A Deeper Dive

Why are restaurants having another tough year?This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features RJ Hottovy, the head of analytical research for the traffic tracking firm Placer.ai.This is the last in a series of episodes from the National Restaurant Association Show in May. Hottovy is a regular guest on the podcast and we talk with him about the current state of restaurant traffic, something that Placer.ai tracks extensively. We talk with him about the impact gas prices have had and why some consumers are spending but others are not. We also talk about what really is driving weak traffic at many restaurants and how companies can break out of it.

Five Guys is making some changes.This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Molly Catalano, the chief marketing officer for the Washington, D.C.-based fast-casual burger chain.We are talking with Catalano about a lot of things, notably its move into catering. We talk about why the company is now offering catering, how it’s doing that and how it works. We talk about a number of other things the company is doing. Five Guys is marketing more than it’s ever done before. That’s a big change for the company. It is also looking at things like combos and maybe even some different types of menu items.Catalano also discusses the company’s unique culture and the important role the chain’s founding family plays in keeping its quality at the forefront.We’re talking Five Guys on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

What is the status of Starbucks’ turnaround?This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Mike Grams, the chief operating officer of the coffee shop giant.Grams joined us from a Starbucks Reserve location in New York City following the company’s Investor Day presentation.He spoke extensively about the company’s various plans to improve the operations inside the chain’s coffeehouses.That includes the remodels the chain is making to make even the smallest locations friendlier for in-store customers. He also explains why that is important for a company that has mobile order, drive-thru and delivery.Grams discusses the chain’s “Green Apron” service model and why that model both helps with manager morale as well as service time. He also gives an update on the chain’s push to improve service times and what else the company plans to do to speed service.We also talk about Starbucks’ expansion plans and why the company believes it can fit 5,000 more shops, at least, in the U.S.We’re talking Starbucks on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

How will the Saks Global bankruptcy affect restaurants?This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Stephen Cohen, a real estate attorney who does a lot of work with restaurants.We wanted to speak with Stephen about the real estate implications of the bankruptcy filing of the giant retailer Saks Global.No, Saks is not a restaurant, though it owns a few of them. But it is a major real estate tenant with some 8.4 million square feet.Many of its locations are in malls populated by a lot of restaurants.We wanted to talk about the implications this could have on restaurants, both for good or for ill. Cohen talks about the potential implications for foot traffic at some malls and potential opportunities for certain restaurants to get available space in some desirable shopping centers.But we talk a lot about other topics, including various real estate trends and the opportunities and risks of opening in second generation real estate sites—or closed restaurants, as it were. We’re talking malls on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

How do franchisees pick winning concepts?This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Martha Olmos, chief operating officer with Damm Fine Restaurant Group, a franchisee of Dave’s Hot Chicken and Blaze Pizza. Damm Fine got into both Blaze and Dave’s early in their history. We talk with Olmos about what goes into operating such brands and how they found those concepts in the first place. We also talk about why they felt confident enough in the brands to get into them. We spent a lot of time talking about how to build a good company culture and to develop good employees. This is a great conversation for people who operate restaurants. We talk about the performance of Blaze and Dave’s and the difference in operating the two. We talk about operating restaurants in California and how they got through the state’s increase in the minimum wage. And all sorts of other things.