A Deeper Dive

Why are fast-food pizza chains struggling? 
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research with Technomic.
Byrne and I spend the entire time discussing the state of the pizza market. Fast-food pizza chain sales declined last year, and fast-casual pizza chain sales declined even further. 
We look at the factors behind that decline, including the growing competition from third-party delivery, pressure on lower-income consumers and other factors. We also discuss where pizza customers are visiting instead. 
We’re talking pizza on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

How does a company bring Chinese takeout into the modern era?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Angell Tsang and Min Choe, the founders of the Austin-based Tso Chinese Takeout and Delivery.

You may not have heard of Tso but it is a fascinating concept that is bringing a more modern sensibility to the idea of the Chinese restaurant.

Specifically they built their technology first and then added a restaurant. They discuss why they crafted a restaurant chain in reverse. They also explain why they opted for Chinese in the first place.

And that leads into an interesting discussion on the phenomenal history of Chinese food in America. It's a great conversation and an interesting concept. Check it out.
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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Where does Chuck E. Cheese grow from here?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Scott Drake, the CEO of CEC Entertainment, parent company to Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza.
This is the first of a couple of episodes recorded at the recent Restaurant Leadership Conference and it is a phenomenal conversation.
Scott was recently promoted to CEO after a couple of years as CEC’s CFO. And he has a lot to talk about.
We talk about the company’s new headquarters. We talk about many of the changes it has made over the years, particularly on the technology front. 
We discuss how the company plans to grow in the coming years and some of the interesting concepts it is growing with. But we also talk about some of the long-term concerns the company has, notably the slowing population.
We’re talking Chuck E. Cheese on A Deeper Dive so please check it out. 
Want more from Jonathan Maze?
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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Why are franchisees struggling right now?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Austin Titus, the president of Accurate Franchising. 
Accurate Franchising is a consulting firm that works with franchisors and franchisees and so we talk about all kinds of things on this episode.
We talk about struggles franchisees are having and why. Several franchisees have filed for bankruptcy and many are having challenges after a few difficult periods, with high costs and weak sales and traffic. We explain what’s happened and how operators can deal with it.
Titus talks about red flags franchisees can look for when considering a franchise brand to invest in. He also talks about how emerging chains can get the right franchisees early in their history and why that’s important.
We’re talking franchising on A Deeper Dive so please check it out. 

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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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It was another tough year in 2025. 
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Joe Pawlak, the managing principal with Technomic.
Pawlak provides our annual look at the data firm’s annual Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, which provides the best look at the state of the country’s restaurant chains.
That state was relatively weak. Pawlak discusses why last year proved to be so difficult. We also talk about some notable trends in the numbers. 
The beverage sector was big and there were some surprising numbers in that. The sandwich sector saw more shifts in market share. There was some notable movement in the Top 10 and a lot of growth was concentrated in just a few chains.
We’re talking Top 500 on A Deeper Dive so please check it out. 

Want more from Jonathan Maze?
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https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/article/week-restaurants
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