With beef prices climbing — up nearly 60% in the last decade, according to industry veterans  —fast casual operators are facing a margin squeeze. The solution to stabilizing food costs while meeting consumer demand for variety may lie in an under-leveraged protein: pork.
 
 In this episode of the "Restaurant Operator Podcast," host Cherryh Cansler sits down with Dr. Kristin Hicks-Roof of the National Pork Board and Eddie Flores Jr., co-founder of the 235-unit franchise L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. Together, they explore why pork is emerging as a strategic pivot for brands looking to differentiate their menus and protect their bottom lines.
 
 Flores shares real-world insights on how items like Kalua pork and Spam have acted as economic stabilizers for his franchise system amidst market volatility. Conversely, Hicks-Roof breaks down the nutritional science, explaining how operators can market pork to health-conscious consumers looking for nutrient-dense options.
 
 What listeners can learn:

• The Margin Opportunity: How substituting or blending pork can alleviate the pressure of rising beef and chicken costs.
• Global Flavor Trends: How to leverage pork’s versatility to tap into popular international cuisines, from Hawaiian "Lau Lau" (pork wrapped in taro leaves) to Filipino "Pork Tocino."
• The "Carrier" Concept: Strategies for using pork—like bacon or crumbles—as a flavor driver to increase sales of high-margin vegetable sides.
• Combating Menu Monotony: How introducing new cuts helps operators avoid "protein fatigue" among regular customers.

 “Pork fits smack dab in the middle,” Hicks-Roof said during the episode. “It not only provides that nutrition, but it also provides that traditional deliciousness.”
 
 Click here to listen to the full episode and learn how to rethink the center of the plate.

Dirty Dough owner Bennett Maxwell knows cookies. After all, his brand has 50 flavors and a simple model.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Maxwell about his operations, the cookie wars he battled and the marketing strategies that make Dirty Dough a success.

When asked what advice he would give to another restaurant or hospitality start up that might face unexpected legal or PR crises early on, Maxwell said he would be as open, transparent and authentic as possible.

When he was slapped with a lawsuit by a competing brand, Maxwell recommended to "get business advice from business people, get legal advice from legal people. But, if you're in that scenario, I would just be as open and transparent about everything."

Hear the cookie wars story and how Maxwell came out victorious by listening to the entire podcast.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, podcast host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Jim Nusbaum, CEO of Barry Bagels. Nusbaum shares the brand's origin story, its expansion strategy into Texas, and the unique hub and spoke model that supports franchisees. He discusses the importance of employee culture, maximizing revenue streams through catering and wholesale, and ensuring consistency across locations. Nusbaum emphasizes the support provided to new franchisees and the qualities sought in potential partners, highlighting the investment opportunities within the brand.

Barry Bagels was started by a 21-year-old operator named Barry Greenblatt who along with his partner, bagel-maker Peter Johnson, opened their first location in Sylvania, Ohio in 1972.

Since then the brand has grown to Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and a recent development deal signed for 30 units in Texas.

Nusbaum talked about the hub-and-spoke model in which the "hub" is the first store in any market with about 1,600 to 2,200 square feet. That store has the bagel-making capabilities. The bagels are then delivered to the "spoke" locations.

"Spoke locations, which need no HVAC, no walk-in cooler (and) no walk-in freezer, can be built for a fraction of the cost of the hub location. And since we're not baking there, you don't need a grease trap or the HVAC or anything like that," Nusbaum said.

To learn more about Barry Bagels' operations, click the link at the top of the page.

In this episode of Restaurant Operator, host Cherryh Cansler, publisher of Fast Casual, sits down with Luke Wilwerding, VP of North America Sales of Elo Touch, sponsors of both this episode and the Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers report.

Together, they explore how restaurant technology is transforming every stage of the guest experience from self-order kiosks and drive-thru innovation to AI-powered kitchen management.

Wilwerding explains how Elo's platform approach is helping operators boost speed, accuracy and flexibility, whether it's a bustling fast casual kitchen or a multi-channel ordering environment. From interactive displays to AI-enhanced voice ordering and computer vision for accuracy, Elo's innovations are redefining what's possible for restaurant efficiency.

