How will the big Sysco-Restaurant Depot deal affect restaurant operators?

It’s a big question, so we brought in Technomic Senior Principal David Henkes to talk about it for this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive.

Henkes is a distribution expert with Technomic and we discuss the deal at length, including what it means for both Sysco and for Restaurant Depot. We talk about its chances of getting approved by the FTC, even as independent restaurant operators call for it to be blocked.

We talk about the impact this will have on the restaurant industry and why Sysco wants the retailer in the first place. And we talk about potential challenges for the distributor in integrating Restaurant Depot.

We’re talking the Sysco-Restaurant Depot on A Deeper Dive so check it out.

How will gas prices affect restaurants?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Rich Shank, senior principal with the data firm Technomic.

We like talking with Shank periodically to get a pulse on where the industry is at and there are all kinds of questions about it right now, thanks to gas prices.

Gas prices are near a national average of $4 a gallon, according to AAA, up $1 compared with the past year, driven largely by the U.S. attack on Iran.

That has a real impact on consumers at a time when many of them are already feeling pinched by inflation. We ask Shank what kind of impact this will have, what restaurant chains will feel it the most and at what point does it diminish industry growth projections.

We also talk a bit about other issues like beef costs and store operations and what happened with the fast-casual sector.

Always great talking with Rich Shank so please check it out.

What is the state of Fat Brands?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Hilary Russ, the editor at large of Law 360.

Hilary covers bankruptcies for Law 360 and we wanted to talk with her about the bankruptcy of Fat Brands, which runs Twin Peaks, Round Table Pizza, Fazoli’s, Johnny Rockets and several other chains.

We discuss what this bankruptcy means. We get at the complexity of the filing. We talk about the performance of the different restaurant chains before and after they were acquired.

Russ also talks about the prospect that Fat Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn could lose control of the company, but that has not yet happened.

We also ask why Fat Brands was able to raise so much money so quickly after struggling for years to buy even the smallest chains. It’s a major question facing the company.

We’re talking Fat Brands on a Deeper Dive so please check it out.

What’s going on with beef costs?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Maloni, the senior director of commodities with Arrowstream.

We wanted to talk with David because beef costs are soaring. Burger King, for instance, said that its beef costs went up 20%.

We discuss why beef costs are going up so much, how long this could last, and what can be done to fix them.

Maloni also talks about why, even in the face of all this, restaurant chains like Burger King and McDonald’s are hyping up their burgers so much.

He discusses talk about other things, too, notably the potential impact of high gas and oil prices both on commodity costs and the consumer.

This is always a good conversation with David so please check it out.

What makes Dave’s Hot Chicken tick?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Jim Bitticks, the CEO of Dave’s Hot Chicken.

This is a great conversation with the chief executive of one of the country’s hottest brands, literally and figuratively. Bitticks was recently promoted to the role and we ask him about that.

We talk with him about what makes the brand tick, how things are going under new owner Roark Capital and whether anything will change.

We asked Bitticks about the company’s superfast growth and how it combats the potential pratfalls of such growth.

And we talk about the chain’s unique strategy of having top executives as operators and how that works.

We’re talking hot chicken on A Deeper Dive, so please check it out.

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.

How will restaurants fare in 2026?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Michelle Korsmo, the president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, who talks about the trade group’s State of the Industry Report.

Korsmo discusses the industry’s annual projection of restaurant sales, profitability and trends. We talk extensively about the association’s expectations for foodservice sales this year, projected to be nearly $1.6 trillion.

We discuss issues with industry profitability, and why so many operators are simply unprofitable. And we talk about immigration and other association priorities.

This is a great conversation with the head of the restaurant industry’s biggest trade group 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.