going to take the restaurant industry.

Value. Regulations. An upcoming presidential election season. The restaurant sector is being pressured on all sides by challenges. Jon Taffer, star of “Bar Rescue” and industry maven, returns to QSR Uncut for the third time to discuss all of it, including how his growing concept Taffer’s Tavern is charting a fresh path, and how the world of dining out continues to change.