A Deeper Dive

5.0 (5)
BUSINESS
UPDATED WEEKLY

Restaurant Business is the leading media brand in the commercial foodservice industry, with a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and growth.

7 HRS AGO

Why beef costs are increasing so much

What’s going on with beef costs? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Maloni, the senior director of commodities with Arrowstream. We wanted to talk with David because beef costs are soaring. Burger King, for instance, said that its beef costs went up 20%. We discuss why beef costs are going up so much, how long this could last, and what can be done to fix them. Maloni also talks about why, even in the face of all this, restaurant chains like Burger King and McDonald’s are hyping up their burgers so much. He discusses talk about other things, too, notably the potential impact of high gas and oil prices both on commodity costs and the consumer. This is always a good conversation with David so please check it out.

26 min
MAR 4

The secret behind the success of Dave's Hot Chicken

What makes Dave’s Hot Chicken tick? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jim Bitticks, the CEO of Dave’s Hot Chicken. This is a great conversation with the chief executive of one of the country’s hottest brands, literally and figuratively. Bitticks was recently promoted to the role and we ask him about that. We talk with him about what makes the brand tick, how things are going under new owner Roark Capital and whether anything will change. We asked Bitticks about the company’s superfast growth and how it combats the potential pratfalls of such growth. And we talk about the chain’s unique strategy of having top executives as operators and how that works. We’re talking hot chicken on A Deeper Dive, so please check it out.

31 min
FEB 25

Five Guys is making some changes

Five Guys is making some changes. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Molly Catalano, the chief marketing officer for the Washington, D.C.-based fast-casual burger chain. We are talking with Catalano about a lot of things, notably its move into catering. We talk about why the company is now offering catering, how it’s doing that and how it works. We talk about a number of other things the company is doing. Five Guys is marketing more than it’s ever done before. That’s a big change for the company. It is also looking at things like combos and maybe even some different types of menu items. Catalano also discusses the company’s unique culture and the important role the chain’s founding family plays in keeping its quality at the forefront. We’re talking Five Guys on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

27 min
FEB 18

How the restaurant industry will fare in 2026

How will restaurants fare in 2026? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Michelle Korsmo, the president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, who talks about the trade group’s State of the Industry Report. Korsmo discusses the industry’s annual projection of restaurant sales, profitability and trends. We talk extensively about the association’s expectations for foodservice sales this year, projected to be nearly $1.6 trillion. We discuss issues with industry profitability, and why so many operators are simply unprofitable. And we talk about immigration and other association priorities. This is a great conversation with the head of the restaurant industry’s biggest trade group so please check it out.

31 min
FEB 11

How Starbucks is changing its coffee shops

What is the status of Starbucks’ turnaround? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Mike Grams, the chief operating officer of the coffee shop giant. Grams joined us from a Starbucks Reserve location in New York City following the company’s Investor Day presentation. He spoke extensively about the company’s various plans to improve the operations inside the chain’s coffeehouses. That includes the remodels the chain is making to make even the smallest locations friendlier for in-store customers. He also explains why that is important for a company that has mobile order, drive-thru and delivery. Grams discusses the chain’s “Green Apron” service model and why that model both helps with manager morale as well as service time. He also gives an update on the chain’s push to improve service times and what else the company plans to do to speed service. We also talk about Starbucks’ expansion plans and why the company believes it can fit 5,000 more shops, at least, in the U.S. We’re talking Starbucks on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

27 min
FEB 4

How convenience stores and supermarkets are gunning for restaurants

What are retailers doing to compete more aggressively with restaurants? This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive looks at the retail sector, specifically convenience stores and grocers. I’m joined this week by Heather Lalley, the managing editor for Restaurant Business as well as sister publications CSP Daily News and Supermarket News. We talk about how convenience stores are pushing into more prepared food options, including ways they are taking pages out of restaurants’ playbook. We also discuss the growing demand for THC beverages, and why we haven’t seen many restaurants add these to their beverage menus. But we talk extensively about the closures of Amazon’s Fresh and Go stores, and what kinds of lessons restaurants can take from those closures. We’re looking at the retail sector on A Deeper Dive, so check it out.

28 min
JAN 28

How the Saks Global bankruptcy could affect restaurant real estate

How will the Saks Global bankruptcy affect restaurants? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Stephen Cohen, a real estate attorney who does a lot of work with restaurants. We wanted to speak with Stephen about the real estate implications of the bankruptcy filing of the giant retailer Saks Global. No, Saks is not a restaurant, though it owns a few of them. But it is a major real estate tenant with some 8.4 million square feet. Many of its locations are in malls populated by a lot of restaurants. We wanted to talk about the implications this could have on restaurants, both for good or for ill. Cohen talks about the potential implications for foot traffic at some malls and potential opportunities for certain restaurants to get available space in some desirable shopping centers. But we talk a lot about other topics, including various real estate trends and the opportunities and risks of opening in second generation real estate sites—or closed restaurants, as it were. We’re talking malls on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

27 min
JAN 21

Why consumers' views on value are changing

How do consumers view value these days? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jen Meyers, growth strategy leader for the restaurant practice with the consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal. The firm recently completed an extensive survey of consumers on a broad range of topics on restaurants and we wanted to chat with Jennifer about the results and what they mean. We talk about the value equation and how consumers’ views of value has changed over the years from cheap food to value for the money. We talk about what drives consumers out of restaurants. We also talk about a lot of other topics, including the growing snacking occasion, consumers’ views on health along with nostalgia marketing. We’re talking about the consumer on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

28 min

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5 Ratings

Subway

2021-05-26

Subjourney

Subway does not have company stores as they know they are not profitable. When they did have some they didn’t run well. Over the decades Subway brought people from the field that were not good leaders and/or weak managers (dept heads). I was surprised to see how generally weak employees were at HQ.