LeBron James has scored another restaurant investment.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the basketball star’s investment in Mike’s Red Tacos, his latest in a string of investments in restaurant chains. 

DoorDash is investing in the delivery food hall Wonder. We discuss that while trying to figure out exactly what Wonder is. 

Papa Johns is adding “coaches” to help with brand standards. We talk about that interesting trend and why restaurant chains are marketing it.

Technomic Talk this week is about the impact of GLP-1 use on restaurants. And on Tech Check Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski talks about AI and point-of-sale systems. 

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Another casual-dining chain has shut down.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the closure of O’Charley’s, which has closed its corporate stores, leaving about four franchisee-owned units. 

We also discuss Jersey Mike’s first earnings call as a public company. The sandwich chain’s stock soared after the company said transactions were increasing and the company is boosting spending on digital marketing.

We also look back at two years of Brian Niccol at Starbucks.

On Tech Check, Joe Guszkowski talks Walmart delivery. 

Can Domino’s new menu item be a big winner? 

In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants, we look at The Domino, Domino’s new, single-serve, Detroit-style pizza. Is it too expensive? And what does that mean for the pizza chain’s future?

Walmart, meanwhile, is getting into the restaurant delivery business, thanks to a new deal with Dunkin’. We’ll discuss what that means. 

And 7 Brew won the Salad and Go sites after Dutch Bros opted not to increase its bid. We discuss what kind of impact that will have on the drive-thru coffee war. 

On Tech Check, Joe Guszkowski talks about the next restaurant tech company IPO. 

Can you really prevent what just happened to Texas Roadhouse? 

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at an online hoax involving the casual-dining steak chain, and whether any company can effectively prevent such issues.  

Independent restaurants are apparently doing better than you think. We’ll discuss what that means for both local restaurants and national brands.

McDonald’s franchisees are worried about their profitability after years of discounts just as the company is about to ask for remodels. We’ll talk about that issue.

On Tech Check, Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski talks “vibe coding,” whatever that means. 

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Just when you thought it was safe to go to restaurants, there’s this: Bagels are making a comeback.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the planned expansion of Einstein Bros. Bagels and what that says about the latest bagel boom. 

We also talk, again, about Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp and whether its second comeback in four months is a good idea. 

We also discuss the latest executive change at Wendy’s, what it says about the brand and why it’s been struggling.

On Technomic Talk, Robert Byrne discusses the loss of low-income consumers at Wendy’s and Burger King. 

And Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski talks about InKind on Tech Check.

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Why is Subway taking a stand on closures?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the latest controversy involving Subway, which is making it harder for franchisees to close stores. It is also about to make a big push on late-night hours.

There’s a lot more to the Salad and Go story, as 7 Brew and Dutch Bros are fighting over sites. We’ll talk about that.

Chili’s reported another quarter of strong sales. We’ll talk about what makes the brand tick.

On Tech Check, Joe Guszkowski talks Google.

On Technomic Talks, David Henkes talks beverages.

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Why did Salad and Go shut down?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurant looks at the closure of Salad and Go, which filed for bankruptcy and closed its remaining locations, selling many of the leases to Dutch Bros.

Thai Union, the former owner of Red Lobster, defended its role in the infamous Endless Shrimp promotion. 

McDonald’s had a landmark quarter, and not for good reasons. We discuss that. 

In addition, pour one for Boston Market, and C-level AI executives on Tech Check.

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Why did Cracker Barrel change its CEO one year after its logo controversy?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the family-dining chain’s decision to replace Julie Masino with Dave Deno. Maybe more specifically: We try and make sense of the move.  

Rich Shank from Technomic also discusses Cracker Barrel on Technomic’s Take. 

Jersey Mike’s went public. We examine the offering and what it says about the brand. 

Starbucks’ earnings came out with some strong sales and traffic growth. What does that say about CEO Brian Niccol?

 And as always, Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski has Tech Check. 

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What is happening with the pizza sector?This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at Domino’s earnings, and what it says about the intense competition for traffic among such chains. We also look at strong restaurant and bar sales from the World Cup.And we examine Cracker Barrel’s sale of Maple Street Biscuit Company as well as the company’s strategy, and what all that means.On the Technomic Talk, Robert Byrne looks at music in restaurants and why it’s important.And Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski has Tech Check.

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How will the cyclospora outbreak affect Taco Bell?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive looks at the cyclospora outbreak, which has now been linked to lettuce from Taylor Farms served at Taco Bell locations. 

We discuss the potential impact on sales and why faith in food safety is crucial.

We also talk about Texas Roadhouse and delivery and whether the chain is making a mistake by ending its long holdout.

And we discuss the Supreme Court’s recent ruling allowing the Trump administration to deport people with Temporary Protected Status and why that could be a problem for restaurants. 

On Tech Check, Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski talks about a tech company’s Hawaii showroom.

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