This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a production of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Last Bite Network, NRN editors Lisa Jennings, Holly Petre and Sam Oches enter the metaverse.

McDonald’s and Panera both registered trademarks to enter the metaverse this week, joining the likes of companies such as Chipotle that have already begun experimenting in the metaverse. But that’s not all, there’s the difference between cryptocurrency to blockchain to the metaverse to NFTs (nonfungible tokens). Jennings explains the difference between them all and why it’s important.

“Trillions of dollars are being traded in cryptocurrency…it’s a thing people have to understand,” Jennings said on the pod. “But it’s something you have to research as a restaurant company if you want to play this game.” 

Then, the team discusses Chipotle’s latest quarterly earnings where it was announced that average wages would be raised to $17 an hour — just one week after the NRN team discussed the thought of Chipotle raising wages on the podcast. How will the chain be paying for this increase, and how else is it helping stave off the labor crisis? Find out more in the episode.

 Plus, hear from Nick Marsh, CEO of Founders Table Group — owner of Chopt, Dos Toros and FieldTrip — about the group’s latest collaboration.