In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace, talks with Fred Burmer, CEO of roast beef brand Lion's Choice. Lion's Choice got its start in 1967 and is a legacy brand in St. Louis with 30 restaurants. The brand uses top round roast beef that is hand-trimmed and slow roasted for at least three hours in the restaurant every day. "It's really butcher-shop quality," Burmer said. The roast beef is sliced razor...
Feb 25, 2025•17 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, chats with Darren Spicer, co-founder of Carolinas-based Clutch Coffee, which has 13 locations. Spicer said customer experience is one of the things that sets Clutch Coffee apart from competitors. "It's from the moment you drive onto the property, and the environment we have and the music that's playing outside, the runner who's outside taking that order face to fac...
Feb 07, 2025•17 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast , host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace, talks to Craig Haley, president of barbecue brand Smokey Mo's TX BBQ . The brand launched in 2000 to fanfare from local residents and has 20 restaurants across central Texas with several more under construction. "We're just getting started spreading barbecue out to the rest of the world," Haley said. With Texas such a barbecue-competitive state, how does Smokey Mo...
Jan 21, 2025•18 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks with Richard Del Valle, chief of staff and chief information officer for Bojangles, and Parrish Chapman, chief revenue officer for Grubbrr, about Bojangles' partnership with Grubbrr for kiosks in house. Bojangles recently ran a trial using Grubbrr's kiosks and is now rolling them out amongst the brand's 800 units. "It's part of an ongoing effort on our p...
Jan 06, 2025•18 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb.com and PizzaMarketplace.com, chats with Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick . The brand was started by two entrepreneurs in Auburn with one making varieties of chicken salad out of her home. The first Chicken Salad Chick location opened in Jan. 2008 with drive-thru and carryout only. The founders made 40 pounds of chicken salad to sell, opened at 11 a.m. and by 1 p.m. were sold out. "The busines...
Dec 10, 2024•18 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Rush Bowls founder Andrew Pudalov, who started out in finance before trading dollar signs for menu items. Pudalov said 9/11 was a trigger for leaving the financial world. His wife worked in the Twin Towers and her first day back from maternity leave was the day the towers came down. He moved his family to Boulder, Colorado, and looked for something "dynamically different...
Nov 11, 2024•21 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com talks to Geoff Henry, president of bubble tea brand Gong Cha. "The bubble tea category has been around for quite some time," Henry said in the podcast. "It kind of started back in Asia, typically in Taiwan in the early 1990s. Taiwan is known for its night markets where people can walk around and try different food cuisines that are up and coming." Gong Cha is...
Oct 07, 2024•19 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Tom Gordon, CEO of Slim Chickens . The brand launched in 2003, has more than 280 units and is based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. "We open about a store a week," Gordon said. "We do 50 to 60 domestic stores every year, and we do international stores every year, too. We do business in the U.K., and 54 of those stores are in the U.K." The brand recently opened ...
Sep 03, 2024•17 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler interviews Rob McColgan, brand president and co-founder of Modern Market Eatery, at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit about how the brand has evolved since its launched in 2009 in Boulder, Colorado. The brand now has just over 30 units in six states. McColgan admits launching a brand was more difficult than he and his partner thought, "but we were passionate about eating well, and we felt like there wasn&...
Aug 21, 2024•18 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler talks to Amanda Millikan, vice president of chicken chain Bonchon. Millikan oversees the growth strategy for the United States and has been with the company for a year and a half. The Korean fried chicken brand has been in the U.S. since 2006. The chicken is double fried and hand brushed, making it a standout in the competitive chicken market. "It's amazing and addictive, but then we also have Korean comfort food d...
Aug 05, 2024•16 min
The food truck industry isn't an easy one. Food truck operators need capital to get a truck, get it set up for food production, get branding set up and more. That's not to mention meeting all regulatory rules and finding the best place to park. And lastly, they need to be able to generate a customer base willing to follow their trucks and purchase their food. How can food trucks generate profits in light of all of this? Bradley Cooper, editor of Food Truck Operator, spoke with Chris Ru...
Jul 17, 2024•16 min
It's not easy operating a food truck. You have to get your trailer in order, get the right equipment to prepare food and make sure your truck is up to code. That's before you begin to figure out where you're allowed to park your vehicle. In today's episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Patrick Bolanos, co-founder of Trail King Builders shared insights into how to get started in the food truck business and how to be successful. Bradley Cooper, editor of Food Truck Operat...
Jul 03, 2024•16 min
Conversational AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can chat with guests. It uses natural language processing to understand what you say and respond in a way that mimics human conversation. This technology is used in chatbots and virtual assistants like Givex AI's ordering kiosk used in coffee shops, QSRs and more. In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace, talks to Dan Hawkes VP of product design for Givex, to le...
