A Deeper Dive

How does a growth chain break into a competitive restaurant market?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features John Abdo, the CEO of the 11-unit, Minneapolis-based chain My Burger.
We spoke with Abdo at the recent Create conference in California, an event hosted by Restaurant Business parent company Informa Connect that is targeted at growth restaurant brands.
We wanted to get the perspective of a growth chain dealing with the various challenges the current industry operates in. Beef costs are soaring, the industry is competitive, and finding new locations isn’t easy. 
We also get the story of an interesting, family-owned company and how it thinks about expansion, including strategies for new locations, and where the chain is planning new restaurants. 
We’re talking growth on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

Why is Sysco buying Restaurant Depot?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Kevin Hourican, the CEO of the giant distributor Sysco.
We asked Hourican to be on the podcast to talk about Sysco’s $29 billion proposal to buy Jetro Restaurant Depot, the cash-and-carry provider of food to restaurants.
It’s a big deal that will make Sysco both the biggest distributor and biggest retail provider to restaurants. Some independent restaurants have called on the FTC to block the deal, saying it will be bad for competition and for independent restaurants.
We ask Hourican about this, about why Sysco wants Restaurant Depot and what the company’s plans for the retailer are. And we talk about the state of independent restaurants and why at least some of them may be doing well in this market.
It’s a big episode this week so please check it out.

How does a restaurant operator get expansion financing without a personal guarantee or selling equity?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Michael Davis, the founder and CEO of Homegrown Financing.
Davis has an interesting story. He watched his parents struggle to get financing to scale their business. He ultimately devised a strategy to provide financing for growth based on a company’s revenue. 
The system is not a short-term strategy such as a merchant cash advance and is designed for expansion. Davis tells his story and explains the strategy. We talk about several other topics during the podcast, including the overall challenges restaurant companies have in securing financing.

How will Jersey Mike’s upcoming IPO impact the market for restaurant mergers and acquisitions?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Ashish Seth, founder and managing partner of Harrington Park Advisors, an advisory firm that specializes in multi-unit companies, including restaurants. 
We wanted to talk with Seth about the restaurant M&A market and were particularly interested in his thoughts on the Jersey Mike’s IPO.
The offering is set to be one of the biggest in restaurant industry history, with a planned $1 billion fundraise and a valuation that could be $9 billion. 
Seth also talks about demand for restaurants among investors and what kind of deals work right now.

What the heck is going on with the restaurant labor market right now?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Chad Moutray, chief economist with the National Restaurant Association.
We wanted Moutray on the podcast to make some sense of the most recent jobs report. The industry shed 33,000 jobs in June, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cut the previous month’s estimate by 10,000 jobs.
That turned what had been a seemingly improving labor market into a weaker one. Moutray helps us understand these numbers and what they say about the restaurant industry at the moment. 
We also talk about the economy and many other issues.
We’re talking about the labor market on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.