What's with the Pineapple?

This episode hits different… as Justin and Emily assume the kids of today would say. Brad Keen, Chief Operating Officer of Boyne Resorts, joins the call today to talk about his career climb from line cook internship at Boyne Highlands to his role today overseeing five full-service, four-season resorts. The three reminisce on the pathway to merging lodging into the association and Brad’s leadership in his two orbits through the executive track at the MRLA to serve as Chair in 2013 and 2017. Brad shares his insights on the impacts of Pure Michigan, his approach to retaining a strong workforce and even the magic (read: science) behind snowmaking. Before hitting the slopes, Emily tries to convince Justin that Leap Day should get more attention, the two do a deep dive analysis of the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry Report, and update listeners on new H2B Visa proposals and how to take the Pure Michigan Pledge.

Download NRA’s State of the Industry Report: https://bit.ly/3OZVNeX

Take the Pure Michigan Pledge: themichiganalliance.org/pledge

Presented by Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLDC. Find more information at https://fsbrlaw.com/.

We’re back with a vengeance in today’s episode after our brief stint on Zoom. We kick off the show with an overview of the newly-formed Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance assembling 11 of the state’s leading advocates for our industry to share a unified voice. The first all-call: $50 million for Pure Michigan funding. Your hosts also deep dive into the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (HR 7024) and the state of the industry reports from our national partner associations, the National Restaurant Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, outlining themes of growth, competition, shifts in consumer behavior and more. We know you’ve been wondering Starbucks’ olive oil-infused coffee since it was mentioned a year ago and we have that update for you! HR complaints are filed due to not getting Team MRLA into Miles Teller's recent visit to Crunchy's in East Lansing and we explore AHC Hospitality's expansion into the vibrant Muskegon market. All of that before welcoming industry titan Jeff Lobdell to delve into his remarkable journey from a bagel bakery and coffee shop to owning over 20 restaurants and 2 hotels. Jeff shares his vision for the National Restaurant Association as the newly elected Chairman for 2024, insights on fostering industry unity, and his passion for advocating for both his communities and fellow restaurant owners. Make yourself Jeff’s favorite cocktail, sit back and tune in! Presented by Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLDC. Find more information at https://fsbrlaw.com/.

Black Manhattan

2 ounces of Old Forester Rye Whiskey

1 dash of Angostura bitters

1 ounce Punt e Mes vermouth

Orange peel garnish 

To kick off the new year, Justin is carrying today’s episode just like the Detroit Lions are carrying Michigan (hopefully) to the Big Game as Emily calls in remotely from the ice storm. But nothing – not even awkward streaming lags – will stop them from getting a new episode to listeners! Main topics of discussion include restoring the roar at Ford Field and beyond as the hospitality industry benefits from a successful football season, population growth or lack thereof (again), Burger King franchisees not having it their way and more. The hosts also welcome back Franklin Coley of Align Public Strategies, a return guest all the way from the beginning, to talk about the what’s the horizon for 2024 with regulations, rules and other policy issues. Franklin breaks down labor organizing, tip credit elimination impacts, industry standards boards and beyond with a view from the national scope. What’s your new year’s resolution? Ours is more dad-jokes. Check out Align Public Strategies podcast, Working Lunch, at https://alignpublicstrategies.com/working-lunch-podcast/.

Presented by Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLDC. Find more information at https://fsbrlaw.com/.

That’s a wrap on What’s with the Pineapple… well, just for 2023. We could never abandon our listeners. The 2023 Wrapped edition episode is inspired by Spotify even though Justin has cut off his premium subscription and sparked some serious internal debate. Producer Joe is also in the house, er, studio for the first time since Justin and Emily built out their own space in the office and he’s adding his own commentary as the three reflect on the year’s most interesting stories, the biggest headlines, favorites and trends. From saving the tip credit, to Taylor Swift, cocktails-to-go, The Bear and everything in between it was quite the year for Michigan hospitality. The three also cover the typical segments with debates over gift cards, if Emily will really drive to CosMc’s during the holiday rush, what’s going on with FTC’s service fee rules and the Pistons breaking records in all the wrong ways. Happy holidays – see you in 2024!  

As the holidays approach, What’s with the Pineapple welcomes Martha Zehnder Kaczynski straight out of a hallmark movie right here in Michigan. Martha, Vice President of Bavarian Inn Lodge, joins Justin and Emily to talk about the history of hospitality in Frankenmuth – a town with 5,000 residents that welcomed more than 3.5 million people last year (that’s more than the Statue of Liberty or Yellowstone National Park). They also delve into Martha’s family legacy in Frankenmuth, what growing up in the industry has instilled in her, their approach to growing their teams, investment in the future of hospitality in Michigan and their plans to unveil 140,000 sq. feet of family fun at the Bavarian Inn Lodge including Michigan’s first swim up bar! Justin and Emily also discuss new details released ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft in Detroit, the power of authenticity in a world obsessed with AI, restaurants’ employment drop in October and more. Why does Emily hate the holidays? Maybe we’ll unpack that next time. 

