Shows / QSR Uncut
QSR Uncut
QSR Uncut is a podcast from the editors of QSR magazine—the leading publication for foodservice owners and operators—that discusses the current state and future of the fast-food restaurant industry. Made for restaurant executives, entrepreneurs, consumers, and leaders, each episode candidly shares expert advice from some of the industry's most insightful leaders.
Episodes
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Finding Real Solutions for Delivery
Benjamin Kool, CEO of Solutions 4 Delivery, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to tackle one of the sector’s most-pressing (and not going away)…
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Damon Dunn’s Remarkable Journey from Poverty to NFL to Dunkin’ Franchisee
Former NFL athlete and current Dunkin’ operator Damon Dunn has come a long way since growing up in dire straits. He joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley…
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What Awaits Restaurants in 2023
Kellie Zimmerman, the president and CRO of customer data platform Brightloom, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the state of the industry and…
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The Improbable Story of Dillas Quesadillas
Kyle and Maggie Gordon put all their chips into a dream, and a fast-food category unlike any other. After some rocky and eventful early days, Dillas…
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Norman Wu Builds the Next Great Poké Brand
Norman Wu, who launched Conscious Hospitality Group in his 20s, has already seen impressive growth in less than 10 years. With a motto of “people over…
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One of TIME’s Best Inventions Disrupts the Restaurant Industry
Christine Schindler, CEO and cofounder of PathSpot, joins QSR Editorial Director Danny Klein to chat about a technology featured as one of TIME’s Best…
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The State of Digital in Fast Food and Fast Casual
Operators from 85-plus brands representing over 35,000 locations share their key priorities and initiatives for the next two years in Qu’s fourth-annual State…
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Fat Boy’s Goes Beyond The World’s Biggest Slice
Gabe Corchiani opened Fat Boy's Pizza with wife, Karen, in 2019. Inspired to create massive 30-inch pies and bring them to New Orleans, the brand is now in…
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Chicago’s Original Italian Beef Maker Readies for Growth
Originally founded by Joe and Peggy Buonavolanto and their five sons, Buona started with the goal of using family recipes and fresh ingredients to feed the…
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[NextGen] Huckleberry CEO Greg Graber and The Magic of Differentiation
There's nothing quite like Huckleberry’s in today's breakfast and lunch game. The NextGen Casual's “Southern Cookin’ With a California Twist" has earned a…
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The Future of Guest Engagement
Paytronix CEO Andrew Robbins joins QSR Editorial Director Danny Klein to discuss the changing face of loyalty and engagement as the restaurant industry…
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There’s a New Smoothie Competitor on the Block
Amir Mostafavi was a D.C. pioneer when it came to cold-pressed juice, smoothies, and acai bowls. But now, regional cult-favorite fast casual South Block has…
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Pioneering Froyo’s Next Wave, with Yogurtland President Sam Yoon
The category icon isn't letting off the throttle, from a growth or innovation angle, as the froyo segment evolves into its next act. From development best…
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The World's First Cupcake Bakery is Going Global
Sprinkles, creators of the famed Cupcake ATM, just opened its first U.S. franchise. Is this the start of a major growth push? CEO Dan Mesches joins QSR editors…
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Is Restaurant Training Broken?
Sam Caucci, founder and CEO of 1Huddle, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to address what’s really causing the labor shortage for restaurants, and where the path to…
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Krystal’s Mission to Win Back Customer Loyalty
Bankrupt to bankrolling: One of America’s oldest fast-food chains is back on the offensive with a new marketing direction, double-digit sales growth, and plans…
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What Consumers Really Want from Food Delivery
Noah Hayes, general manager, U.S. and Canada at Deliverect, a global scale-up company that simplifies digital orders for more than 27,000 locations across 40…
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Evolution at the World’s Largest Hot Dog Chain
How do you take a legendary brand and bring it into the future? QSR editor Danny Klein catches up with Wienerschnitzel COO Rusty Bills, a 15-year Galardi Group…
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Location-Based Tech is Disrupting the Restaurant Industry
Nick Patrick, the CEO of Radar, a company that’s helped brands like Panera Bread leverage technology to meet customers’ needs, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to…
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Main Squeeze CEO Thomas Nieto on Building the Next Big Juice Brand
Entrepreneur Thomas Nieto stumbled upon Main Squeeze after a friend introduced him to the founders and they offered him a juice. The rest is history. From…
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NFTs, Web3, and the Restaurant Industry: Should We Invest?
