A Deeper Dive

“A Deeper Dive” is a weekly podcast from Restaurant Business dedicated to going in-depth on the most pressing challenges and opportunities restaurant operators face today. Each Wednesday, our audience will hear from restaurant industry leaders – from Chipotle to Pincho Factory and Firehouse Subs to McDonald’s. Deep dives into hot topics, from delivery to discounting and marketing to menu, will give operators the latest information and solutions to drive their businesses. Restaurant Business will also bring you expert industry trends and sales analysis from data partner Technomic, and debates and expertise from RB editors.

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How Cici's Pizza is becoming more like Chuck E. Cheese

By Jonathan Maze on Jan. 31, 2024

A Deeper Dive: Jeff Hetsel, president and COO of the pizza buffet chain, joins the podcast to talk about the brand’s focus on games and what that does to its business.

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How private equity is impacting food costs

By Jonathan Maze on Jan. 24, 2024

A Deeper Dive: John Davie, CEO of Buyer’s Edge Platform, joins the Restaurant Business podcast to discuss technology, food costs and the outlook for inflation.

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Podcast transcript: Bill Mathis, chairman of the North American Association of Subway Franchisees

By Jonathan Maze on Jan. 18, 2024

The longtime franchisee for the fast-food sandwich chain discusses operators' relations with management, the company's new slicers, its discounting requirements and other topics in this transcript from this week's A Deeper Dive podcast.

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How Subway franchisees view some of the chain's recent moves

By Jonathan Maze on Jan. 17, 2024

A Deeper Dive: Bill Mathis, chairman of the North American Association of Subway Franchisees joins the podcast to talk about the group’s relationship with management.

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How Starbucks is evolving to meet consumer demands

By Jonathan Maze on Jan. 10, 2024

A Deeper Dive: Peter Romeo joins the podcast to discuss Starbucks’ numerous moves and CEO Laxman Narasimhan’s immersion into the culture.

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How Smalls Sliders uses modular buildings to speed growth

By Jonathan Maze on Jan. 03, 2024

A Deeper Dive: Maria Rivera, CEO of the fast-growing slider chain, joins the podcast to discuss the chain’s unique building strategy.

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Inside the turnaround at Potbelly

By Jonathan Maze on Dec. 20, 2023

A Deeper Dive: Bob Wright, CEO of the Chicago-based sandwich chain, joins the podcast to discuss the company’s recovery from the pandemic and its own organic struggles.

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How high-end restaurants are becoming like Taylor Swift concerts

By Jonathan Maze on Dec. 13, 2023

A Deeper Dive: Matt Tucker, head of the reservation platform Tock, explains how his company is working to avoid some of the same issues that have plagued online ticket sales.

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