A Deeper Dive

Informa Podcast Network

“A Deeper Dive” is a weekly podcast from Restaurant Business dedicated to going in-depth on the most pressing challenges and opportunities restaurant operators face today. Each Wednesday, our audience will hear from restaurant industry leaders – from Chipotle to Pincho Factory and Firehouse Subs to McDonald’s. Host Jonathan Maze deep dives into hot topics, from delivery to discounting and marketing to menu, giving operators the latest information and solutions to drive their businesses. Subscribe now! Restaurant Business: https://www.restaurantbusinessonlin

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Why consumers don’t think their restaurant visits are worth it

    Most customers don’t think their last restaurant visit was worth it. That, at least, is according to Lisa Miller, a consumer insights and innovation strategist and author of The Business of Joy. She joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive to discuss it. We talk about why consumers increasingly say they don’t think their restaurant visits are worth it.  We also talk about the role technology may be playing with that, and what restaurants can do to fix it. This is a great conversation on an important topic in the restaurant business so please check it out.  Read more from RB: https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/ Subscribe to our newsletters: https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/newsletters Want more from Jonathan Maze? https://www.tiktok.com/@jonathandmaze?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants

    35 min

  2. 2 APR

    How the Sysco-Restaurant Depot deal will affect operators

    How will the big Sysco-Restaurant Depot deal affect restaurant operators? It’s a big question, so we brought in Technomic Senior Principal David Henkes to talk about it for this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive.  Henkes is a distribution expert with Technomic and we discuss the deal at length, including what it means for both Sysco and for Restaurant Depot. We talk about its chances of getting approved by the FTC, even as independent restaurant operators call for it to be blocked. We talk about the impact this will have on the restaurant industry and why Sysco wants the retailer in the first place. And we talk about potential challenges for the distributor in integrating Restaurant Depot. We’re talking the Sysco-Restaurant Depot on A Deeper Dive so check it out.

    29 min

  3. 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.

    29 min

  4. 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.

    34 min

  5. 11 MAR

    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

  6. 4 MAR

    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

  7. 25 FEB

    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

  8. 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.

    31 min
See All (402)

About

“A Deeper Dive” is a weekly podcast from Restaurant Business dedicated to going in-depth on the most pressing challenges and opportunities restaurant operators face today. Each Wednesday, our audience will hear from restaurant industry leaders – from Chipotle to Pincho Factory and Firehouse Subs to McDonald’s. Host Jonathan Maze deep dives into hot topics, from delivery to discounting and marketing to menu, giving operators the latest information and solutions to drive their businesses. Subscribe now! Restaurant Business: https://www.restaurantbusinessonlin

Information

More From Informa Podcast Network

You Might Also Like