The Week in Restaurants

What is the real problem at Red Lobster?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the ongoing challenges at the seafood chain even after emerging from bankruptcy.

We also look at McDonald’s new Under $3 Menu and how much of a discount this new deal actually is. And Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski tells the story of a particular drive-thru record dating back 25 years. 

We also talk about the Sysco-Restaurant Depot deal and its various complications.

Technomic’s Robert Byrne, meanwhile, taps consumer data to help explain what’s going wrong at Sweetgreen.

And Guszkowski looks at robot delivery on Tech Check.

How is Nothing Bundt Cakes worth $2 billion?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the sale of Nothing Bundt Cakes to the private-equity firm KKR. We talk about what that deal means and why the chain was worth so much.

Noodles & Company had a big quarter. Did closures have anything to do with it?

Christine Barone, CEO of Dutch Bros, is the Restaurant Leader of the Year. We talk about why she won the award.

And in some bonus content, a big Applebee’s franchisee has filed for bankruptcy. We talk about why it’s a good thing that the company is acquiring the restaurants.

And on Tech Check, Joe Guszkowski talks OpenTable.

Fake news is a real problem for restaurants.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the growing problem of fake news at restaurants and why that’s a major problem for more restaurant chains.

We also talk about Darden earnings and why LongHorn Steakhouse may be underappreciated.

Fat Brands is on the market and its CEO and founder is out. We’ll discuss that development.

This week’s Tech Check segment looks at the newest company from Uber founder Travis Kalanick. 

How low can fast-food prices go? McDonald’s is aiming to find out. 

This week's episode of The Week in Restaurants looks at the burger giant's plans for a new $3-or-less menu. It is McDonald's fourth iteration on value in the past two years and suggests that the value wars aren't going to be over anytime soon.

We also untangle the situation at fine-dining stalwart Noma, where chef René Redzepi resigned this week amid renewed scrutiny over abuse allegations.

And we talk about Uber Eats' fee hike and why it is the last thing restaurants need right now.

On Tech Check, Senior Technology Editor Joe Guszkowski experiments with chatbots for food ordering. 

Give it a listen.

The burger chains are all in a social media war right now.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the ongoing social media war pitting most of the industry’s burger chains against each other. We explain the issue, and why it may be good for the industry.

We also try and diagnose whatever is wrong with the fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen.

And we look at the coffee market, including Dutch Bros, the Luckin-Blue Bottle acquisition and Black Rock Coffee Bar.

On Tech Check, Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski talks Olo’s new customer-facing app.

For more on this year's Restaurant Leadership Conference, visit: https://informaconnect.com/restaurant-leadership-conference/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=rlc26

Do you want strong sales? Just add more cheese.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at strong sales results from Applebee’s, which used a cheesy new burger to win over customers. We also look at other casual-dining results.

We also look at Burger King, which is making improvements to its Whopper. And we talk about the company’s use of AI to help with operations.

And we talk about the pizza sector, where sales challenges at major chains have held down the sector’s overall performance.

On Tech Check, Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski talks about a merger in the restaurant reservations space. 

For more on this year's Restaurant Leadership Conference, visit: https://informaconnect.com/restaurant-leadership-conference/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=rlc26

Subway is already pulling back on a free sub offer.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the sandwich giant’s decision to end a fourth-Footlong-free offer as part of the chain’s Sub Club loyalty program.

In addition, Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer and industry insights at Technomic, provides some special insight into one of Subway’s biggest challenges. That is part of a new feature in the podcast featuring insights from the data firm and Restaurant Business sister company.

We also discuss Wingstop’s rare same-store sales decline and what the company plans to do about it.

And we talk about Nelson Peltz’s plans for Wendy’s.

On Tech Check, Senior Technology Editor Joe Guszkowski talks about how restaurants are spending their tech dollars. 

For more on this year's Restaurant Leadership Conference, visit: https://informaconnect.com/restaurant-leadership-conference/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=rlc26

The Week in Restaurants: This week’s episode of the weekly restaurant news discussion podcast looks at Red Lobster, McDonald’s earnings and the Fat Brands bankruptcy.

For more on this year's Restaurant Leadership Conference, visit: https://informaconnect.com/restaurant-leadership-conference/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=rlc26

How is Chipotle going to lift itself out of its sales slump?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the sales challenges Chipotle had last week and how the fast-casual burrito chain plans to lift itself out of its slump. 

We talk about Pizza Hut, which is closing 250 locations, as well as another Yum Brands-owned chain, Habit Burger. 

And a big Subway franchisee filed for bankruptcy after using merchant cash advance financing. We discuss that issue. 

On Tech Check, Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski talks about vibe coding. 

For more on this year's Restaurant Leadership Conference: https://informaconnect.com/restaurant-leadership-conference/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=rlc26

Two casual-dining chains are on two very different trajectories. 

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the performance of Chili’s, which had another strong quarter. 

And we compare that with Ruby Tuesday, which is facing a social media backlash after firing a manager on Christmas.

We also talk about Starbucks, which reported 4% same-store sales growth last quarter. The company also announced changes to its loyalty program, bringing back tiers—though customers will lose the double points they get when they spend funds loaded on their Starbucks cards.

Fat Brands also filed for bankruptcy, and we explain why that was inevitable.

On Tech Check, Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski talks about analog.

For more on this year's Restaurant Leadership Conference: https://informaconnect.com/restaurant-leadership-conference/?utm_source=skot&utm_medium=radio&utm_campaign=rlc26