This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches, and Bret Thorn spoke about food trends.
Senior food and beverage editor Thorn spoke about the latest food trends at chains and independents. Throughout the week on First Bite, Thorn covered some of the latest trends, including the “swicy” combination and the rise in sauces. The team gets into some other trends on the episode.
Check out the episodes of First Bite here:
· Adding this to your restaurant menu can boost sales with Gen Z
· Analyzing the ‘swicy’ trend on restaurant menus
Next, the team talked about how celebrities — and now influencers — are changing the landscape of restaurant marketing. While those partnerships are far from new, it seems like the industry has been hitting the gas. With the influencer economy, such partnerships have become more accessible for smaller brands.
Finally, the team talked about music and restaurants. Applebee’s campaign with Walker Hayes in 2021 was a success and now it seems like Red Lobster is trying to emulate the success, for much less money. Is this low-hanging fruit for the struggling brand, and is it culturally relevant?
This week’s guest is Chris Eichfeld, director of supply chain for District Taco.
Be sure to stay tuned here for the upcoming Power List.
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This week on Extra Serving, we have a special episode featuring two women in C-suite restaurant roles that aren’t typically held by women: finance and technology.
There are two interviews with female executives, recorded last month during the Women’s Foodservice Forum Leadership Conference, that cover everything from how they’ve achieved success in their career to mentoring to what it means to be a woman in the industry.
First is a conversation between NRN senior editor Joanna Fantozzi and Kate Jaspon, chief financial officer at Inspire Brands. Jaspon began her career at KPMG LLP, the international financial services corporation, culminating in a role as senior manager, in which she supported both public and private companies as an auditor. There, she worked with Dunkin’ before it was acquired by Inspire Brands. That led her to her position at Dunkin’, where she served as CFO before transitioning to CFO at Inspire Brands after the acquisition in 2020.
Then, NRN executive editor Alicia Kelso spoke with Shannon Garcia, global chief operating and digital & technology officer at Pizza Hut Global. Garcia had experience at Starbucks as the senior vice president of US Business before joining Yum Brands-owned Pizza Hut in 2022. Garcia has a long resume, beginning in 1999 when she began 16 years at casual-dining company Darden. She left that company in 2015 as senior vice president of US Business.
Listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts.
On this week’s episode of Extra Serving, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Bret Thorn, and Joanna Fantozzi spoke about how restaurants are reacting to the introduction of AB 1228 in California.
The bill, which went into effect on April 1, raised the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20 an hour. Several restaurant and franchise groups prepared for the raise by laying off workers — mostly delivery drivers — while others are responding now quietly. People have noticed that chains like Chipotle raised prices in California by over 5% without saying anything. How will customers and the industry react?
Also, restaurant tech seems to be having a tough time. On Wednesday, delivery company Waitr filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after several years of bad decisions and a changing landscape. On the other side of tech, restaurants have been experiencing more and more outages, sometimes because of the myriad programs they use to get by. One of Fantozzi’s predictions for 2024 was a consolidation of restaurant tech, and this week showed that that is happening, or needs to happen.
Plus, NRN’s senior food and beverage editor Thorn gave his thoughts on the new James Beard Awards nomination process.
This week’s guest is Ken Priest, CFO of Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Bret Thorn discussed food trends.
NRN’s resident food trend expert, senior food and beverage editor Thorn, talked about what’s going on in drinks, pizza, snacks, and more. He covered what’s hot in the industry now and what you should be looking out for in the R&D pipeline.
Then, the editors talked about McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme’s deal. The fast-food giant officially inked a deal to sell Krispy Kreme donuts in all of its stores starting in 2026. As Krispy Kreme has been shuttering its own units, what does this mean for the donut brand? Will we see other top 10 chains begin to build out their snack offerings with partnerships as well?
