Episodes
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Why is careful growth more important for restaurant chains?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Nick Marsh, the CEO of Founders Table Restaurant Group.
This is the second in our series of episodes exploring Founders Table’s recent acquisition of Hopdoddy Burger Bar. We wanted to talk with Marsh specifically about what his company is about. Founders Table also owns Chop’t, Dos Toros and Protein Bar, an interesting group of chains.
He talks about the firm’s very beginnings and how it was formed with a couple of concepts owned by the private-equity firm L Catterton. Marsh talks about the benefits of putting growth chains together to share services and why that frees up brand founders to focus on their concepts.
We also get into a discussion about growth strategies and why it’s important not to get too aggressive in growing emerging concepts. And of course we talk about what Founders Table sees in Hopdoddy.
We’re talking growth on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.
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How did the sale of Hopdoddy come about?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jeff Chandler, who is stepping aside as CEO of the fast-casual burger chain following its sale to Founders Table Restaurant Group.
We wanted to talk with Jeff about the deal and about Hopdoddy itself, along with other issues.
Chandler led the chain for a decade before its sale so we ask him about how he guided the company to its growth and to its ultimate sale.
But we spend most of the time talking about the deal itself. We talk about why Founders Table, how the deal came about, and the role played by the private equity firm L Catterton, which owns both companies.
We talk about what Founders Table will do for the company as well.
We’re talking about an acquisition on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.
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Missing episodes?
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Can a salad chain thrive in the ever-changing world of healthy eating?
Steele Smiley is betting on it. The founder and executive chairman of the Minneapolis-based salad chain Crisp & Green joins the Restaurant Business podcast to talk about his brand’s strategies.
Crisp & Green has 52 locations and dozens more under development in the U.S. Smiley talks about the brand’s founding, and how he never envisioned becoming a restaurant operator.
Smiley started the chain after a career in the fitness industry and he talks about the learning curve that comes with running a restaurant.
We also talk about the changing demands of what is considered healthy and how a salad chain can compete in a world of protein. We discuss the company’s recent introduction of sandwiches and its supply chain as well as the brand’s future plans.
We’re talking with another growth chain on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.
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Why are restaurants having another tough year?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features RJ Hottovy, the head of analytical research for the traffic tracking firm Placer.ai.
This is the last in a series of episodes from the National Restaurant Association Show in May.
Hottovy is a regular guest on the podcast and we talk with him about the current state of restaurant traffic, something that Placer.ai tracks extensively.
We talk with him about the impact gas prices have had and why some consumers are spending but others are not. We also talk about what really is driving weak traffic at many restaurants and how companies can break out of it.
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Can Giordano’s grow faster with more thin-crust pizzas?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Nick Scarpino, the CEO of the Chicago-based pizza chain Giordano’s.
This is one of a series of episodes we recorded at the National Restaurant Association Show in May.
Scarpino talks about the chain’s growth, and why the company is opening more units these days. He also discusses the strategy behind that growth.
He also discusses the company’s new tavern-style pizza, a much thinner crust than the chain’s popular deep dish.
We also talk about industry challenges and the state of the pizza sector.
We’re talking pizza this week so please check it out.
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Is there a leadership vacuum in the restaurant business?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Toni Ronayne, the founder of the fractional C-suite firm C Society.
C Society provides experienced executives who can work with emerging and other restaurant chains, filling a need for c-level leadership. Ronayne is a longtime industry executive whose past stops have included Perkins and Freshii, among other companies.
We discuss why companies need this and how these executives can help. But we also talk extensively about several other issues regarding leadership in the restaurant industry.
This is the latest in a series of podcast episodes that we recorded at the National Restaurant Association Show and it’s a good one so please check it out.
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How can restaurants deal with the K-shaped economy?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Michelle Korsmo, the president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association.
We typically interview Korsmo at the National Restaurant Association Show every year. This year, we discussed a variety of topics, including the association’s legislative priorities, how it deals with the White House, technology, industry trends and other topics.
We also talk about the economy and its impact on restaurants. The economy is bifurcated. Wealthier consumers have money. Low-income consumers do not. And they are cutting back. The result is a wide gulf in performance between restaurant chains.
It’s always interesting chatting with Korsmo, so check it out.
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Why are fast-food pizza chains struggling?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research with Technomic.
Byrne and I spend the entire time discussing the state of the pizza market. Fast-food pizza chain sales declined last year, and fast-casual pizza chain sales declined even further.
We look at the factors behind that decline, including the growing competition from third-party delivery, pressure on lower-income consumers and other factors. We also discuss where pizza customers are visiting instead.
We’re talking pizza on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.
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How does a company bring Chinese takeout into the modern era?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Angell Tsang and Min Choe, the founders of the Austin-based Tso Chinese Takeout and Delivery.
You may not have heard of Tso but it is a fascinating concept that is bringing a more modern sensibility to the idea of the Chinese restaurant.
Specifically they built their technology first and then added a restaurant. They discuss why they crafted a restaurant chain in reverse. They also explain why they opted for Chinese in the first place.
And that leads into an interesting discussion on the phenomenal history of Chinese food in America. It's a great conversation and an interesting concept. Check it out.
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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Where does Chuck E. Cheese grow from here?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Scott Drake, the CEO of CEC Entertainment, parent company to Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza.
This is the first of a couple of episodes recorded at the recent Restaurant Leadership Conference and it is a phenomenal conversation.
Scott was recently promoted to CEO after a couple of years as CEC’s CFO. And he has a lot to talk about.
We talk about the company’s new headquarters. We talk about many of the changes it has made over the years, particularly on the technology front.
We discuss how the company plans to grow in the coming years and some of the interesting concepts it is growing with. But we also talk about some of the long-term concerns the company has, notably the slowing population.
We’re talking Chuck E. Cheese on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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Why are franchisees struggling right now?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Austin Titus, the president of Accurate Franchising.
Accurate Franchising is a consulting firm that works with franchisors and franchisees and so we talk about all kinds of things on this episode.
We talk about struggles franchisees are having and why. Several franchisees have filed for bankruptcy and many are having challenges after a few difficult periods, with high costs and weak sales and traffic. We explain what’s happened and how operators can deal with it.
Titus talks about red flags franchisees can look for when considering a franchise brand to invest in. He also talks about how emerging chains can get the right franchisees early in their history and why that’s important.
We’re talking franchising on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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It was another tough year in 2025.
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Joe Pawlak, the managing principal with Technomic.
Pawlak provides our annual look at the data firm’s annual Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, which provides the best look at the state of the country’s restaurant chains.
That state was relatively weak. Pawlak discusses why last year proved to be so difficult. We also talk about some notable trends in the numbers.
The beverage sector was big and there were some surprising numbers in that. The sandwich sector saw more shifts in market share. There was some notable movement in the Top 10 and a lot of growth was concentrated in just a few chains.
We’re talking Top 500 on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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How is Kilwins adapting to life under new owners?
This week’s episode of A Deeper Dive features Brian Britton, CEO of the treat chain Kilwins.
Kilwins operates experiential chocolate and ice cream shops, mostly in tourist spots. It has picked up its growth in recent years and finished 2025 with 187 locations, according to data from Technomic.
We wanted to talk to Brian to get a sense about how life has changed since the company was sold to Levine Leichtman Capital Partners.
The private-equity firm bought Kilwins in 2023. Brian talks about everything the chain has done since then, including a lot of work to update the brand.
But we also talk about the business of selling chocolate and ice cream, the company’s expansion strategies and why the experiential nature of the brand is so vital these days.
It’s a sweet podcast episode this week, so please check it out.
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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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.
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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