The Week in Restaurants

One of the most successful growth chains in years is going public. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the upcoming initial public offering of the sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s and what that means, both for the company and for the market. Technomic’s Robert Byrne also talks about Jersey Mike’s and its consumer ratings. Wonder, the food hall and de...

Just Salad’s newest investor is a champion. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the salad chain’s partnership with Jalen Brunson, a member of the NBA champion New York Knicks.  We also discuss Red Lobster’s all-you-can-eat shrimp debacle, which is back in the news. And we talk about our analysis of restaurant sales over the past five years and wh...

Why is Domino’s changing CEOs? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the retirement of Domino’s CEO Russ Weiner, his replacement Joe Jordan, and what it all means for the company.  We also talk about the growing competition from convenience-store chains, both for pizza and chicken wings.  On the Border closed all its restaurants and liquidated, whi...

Jersey Mike’s has overtaken Chick-fil-A in one key area.  This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at Jersey Mike’s, which recently took the top spot among fast-food chains in the recent American Customer Satisfaction Index—a spot once dominated by Chick-fil-A. Dave & Buster’s has a tough quarter, driven by a poor economy. We take a deep dive into th...

Cracker Barrel had a better quarter than feared. This episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the family-dining chain’s traffic improvement and why that matters. The company’s sales are improving faster than executives, and Wall Street, expected.  Another problem is screwing with the beef markets. We discuss the potential impact of a screwworm infestation on cat...

Can AI drive thrus coexist with restaurant hospitality? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at McDonald’s new business plan, called McDonald’s Next, including its newest test of AI drive-thru ordering technology. We ask whether that can coexist in a chain focused on more hospitality. Logan’s Roadhouse is adding a THC cocktail to its menus in Texas....

Can healthy be a draw in the restaurant business? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the closure of Clover Food Lab, the 11-unit chain that at one point seemed destined for big things. We examine what this says about the plant-based meat trend and what it says about demand for healthy options in restaurants.  Cava’s sales took off last quarter,...

Who was the most relevant CEO in the restaurant industry since 2000? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants is a special one, recorded during the National Restaurant Association Show, and looks at the most impactful industry CEOs of the past quarter century. It’s not an easy discussion. There were a lot of really good chief executives whose impact went well...

Why is Jack in the Box changing CEOs again? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the fast-food chain’s latest CEO change. Lance Tucker is out just 15 months after he was hired. But we also talk about the numerous chains facing challenges right now and what this says about the economy.  A Pizza Hut franchisee is suing the franchisor over the compan...

What are we to make of the recent set of restaurant earnings? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the most recent set of earnings reports and what they say about the state of the business. There were some strong results at chains like Dutch Bros, Starbucks, Burger King, Texas Roadhouse and others. But there were also some poor performances. And i...

Starbucks is apparently back. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks the latest earnings report from Starbucks, its best in more than two years. Is the coffee chain out of the wilderness for good? We also look at Subway, which just introduced its newest value offer, an under $5 menu. Can the sandwich chain finally find the right note on value? Robert B...

Why is Jersey Mike’s going public so quickly after its sale? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the IPO plans of the fast-casual sandwich chain less than two years after its sale to the private-equity firm Blackstone. Why is it going public so quickly? And how big of a deal is it? The Technomic Top 500 ranking is out. We give our thoughts on the...

Why are pizza chains having problems? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the potential sales of Pizza Hut and Papa Johns, and what it means about both chains and the sector at large. We also look at Starbucks and Little Caesars, both of which announced ChatGPT apps last week that could get AI more involved in the actual ordering decisions.  Jers...

Another major franchisee has filed for bankruptcy. In this week’s episode of  The Week in Restaurants , we dive into the bankruptcy of Sun Gir, a major Carl’s Jr. franchisee operating 59 locations in California. What does this mean for the restaurant industry, and why are so many franchisees filing for bankruptcy right now? We also explore how rising gas prices could make things even tougher for o...

What is the real problem at Red Lobster? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the ongoing challenges at the seafood chain even after emerging from bankruptcy. We also look at McDonald’s new Under $3 Menu and how much of a discount this new deal actually is. And Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski tells the story of a particular drive-thru record dat...

How is Nothing Bundt Cakes worth $2 billion? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the sale of Nothing Bundt Cakes to the private-equity firm KKR. We talk about what that deal means and why the chain was worth so much. Noodles & Company had a big quarter. Did closures have anything to do with it? Christine Barone, CEO of Dutch Bros, is the Rest...

Fake news is a real problem for restaurants. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the growing problem of fake news at restaurants and why that’s a major problem for more restaurant chains. We also talk about Darden earnings and why LongHorn Steakhouse may be underappreciated. Fat Brands is on the market and its CEO and founder is out. We’ll discus...

How low can fast-food prices go? McDonald’s is aiming to find out.  This week's episode of The Week in Restaurants looks at the burger giant's plans for  a new $3-or-less menu . It is McDonald's fourth iteration on value in the past two years and suggests that the value wars aren't going to be over anytime soon. We also untangle the situation at fine-dining stalwart Noma, where  ch...

The burger chains are all in a social media war right now. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the ongoing social media war pitting most of the industry’s burger chains against each other. We explain the issue, and why it may be good for the industry. We also try and diagnose whatever is wrong with the fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen. And we l...

Do you want strong sales? Just add more cheese. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at strong sales results from Applebee’s, which used a cheesy new burger to win over customers. We also look at other casual-dining results. We also look at Burger King, which is making improvements to its Whopper. And we talk about the company’s use of AI to help wit...

Subway is already pulling back on a free sub offer. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the sandwich giant’s decision to end a fourth-Footlong-free offer as part of the chain’s Sub Club loyalty program. In addition, Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer and industry insights at Technomic, provides some special insight into one of Subway’s big...

The Week in Restaurants: This week’s episode of the weekly restaurant news discussion podcast looks at Red Lobster, McDonald’s earnings and the Fat Brands bankruptcy. For more on this year's Restaurant Leadership Conference, visit: https://informaconnect.com/restaurant-leadership-conference/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=rlc26

How is Chipotle going to lift itself out of its sales slump? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the sales challenges Chipotle had last week and how the fast-casual burrito chain plans to lift itself out of its slump.  We talk about Pizza Hut, which is closing 250 locations, as well as another Yum Brands-owned chain, Habit Burger.  And a big Subw...

Two casual-dining chains are on two very different trajectories.  This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the performance of Chili’s, which had another strong quarter.  And we compare that with Ruby Tuesday, which is facing a social media backlash after firing a manager on Christmas. We also talk about Starbucks, which reported 4% same-store sales gr...

A big Popeyes franchisee files for bankruptcy and tests the company’s leadership. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the bankruptcy filing of Sailormen, a 130-unit franchisee based in Miami. What does it say about the state of Popeyes?  The burger business appears to be doing just fine, at least at some chains. We’ll talk about that.  We also ta...