This week, on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, and Alicia Kelso spoke about the slew of female CEOs that were appointed this week. In an industry that’s flooded with white male CEOs, seeing several female leaders in one month is unusual, let alone one week. That’s contrasted with companies like Yum Brands and Starbucks pulling back on DEI goals after threats from conservative groups armed with lawyers. Is this the end of the pipeline for women and people of color in the restaurant industry C-suite?
Next, the editors talked about a blast from the past with the metaverse. Two years ago, you couldn’t read a single story that didn’t mention the metaverse and that’s all but gone away in the past several months. This week, Starbucks announced it would be ending its beta test of Odyssey, signaling the conclusion of the most in-depth metaverse test in the restaurant industry. What’s the new marketing and technology trend now that we’ve moved on from the metaverse?
Finally, the editors talked about wings. Chains like Applebee’s and Popeyes are focusing on their wing offerings, which is no surprise because Americans love wings. But are these larger companies trying to ride on Wingstop’s coattails, or are they trying to compete?
This week’s interview is Marshall Scarborough, Bojangles’ vice president of menu and culinary innovation.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches, and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister talked about a new law in Florida that could impact third-party delivery services across the country.
The Florida State Senate last week passed a bill that would protect restaurants and consumers from third-party delivery companies by requiring the possibility of communication between customers and the restaurants directly, rather than just via the delivery app. The bill also requires delivery apps to get permission from restaurants before arranging food pickups, and gives restaurants the right to request that they be removed from the app’s database. The bill is heading to the governor for final approval.
We’ve seen the rise in the snack and mid-afternoon daypart over the past few years, but restaurants have ramped up their offerings to compete with a group of new and specialty restaurants that are capitalizing on this consumer shift. Brands like Dutch Bros and Crumbl have done a great job meeting consumers’ growing needs, but big chains are noticing and making a play at that same business. McDonald’s recently introduced CosMc’s, Taco Bell unveiled its Churro Chillers, and brands like Subway and Potbelly have added six packs of their well-known cookies.
On the company’s last earnings call, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski remarked that the chain has been losing market share with low-income consumers. This may be because the biggest brand in the world had to increase prices as inflation has gone up over the past few years. But consumers have noticed, and no longer view the chain as the value player it once was. One of the ways the brand is trying to retain that customer is by introducing bundling and a $4 and under price point.
On this week’s episode of Extra Serving, a podcast by Nation’s Restaurant News, managing editor Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, editor-in-chief Sam Oches, and senior food and beverage editor Bret Thorn talk about the latest drink trend sweeping the nation. Adding cream to sodas is not a new concept, but in their current form, dirty sodas certainly feel new and exciting and they’re trending in large part thanks to Utah-based Swig. The editors talk about why.
Then, they turn their attention to Panera Bread. Last week, the company unveiled what executives call its “biggest menu transformation in history,” but there may be more than meets the eye. The editors talk about some other changes going on behind the scenes at the brand, and why they’re not all good news.
Finally, Oches talks about the Restaurant Leadership Conference, coming up in April.
In this special episode of Extra Serving, NRN editor-in-chief Sam Oches talks with Chris Keating, EVP of Conferences for NRN parent Informa Foodservice. Sam and Chris talk about the upcoming Restaurant Leadership Conference (RLC), held April 14-17 in Phoenix, and why restaurant leaders should plan to attend this influential annual event. Chris shares more details on RLC’s program and speakers, how attendees can get the most out of the event, and why he’s particularly excited for keynoter Martha Stewart.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, Nation’s Restaurant News editors Holly Petre, Alicia Kelso, and Joanna Fantozzi spoke about what feels like the longest earnings season ever.
CAVA reported early this week, and showed that it’s still possible to have double-digit traffic gains in this economic environment. The brand, which went public in June 2023, has now seen three straight quarters of same-store sales gains. CEO Brett Schulman admitted that it’s partly due to the “IPO halo effect,” as he called it, but that it’s also a testament to the fast-casual Mediterranean category’s popularity. CAVA remains the only Mediterranean concept with over 300 units.
