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
- QSR Uncut
22 - P. Terry's Patrick Terry
Take one look at a P. Terry's restaurant and you might think it's been around for generations. From the Googie architecture to the roadside burger-stand vibe…
- QSR Uncut
[Freeze Frame] Golden Chick's Mark Parmerlee & Jim Stevens
Fast-casual chains that have been around for a decade or less have the luxury of easily adapting to new trends and technologies. Legacy chains that have been…
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21 - Eatzi's Adam Romo
Before the off-premises boom, before third-party delivery, and before meal kits, there was the home meal replacement movement. Restaurant concepts like Boston…
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20 - Liberty Burger's Mariel & Marco Street
Some restaurateurs join the industry as teenagers, others jump in as a second career. Mariel and Marco Street were born into it. Their father, Gene Street, is…
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19 - Honeygrow's Justin Rosenberg
For its first few years in business, Honeygrow enjoyed the same kind of momentum and accolades as other trendy fast casuals popping up on the East Coast. Its…
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18 - Wing Zone's Matt Friedman
College campuses can be tough for running a restaurant business. Students are fickle, the hours are late, and come summer time, your key demographic clears out…
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17 - Salt & Straw's Kim Malek
Howard Schultz famously committed to a “third place” mentality when scaling Starbucks into the global icon that it is today, creating a space outside the home…
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16 - Melt Shop's Spencer Rubin
There was a time, not so long ago, when fast-casual brands built around one menu item started to gain some traction, whether it was meatball brands or doughnut…
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15 - Brown Bag Seafood Co.'s Donna Lee & Zach Flanzman
Historically, seafood has maintained something of a small corner in the limited-service restaurant industry. Few brands outside of Long John Silver's and…
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14 - SAJJ Mediterranean's Zaid Ayoub
Fast-casual Mediterranean is having a moment. The customization format so popular in fast casual has become the perfect vehicle for the fresh, often healthier…
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13 - Fast casual pioneer Greg Dollarhyde
Greg Dollarhyde knew he didn't want to build restaurant concepts from scratch, but he also had the skill set necessary to taking brands from potential to…
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12 - Souvla's Charles Bililies
It didn't take long for Souvla to make a name for itself in the fast-casual industry. Launched in San Francisco in 2014, the brand quickly became a favorite…
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[Freeze Frame] Freddy's Scott Redler
The cradle of fast food is... Wichita, Kansas? Indeed, the breeding ground for both White Castle and Pizza Hut is also the hometown for one of the most…
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11 - Your Pie's Drew French
There may be bigger fast-casual pizza brands, but only Your Pie can claim to be the first in the category. The Athens, Georgia–based brand opened its first…
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[Freeze Frame] Cousins Subs' Justin McCoy
Cousins Subs has been a Wisconsin staple for 47 years. Now the Milwaukee-based sandwich chain is ready to expand its footprint, and has been in the middle of a…
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[Freeze Frame] Teriyaki Madness's Michael Haith
The Asian fast-casual category is ripe for growth. Panda Express stands alone as the sole national chain, even as Americans fall more in love with Asian…
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10 - Marination's Roz Edison
The food-truck trend that raced to popularity a decade ago had many exciting characteristics for foodservice entrepreneurs, among them the ability to enter the…
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9 - MOD Pizza's Ally & Scott Svenson
Ally and Scott Svenson didn't need to start another business. After selling their first brand to Starbucks and then helping a second foodservice company grow…
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8 - Torchy's Tacos' Mike Rypka
By the time he turned 30, Mike Rypka boasted a resume that chefs three decades his senior could only dream of, having served as the head chef at organizations…
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[Freeze Frame] Firehouse Subs' Don Fox
We're continuing with "Freeze Frame," a series within "Fast Forward" where we'll share conversations with restaurant leaders and executives who may not have…
- QSR Uncut
[Freeze Frame] Tropical Smoothie Cafe's Charles Watson
We're continuing with "Freeze Frame," a series within "Fast Forward" where we'll share conversations with restaurant leaders and executives who may not have…
- QSR Uncut
[Freeze Frame] Corner Bakery's Frank Paci
Introducing "Freeze Frame," a series within "Fast Forward" where we'll share conversations with restaurant leaders and executives who may not have built their…
- QSR Uncut
7 - Nekter's Steve Schulze
The last decade has witnessed an incredible rise in juice, smoothie, and açai bowl concepts, particularly as American consumers have turned their attention…
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6 - Chipotle's Brian Niccol
In 2015, Chipotle was the fast-casual restaurant industry's gold standard, with double-digit growth quarter after quarter. But with several cases of E. coli…
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5 - &pizza's Michael Lastoria
&pizza is a thriving fast-casual pizza shop that marches to the beat of its own drum. It designs its restaurants to reflect their local communities. Its…
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4 - CAVA's Brett Schulman
Childhood friends and first-generation Greek Americans Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos, and Dimitri Moshovitis first opened full-service restaurant Cava…
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3 - Farm Burger's George Frangos
In the wake of successful brands like Five Guys and Shake Shack, America fell in love with the better-burger category, which serves high-quality beef and other…
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2 - Dog Haus's Quasim Riaz, Hagop Giragossian, & Andre Vener
Dog Haus has carved its own niche within the fast-casual restaurant industry. With a sports-bar vibe and a chef-designed menu, this brand has created an…
- QSR Uncut
1 - Blaze Pizza's Rick & Elise Wetzel
Blaze Pizza started as a business plan scribbled on a Chipotle napkin back in 2011. At the time, Rick and Elise Wetzel were founders of the successful snack…