Vigor

If you live in Wisconsin and the surrounding region, you know broasted chicken and how good it is. And the only way to make broasted chicken is with pressure-frying equipment and ingredients from Broaster Company. Jay Cipra is the CEO of Broaster Company and one of the many people tasked with promoting and protecting that trademark. On the menu in this episode of Forktales, Michael and Jay talk ab...

Mark Schostak is the third generation of a four-generation family business that oversees 150 restaurants throughout Michigan. It’s a portfolio of culinary options that includes Applebee’s, MOD Pizza, Wendy’s and the company’s own brand, Olga’s Kitchen. In this episode of Forktales, Michael and Mark talk about core values, the challenges of instilling those core values on teams spread across 150 lo...

Studies have shown that 84% of Gen Z shoppers are more likely to purchase from a brand if the brand gives back and 71% of Millennials would pay more for a product if they knew that some of the proceeds were going to a good cause. That’s the inspiration behind GiftAMeal, an app created by Andrew Glantz that makes a donation to local food banks when diners take photos of their meals at participating...

James has 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry and a strong vision for technology’s role in it. One day, while working as a chef de cuisine in an overworked, frenzied and disorganized kitchen, that tech vision and the need to create a more streamlined and organized kitchen became the inspiration behind opsi. In this episode of Forktales, James talks about how opsi is changing how mode...

Dan Costello oversees nine Chicago area pizza shops and a thriving frozen pizza brand as the CEO of Home Run Inn Pizza. That position gives him a front row seat in the battle for hearts, minds and stomachs in the Pizza Capital of the World. In this episode of Forktales, Michael and Dan talk about brand storytelling, creating synergy between restaurant brands and CPG brands and, of course, pizza. S...