On the full-service side, it’s a tale of two brands. Dine Brands, the parent to Applebee’s and IHOP, is leaning hard into marketing and loyalty apps while trying to grow once again. The chains have both introduced interesting new food items while embracing discounting. Cracker Barrel, which has been struggling for a few years, has just introduced its loyalty program and is looking for a way to modernize the “old-fashioned” brand.
Shifting away from earnings, there’s the story that made the most waves this week in consumer news. Wendy’s new CEO Kirk Tanner said during the company’s earnings call that the chain would be experimenting with dynamic pricing with their new digital menu boards. Consumer media picked up the story and called it surge pricing, alerting everyone, that the chain could be raising prices at peak times. Tanner had to release a statement saying that wasn’t what was happening.
This week’s interview is the founder and director of business development at Fluffy Fluffy, Benson Lau.
This week, we’re going to be talking about some outliers. During the first half of earnings season, we have an idea of what the industry looks like and the results are not great. Most companies are seeing positive same-store sales in the low single digits. Except for Texas Roadhouse and Wingstop. The two brands on very different ends of the spectrum both saw higher than average sales growth with Wingstop seeing over 20% same-store sales growth. And Texas Roadhouse? It’s expected to surpass Olive Garden and Applebee’s very soon.
Also, we’re going to be talking about the new Focus Brands which this week rebranded as GoTo Foods. The new name is based on the company’s reputation as the “go-to choice” in the restaurant industry. The company said that this is meant to signal a new stage of growth which is saying something after the brand’s past few years. While signing over 1,000 franchisees last year, executives said they’re not done growing the portfolio.
Finally, we’re going to be talking about the future of technology. Apple made waves when it introduced the Apple Vision Pro and now some restaurant companies are investing in technology to join in on the trend. Crumbl has already worked on a way to allow customers to order via the headsets. Will this investment in the technology fizzle out for restaurants the same way the metaverse did?
This week’s guest is Liz Matthews, chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell.
What’s up with Taco Bell? It released over a dozen new menu items in a futuristic display in Las Vegas and some of the items are wacky while others make sense for the brand. We’re also talking about some financial rumors on this week’s episode of the pod. Check it out.
This week, the earnings conversation will focus on Chipotle, which saw massive gains during the fourth quarter. The fast-casual chain bucked all trends with a same-store sales increase of 8.4% with a 7.4% increase in transactions compared to a 1.6% decline industrywide. The editors talked about how Chipotle has managed to exceed both analyst and industry expectations and what this means for the future of Chipotle as it looks to have 7,000 restaurants shortly.
Then, the editors talked about the future of burgers. Several chains have revamped their burger offerings within the past few months, maybe as a reaction to chicken overtaking much of the beef business these past few years. The biggest name on the list we compiled was McDonald’s. When the chain introduced its “best burgers ever” and rolled it out systemwide in January, it was a big statement considering the chain was built on its burger. Will this help some of these brands that have been struggling? And will it bring consumers back to beef?
Finally, NRN’s editor-in-chief Oches talked about two of our big projects: Burger Showdown and Breakout Brands.
This week, you’ll hear an exclusive conversation between Oches and Robert Byrne of Technomic. They dove deep into America’s Favorite Chains.
What will this earnings season tell us about the industry? After what appeared to be a successful holiday season for restaurants, should we be seeing huge gains? In this episode, NRN editors give their predictions and what they’re looking out for over the next month as chains start to report in earnest.
How is Chipotle marketing to Gen Z ahead of its busiest time of the year? Why are some customers labeling Applebee’s latest marketing promotion a “scam”? Find out more about these stories plus hear from the NRN team about America’s Favorite Chains.
Check out America’s Favorite Chains here >>
Get caught up on the LinkedIn Live explaining the data behind the report >>
This week some huge news dropped: Burger King is acquiring its largest franchisee, Carrols Restaurant Group. What does this mean for Burger King? Plus, the joint employer rule is threatening the independence of franchisees but possibly to the benefit of workers. Who will win? Stay tuned to find out.