As Wilwerding notes, the walls between fast casual, QSR and casual dining are crumbling, and it's technology that's breaking them down. The future of restaurant operations, he says, belongs to the brands that embrace innovation, not resist it.

Sponsored by Elo Touch, this conversation offers a glimpse into how top-performing brands are using tech to deliver faster, smarter, and more personalized dining experiences.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb.com and Pizza Marketplace, talks with Or Peleg, managing partner of Tel Aviv Grill in the Los Angeles area.

Tel Aviv Grill began 11 years ago as a small kosher market making shawarma, skewers and sandwiches in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. "And, very quickly, it became a very tangible part of the community. Everybody in the area knew about it and it kind of grew out of that market," Peleg said.

Peleg came on a managing partner about five years ago.

The original restaurant quickly grew too big for several locations and now has three units.

Consistency has been the brand's biggest challenge.

"I don't want somebody to have like a shawarma in one location and then a couple of days later to go to one of our other locations is completely different. It kind of breaks the entire purpose," Peleg said. "So it's very hands-on, it's very time-consuming and it takes a long time to make sure your team is on board and knows exactly how to prepare and present the product the way we would like."

To learn more about Tel Aviv Grill, listen to the podcast in its entirety.

In this episode of Restaurant Operator Podcast, Cherryh Canlser, publisher of FastCasual, offers an exclusive preview of the heavy-hitting CEO panel, moderated by HungerRush CEO Bill Mitchell, at the upcoming Fast Casual Executive Summit, Oct. 5-7 in Austin. The episode features an insightful conversation with Mitchell and Aman Devgan, HungerRush's Head of Strategy and Marketing. Cansler also discusses a technology-focused panel with Catriona Harris, VP of marketing of Jeff's Bagel Run. Harris will moderate the panel, and Aaron LeClair, VP of Technology, Jeff's Bagel Run, is one of several leaders sharing advice during the session.

Mitchell, who will moderate the CEO Happy Hour Panel (Oct. 7 at 3:45 p.m.) provides a sneak peek into what attendees can expect. With over 30 years of experience, including leadership roles at Papa John's and Cicis Pizza, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the discussion. In the podcast, Mitchell shares his hope for an open and honest conversation among the panelists, emphasizing the need to get into the weeds on what's truly top of mind for these industry leaders.

A look at the all-star panel

The podcast serves as a great introduction to the all-star lineup of industry leaders joining Mitchell on the panel. The group includes:

• Jessica DePetro, President and CEO, Bagel Brands
• Claudia Lezcano, CEO, Fuku
• Michele Maerz, President, Salata
• Sarah McAloon, Interim Brand President, Del Taco
• Sherif Mityas, CEO, BRIX Holdings
• Kelly Roddy, CEO and President, WOWorks

This powerful group is set to discuss the pressing issues facing restaurant operators and what's needed to succeed in 2026 and beyond.

A deeper dive into The Restaurant Leader's Playbook

During the conversation, Cansler and Mitchell also discuss HungerRush's publication, The Restaurant Leader's Playbook. Mitchell highlights the critical role technology plays in driving efficiency and impact within restaurant operations, a core principle he's championing at HungerRush.

The conversation then pivots to HungerRush's Menufy, an online ordering platform. He also cautions against common mistakes when choosing an online ordering system, urging them to consider if the platform solves their most critical problems, protects against fraud and allows them to maintain ownership of their brand.

Tech-Driven Growth

The episode also features an interview with Harris, who will moderate a separate panel, "Tech-Driven Franchise Growth: Leveraging Innovation for Scalability and Support." This session will focus on how technology can be strategically employed to optimize franchise operations, streamline communication between franchisors and franchisees, enhance data management for performance insights and support rapid and sustainable growth.

Harris shares her excitement about the panel's lineup, which includes:

• Aaron LeClair, Vice President of Technology, Jeff's Bagel Run.
• Sam Stanovich, SVP Franchise Leadership, Big Chicken.
• Peter Wiley, Director of Marketing & IT, Hot Head Burritos.
• Mehdi Zarhloul, CEO, Crazy Pita Restaurant Group

Register here for the Summit.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb.com, chats with Frank Paci, CEO of Newk's Eatery.

