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This week on the Extra Serving podcast, Nation’s Restaurant News associate editor Joanna Fantozzi, digital editor Holly Petre and editor-in-chief Sam Oches get together to discuss the news about JAB Holding forming Panera Brands, merging Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels. The news broke right recording time, and the NRN editors share their honest and unfiltered opinions on the move. The three also talk about the prevalent issue of vaccination requirements. And Oches speaks about CREATE, the event happening live and in person Oct. 4 – 6 in Denver. You can register for CREATE at Informaconnect.com/create to join Fantozzi, Petre, Oches and the rest of the NRN staff in person. Then, Mark Finnegan, chief marketing and technology officer at WaBa Grill, joins Fantozzi to discuss the chain’s speedy orders and how it accomplishes that speed. The two also cover what makes WaBa stand out from it quick-service competitors and how healthful food fits into the restaurant landscape. ...
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a production of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Last Bite Network, NRN editors Sam Oches and Holly Petre discuss new year’s resolutions and hopes for the restaurant industry. Mostly, the two discuss the biggest phrase in the world right now: the Great Resignation. The restaurant industry has been hit the hardest by what was once dubbed the labor crisis but morphed into the Great Resignation as the new year dawned. Oches and Petre cover why the restaurant industry is being hit particularly hard and what operators can do to combat some of the issues the crisis has brought up including pay, worker treatment and career advancement. Finally, the episode wraps up with an interview with Kristen Barnett, the CEO and founder of Hungry House, a Brooklyn-based anti-ghost kitchen company focused on chefs. Barnett and editor Lisa Jennings discuss the business and what it means to be an anti-ghost kitchen. ...
This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a production of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Last Bite Network, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches and Joanna Fantozzi discussed the news that came out of the recent virtual ICR conference. Companies like Shake Shack, Domino’s, El Pollo Loco, Chuy’s, Dutch Bros and more pre-reported their latest quarter earnings during the conference. Fast-casual Shake Shak saw quarterly earnings exceed pre-pandemic levels for the first time since 2019 in the fourth quarter despite sales in the chain’s hometown of New York City shrinking by 20%. The team discusses why that is and what Shake Shack could do to change the trends. Also, the team discusses the labor crisis and how its impacted restaurant finances. This is the first quarter where both the labor crisis and the supply chain crisis have impacted restaurants financially, so the team analyzes what it means looking ahead. Plus, Fantozzi speaks with the CEO of Checkers and Rally’s, Frances Allen. The two discuss how the chain is improving its technology and using AI to step up to the plate. ...