Want to know why the recent Stanley cup by Starbucks collaboration went viral? Or how CPG is changing in the industry? Tune in to this week's episode of Extra Serving.
What can you expect from California’s new minimum wage bill? According to Pizza Hut franchisees, the possible end to in-house delivery. Plus, hear what a possible sale for Tropical Smoothie Cafe could mean for the growing brand and how the IPO market is shaping up in 2024.
Could Chick-fil-A possibly ever be open on Sundays? Find out that and more including why Olive Garden has a generational appeal and how Chuck E. Cheese is planning a turnaround on this week’s episode of Extra Serving.
Do you want to know the latest trend in restaurants or how McDonald’s is expanding its reach? Listen to this week’s episode of Extra Serving to hear what the NRN editors think about hot button issues in the industry.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches, and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about Gen Z’s preferences.
According to a new survey by dcdx titled Gen Z’s Top 25 Most Magnetic Brands, Gen Z is a fan of limited-service restaurants, with three brands on the list. Topping that list was McDonald’s, which jumped six spots from last year due to its Grimace promotions, the most popular of which was the Grimace shake, which spurred a TikTok trend. We’ve talked about it before, but what does Gen Z really want from its restaurant brands?
Also, Panera is in the news for a few reasons. First, the chain may be finally ready to file its IPO. After some C-suite leadership changes earlier this year, along with layoffs to slim down, the fast-casual brand may be ready to file its IPO in the first quarter of 2024. However, that’s not all. Panera has come under fire for its charged lemonade, which has allegedly led to two deaths so far. Will this impact the company’s future IPO?
And finally, Starbucks may be gearing up for the holidays, but if Red Cup Day was any example, the company should be expecting softer than normal sales. The quick service chain saw a 32% increase in sales on Red Cup Day this year, down from an 81% increase the year before. Analysts are predicting the chain, which has seen record traffic and sales over the past few years, should be expecting a softer holiday season.
What’s going to happen to restaurants when the California minimum wage bill sets in? Hear about that, plus how Jack in the Box is setting itself up for success, and why it’s important to pay attention to social media.
We’re coming at you a bit early this week with our episode of Extra Serving because of the holiday, but we didn’t want to leave you hanging. This week is a special episode because we’re bringing you two interviews with emerging restaurateurs. You’ll hear from Mehdi Zarhloul, CEO and founder of Crazy Pita, and Zandrique Harrold, director of operations for Milk & Honey.
These two emerging brand leasers were at CREATE: The Experience in Palm Springs, and since it’s chilly in many parts of the country this week, we thought we’d bring you an episode that harkens back to the warmth of Palm Springs.
Crazy Pita is a four-unit brand based in Las Vegas that specializes in fast-casual Mediterranean food. This emerging brand just opened in Texas and has plans for more stores.
Milk & Honey was a 2023 Hot Concept winner. It began as a single unit café before garnering the attention of Warren Thompson of Thompson Hospitality Group — and the rest is history.
Check out these two emerging restaurateurs and we’ll be back next week for a regular episode.
Want to know what’s up with Burger King franchisees declaring bankruptcy? Or why restaurant customers are experiencing tipping fatigue? Find out those and more on the future of chicken on today’s episode.
This week, on the Extra Serving podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, and Alicia Kelso continued their discussion of earnings season.
After the barrage of earnings last week, this week seems calm in comparison, but the NRN editors saw several interesting chains report and are starting to get more color on the season as a whole.
Traffic remains a big throughline of earnings season, and this week we saw CAVA buck all trends and post 7.8% increases in traffic while maintaining profitability.
On the other hand, Sweetgreen is yet to become a profitable company several years after it debuted on the stock market.
At some brands, name recognition is the number one priority. Dutch Bros is aiming to become a household name by quintupling its unit count over the next few years, and El Pollo Loco is trying to be a national brand again.
