How long will the boom in restaurant sales last? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast features Michael Swanson, an agricultural economist and consultant with Wells Fargo. Wells is a huge lender in the restaurant industry and Swanson’s focus is on consumer demand. He discusses the surge in industry spending this year and why sales are increasing—and how much price is affecting that increase. He also talks about how long operators can expect these sales to continue.

What are the best strategies for companies to improve diversity and inclusion in their organizations? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features James Pogue, CEO of JP Enterprises, a Dallas-based leadership consulting firm. Pogue discusses issues related to diversity in management teams. He says that organizations need to be focused on recruiting and developing talent that can address their specific organizational challenges, picking the right people based on their ideas and not necessarily their background.

Can a franchisee succeed as a franchisor? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Tabbassum Mumtaz, CEO of Ampex Brands, and Ericka Garza, brand president for its latest acquisition, Au Bon Pain. The two talk about what it takes for an operator to take over operations for an entire brand. A lot of franchisees have been buying up brands lately, taking advantage of favorable market conditions to add entire concepts to their collections. Ampex operates hundreds of Yum Brands and 7-11 locations and recently acquired Au Bon Pain from Panera Bread. Mumtaz talks about the experience of owning a brand after years operating restaurants for other brands. Garza, meanwhile, talks about the priorities for the brand itself and what it will take for the concept to succeed. Garza is a former franchising executive with Pizza Hut.

What makes a good fast-food burger? Or a chicken sandwich? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Bill Oakley, a writer and producer best known for The Simpsons, as well as shows like Portlandia and The Cleveland Show. He is also a prolific food reviewer on Instagram. Oakley’s reviews, which are frequently done from his car and often feature major restaurant chains, have generated a strong following and are sprinkled with humor. He speaks about those reviews and what he looks for when trying a fast-food burger. He also talks about chicken sandwiches, and which one of the many upgraded versions he likes the best.

So much for the idea of real estate availability. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Barry Wolfe, senior managing director of investments with Marcus & Millichap, who talks about the real estate market in the aftermath of the pandemic. That market is hot. Wolfe works with investors, franchisees and retailers on real estate issues and he’s been busy. Very busy. Companies are looking to expand coming out of the pandemic, especially as their sales have been strong and financing, apparently, is readily available. Wolfe discusses why it’s hot so quickly, what kind of sites are in the most demand, and what companies can do to find good locations. He also talks about what kinds of locations can be had for lower prices.

In this week’s episode of the RB podcast “A Deeper Dive,” senior editors Pat Cobe and Heather Lalley join me to discuss the state of plant-based meat at restaurants. A lot is happening in that segment. Chains continue to experiment with plant-based meats, hoping to catch onto a segment of consumers who say they would like to order such items. Much of the focus is on pioneering companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. But more companies have been jumping into the market with their own versions, and fast-food chains like Wendy’s and Taco Bell have experimented with proprietary recipes. The three of us talk about all of this on this week’s episode and talk about the future of plant-based meats at restaurants.

What happens with the Restaurant Revitalization Fund now? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs for the National Restaurant Association, to talk about the status of that fund and some other issues. Congress allocated $28.6 billion in funds for grants to restaurants. They were quickly snapped up, but more than 3,000 operators whose grants were approved were later told that their funds were rescinded due to court rulings in lawsuits filed by those who claimed that the process was discriminatory—the funds were first targeted at women and people of color. The fund has since been closed, with little indication that those 3,000 will get their funds.

Donatos is expanding using any method it can. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Tom Krouse, the chain’s CEO, in a conversation about its various growth strategies. Donatos was one of the country’s fastest growing chains last year, with system sales up more than 14%. Krouse talks about the chain’s interesting history, including the impact of its years under McDonald’s ownership and the recession. But he also talks about its unique cobranding arrangement with the casual dining chain Red Robin and why that works for Donatos—and why it won’t keep the chain from growing in other ways. He talks about such other expansion strategies as using ghost kitchens.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Helen Lao, the founder and CEO of executive recruitment firm ClearPath Solutions. Lao discusses the company’s recent move into franchise matchmaking with ClearPath Franchise. She also talks about the market for industry executives.

The track record of international concepts expanding in the U.S. is not great. Jollibee Foods plans to change that. Maribeth Cruz, president of Jollibee Foods North America, joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to talk about the chain’s plans to change that. Dela Cruz talks about the company’s aggressive plans to expand that number, and how the pandemic introduced U.S. consumers to the chain’s bone-in chicken and the rest of its distinct menu. She also discusses challenges finding real estate and the ever-present labor issue.