A Deeper Dive

How does Hungry Howie’s compete in the pizza sector with so many giant competitors? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Steve Jackson, CEO of the 500-unit chain, who discusses the company’s response to the pandemic and its ability to grow in a market with so many bigger competitors.

Dutch Bros Coffee has quietly been one of the strongest growth chains in the U.S. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Joth Ricci, president of the 400-unit chain, to discuss its growth strategies, response to the pandemic, and its future.

Fast-food restaurant companies are busy developing new prototypes to take advantage of the growth in takeout. But they need more than that to succeed. Or so says Juan Martinez, principal and founder with the consulting firm Profitality, who joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss the proliferation of restaurant redesigns. Martinez discusses the redesigns on this episode. Fast-food chains, including McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC and Taco Bell, have introduced innovative designs that feature multiple drive-thru lanes and additional points of service for takeout.

Bartaco has had a busy three years. Scott Lawton, CEO and cofounder of the 20-unit taco chain, joins this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss those years and how the company has had to overcome the challenge of the coronavirus.

Ghost kitchens are a big trend, and Nathan’s Famous is taking full advantage. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features James Walker, senior vice president of restaurants, with Nathan’s Famous to talk about the trend and why ghost kitchens work for the concept.

Papa John’s turned itself around last year. Its challenge in 2021 is to keep that momentum going. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Rob Lynch, the CEO of the Louisville, Ky.-based pizza chain.

There is no question what the biggest story of the year was. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” includes a discussion between Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze and Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo on the pandemic and its impact on the restaurant industry. They also discuss the stimulus package and its potential to help the industry this time around. They discuss the vaccination program and how restaurant workers will be toward the front of the line when they get inoculated.

Ghost kitchens are popular right now. But how long will the trend last? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Dan Rowe, the CEO of Fransmart and co-managing partner at The Kitchen Fund, to talk about a number of topics.

Restaurants facing a long pandemic winter have a number of strategies they can use to survive and thrive. That, at least, is according to Navin Nagrani, who joins the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” to discuss what he calls the “gain train,” a number of strategies on finance, real estate, operations and acquisitions that operators can use to grow their business.

Restaurants seem to be more resistant to state shutdowns this time around. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo, who sits down with host Jonathan Maze to discuss the current state of the pandemic.