The NRN editors also talked about Shake Shack, The Cheesecake Factory, Noodles & Company, Bloomin’ Brands, and RBI. As Alicia Kelso says, stay tuned.
This week’s interview is Blaze Pizza CEO Beto Guajardo.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Joanna Fantozzi talked about earnings season.
A slew of restaurant companies have reported, and we’re here to talk about them. These chains span from McDonald’s to Starbucks to Cheesecake Factory to BJ’s. One throughline we’ve seen is that traffic numbers are down. McDonald’s, the bellwether, showed a slight dip in traffic throughout the quarter while standouts Starbucks, Wendy’s, Chipotle, and Texas Roadhouse bucked that trend during the first part of earnings season.
Many brands saw double-digit sales, increases including McDonald’s and Taco Bell, while others such as BJ’s, Dine Brands, and Brinker are looking to boost sales and traffic.
Wingstop is set to launch a new technology platform in the next quarter, putting the technologically savvy brand ahead of the curve.
What are the other big themes of this earnings season? Listen to find out.
This week’s guests are Lauren Fernandez, founder of Full Course and Sahil Raman, co-founder of RASA.
This week, on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about discounting.
McDonald’s was in the news this week for not one but two stories. First, the chain revealed it would be giving fries away on Fridays to customers who purchase anything over $1 on the chain’s mobile app. How far can McDonald’s go with its deals? Also, the chain is making its McFlurry more sustainable. The spoon used for the treat will now be the same spoon it uses for its sundaes.
Also, KFC is embracing boneless chicken. To reach out to Gen Z and Alpha, boneless chicken is the way to go. Following the debut of the chicken chain’s first nuggets, KFC is trying out different tenders. The chicken sandwich wars seem to be evolving as Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s tastes evolve and they become the generations with the most spending power.
Finally, the editors talked about another brand offering discounts. This time, it’s Domino’s. The pizza brand is offering customers with student loan debt a free pizza. The chain is giving away $1 million in free pizza only to the more than 44 million people with student loans who have lost discretionary income due to loan repayment restarting.
This week’s guest is G.J. Hart, CEO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Joanna Fantozzi discussed the changing daypart — again.
While there was a steep decline in traffic during the late-night daypart three years ago, several brands have decided to hone in on it over the past few weeks. From White Castle to Chipotle, brands are gearing up for a burst to the late-night segment. Between merch launches and promotions, restaurant brands are itching to bring people back for late-night eats.
The NRN editors also talked about the chicken sandwich wars. They are back, this time with Popeyes bringing out a new version of its sandwich, using TRUFF truffle hot sauce. This marks a step into spicier territory for Popeyes which has been experimenting with spicy food with the launch of ghost pepper wings earlier this year. What’s the future of the chicken sandwich wars?
This week’s interview is Justin Rosenberg, the founder and CEO of Honeygrow.
This week on Extra Serving, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about teens’ spending habits.
The latest Piper Sandler survey was published earlier this week. The results from the survey let brands know what’s resonating with teens, with the average age of survey respondents being about 15. These members of Generations Z and Alpha are leaning on different brands than in the past, with Raising Cane’s jumping into the Top 5 for the first time, overtaking stalwarts like Chipotle and Taco Bell. What can we learn from teens?
Next, the editors talked about dayparts. Three years ago, everyone was lamenting the fact that breakfast is around 10 a.m., not 8 a.m. like it was for so many years. Breakfast sales suffered. They’ve mostly evened out, but the evolved breakfast times have stuck, along with earlier dinner times. Are consumers ever returning to old habits?
This week’s interview is Clay Dover, CEO of the emerging chain Velvet Taco.
Hi and welcome to Extra Serving, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast. I’m your host, Holly Petre. Today is a very special episode. You won’t hear a conversation between me and my cohosts. Instead, you’ll hear three dynamic interviews with some of the restaurant executives who were at CREATE: The Experience this week in Palm Springs, Calif. If you weren’t able to make it this year, we’re going to Nashville next October for another epic few days of learning from your industry peers.
