Informa Podcast Network

•

Channel • 5 Shows

Business

Business

Updated weekly
Daily News

Daily News

Updated daily
Food

Food

Updated weekly
History

History

Updated weekly
Business

Business

Updated fortnightly

18 MAR

A look at the bankruptcy of Fat Brands

What is the state of Fat Brands? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Hilary Russ, the editor at large of Law 360. Hilary covers bankruptcies for Law 360 and we wanted to talk with her about the bankruptcy of Fat Brands, which runs Twin Peaks, Round Table Pizza, Fazoli’s, Johnny Rockets and several other chains. We discuss what this bankruptcy means. We get at the complexity of the filing. We talk about the performance of the different restaurant chains before and after they were acquired. Russ also talks about the prospect that Fat Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn could lose control of the company, but that has not yet happened. We also ask why Fat Brands was able to raise so much money so quickly after struggling for years to buy even the smallest chains. It’s a major question facing the company. We’re talking Fat Brands on a Deeper Dive so please check it out.

18 Mar

•

34 min
15/01/2025

How weight-loss drugs will impact restaurants

Should restaurants worry about weight-loss drugs? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Leo Feler, chief economist with the data firm Numerator, to talk about the potential impact of GLP-1 drugs on consumers’ food-spending habits. Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are increasingly popular. The medications are historically used for Type 2 diabetes but were found to cause weight loss. They’ve been used increasingly for weight loss. With nearly half of Americans overweight or obese, they’re expected to only grow in popularity. Numerator recently coauthored a study analyzing the impact of these medications on sales at grocers and fast-food restaurants. They show a real impact that could influence sales in these industries. Feler talks about the study and the impact of GLP-1 medications and what restaurants should do to prepare.

15/01/2025

•

19 min
11 FEB

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.

11 Feb

•

27 min
23/07/2025

Why Handel's is keeping the focus on hospitality

Why doesn’t Handel’s Homemade Ice cream have an app? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jennifer Schuler, CEO of the Ohio-based Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream. This is a great conversation. Handel’s was founded in Youngstown Ohio in 1945. It has been franchising for decades. But it has taken off last year—sales rose 38%. Schuler was named CEO early last year and we wanted to talk with her about the brand and its strategies. We talk about the chain’s extensive menu of ice cream flavors and how it trains franchisees to make that ice cream on site. We also talk about the need for hospitality in that business and specifically why that chain doesn’t have its own mobile app. We also talk about why brands thrive when they focus more on hospitality. We’re talking ice cream on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

23/07/2025

•

31 min
22/01/2025

The right and the wrong way to franchise a restaurant

What is the right franchising strategy for your restaurant brand? It’s not as simple a question as you may think. And I brought in Sean Thompson, VP of IT with Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, to discuss franchising strategies and what may or may not work for restaurant brands. The number of strategies for franchising a restaurant brand, or any industry for that matter, is as varied as the companies themselves. There are companies that love big operators and those that prefer smaller franchisees and everything in between. There are also misnomers about franchisees. They are not always local. And they’re not always small. In any event, we sort it all out on this episode as we talk about what works and what doesn’t and what is the key ingredient in any franchise company. Please check it out.

22/01/2025

•

25 min
25 MAR

How rising gas prices will affect restaurant sales

How will gas prices affect restaurants? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Rich Shank, senior principal with the data firm Technomic. We like talking with Shank periodically to get a pulse on where the industry is at and there are all kinds of questions about it right now, thanks to gas prices. Gas prices are near a national average of $4 a gallon, according to AAA, up $1 compared with the past year, driven largely by the U.S. attack on Iran. That has a real impact on consumers at a time when many of them are already feeling pinched by inflation. We ask Shank what kind of impact this will have, what restaurant chains will feel it the most and at what point does it diminish industry growth projections. We also talk a bit about other issues like beef costs and store operations and what happened with the fast-casual sector. Always great talking with Rich Shank so please check it out.

25 Mar

•

29 min
14 JAN

How franchisees can find winning restaurant brands

How do franchisees pick winning concepts? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Martha Olmos, chief operating officer with Damm Fine Restaurant Group, a franchisee of Dave’s Hot Chicken and Blaze Pizza. Damm Fine got into both Blaze and Dave’s early in their history. We talk with Olmos about what goes into operating such brands and how they found those concepts in the first place. We also talk about why they felt confident enough in the brands to get into them. We spent a lot of time talking about how to build a good company culture and to develop good employees. This is a great conversation for people who operate restaurants. We talk about the performance of Blaze and Dave’s and the difference in operating the two. We talk about operating restaurants in California and how they got through the state’s increase in the minimum wage. And all sorts of other things.

14 Jan

•

29 min
18 MAR

ICE Disruption Act, Applebee’s, and AI chatbots

Small businesses affected by ICE crackdowns could get relief, Applebee’s is shifting its marketing strategy, and agentic AI is cropping up more in restaurants

18 Mar

•

4 min
18 FEB

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.

18 Feb

•

31 min
04/01/2024

How Philippe Massoud paved the way for Lebanese fine dining in the U.S.

Philippe Massoud grew up Lebanon, spending a lot of time in his family’s hotel learning hospitality and cooking from the best. He was forced to leave his country during the civil war, arriving in the U.S. with a strong desire to pursue his culinary passion. That desire finally became a reality 15 years ago, when, after many fits and starts, he opened ilili in New York City, introducing Americans to Lebanese fine dining. The restaurant, whose name means “tell me” in colloquial Arabic Lebanese, features a striking modern design and a progressive menu that showcases many of Massoud’s family recipes. Two years ago, a second ilili opened in Washington, D.C. Listen as Massoud shares his arduous journey from refugee to restaurateur, how discovering the “recipe card” in a food and beverage class at Cornell University changed his life, and how he has plans in the works to expand ilili to more locations.

04/01/2024

•

34 min

Covering restaurants, grocery, food service, and convenience stores.