This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a production of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Sam Oches discussed the possible union at Chipotle.

 

On Wednesday, Chipotle followed in the footsteps of Starbucks when one store in Augusta, Maine filed for union recognition. The NRN editors discussed what this could mean for the brand and why this was not a surprising move considering recent labor challenges.

 

Next, the team discussed Chick-fil-A’s new drive-thru idea: mobile order lanes. While not anything revolutionary, it does speed up the Chick-fil-A drive-thru time, something the team comments is already impressively fast. The team talked about how this could impact future units and how Chick-fil-A is able to remain a Top 5 brand while only staying open six days a week.

 

Lastly, the team discussed the revolving door of restaurant CEOs. This week, Red Robin CEO Paul Murphy announced he will retire at the end of the year. While an expected move, it brought up questions about The Great Resignation among restaurant CEOs and whether now is a good or bad time to find a new job in the C-suite.

 

This week’s interview is with Applebee’s president John Cywinski, who spoke to NRN editor Ron Ruggless about the chain’s recent foray into music with songs such as “Fancy Like.”