What does the Technomic Top 500 tell us about the restaurant industry right now?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Joe Pawlak, managing principal with Technomic. And we talk all about the report and the trends that it reveals.

The Top 500 is essentially data on the chain restaurant industry, since that data makes up the vast majority of chain sales. Restaurant sales increased more than 8% last year, but that was due entirely to prices and some unit growth, rather than traffic.

We talk about some chains on that Top 500, including the chicken business, specifically Popeyes and KFC, and why one of those chains has been able to thrive in a changing market for chicken.

We also talk about how top heavy the Top 500 is getting, given performance of chains high up on the list. We talk about which sectors are doing the best and get into a discussion on the beverage business.

And we talk about what chains have the most potential to hit the Top 10.

How is Pinstripes upgrading the bowling experience?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Dale Schwartz, the CEO of the growing eatertainment concept Pinstripes.

Dale joined us at the Restaurant Leadership Conference in April.

We talk about, well, Pinstripes, a concept that combines bowling and bocce with a restaurant. It is part of the fast-growing eatertainment sector led by such concepts as Top Golf.

Schwartz talks about the chain’s history and what makes his concept different than others. He also explains its heavy reliance on events for much of the chain’s sales, and how those events help the brand. We also talk about what makes the brand different than other bowling alleys.

We also talk about the need to have a great experience and great food, given the growing competition in the eatertainment space these days.

And we talk about the chain’s decision to go public via special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC.

We’re talking bowling and bocce on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

Who is winning the chicken wars?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features a discussion on recent earnings with RB Executive Editor Lisa Jennings.

A huge number of earnings have come in and many of them are head-scratchers. While a lot of chains have done really well, like Wingstop and its 22% same-store sales number, others have not, such as KFC and its sales decline.

We discuss that issue, and what the first quarter means for the chicken market in general, including Popeyes and Chick-fil-A.

We also contrast the performance of Chipotle and Starbucks, and why one chain can do well despite concerns about prices, while another cannot.

We’re talking earnings on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.