Today, you’ll hear from Jeff Chandler, CEO of Hopdoddy Burger Bar; Tracy Kim, CEO of Dig; and Michael Jong, chief operating officer of Hawkers. The three will discuss what it’s like running a growing business and finding success.
What do these three have in common? They’re all emerging regional restaurant brands looking to grow. If you want to tell us about your emerging brand, you can e-mail me at holly.petre@informa.com.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Joanna Fantozzi spoke about new acquisitions.
FAT Brands has made another acquisition. The company acquired Smokey Bones, the BBQ casual-dining concept, for $30 million. This comes in the wake of legal troubles for FAT Brands’ former CEO and board member Andy Wiederhorn. FAT Brands made a name for itself over the past few years when it acquired four companies in 2021. Last year, FAT Brands acquired Nestle Toll House Café, and this is the first acquisition since then. What does this mean for FAT Brands? Are they getting back into the market?
Next, the NRN editors talked about Panera Brands. The company, owner of Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bros Coffee and Panera Bread, has appointed two new members to its board ahead of its highly anticipated IPO launch. Many think this executive shake-up, in the wake of the chain’s new CEO who was named to the position this year, is one of the final steps in Panera Brands going public. What can these two executives bring to the table?
Finally, the NRN editors dove into the Top 500. We’ve been pouring through the data to give you segmented data on restaurants. Now it’s time to talk about it.
This week’s interview is with Frances Allen, CEO of Checkers and Rally’s.
This week on Extra Serving, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about menu trends.
Taco Bell has been experimenting with partner Mountain Dew for a few new products in test. One is a gelato made with Mountain Dew, and another is an energy drink in collaboration with the soda company. On the other side, Hopdoddy Burger Bar is introducing regenerative beef to its restaurants.
Elsewhere, Boston Market is still in the news. The chain has seen its fair share of trouble recently between labor violations and its owner Jay Pandya’s track record, but 27 units that were closed in New Jersey have reopened. Boston Market may be headed for bankruptcy, and the editors discussed what that could mean.
This week’s guest is Carissa De Santis, chief technology officer of Brix Holdings.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about celebrity partnerships.
This week alone there have been several celebrity food deals, from Ben Affleck and Ice Spice partnering with Dunkin’ to Sweetgreen making a bowl with Reneé Rapp. While celebrity partnerships are nothing new, it seems like there are more of them than ever before — and they’re working. McDonald’s has cited its Famous Orders campaigns as a traffic booster, while Krispy Kreme’s traffic jumped during the chain’s 4-day promotion with influencer Hailey Bieber. Are chains looking for traffic boosts, or is this just where the pendulum is swinging?
Finally, the NRN editors talked about our Hot Concepts launch and CREATORS announcement. This week we announced our Hot Concepts and CREATORS winners, and you’ll hear a bit more about them later on in the episode.
This week’s guest is IHOP’s head chef Arthur Carl II.
This week, on the Extra Serving podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about Chick-fil-A’s mobile order pick up lanes.
This week, Chick-fil-A announced it would be upping its number of mobile drive-thru lanes. Chick-fil-A has had a tough time opening new units because towns and cities know what it means for them: lots of traffic and disruptions. These new mobile lanes, having been through a successful test, could take the pressure off municipalities that have had to work around the long lines at Chick-fil-A drive-thrus.
Also, Toast got a new CEO this week. In light of the 99-cent fee controversy of earlier this summer, the company is seemingly rebranding from the C-suite down. What does this mean for the restaurant technology brand and is this just smoke and mirrors?
Finally, Taco Bell is taking Taco Tuesday to the next level. After Taco John’s was “bullied” into giving up their rights to the phrase, Taco Bell is inviting 20,000 Mexican restaurants across the country to participate in the biggest Taco Tuesday celebration ever. Is part of this to cover the fact that Taco Bell was painted in a bad light amid its tactics to win the war against Taco John’s?
