This week on Extra Serving, a podcast by Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about how robots are elevating the pizza industry, Wendy’s possible E. coli outbreak and plant-based proteins at Taco Bell and Burger King.

While robots have become a critical part of restaurant technology, nowhere is it more prevalent than in the pizzeria, as senior editor Joanna Fantozzi broke down on NRN this week. Petre, Oches and Zinsmeister talk about why this is and what they think may be ahead for restaurant tech.

Then, attention turned to a more serious topic: E. coli. Wendy’s this week removed romaine from its sandwiches in three states because of a possible outbreak, so the editors talked about why that is and the lasting impact of Chipotle’s infamous E. coli outbreak in 2015.

Finally, the team talked about new plant-based proteins at two quick-service giants: Taco Bell and Burger King. Burger King is expanding its Impossible lineup with a chicken sandwich, and Taco Bell — already a haven for vegetarians — is testing a proprietary protein. The team talks about the ongoing plant-based trend and these different approaches. 

Plus, hear from Mark Brandau of Datassential, who spoke with Oches about this year’s Top 500 report.