Jun 19, 2024•18 min
Recently, Erle Dardick, the catering guru, and fastcasual.com have partnered to create the Restaurant Catering Workshop, happening October 15-16, 2024 in Denver CO. Erle joins us for a candid conversation on hits and misses in the catering business. #catering #restaurant #podcast
Jun 07, 2024•21 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Wolf Detwiler, managing editor of Networld Media Goup, talks to Lauren Coulter, integrator and chief biscuit eater at Biscuit Belly , a Louisville, Kentucky-based biscuit fast casual chain about the brand's catering program. Many restaurants are expanding their reach with dedicated catering programs. These programs offer restaurant-quality food for events, from corporate lunches to social gatherings. Diners can expect menus tail...
Jun 05, 2024•23 min
May 15, 2024•17 min
Brand leaders spoke to Restaurant Operator Podcast host Mandy Detwiler at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit held in Kansas City in March. Detwiler spoke to leaders at Longboards Wraps and Bowls, Kansas City International Airport, Hawaii Brothers and more. "The Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit offers a wealth of information for restaurant leaders and brands," Detwiler said. "The annual event highlighted some of the most pressing issues in restaurants toda...
May 01, 2024•26 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Charles Wetzel, CEO of Kalibrate, a company specializing in data, software and consultancy to restaurants. Kalibrate, which began in 1970, started on the fuel and convenience side and eventually moved to location intelligence, specifically within the hospitality, retail and restaurant domains. "Today, a large portion of our business looks to the restaurant community and ...
Apr 24, 2024•18 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Networld Media Group Editor Mandy Detwiler chats with Don Smith, director of business development for Givex North America, about the state of the restaurant industry and what's affecting it today. Givex, a best-in-class POS solution, services a number of high-profile brands. Online ordering has grown since the pandemic, and Smith said it has been a "seesaw battle" for many operators. "The more orders they get obviously drive...
Apr 19, 2024•16 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, managing editor of Networld Media Group and editor for QSRweb.com and PizzaMarketplace.com, talks to Chris Lybeer, chief strategy and marketing officer for Revel Systems, a cloud-based technology provider, about how tech is changing the restaurant industry today. Lybeer said it's an exciting time for technology brands in the restaurant space as more restaurants rely on it in both the front and back of the house. "...
Apr 17, 2024•15 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Daily podcast, Mandy Detwiler, editor of PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com, talks with Emily Gorman, marketing and communications manager for CORE, a national non-profit dedicated to serving restaurant employees with children financial relief when facing a life-altering health crisis, injury, death or national disaster. Gorman said CORE's mission is "to be there for all parts of the restaurant industry." A group of beverage executives m...
Mar 22, 2024•12 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com, interviews Mike Adolph, partner and vice president of business development for Doyle HCM, about keeping the human element in back office management. Adolph co-founded Doyle HCM, a back office solutions and payroll company, with two partners in 2018. The restaurant space was always in the back of Adolph's mind, and when COVID hit, restaurants needed extra help, especially i...
Feb 21, 2024•21 min
On this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Wolf Detwiler, managing editor of Networld Media Group, talks to L&L Hawaiian Barbecue CEO Elisia Flores about the brand's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that Flores says are built into her staff as a whole.
Jan 03, 2024•17 min
Podcast host Mandy Detwiler talked to Burks about her start as a food truck owner and what it took to open her first store.
Dec 13, 2023•23 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, QSRweb Editor Mandy Detwiler talks with Greg Willman, chairman and CEO of Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill , about how the brand has helped pave the way for ethnic cuisine in the fast casual industry.
Nov 29, 2023•20 min
QSRweb and Pizza Marketplace Editor Mandy Detwiler talked to Jamie Richardson, vice president of White Castle, to learn how the brand incorporated AI into its ordering process and how it's easing labor issues and increasing efficiency.
Oct 30, 2023•17 min
In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler talks to Zak Omar, CEO of Atomic Wings, an emerging wing brand out of New York City.
Oct 17, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode of Restaurant Operator, podcast host Mandy Wolf Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, and Don Robinson, CEO and president of Louisville, Kentucky-based Parlour, take a look at how the brand's creative craft cocktail menu raises check averages and sets the pizzeria apart from its competition.
Sep 15, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Detwiler and Wasdin share practical tips for reducing waste in restaurant kitchens and explore how large-scale industries can adopt sustainable practices. Restaurant Operator invites you to become a part of the movement toward a more conscious and harmonious food world.
Aug 30, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Nov 03, 2022•23 min
