A Deeper Dive

What is the state of the fast-food market?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features RJ Hottovy, the head of analytical research with the traffic tracking firm Placer.ai.
Hottovy is a regular guest on the podcast and we wanted to talk about the fast-food market and how long it’s expected to remain weak. Traffic in the industry has been down for years now, and it shows little sign of improvement.
We also talk about Burger King, and why the company has outperformed even though it did not jump head-first into the value game. We talk about Wendy’s and the state of that brand. And we talk about the surprising performance of some full-service chains like Chili’s and the Cheesecake Factory.
This is a packed podcast so please check it out.

How much of the delivery market will DoorDash have if it buys Instacart?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Michael Gunther, SVP of research and market intelligence at Consumer Edge.
We talk with Gunther about a variety of topics, including how much DoorDash could dominate the delivery market if it buys the grocery delivery company Instacart.
We also talk about a variety of other issues that are affecting the consumer right now, including the economy, GLP-1s, what the hell is happening with the pizza sector, grocery stores, convenience stores, and roughly everything in between.
This is a fascinating episode on market share data so please check it out.

Why do brands like KFC change their beverage contracts?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features George Hiller, a longtime consultant who works with restaurant chains on their beverage strategies.
We wanted to talk with Hiller after KFC made the surprising announcement that it is switching from Pepsi to Coke.
A lot of chains and foodservice providers, including Culver’s, Subway, Marriott, and Costco, have changed their beverage contracts in recent years. We wanted to understand why this is happening, and what brands are seeking to accomplish when they make a change like this.
George discusses these issues as well as the unique situation involving KFC, which generated a lot of headlines and discussions with its move.
This is an interesting conversation about a fascinating topic so please check it out.

How is AI impacting restaurant reservations?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Amy Wei, the chief operating officer for the online reservations company OpenTable.
Amy joined the podcast to talk about the company’s recent Restaurant Impact Report. She talks about the findings from that report, including the increasing demand in restaurant reservations, and what that says about demand for independent and higher-end restaurants.
We also talk about the impact AI is having on those reservations, and what’s being done to prevent agents from dominating reservations. 
And we discuss the overall state of restaurant demand at the moment.
It’s a fascinating discussion this week so please check it out.

Drone delivery is here. But what goes into it?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Kent Ferguson, the head of partnerships with the Alphabet Inc.-owned Wing Drone Delivery. 
We spoke with Ferguson at the recent FSTEC conference and were able to watch a demonstration of the delivery service. 
Ferguson talks about everything that goes into bringing drone delivery to a market, what types of deliveries drones are best equipped to handle, and where the service fits in a delivery-heavy future.
This is a fascinating discussion about a growing technology so please check it out.