A Deeper Dive

How does an emerging brand break into a new market?

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How does an emerging brand break into a new market? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Otto Othman, the c...

How Shipley Do-Nuts is bringing its brand into the future

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you get an 87-year-old brand ready for expansion? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Flynn Dekker,...

How Cici's Pizza is becoming more like Chuck E. Cheese

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How is Cici’s becoming more like Chuck E. Cheese? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Jeff Hetsel,...

How private equity is impacting food costs

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How is private equity impacting food costs? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features John Davie, the CEO ...

How Subway franchisees view some of the chain's recent moves

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Subway could avoid some problems if it consulted more with its franchisees. Or so says the head of its biggest association. This week’s episode of t...

How Starbucks is evolving to meet consumer demands

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Starbucks is the most complicated simple business on the planet. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast is all about Starbucks. I’...

How Smalls Sliders uses modular buildings to speed growth

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Can a slider concept use modular buildings to get big? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Maria Riv...

The best of the 'A Deeper Dive' podcast

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The last episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a look back at some of the year’s best episodes....

Inside the turnaround at Potbelly

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did Potbelly turn its business around? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Bob Wright, the CEO o...

How high-end restaurants are becoming like Taylor Swift concerts

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are restaurants becoming like Taylor Swift? Well, sort of. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Matt Tucker...

Why the FTC is targeting the Subway sale

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why is the FTC looking into Subway? This episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features John Gordon, a restaurant consultant ...

Why customers increasingly think restaurants aren't worth it

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Customers are increasingly questioning the value of their restaurant visits. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive...

Why Steak & Ale is making a comeback, 15 years after shutting down

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do you dust off a brand that has been dead for 15 years? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Pau...

What Pollo Tropical's new owners plan to do with the brand

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do with Pollo Tropical? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Alex Macedo, the chairman of...

A look at the state of the restaurant labor market

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is the state of the labor market right now? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Brian Miller, the CEO...

What is the future of restaurant loyalty programs?

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Loyalty programs are all over the place. But are they really necessary? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” f...

Can healthy eating and restaurants coexist?

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Will restaurants need to serve more healthy food in the future? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features ...

Is the tip credit dead?

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is the tip credit dead? It sure seems that way, given the way big cities and states are doing away with the credit. So, for this week’s episode of t...

Ron Shaich on why Cava deserved to be a public company

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why are the public markets good for Cava and not Panera Bread? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features R...

Meet the fast-growing drive-thru coffee chain 7 Brew

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s meet 7 Brew, one of the fastest-growing chains in the country. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” fe...

How Gregg Majewski is building Craveworthy Brands

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do you build a restaurant brand platform? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Gregg Majewski, the long...

How small restaurant companies should think about marketing

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can a small restaurant operator think about marketing? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Chip ...

Huey Magoo's is riding the chicken tenders wave

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why are consumers and franchisees so interested in chicken tenders? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” featu...

Why Greg Vojnovic believes the Hot Dog Shoppe is ready for expansion

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

o you get a popular local concept ready for prime time? This week’s episode of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Greg Vojnovic, the longti...

How Subway's sale will affect the sandwich market

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How will Subway’s sale change the sandwich business? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Michael G...

Why the restaurant industry attracts so many fraudsters

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The restaurant industry has had plenty of its share of fraud, accounting scandals and outright theft. This episode of the Restaurant Business podcast ...

How Tamer Afr is fixing Big Boy

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is going on with Big Boy? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Tamer Afr, the CEO of the family-dining...

What to expect with food prices in the coming months

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where are commodities headed in the coming months? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Maloni, the p...

How a trio of seismic events affected Subway, Chipotle and Texas Roadhouse

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What do Subway, Chipotle and Texas Roadhouse have in common? They’re all subjects of this week’s episode of A Deeper Dive. I asked a pair of, uh, ...

Why are more restaurants adding service fees?

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Scott Lawton, the CEO and cofounder of bartaco. Bartaco operates 27 lo...

Why restaurant sales are slowing, despite high prices

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the state of the restaurant business and M&A right now? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features J...

The story behind Burger King's turnaround effort

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is the story behind Burger King’s comeback effort? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Tom Curtis, ...

Why supermarkets are starting to think like restaurants

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Grocery stores are preparing to come after your business. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Heather Lall...

What the MrBeast controversy says about virtual brands

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What’s going on with MrBeast Burger? In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive,” Senior Technology Editor Joe G...

How innovation and nostalgia are working for Pizza Hut

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

No one outpizzaed the Hut in the first quarter. Can Pizza Hut keep it up? David Graves, president of Pizza Hut U.S., joined me on the “A Deeper Dive...

