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 as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Made for restaurant executives, entrepreneurs, consumers, and leaders, each episode candidly shares expert advice from some of the industry's most insightful leaders.
Episodes
274 episodes since 2018
Jon Taffer is Back! And We Have a Lot to Discuss
Value. Regulations. An upcoming presidential election season. The restaurant sector is being pressured on all sides by challenges. Jon Taffer, star of “Bar Rescue” and industry maven, returns to QSR Uncut for the third time to discuss all of it...
September 12, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 142
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47:51
What Went Wrong with Starbucks?
One of the biggest CEO moves in recent restaurant memory (maybe ever) brought Chipotle executive Brian Niccol over to Starbucks in mid-August. It was an announcement that soared the java chain’s stock and re-injected optimism into the brand, wh...
August 29, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 141
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43:04
The State of Restaurant M&A and Investing, with Mike Esposito
Mike Esposito, co-managing partner and cofounder of Franchise Equity Partners, joins QSR Uncut to chat about the challenges and opportunities of the restaurant market today. Why is access to capital so challenging? Will that change? How can ope...
August 22, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 140
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32:52
What Your Restaurant Employees Actually Want, with Jordan Boesch
The CEO of 7shifts joins QSR Uncut to talk through hiring trends and what the company uncovered from a new study: “What Restaurant Employees Want: 2024 Report.” We’ll get into everything from motivating factors, how you retain and recruit, and ...
August 15, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 139
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39:40
Portillo’s, from Pop Culture Icon to Public Growth, with CMO Nick Scarpino
One of the industry’s true cult-classic chains has begun to expand beyond its Chicagoland roots, filing a successful IPO and heading to new markets like Texas. Wherever it’s landing, Portillo’s is opening to massive volumes—potentially the high...
August 08, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 138
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37:55
Why Pepper Lunch Could be the Next Big Thing, with Paul Tran
Paul Tran, director of franchise sales at Hot Palette America, has had quite the journey, from opening his own concept to becoming a franchisee to now leading the growth of a global brand ready to crash into the U.S. He's a visionary who has su...
August 01, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 137
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48:31
The Dream and Determination of Big Dave's Cheesesteaks
Derrick Hayes, CEO and founder of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, has taken his brand from a 700-square-foot gas station location to one of Atlanta’s most-popular fast casuals. And more recently, the brand has begun to franchise outside the state as i...
July 26, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 136
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42:55
Tropical Smoothie CEO Charles Watson Breaks it Down
(Very) few restaurant brands in America are growing as fast as Tropical Smoothie Cafe, while also generating these type of sales. CEO Charles Watson joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss what’s driving the brand’s success, where i...
July 18, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 135
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45:56
Restaurant Equipment and Living on Mars, with Devon Zielinski
Devon Zielinski, the president of USA Restaurant Suppliers, joins the podcast this week to talk about the state of equipment in the sector, how he started the company, challenges and opportunities, and a bunch of other things, from dog DNA test...
July 11, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 134
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50:21
A Former Chick-fil-A Marketing Director on the Future of Comms
Kate Finley, who worked as a Marketing Director for Chick-fil-A, is now the founder and CEO of Belle Communications, an award-winning and top-ranked digital PR and social media firm. She joins the podcast this week to talk about how restaurants...
July 03, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 133
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45:44
Welcome to the Kiosk Revolution
Kiosks are flooding the quick-service industry right now, from the biggest brands to fast casuals looking to scale. But what are the pitfalls and real benefits? Do they actually replace labor? Optimize sales? We’ll break down the landscape, pre...
June 27, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 132
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39:24
Potbelly’s Marketing Mastery, with CMO David Daniels
How does a cult-favorite restaurant chain embrace the masses? It’s a multi-tiered strategy from store design to digital campaigns to rethinking every customer touchpoint along the way. Potbelly CMO David Daniels joins QSR Uncut this week to tal...