Are these buzzy topics just headline-grabbers or something far more for restaurants? Savneet Singh, president and CEO of PAR Technology Corp., joins QSR editor…
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[NextGen] Condado Tacos Rewrites the Rulebook
Our first NextGen Casual episode, featuring industry icon Chris Artinian, explores what the future of full-service dining will look like in a post-COVID world…
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The Making of a Food Truck Empire, with Marcus Crawford
Marcus Crawford, the award-winning founder of Bro-Ritos, a food truck business that serves the NYC/New Jersey metro area, joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben…
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The Unsung Hero of the Takeout and Delivery Boom
What's one restaurant topic operators can't live without but seldom grabs headlines? Packaging. And it's never been as critical as it is today given the…
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Noodles & Company CMO Stacey Pool on Culture and 'Uncommon Goodness'
Noodles & Company's chief marketing officer, Stacey Pool, joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to dive into the fast casual's industry-leading benefits…
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Shipley Do-Nuts CEO Clifton Rutledge and the Rebirth of a Legacy Brand
Industry veteran Clifton Rutledge has helped reface the iconic chain since joining in 2021, including the launch of Shipley’s first advertising and marketing…
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The Way America Wants to Eat, with Native Foods CEO Carin Stutz
With a lengthy and storied restaurant resume, from Red Robin to Applebee’s to McAlister’s Deli, Carin Stutz, the president and CEO of vegan fast casual Native…
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The State of the Restaurant Industry
Lee Schulman, president of Panacea Management Group Consulting and owner of Atlanta’s famed Old Vinings Inn, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to dive into the…
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Can We Fix Food Delivery Management?
Zhong Xu, who created the first iPad POS in EMEA in 2012, is on a mission to simplify what’s long been one of the restaurant world’s biggest friction points…
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The Chicken Chain with a Million TikTok Followers
Shawn Lalehzarian went from working as a dishwasher who didn’t speak English to the founder and CEO of The Red Chickz, a Nashville hot chicken fast casual…
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Lunchbox CEO Nabeel Alamgir Takes the Gloves Off
The outspoken and always candid CEO and cofounder of digital ordering and marketing platform Lunchbox joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to reveal an…
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Sparking Major Franchise Growth: Mici Italian Part 2
Mici Italian CEO Elliot Schiffer and Chief Growth Officer Matt Stanton join QSR Editor Danny Klein to discuss the brand’s franchise journey, challenges and…
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[BONUS] Del Taco Makes a Big Move
Del Taco chief marketing officer Tim Hackbardt returns to QSR Uncut for a special episode to announce a new multi-faceted brand initiative that's launching on…
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The Right Way to Rebrand: Mici Italian Part 1
Elliot Schiffer and Kim Miceli from Mici Italian join QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss rebranding a legacy restaurant chain after 18 years. How…
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Growth During the Supply Chain Crisis: Velvet Taco Vol. 2
In the second part of QSR Uncut's two-part series with Velvet Taco, QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley chat with the fast casual's director of supply chain…
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Into the Innovation Lab with Velvet Taco's Venecia Willis
Venecia Willis, director of culinary innovation at growing fast casual Velvet Taco, chats with QSR editor Danny Klein about the brand's legendary menu; what…
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How to Win the Mobile App Revolution
Adam Blacker, the VP of insights at Apptopia, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to discuss one of the biggest topics in the restaurant industry today. Which…
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Rush Bowls CEO Andrew Pudalov on Blazing the Trail
Founder and CEO Andrew Pudalov left a New York financing career to open a restaurant that offered filling, yet healthy meal replacements for people on the go…
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The Restaurant-preneur Teaching World-Class Company Culture
Michel Falcon is a serial entrepreneur and best-selling author who went from earning $15/hour in a call center to advising billion-dollar brands and building a…
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A Vision Into the Future of Fast Food
Sam Zietz, CEO of GRUBBRR, an industry-leading provider of self-ordering technologies, and Karl Goodhew, chief technology officer of BurgerFi, join the QSR…