Chip Wade on how to manage the 'new workforce dynamic'

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How have urban markets changed since the pandemic? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Chip Wade, th...

Why Peter Piper Pizza is developing a fast-casual concept

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can Peter Piper go fast casual? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David McKillips, CEO of CEC Entertainm...

Who will win, and who will lose, as the economy slows

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where are sales and traffic going in 2023 and who will win? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features R.J. Hotto...

How Taco John's responded to the 'Taco Tuesday' challenge

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when a giant brand suddenly gives you a marketing gift? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features B...

Why DoorDash is taking a stand on delivery menu prices

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How long will people keep paying high delivery prices? This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive features Restaurant Business Senior Technology Editor Jo...

How higher menu prices will affect restaurants as grocery inflation slows

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Will menu price inflation ultimately hurt restaurants? Michael Swanson, an agricultural economist and consultant with Wells Fargo, joins the Restauran...

Chain restaurants had a good 2022. Or did they?

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How good of a year did chain restaurants have in 2022, really? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Joe Paw...

Duck Donuts CEO Betsy Hamm on adapting to a changing market

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How is Duck Donuts evolving its prototype? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Betsy Hamm, CEO of the 115-...

How Smashburger is rethinking the drive-thru

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why is Smashburger ditching traditional drive-thrus? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Carl Bachmann, pr...

How corporate layoffs will affect McDonald's

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What are we to make of the situations at major burger chains these days? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive featur...

An interview with Firehouse Subs President Mike Hancock

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who is Mike Hancock? We find out in this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive. Hancock recently took over as president of...

Focus Brands CEO Jim Holthouser on the future of the company's concepts

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you mix ice cream and cinnamon rolls? We’re about to find out. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast Deeper Div...

Why tipping is so important to restaurant employees

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How important is tipping to a restaurant employee? In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive, Associate Editor Reyna E...

A look into third-party delivery, virtual brands and ghost kitchens

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is the future of third-party delivery? How about virtual brands or ghost kitchens? In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A ...

A deep dive into Subway's recovery and sale

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who is going to buy Subway? In case you haven’t heard, the fast-food sandwich chain is on the market. In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Bus...

A look at the future of Bojangles

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is the future of Bojangles? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jose Armario, the CEO of the 800-unit...

How the restaurant of the future will help, or hinder, customer service

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is the future of restaurant automation? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Matt Newberg, the founder...

Why culture is so important in a restaurant

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why are chocolate milkshakes so important to Cameron Mitchell? This week's episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Mitchell,...

Plant-based meat is dead. Or maybe it isn't.

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The plant-based meat trend is dead. Or maybe it isn’t. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” is about plant-b...

Why Capriotti's hoards stuffing every Thanksgiving

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you combine chicken wings and sandwiches? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Bloo...

How younger consumers are adapting to inflation

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How are younger consumers reacting to inflation? This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive features Lori Rakoczy, associate principal with Restaurant Bus...

The story behind Killer Burger

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is Killer Burger and where is it going? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features John Dikos, CEO of the 20...

Behind Cava Group’s conversion of Zoe’s Kitchen restaurants

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How is Cava Group’s integration of Zoe’s Kitchen restaurants going? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive feature...

How Dave’s Hot Chicken became the next big thing

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is the story behind Dave’s Hot Chicken? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features two people behind one o...

Why restaurants will be able to withstand an economic downturn

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Restaurants are in a stronger financial position now than they were before the pandemic. This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive features Michael Swans...

Should fast-food restaurants suggest a tip?

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is tipping out of hand at fast-food restaurants? This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive I speak features Robert Byrne, director of consumer and indust...

Why companies should, or should not, franchise their business

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why do companies franchise their business? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Gary Occhiogrosso the found...

Has Starbucks won its union battle?

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did Starbucks win its labor battle? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features a debate between myself and Peter ...

What is the future of restaurant automation?

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Restaurant automation is coming rapidly. But how much of an impact will it have? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Div...

How nostalgia keeps Mountain Mike’s on the growth track

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Can dine-in pizza still work? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features a trio of executives from Mountain Mike’...

Applebee’s John Cywinski on the future of casual dining

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the future of casual dining? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features John Cywinski, the president of t...

The fast-casual sector is dead, or maybe it isn’t

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Does the fast-casual sector exist? In this week’s episode of a Deeper Dive I’m joined by my colleague Lisa Jennings to talk about the blurring of ...

