NRN editors discuss Chicago food, labor challenges, changing dayparts and the NRA show

This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a production of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister and Sam Oches spoke about Chicago restaurants and the city at large.

The team arrived in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association Show – which hasn’t been held for three years – and spent the past two days touring unique and emerging Chicago restaurant chains for an upcoming city tour video. Check out the Austin and New York videos here.

Throughout the course of the conversations with restaurant leaders, several themes emerged, including labor challenges and the way dayparts are changing. Operators spoke about how Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are now the busiest days at downtown locations frequented by office workers, while suburban locations are much busier at dinnertime than other times of day, with larger family-focused orders.

Then, Zach Flanzman, president and chief operating officer for Brown Bag Seafood, joined the pod to discuss workforce, labor, culture, food and Chicago.