Tech plays a big role in Newk's growth strategy, with the brand leveraging self-service kiosks and partnerships with third-party delivery.

"We continue to try to meet the guests where they want to (and) how they want to access the brand," Paci said. "So as a result obviously we've continued to invest in third party delivery. We've got online ordering. We've got kiosks in store. You can order table side in our stores. So (we are) really trying to make it as convenient as possible and continuing to upgrade."

The brand just upgraded its website and is in the process of upgrading its app to make those more frictionless, Paci added.

"And when I talk about that, in the past the website was kind of a static advertising page. It's now more of an e-commerce website where if we're showing you a product, you can click on that product and it goes right into ordering that product as opposed to kind of just taking you to the site where you have to then scroll through and pick what you want to order."

To learn more about Newk's Eatery and third-party delivery, its value for the money and how food quality tops it all, click the link at the top of the page to listen to the podcast in it's entirety.

Mooyah Burgers Fries and Shakes launched in 2007 and now has 75 locations, of which 73 are franchised. The brand just started building out its corporate market earlier this year.

Mooyah is all about the better burger business, with buns baked in house and hand-punched fries. Ingredients are prepped daily in house and the brand uses certified Angus beef.

"Our burgers are as good as steak," said Beth Stockmoe, vice president of operations for Mooyah. "But that's really always been who we are. We are really serious about food, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. And that's kind of our niche in the market. You go into our restaurants, you have great food and a great time."

Stockmoe said making so much in house is all about quality.

"We know that our burgers taste the best because of the ingredients that we use and because of the care that we put in," Stockmoe added. "Hand-punched fries are always going to be better than a frozen product, but it's also a way to reduce food cost."

To learn more about Mooyah's operations with everything made fresh as it's ordered, its competitive advances in a crowded burger market and why its milkshakes are to die for, click the link and listen to the podcast in its entirety.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace, chats with Amanda Potts, vice president of marketing and innovation for A&W Restaurants, about Potts' diverse background and how she returned to a foodservice career after working in the automotive industry.

Potts has more than 30 years of experience working in diverse industries including Valvoline and Fazoli's. She graduated from college and achieved her dream job working for an agency for Fazoli's. She left the food service industry for about seven years and worked in automotive, where she learned a wide range of new skills. She wanted to return to restaurants given she considers herself a foodie. "I love food. I still kept up with all the (food) industry news in restaurants and so I saw this opportunity to and thought, 'What a great chance to get back into restaurants,'" she shares in the podcast.

At the time of our interview, Potts had been with A&W for just two months, but the brand is already thinking about next year.

"There's been a lot of advances, a lot of changes since I've been gone but the business itself is the same," Potts said. "You're just trying to provide a great experience and hope customers come back to you."

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb.com and Pizza Marketplace, chats with Heather Neary, president and CEO of Taco John's which has nearly 400 units in 23 states.

Neary took her leadership role last year, but Taco John's has been serving up tacos and its signature Potato Oles since 1969.

"We're a great legacy brand," Neary said. "We've got second-generation franchisees in the business. We've got a lot of really amazing operators who are here to honor the integrity of the historical brand that's got a lot of legs in front of it to grow forward."

Honoring the brand's rich history while innovating to gain new demographics is one of the brand's current operational goals. Neary said continual communication with the brand's franchisees and guests to understand the core assets of Taco John's that it "can't sway from" and where it can innovate to take it to the next level are primary targets.

For instance, the brand is testing AI in its drive-thru and has been for the past year or so.

"We're at a 93% to 94% accept rate which means that 6% of the time a human has to intercept the order because it's not going smoothly, but 93%, 94% of the time the AI voice ... is able to take the order for the guest and is able to do a great job delivering that great Taco John's experience that people are used to," Neary added.

To learn more about Taco John's and its innovations, listen to the podcast in its entirety. Don't forget to subscribe to the Networld Media Group podcast channel for more great restaurant interviews.