How video games proved to be a winner for Cicis

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amusements have been, quite literally, a game-changer for Cicis. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jeff ...

How restaurants can avoid becoming a political football

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How can restaurants avoid becoming a political football? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Joe Kefauver,...

How operators can navigate a tough pricing environment

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How can operators avoid price increases as their own costs increase? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features R...

Why Scooter’s Coffee believes speed is key to its growth

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The beverage business is rapidly changing and drive-thru coffee concepts like Scooters Coffee are right in the middle of it. This week’s episode of ...

How Gong Cha plans to take its bubble tea brand across the U.S.

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you haven’t come across a bubble tea concept yet, you will quite soon. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive fea...

A look at unionization and California’s new fast-food wage law

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How big of a deal is the unionization effort at Starbucks? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features my colleagu...

A look at the devastating impact of opioid addiction

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The nation’s opioid crisis grew much worse during the pandemic. And it has hit restaurants particularly hard. This week’s episode of the Restauran...

Why Quiznos believes it is on the cusp of a turnaround

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Can fries fix Quiznos? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Mark Lohmann, the president of Rego Restaurant ...

How Smoothie King cut back on sugar and won

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did Smoothie King convince franchisees to go along with a complete menu overhaul? And how did customers react? This week’s episode of the Restau...

A look at Krispy Kreme’s innovative marketing strategy

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Getting attention is the name of the game in the ultra-competitive restaurant industry, and Krispy Kreme has been doing quite a bit of that lately. Th...

On pumpkin spice, plant-based meat and Milk Bar

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pumpkin spice season comes earlier every year. Why? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features RB Senior Editor P...

How restaurants are combating a historically challenging environment

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How is the restaurant industry dealing with the difficult operating environment? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deepe...

Why Charlie Morrison left Wingstop for an upstart

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why would you leave a 1,800-unit chicken wing chain for a salad upstart? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive seeks ...

Taco Bell’s COO on its ‘Defy’ drive-thru prototype and the Mexican Pizza

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How was Taco Bell able to get its latest prototype from idea to operating in less than two years? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business pod...

How an Iranian immigrant figured out the pizza business

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shahpour Nejad came to the U.S. to get his college degree. Instead he became a pizza guy. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A D...

A look into Subway’s new menu, and whether it will further the brand’s turnaround

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Subway has made yet another massive change to its menu. Will it work? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features ...

How Layne’s Chicken Fingers hopes to become the next big thing

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do you turn a well-loved local restaurant into a hot national concept? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive feat...

What it means to have a good workplace culture

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everybody talks about having a good corporate culture. But what does that mean? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive...

How chicken wings helped Charley’s escape the mall

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How does a mall concept do well in stand-alone locations? With chicken wings. This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive features Charley’s Philly Steak...

A look into Subway’s future

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How many restaurants does Subway need to close? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Trevor Haynes, preside...

How to create a restaurant concept in a time of uncertainty

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do you create a restaurant concept when so much about the business is uncertain? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper...

How operators can overcome thinning profit margins

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How do operators overcome rapidly shrinking profit margins? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jim Balis,...

How restaurants are combatting multiple challenges

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the state of the restaurant industry this year? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Lance Trenary,...

Why grocery inflation is so bad, and how it’s affecting restaurants

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why are grocery prices going up so much? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Christine LaFave Grace, the e...

A look into the impact of the driver shortage on distributors

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Restaurants aren’t the only businesses with labor problems. Distributors have their own challenges that are also driving up costs for operators. Thi...

The story behind Crumbl Cookies’ sweet success

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did Crumbl Cookies go from an off-the-wall idea between two cousins into one of the country’s fastest-growing restaurant chains in just five yea...

How operators can avoid raising prices too aggressively

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What can operators do to avoid raising prices too aggressively? Or should they? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive...

How Wienerschnitzel handled a sudden surge of drive-thru business

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did a small hot dog chain handle a sudden rush of customers after the pandemic? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper ...

A look at which chains stood out in 2021

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What chains recovered the most from the pandemic? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Joe Pawlak, ma...

A look at the quality and value of virtual kitchens

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are consumers getting when they order from a virtual kitchen? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features our...

A look into Wendy’s plans to build more restaurants

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wendy’s has some big plans to add a lot of restaurants. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Abigail Prin...

Why the supply chain crisis won’t go away anytime soon

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Restaurants’ supply chain headache has evolved into a migraine. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Keit...

How the pandemic has changed restaurants’ beverage deals

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has changed restaurants’ deals with beverage companies, maybe forever. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A De...