This week’s guest is Mark Eason, former Firebirds Wood Fired Grill CEO and current Hickory Tavern CEO.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, Nation’s Restaurant News editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about TikTok for recruitment.
Many chains have used TikTok for marketing, but now Chipotle is going in a new direction — using TikTok for hiring. The brand is looking to add several thousand employees through this campaign. Will it work?
In more Chipotle news, though not as positive, the fast-casual brand had to pay more than $300,000 over child labor law violations in Washington D.C. This isn’t the first labor violation for the restaurant industry; in fact, it seems like there are more of these suits than usual from McDonald’s as well. What does it mean for the industry that these fines keep coming up?
Finally, in non-Chipotle news, Panera is allegedly trimming its menu by 30 items. This news came from a TikTok created by a current employee who alerted followers that 30 items — including some popular ones — were leaving the menu. Panera did not confirm the number, but did tell NRN it was trimming the menu. Why is the brand trimming the menu? Is it in preparation to go public?
This week’s interview is Kelli Alldredge, president of Chicken N Pickle.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Alicia Kelso discussed the news of Subway’s buyer.
The sandwich brand will be purchased by Roark Capital Group for an undisclosed price, though the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that the price tag was $9.6 billion. Roark, which also invests in sandwich chains Jimmy John’s, Arby’s, Schlotzsky’s and McAlister’s Deli, and other large chains such as Dunkin’, was one of the leading bidders for the quick-service chain all along. What does it mean that their portfolio now has five sandwich brands and what’s the future of Subway?
Next, the NRN editors talked about modular restaurants. With the ongoing supply chain crisis, brands are having a hard time building new units. That’s where modular builds come into play. We’ve seen chains like Taco Bell play around with the modular unit but there is a slew of emerging chains embracing this model for quick and efficient growth.
Finally, the editors talked about catering. Catering took a huge hit three years ago and that made sense, because no one was in offices anymore. Now, as offices tempt their employees to return with free food, the category seems to be on an epic rise.
This week’s interview is Jodi Boyce, chief marketing officer of Teriyaki Madness.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about the tail end of earnings season with the highly anticipated first report from CAVA.
The fast-casual restaurant brand rose to fame with its impressive debut on the stock market late last month and has been riding high since then, according to its earnings. The growing brand is planning massive expansion over the next few years and has seen sales jump year-over-year. More importantly, CAVA reached profitability in its first quarter as a publicly traded company. What does this mean for the future of the brand, and is it the next Chipotle amid comparisons from investors?
Also, the NRN editors talked about virtual brands. After the demise of MrBeast last week, there appears to be some hope for the virtual brand industry. Brinker, which closed its virtual brand Maggiano’s Italian Classics in May, has decided to add items from its virtual brand It’s Just Wings to Chili’s menus. Do virtual brands have more of an edge when they’re tied to a restaurant brand?
This week’s guest is David Cox, the corporate executive chef of Norms.
On this week’s episode of Extra Serving, a Nation’s Restaurant News podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about themes in this month’s earnings.
One of the major themes was a desire to grow traffic. While that may seem obvious, this quarter overlapped a quarter last year that was semi-normal, so the year-over-year traffic numbers are relatively evened out. How are brands pursuing traffic increases?
Also, the NRN editors noticed that everyone is trying to grow — exponentially. Last quarter, Chipotle announced it was trying to double its store count to 7,000. That came before a quarter where Burger King announced it was also going after more store openings, and the king of them all, McDonald’s, is trying to grow in the U.S.
This week’s interview is from our LinkedIn Live series DrinkedIn Live. This show is hosted by senior editor Ron Ruggless once a month. The episode you’re about to hear features Jeff Carcara, CEO of the casual-dining chain Sixty Vines, and John Olney, head winemaker and chief operating officer at Ridge Vineyards.
On this week’s episode of Extra Serving, a podcast by Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Joanna Fantozzi spoke about the latest in Q2 earnings.