June 20, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 131
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35:29
Tech and the Catering Explosion, with Lunchbox’s Nabeel Alamgir
Lunchbox cofounder and CEO Nabeel Alamgir returns to QSR Uncut to talk about what’s fast become one of the biggest opportunities in the restaurant marketplace. Catering has made a massive comeback out of COVID and is now rife with whitespace. C...
June 07, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 130
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41:27
Sambazon’s Next Chapter of Growth Arrives
The Açaí pioneer recently launched into franchising for the first time in 24 years. CEO and cofounder Ryan Black joins QSR editors Danny Klein and Ben Coley to discuss the brand’s journey—it owns 50 percent of the imported Açaí market ...
May 30, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 129
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38:23
The Making of a Better Chicken Joint, with Max Sheets
No stranger to the restaurant industry, Max Sheets got his start as a teenager scraping cheese off pans in a Pizza Hut kitchen. He later spent more than 20 years in real estate and development for such brands as Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon,...
May 24, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 128
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47:03
A Special Announcement (and Deal) from QSR Uncut
One of the industry’s biggest events is approaching, and we’re offering listeners an exclusive deal to attend. UNCUT25 is what's mentioned in the podcast. And the event site is here:
May 22, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 127
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15:43
Cinnabon and Carvel Join Forces, with Kristen Hartman
Kristen Hartman, the president of Specialty Brands at GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands)—the parent company of Auntie Anne's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister's Deli, Moe's Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s—takes us inside the mashup everybod...
May 17, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 126
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42:33
The Halal Guys CEO Ahmed Abouelenein on Legacy Leadership and Lasting Growth
The food-cart-to-global-franchise brand has expansion on the mind once again as it prepares to take its iconic concept to new markets. Meanwhile, CEO Ahmed Abouelenein continues to position the fast casual for the future while paying homage to ...
May 09, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 125
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31:40
Why Every Restaurant Leader Needs Followers, with Jason Brooks
Jason Brooks has spent more than 30 years in the restaurant industry with six of the top 100 brands. He joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to share some of that wisdom and how he coaches leaders to drive culture and manage teams from all ...
May 02, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 124
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48:40
Should Your Restaurant Try Influencer Marketing?
Viral Nation cofounder and CEO Joe Gagliese joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss what’s fast become one of the most successful marketing realms of quick service. McDonald’s Famous Orders. MrBeast Burger. What do these st...
April 25, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 123
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39:51
Consistency Over Expansion, with Farmer Boys COO Joseph Oritz
Farmer Boys COO and president Joseph Ortiz joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to take us inside a 40-plus-year-old brand that continues to chart its own path, and share what it’s like to run and grow a California-based brand thes...
April 16, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 122
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38:05
Controlling the Kitchen Chaos, with Diana Geseking
Diana Geseking, General Counsel at Restaurant Technologies, joins QSR Editorial Director Danny Klein to dive into the ever-evolving topic of sustainability and how operators and partners can work ...
April 11, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 121
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35:20
Going Beyond Taco Tuesday, with Taco John’s CMO Barry Westrum
Taco John’s chief marketing officer Barry Westrum joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss the brand's expansion throughout the Midwest as it continues to surprise with menu innovation (Taco Pizza), a new Drive Thru Olé prot...
April 04, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 120
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38:11
The Future of AI at the Drive-Thru
Eric Lam, CEO of Berry AI, joins QSR editorial director Danny Klein to discuss one of the most-buzzed about industry topics in recent memory: can you improve the drive-thru with artificial intelligence? But it might just surprise you h...
March 28, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 119
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32:58
Winning in a $146 Billion Industry, with Sip Fresh Founder Sharon Arthofer
The inspiration for Sip Fresh began, as the company likes to say, on a balmy evening at a local bar. Could a juice chain mirror the mixology trend that had taken over the beverage scene? Sharon Arthofer, CEO and founder, and 27-year franchise i...
March 21, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 118
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32:26