In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace, talks with Fred Burmer, CEO of roast beef brand Lion's Choice. Lion's Choice got its start in 1967 and is a legacy brand in St. Louis with 30 restaurants. The brand uses top round roast beef that is hand-trimmed and slow roasted for at least three hours in the restaurant every day. "It's really butcher-shop quality," Burmer said. The roast beef is sliced razor thin which gives it a "great flavor and texture that really sets us apart." There's also a secret seasoning on the roast beef for added flavor. Burmer said consistency can be a challenge with so much done in-house. "That's very, very important," he said, adding the same type of ovens at all the stores helps keep the recipe the same no matter the store. To learn more about the secret to Lion's Choice's success, click the link at the top. And don't forget to subscribe to the Networld Media Group YouTube channel .…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, chats with Darren Spicer, co-founder of Carolinas-based Clutch Coffee, which has 13 locations. Spicer said customer experience is one of the things that sets Clutch Coffee apart from competitors. "It's from the moment you drive onto the property, and the environment we have and the music that's playing outside, the runner who's outside taking that order face to face, all the way through picking up that drink," he said, adding "and taking that first sip before you leave. That's a huge element for us." The brand doesn't compromise on quality, Spicer said, and works with an award-winning roaster out of Washington state whom he said is fantastic at what they do. To learn more coffee secrets from Clutch Coffee, listen to the podcast in its entirety above. Don't forget to subscribe to the Networld Media Group YouTube channel here .…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast , host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace, talks to Craig Haley, president of barbecue brand Smokey Mo's TX BBQ . The brand launched in 2000 to fanfare from local residents and has 20 restaurants across central Texas with several more under construction. "We're just getting started spreading barbecue out to the rest of the world," Haley said. With Texas such a barbecue-competitive state, how does Smokey Mo's compete in a saturated market? "I think for us, it's really about just caring about the product, so we're a neighborhood barbecue," Haley said. "We're a smaller format barbecue than a lot of the other chains that are out there. We're more similar in size to, really, some of the craft barbecue locations, and what we do is we're incredibly consistent. We have a training process and recipes, and we're not relying on one person's expertise. We've really learned how to get the understanding of how to create the barbecue and spread it out to our store managers and our cooks and pitmasters and cutters in the store." To learn more about how Smokey Mo's creates its tasty barbecue and how it operates, listen to the podcast above. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel .…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks with Richard Del Valle, chief of staff and chief information officer for Bojangles, and Parrish Chapman, chief revenue officer for Grubbrr, about Bojangles' partnership with Grubbrr for kiosks in house. Bojangles recently ran a trial using Grubbrr's kiosks and is now rolling them out amongst the brand's 800 units. "It's part of an ongoing effort on our part to reach the guest the way the guest most wants to be reached," said Del Valle. "We realized there's a generation out there that, frankly, doesn't like talking to people and so we wanted to have options where our traditional guests perhaps would want to go over and talk to one of our team members and engage in a two-way relationship there. We know there's other guests who just want to get in and order their food and move." Del Valle said an added benefit to kiosks that is allows front-line workers to focus on order accuracy and the taking away interaction with the guests for order fulfillment. Parrish said the Bojangles team was thoughtful when it came to testing kiosks. "They asked all the right questions," he said. "They had metrics that they had agreed on ahead of time. What was important to their brand was not replacing human interaction. We wanted to double down on that and have order accuracy and take the stress off the front counter and then monitor the metrics." To learn more about the Grubbrr and Bojangles partnership, click the player at the top of the page.…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb.com and PizzaMarketplace.com, chats with Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick . The brand was started by two entrepreneurs in Auburn with one making varieties of chicken salad out of her home. The first Chicken Salad Chick location opened in Jan. 2008 with drive-thru and carryout only. The founders made 40 pounds of chicken salad to sell, opened at 11 a.m. and by 1 p.m. were sold out. "The business took off. It had a cult following," Deviney said. "Eventually they expanded that first location from just drive-thru and takeout." Franchising began in 2012. To learn more about Chicken Salad Chick, click the link above to listen to the podcast in its entirety.…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Rush Bowls founder Andrew Pudalov, who started out in finance before trading dollar signs for menu items. Pudalov said 9/11 was a trigger for leaving the financial world. His wife worked in the Twin Towers and her first day back from maternity leave was the day the towers came down. He moved his family to Boulder, Colorado, and looked for something "dynamically different," he said. "I loved entrepreneurship and I was pretty darn good at what I did," he said, "so it afforded me the opportunity, quite frankly, to try something very different and kind of fine tune my skillsets." He said living in Manhattan 20 years ago, there was little thought to health and wellness in the restaurant industry. He launched Rush Bowls in Boulder. "When I started this idea of a meal concept, I wanted to go somewhere near a college where students would be more adept at testing and trying new things than a more mature clientele," Pudalov added. To listen to Pudalov's journey as he launched Rush Bowls, click the link above.…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com talks to Geoff Henry, president of bubble tea brand Gong Cha. "The bubble tea category has been around for quite some time," Henry said in the podcast. "It kind of started back in Asia, typically in Taiwan in the early 1990s. Taiwan is known for its night markets where people can walk around and try different food cuisines that are up and coming." Gong Cha is in 27 countries around the world. To learn more about Gong Cha's focus on quality, its employees and customers, click the link above.…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Tom Gordon, CEO of Slim Chickens . The brand launched in 2003, has more than 280 units and is based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. "We open about a store a week," Gordon said. "We do 50 to 60 domestic stores every year, and we do international stores every year, too. We do business in the U.K., and 54 of those stores are in the U.K." The brand recently opened its first store in Berlin as well. Gordon said the food is the hero at Slim Chickens, and is paramount to the brand's success as it grows. "The food has to be the thing that draws people in," he said.…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler interviews Rob McColgan, brand president and co-founder of Modern Market Eatery, at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit about how the brand has evolved since its launched in 2009 in Boulder, Colorado. The brand now has just over 30 units in six states. McColgan admits launching a brand was more difficult than he and his partner thought, "but we were passionate about eating well, and we felt like there wasn't a brand out there — certainly not at scale — where we felt like we could eat at every day," he said.…

