Choppin’ It Up by Bloomberg Intelligence

The great brands open up the throttle at their busiest times, Fred LeFranc, Results Thru Strategy founder, managing partner and chaos strategist, tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, LeFranc sits down with BI senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the logo controversy surrounding Cracker Barrel and how the company can return to same-store sales and profit gro...

Pizza Inn is a massive sleeping giant with latent equity, Rave Restaurant Group CEO Brandon Solano tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Solano sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss why the chain’s buffet format is its biggest growth opportunity while weighing in on fast-casual pizza weakness, the rise of “Build-Your-Own ...

US restaurant spending has been resilient, and guests are looking for a better sit-down experience, SPB Hospitality CEO Josh Kern tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Kern sits down with BI senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss how the company’s brands, including J. Alexander’s and Krystal, are performing this year. He also comments on M&A an...

What other restaurant can you go to and get a chicken-fried oyster taco? Velvet Taco CEO Clay Dover sits down with Bloomberg Intelligence senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen in this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast to discuss the chain’s unique menu and fun, irreverent culture. He also comments on the chain’s opportunities for top-line growth, including US and international development, as...

The restaurant industry could post a 1-2% same-store sales increase for 2025, BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen tells Bloomberg’s restaurants reporter Daniela Sirtori. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Halen and Sirtori discuss BI’s views on 2H same-store sales and margins. They also talk about what economic indicators and more discerning consumers mean for top-line gr...

Sales almost double when Smokey Bones restaurants are converted to the Twin Peaks chain, FAT Brands’ Chairman Andy Wiederhorn said on this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast. Wiederhorn joins Michael Halen, Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst, to discuss FAT Brands’ growth opportunities, including Twin Peaks, and plans to repay debt. He also comments on franchisee health, ev...

Establishing a digital relationship with the 75% of a chain’s patrons that aren’t loyalty customers will be the growth engine for full-service restaurant traffic going forward, Ziosk Cofounder and Chief Revenue and Growth Officer Raymond Howard tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Howard sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to dis...

M&A is a great opportunity for HF Foods Group because Asian specialty foodservice distribution is primarily made up of smaller competitors and HF is the only national player in the US, CEO and President Felix Lin tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Lin sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the company’s plans to grow orga...

Voice AI at the drive-thru is one or two years away from being ready to be rolled out to hundreds of thousands of locations, Checkmate CEO and founder Vishal Agarwal tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Agarwal sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the rapid evolution of voice AI technology. He also comments on how kiosks have becom...

Every Just Salad employee is trained in culture, connecting with customers and the consistency of product and hospitality, according to founder and CEO Nick Kenner. In this episode of Choppin’ It Up, Kenner sits down with Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst, Michael Halen, to discuss how the chain’s operations help set it apart from competitors. He also comments on Just Salad’s...

Where we were with trade talks six weeks ago and where we are now are very different and that trajectory will continue over the next six weeks to six months, Align Public Strategies’ Founding Partner Joe Kefauver tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Kefauver sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss why he thinks the worst of the ...

Poor order accuracy is a fast way to lose customers and gain one-star reviews, Ovation’s CEO and Founder Zack Oates tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Oates sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss why even though most customer complaints are about food, it’s more important for restaurants to address grievances about accu...

Authentic Restaurant Brands wants to be national, but it’s going to get there by being regional across the country, CEO Alex Macedo tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Macedo sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the company’s unique strategy of acquiring strong regional brands and helping them improve sales and profit ...

Chili’s accelerated sales growth is sustainable because the company is working with the fundamentals of casual dining — the food, service and atmosphere are all better and team members are having more fun and making more money — Brinker’s CEO Kevin Hochman tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Hochman sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice ana...

El Pollo Loco has some of the lowest turnover in the industry, CEO Liz Williams tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Williams sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and food-service analyst Michael Halen to discuss the company’s plans to implement technology to improve the employee and customer experience. She also comments on El Pollo Loco’s brand relaunch, remodels, m...

It’s imperative for restaurant brands to use guest data to become more efficient with their marketing and drive profitable traffic, Olo’s CEO and Founder Noah Glass tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Glass sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the company’s plans to grow with new and existing customers in its thr...

Consumers need to be able to count on restaurant brands for a great value proposition, Denny’s CEO Kelli Valade tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Valade sits down with BI’s senior restaurant and foodservice analyst Michael Halen to discuss the importance of everyday value amid some US consumer weakness to start the year. She also comments on Denny’s remodels and loy...

Dairy Queen’s international development team seeks to expand into countries where they can quickly grow market share, the customers can afford the product, a sizable limited-service market already exists and strong potential franchisee partners operate, Chief Operating Officer Nicolas Boudet tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Choppin’ It Up podcast, Boudet sits down with BI’s senior restaurant an...