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 longtime development executive, who joins the podcast to talk about his small chain, called the Hot Dog Shoppe. Greg has had a long career in the restaurant industry and used to head development for Popeyes and then Arby’s as it formed Inspire Brands. He has since taken on an 80-year-old hot dog and fries concept out of Youngstown, Ohio. He believes the concept has all the right ingredients for expansion. And we ask him all about what it’s like to prepare a brand like that for expansion outside of its home market. Greg has spent the past two years getting it ready to franchise. We talk about what he’s done to do that, how the brand can translate its Ohio success to places like Florida, and what kind of locations the chain can go into. I also ask him if the world is ready for more hot dogs. It’s a fascinating conversation about taking a local concept national so please have a listen.

How will Subway’s sale change the sandwich business? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Michael Goldberg, the CEO of the 100-unit California chain Ike’s Love and Sandwiches. Goldberg, who has been with the chain for more than four years, discusses a wide variety of topics. He discusses Ike’s history and its plans for growth. He also talks about the surge in sales for the chain’s catering program, and some of the steps the company is taking to meet that demand. He also talks about the restaurants’ return on investment and why Ike’s loves corporate locations. The chain prefers opening in second-generation locations, including closed Subway restaurants. That leads into a discussion on the overall sandwich market and the recently announced sale of Subway to Roark Capital. Goldberg has some interesting things to say about that sale and Subway’s impact on his chain and the market. We’re talking sandwiches on the podcast this week, so check it out.

The restaurant industry has had plenty of its share of fraud, accounting scandals and outright theft. This episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features a discussion on some of the more interesting such events in the past and features Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo, host of the Restaurant Rewind podcast. Romeo is the unofficial historian of the restaurant business. We look back at some of the most famous events in the industry, such as the accounting issues at Buca di Beppo and Krispy Kreme 20 years ago, and the impact those events have had on financial reporting. We also talk about some smaller frauds, like the guy in Michigan who used his company’s loyalty program to take from the till. And my personal favorite, the restaurant in California that used a fake priest to elicit confessions of wrongdoing from its employees.

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 chain, to talk about the state of the brand. Afr has an interesting story. He had never been in the restaurant business until just less than five years ago, when he bought Big Boy as a potential growth opportunity. He then had to learn the industry while fixing a chain with an 87-year history. Afr talks about what kind of changes he’s been making, such as its reach into delivery and its foray into international markets. And we talk about what kinds of things Big Boy is doing now, why the brand has so many different alternative names such as Frisch’s Big Boy and Bob’s Big Boy and how they’re all related. And we talk about the chain’s new drive-thru concept it just opened in Michigan. It’s an interesting conversation about buying and fixing a legacy brand, so please have a listen.

Where are commodities headed in the coming months? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Maloni, the principal with the consulting firm Datum FS, to talk about where food prices are headed. Maloni is a recognized expert in commodities forecasting and supply chain issues. We talk about the state of food prices in the U.S. and his projections for costs going forward. In short: Maybe don’t consider marketing a bacon double cheeseburger. Beef costs are going up and will likely stay there for a while. Maloni discusses why and how long it could take for those prices to ease. We talk extensively about chicken, and why those costs are so cheap. And we talk about other commodities such as pork belly, grain prices and cheese. We’re talking food costs on A Deeper Dive so check it out.

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, veteran editors to join me on the podcast to talk about a single event they covered over the past decade that was particularly memorable. Restaurant Business Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo and Executive Editor Lisa Jennings were happy to oblige. The rule: We could not talk about the pandemic, because that was too obvious. But the result was an interesting discussion on a trio of seismic events that had a major impact on the industry and particularly the aforementioned restaurant chains. We talked about Subway and the infamous Jared Fogle incident, about Chipotle’s foodborne illness outbreak and the death of Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor. Check it out.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Scott Lawton, the CEO and cofounder of bartaco. Bartaco operates 27 locations, specializing specifically in tacos. Lawton talks about how the chain was founded and discusses its current growth plans.   We also talk about the lure of tacos and why they’re so popular these days. And I ask him about loyalty, and how the chain has been able to build it among its customer base. But we also talk extensively about service charges, which have grown in popularity in restaurants—and many other industries, for that matter. Lawton discusses his reluctance to add them to one of his restaurants, and why the chain ultimately gave in and may add them elsewhere. We’re talking tacos and service charges on A Deeper Dive, so check it out.

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 Jim Balis, the managing director with the investment firm CapitalSpring. We talk about the state of the industry at the moment. With 2023 halfway over, we wanted Balis to talk about where the industry is going, both on a revenue and costs front but on mergers and acquisitions. He discusses industry sales and why they’ve kept pace despite soaring prices, and we speculate about why that is. We talk about the state of labor and food costs as well as the impact of technology. But we also talk about mergers and acquisitions and how those are going. The M&A markets have been frozen for the past year and a half amid high interest rates and a lack of agreement on prices between buyers and sellers. But there are signs that it’s improving of late. Jim talks about why that is and where the market is headed. It’s an interesting discussion on a deeper dive this week so please have a listen.

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, president of Burger King in the U.S. and Canada. Curtis has overseen Burger King over the past two years after coming over from Domino’s. And he has come at a time when the chain has been in trouble. The brand struggled during the pandemic, particularly after its upgraded chicken sandwich, the Ch’King, didn’t perform well. Struggling sales and high inflation last year proved to be an ugly combination. Two major franchisees of the brand filed for bankruptcy and a Michigan operator closed all its locations. But the company has shown some real progress of late, thanks to marketing and improved operations and the company’s $400 million “Reclaim the Flame” investment announced last year. We talk with Curtis about all of this, how that investment has paid off, what changes in operations the company has made and how it can keep customers after marketing gets their attention. We also asked why the Ch’King didn’t work. We’re talking Burger King on A Deeper Dive so please have a listen.

Grocery stores are preparing to come after your business. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Heather Lalley, the editor-in-chief of RB sister publication Winsight Grocery Business. We chat about, shockingly enough, the grocery business. Specifically, Heather and I discuss the competition between grocers and restaurants. We talk about the move grocers are making into restaurants’ territory, and how these companies plan to generate more of their business with prepared foods. Grocers, she said, are starting to “think like restaurants.” We also talk about a potential shift by supermarkets into lower prices, and why that might sap some business from restaurants in the coming months. We’re chatting grocery on A Deeper Dive so check it out.