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler talks to Amanda Millikan, vice president of chicken chain Bonchon. Millikan oversees the growth strategy for the United States and has been with the company for a year and a half. The Korean fried chicken brand has been in the U.S. since 2006. The chicken is double fried and hand brushed, making it a standout in the competitive chicken market. "It's amazing and addictive, but then we also have Korean comfort food dishes to complement our fried chicken. It's very approachable to the American palate," Millikan said. The brand has 137 locations in the United States and 445 globally.…

The food truck industry isn't an easy one. Food truck operators need capital to get a truck, get it set up for food production, get branding set up and more. That's not to mention meeting all regulatory rules and finding the best place to park. And lastly, they need to be able to generate a customer base willing to follow their trucks and purchase their food. How can food trucks generate profits in light of all of this? Bradley Cooper, editor of Food Truck Operator, spoke with Chris Ruff, CEO and president of Glympse Inc. to discuss more about how food trucks can generate profits, with a particular focus on location tracking in today's episode of the Restaurant Operator podcast. In order to create a loyal customer base, food trucks need to communicate their location clearly with guests, especially when they are constantly moving around to different events and locations. During the podcast, Ruff shared insights including: Business insights from Glympse. How Glympse' location tracking services can help food trucks. What makes it different from Google. Success stories with clients.…

It's not easy operating a food truck. You have to get your trailer in order, get the right equipment to prepare food and make sure your truck is up to code. That's before you begin to figure out where you're allowed to park your vehicle. In today's episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Patrick Bolanos, co-founder of Trail King Builders shared insights into how to get started in the food truck business and how to be successful. Bradley Cooper, editor of Food Truck Operator discussed with Bolanos a number of key points surrounding the food truck industry, such as navigating regulatory issues and how to properly handle marketing. Some of the topics covered include: Bolanos' journey in the food truck industry. How food trucks can build for the future. First steps for food truck operators. How Trailer King Builders can help food truck operators. You can listen to the podcast in its entirety above.…

Conversational AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can chat with guests. It uses natural language processing to understand what you say and respond in a way that mimics human conversation. This technology is used in chatbots and virtual assistants like Givex AI's ordering kiosk used in coffee shops, QSRs and more. In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace, talks to Dan Hawkes VP of product design for Givex, to learn how Givex's conversational AI programs is helping restaurants reduce labor and increase order efficiency.…

Recently, Erle Dardick, the catering guru, and fastcasual.com have partnered to create the Restaurant Catering Workshop, happening October 15-16, 2024 in Denver CO. Erle joins us for a candid conversation on hits and misses in the catering business. #catering #restaurant #podcast

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Wolf Detwiler, managing editor of Networld Media Goup, talks to Lauren Coulter, integrator and chief biscuit eater at Biscuit Belly , a Louisville, Kentucky-based biscuit fast casual chain about the brand's catering program. Many restaurants are expanding their reach with dedicated catering programs. These programs offer restaurant-quality food for events, from corporate lunches to social gatherings. Diners can expect menus tailored to their needs, with options ranging from boxed lunches to full buffets. This trend benefits both restaurants and customers. Restaurants gain a new revenue stream, while customers enjoy delicious food for their events without the hassle of cooking. Catering programs are also becoming increasingly user friendly, with online ordering and customizable menus. This convenience is fueling the popularity of restaurant catering, making it a delicious option for busy lifestyles. At Biscuit Belly, the brand started catering as an added convenience for their customers and because there aren't many breakfast catering choices in the area. Coulter said they were initially hesitant to add catering because the brand is built around a large biscuit sandwich. "It's fine to order a couple here and there, but it's hard to replicate that in mass," she said, "and so we knew that we wanted to go down this path (and) that it was going to take us to entirely clearing out heads" about catering. To listen to Coulter's catering journey, click the link above.…