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From Restaurant Owner to CEO: Pizza Factory’s Mary Jane Riva
Mary Jane Riva has been an entrepreneur for 20-plus years, starting out as a Pizza Factory restaurant owner and then transitioning into the head of the…
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El Pollo Loco CMO Andy Rebhun on the Future of Restaurant Innovation
El Pollo Loco CMO Andy Rebhun has led the charge of the chicken chain's lean into digital in recent years. He joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to…
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The Tech Trends Changing Fast Food After COVID
Kevin Rice, the EVP of Bounteous, a company that works with brands like Domino’s, Panda Express, and Wingstop, joins QSR editor Danny Klein to talk about the…
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Lessons from an Entrepreneur: PITA Mediterranean Street Food CEO Nour Rabai
A dream of opening an authentic Lebanese restaurant brought Nour Rabai to Atlanta, and he’s been a trailblazer opening new restaurants and sharing his family’s…
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Pokeworks CEO Steve Heeley on Turning an Idea Into an Empire
Conceptualized in 2015, Pokeworks was created after the founders returned from one of many trips to Hawaii. Now, it’s taking aim at global growth, and it’s no…
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Sweetfin President Seth Cohen on Leading the Poke Craze
Sweetfin’s culinary philosophy, “Pole to Bowl,” has brought to the doorstep of major growth. Brand president and co-founder Seth Cohen joins QSR editor Danny…
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Steele Smiley is Out to Reinvent Fast Food
Steele Smiley, CEO and founder of Crisp & Green—one of the category’s fastest-growing franchises—has a new plant-based brand with major potential. Creating…
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Lessons from an Entrepreneur: Beyond Juicery + Eatery Co-Founder Mijo Alanis
Mijo Alanis, co-founder of Beyond Juicery + Eatery, has been in the restaurant industry most of his life, starting as a busboy. But he always had bigger…
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The Meteoric Rise of Clean Juice
Clean Juice founder Kat Eckles is the driving force behind a multi-million dollar empire that continues to expand across the country. The nation's only…
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Smoothie King CMO Rebecca Miller on Redefining an Iconic Brand
From a purpose-driven menu revamp to a subscription platform, Smoothie King CMO Rebecca Miller is taking the classic restaurant chain back to its wellness…
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Your Pie CEO Dave McDougall on Emerging Stronger than Ever
The fast-casual pioneer is surging out of the pandemic, with growth, tech, and a host of other evolutions fueling its future. Thirty-year industry vet Dave…
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The Man Behind Noodles & Company’s Growth Surge
John Ramsay, VP of Franchise Sales at Noodles & Company, has spent more than three decades in the restaurant industry. He's not only found a home at the…
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Franchising in the Booming Better-for-You Segment
CEO Trey Kessler, of rising fast casual Grain & Berry, fills the QSR team in on what it takes to launch and grow a franchising concept in the rapidly growing…
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Del Taco CMO Tim Hackbardt on Hitting Inflation Head On
Thirty-year industry vet Tim Hackbardt joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to talk about the past, present, and future of restaurant marketing, and how…
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Togo's on 50 Years of Sandwich Dominance
John Dyer, Togo’s VP of franchise sales and real estate, joins the QSR team to discuss how the nearly 200-unit California-based sandwich brand is looking to…
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The Bakery Chain Racing Toward 1,000 Locations
Paris Baguette has a massive global footprint, but its U.S. expansion is just gearing up. Where does it plan to go exactly? How will it get there? And what is…
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Buy or Sell? The Real Deal with Restaurant Real Estate
Robin Gagnon, CEO and co-founder of We Sell Restaurants and wesellrestaurants.com, the nation's largest restaurant brokerage firm (and the only business broker…
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Trends Shaping The Coffee Shop of the Future
Sanjiv Razdan, president of the Americas and India for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, chats with the QSR team about innovation and the java industry coming out of…
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Another Restaurant Tech Company on the Rise
Meet Sunday, a platform that raised $100 million in September and is looking to create the world's fastest and easiest way to pay at restaurants. CEO and…
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Meet America's 40 Hottest Fast Casuals: Part 2
QSR editors Danny Klein and Nicole Duncan return to count down the rest of America's 40 Hottest Fast Casuals. From bowl concepts to chicken served in a cone…