How do you say hello in Detroit? Easy: “What up doe?” How do you say growing Michigan’s population? Also easy: “What up Doe?” Justin and Emily welcome Michigan’s first-ever Chief Growth Officer, Hilary Doe, to the podcast today to talk about the Growing Together Council, how to increase Michigan’s population and how Pure Michigan and the hospitality industry overall fits into that discussion. The hosts don’t skimp on the tough questions either: is it Michigander or Michiganian? We need answers! It’s not all growing together on this episode though as a healthy debate breaks out about Celsius and light vs. dark roast coffee. Justin breaks down the updates on saving the tip credit after last week’s Board of Canvassers meeting that rejected the ballot proposal to remove the tip credit as well as the Choice-Wyndham merger and restaurant sales growth last month. Cheers to the pod turning 30 episodes old!

This is your public notice disclaimer that the What’s with the Pineapple Podcast will now be charging a service fee to list to our episodes. Well, not really. But if you are an operator who has implemented or is considering implementing a service fee or surcharge, you do not want to skip over this episode. Helen “Lizzie” Mills, a partner at Fahey, Schultz, Burzych, Rhodes PLC, joins the podcast to break down the basics, deeper details and do’s and don’t of implementing these fees. And in the name of being completely on brand for the podcast, breaking news about the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed rule on service fees came out during the recording of this episode so listeners will also get a brief update on those details. Justin and Emily also review the newly launched You Can in Michigan campaign (as well as its correct pronunciation), discuss the landscape in Lansing as this year’s session schedule potentially ends, Chicago’s tip credit changes, and a few personal jabs along the way. Luckily, the Lions won again this past weekend otherwise we might have had to quit the pod altogether.

MRLA Legal Center

Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes website

Supplemental Business Advisory on Restaurant Fee Disclosure Requirements in the District of Columbia

Let’s start with a warning: this episode was recorded last week when the Detroit Lions were still undefeated. Beyond the loudness of the roar, Justin and Emily aren’t just loyal to their NFL team, they also discuss loyalty programs changing across the restaurant sector along with their favorites to use and rack up points. Looking at you, Dominos. The duo also walk listeners through the details of upcoming excise tax bills that have the potential to impact hotels in many major cities before welcoming Mike Whatley, Vice President of State Affairs & Grassroots Advocacy at the National Restaurant Association. Whatley joins to talk about the FAST Act success in California, the implications of that success across the country, and real-life case study of Washington DC eliminating the tip credit. Hint: it’s not going well. Whether it’s sports or legislative threats, today’s episode is all about defending the den.

Justin and Emily spend a lot of time in the kitchen in today's episode…the one on the pickleball court, that is! They welcome guest George Aquino to talk about his journey in the industry from busser to Vice President and Managing Director of AHC Hospitality and Co-Founder of 20 x 44 Sports, a pickleball hospitality company focused on promoting the sport through camps, tournaments and travel. Spoiler alert: the long-time pickleball debate is settled and someone (Justin) accepts final defeat. Beyond the court, George also shares stories from his time as a food critic and travel writer, his time in the British Virgin Islands and his experience watching the growth of Grand Rapids from the mid-90's to now. Justin and Emily are also volleying topics from their brand new content studio! The two mash together a cold-cut combo of topics and cover the Subway purchase by Roark Capital plus their favorite sandwiches new data that sheds some light on the future for independent hotels in Michigan, a new collaboration with KitchenAid, the boost for lodging per diems for government travel, potential changes to the joint-employer rule and much more.

Listeners don’t have to keep their fingers crossed that this will be an interesting episode – it already is as Justin and Emily welcome David Kwiatkowski of Detroit Optimist Society. As a long time listener of the podcast, David joins to talk about his experience over the last nearly 15 years of operating in the hospitality industry after transition from trading equity options in Chicago to opening Detroit’s first craft cocktail bar, tremendous expansion within the city and his new venture into Northern Michigan. Time Will Tell if you like the name. All of the usual segments are full of updates as well – take a sip of your brunch-time mimosa every time someone uses the term “daypart.” New hotels are opening in Lansing, others are winning top spots from Travel + Leisure Magazine, state budgets have been signed and so much more.