Hosted By
This week, the NRN editors took to the show floor at CREATE: The future of food service to share their thoughts on the event thus far. This episode was recorded on Day 2 of CREATE and editors Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Holly Petre and Sam Oches spoke about recent talks by foodservice professionals including one from Dr. James Pogue on diversity in the workplace.
Plus, editor Lisa Jennings speaks with Josh Kern, chief marketing officer for SPB Hospitality which recently completed the acquisition of J. Alexander’s. Jennings and Kern discuss the growth plan for the parent company including future acquisitions as well as the hot topic of the year – virtual brands.
This week, the NRN editors discussed the latest collaboration between McDonald’s and a celebrity: Mariah Carey. The Queen of Christmas partnered with the quick-service giant for a set of deals leading up to Christmas. This collaboration differs from most of the brand’s celebrity collaborations as there is no special meal or merchandise, just discounts on items already on the menu. Also, the editors discussed whether In-N-Out will go to Florida. The editors came to an early consensus, but the deeper issue is what this call between Gov. DeSantis and Lysni Synder will do for the brand’s reputation. What does it mean that In-N-Out appears to be more public than ever about this controversial issue? The editors discuss it all. Finally, the team talks about the big news this week which was that Danny Meyer’s SPAC is investing in Panera Brands and helping it go public. For the guest this week, Ron Ruggless spoke with the CEO of First Watch Chris Tomasso about the brand’s first public earnings. ...
It was a tumultuous week for McDonald’s. The burger giant fired its CEO Steve Easterbrook, a man known as a “turnaround expert” for leading the chain to 11 straight positive quarters of same-store sales. In a press release on Sunday, Nov. 3, McDonald’s said Easterbrook was terminated for having a consensual affair with a subordinate, which is against McDonald’s privacy. McDonald’s had a succession plan in place and immediately promoted Chris Kempczinskifrom president to CEO. Despite the surprising executive news, McDonald’s stock barely dropped 3% at close of business on the Monday after the announcement. In this Extra Serving, tech editor Nancy Luna explains what this week of news for McDonald’s means and what where the new CEO Kempczinski will take the chain next. ...
Teriyaki Madness CEO Michael Haith on how pairing franchisees with their own in-house Restaurant Sherpas changed the way they do business. ...