As executive editor Alicia Kelso so eloquently put it in a piece she wrote last week, earnings season is like Christmas for the industry. A time to figure out how certain LTO campaigns worked for the major restaurant companies. This week, several big chains reported, including Starbucks, Papa Johns, Wingstop and Yum Brands. What are the themes the editors noticed and what do these results mean?
Also, the editors talked about MrBeast Burgers. The crown jewel of the virtual restaurant industry has had some consistency problems documented on social media. As a result of these claims, MrBeast himself wants to divest from the company and is taking action to have his name removed from the concept. Is this the death knell for the virtual restaurant industry?
Finally, the editors talked about the future of ChatGPT and generative AI in restaurants. Technology expert Fantozzi explained how companies are using the technology and some implications on labor in the future.
This week’s guest is Mark Wolok, VP of business development at Savvy Sliders.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister talked about earnings season.
Earnings season has just begun. The editors talked about the trends they expect to see throughout the industry as well as what they’re looking for from certain brands. Chipotle, McDonald’s, Subway, Domino’s and Sweetgreen all reported this week. The editors will give you the rundown on what they’re expecting to see in Q2 earnings.
Also, the editors talked about Chick-fil-A’s new prototypes. One new prototype looks a lot like the Taco Bell Defy location, which was a massive success for that brand. The other is a walk-up concept like Chipotle’s walk-up windows across the country. Will Chick-fil-A be able to get away with the same kind of publicity as Taco Bell, and how will the walk-up windows affect customers’ experience?
This week’s guests are Kat and Landon Eckles of Clean Juice.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Alicia Kelso spoke about the latest trend in restaurants.
A few years ago, we were talking about Sweetgreen and Wingstop — both brands that viewed themselves as tech companies first and restaurant companies second. Now, there’s a new trend across restaurants as they become more marketing companies that sell food, rather than restaurants with good marketing teams. Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald’s and Taco Bell have all been named by Rolling Stone among the top 20 marketers across the country and across industries. So, what earned them this title, and how are restaurants acting like marketing companies?
Also, technology vendor Toast, which unveiled an extremely controversial fee last month, has walked back that policy. The fee was 99 cents on any orders of $10 or more, and the fee was charged straight to the customer rather than to the restaurant. Restaurants had no option to take the fee on themselves, and thought it would deter customers from buying from them. The fee has now been removed from Toast’s system. What does it mean that the company is listening to its customers, and what does it hold for the future of the tech company?
This week’s interview is Brian Sullivan, VP of culinary for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Brews.
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about Chipotle’s foray into automation. Though the company hasn’t shied away from automation in the past, and competitors like Sweetgreen have gone all in on technology, Chipotle’s latest move to automate its guacamole production is a step forward.
Also, the editors talked about McDonald’s and its McCafé line. The chain has discontinued its McCafé bakery line. What prompted the chain with the largest portion of the breakfast segment to make this move?
Finally, the editors talked about Domino’s, which has taken the next step into delivery – a step no one thought they would take. The pizza chain is finally partnering with a third-party delivery aggregator. What does this mean for the chain?
This week, you’ll hear a conversation between Sam Oches and Mark Brandau about the Top 500.
On this week’s episode of Extra Serving, a production of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about the introduction of cell-cultivated meat.
Last week, news came out that both the USDA and FDA had approved two different brands of cell-cultivated meat for sale in the U.S., and this week, famous chefs Dominique Crenn and José Andres have used the cell-cultivated chicken in their restaurants. So, what do the NRN editors think of this new advancement in the food space? You’ll find out.
Meanwhile, during its sale process, Subway is continuing a revamp that started several years ago and included the move away from customization with the chain’s Subway Series menu. This time, Subway is introducing meat slicers at 20,000 U.S. restaurants and adding new sandwiches to the line using the sliced meats. What does it mean that Subway is continuing to improve amid a possible sale?
This week’s guest is Spike Mendelsohn, co-founder of PLNT Burger.