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
Tim Busa and Brian Herr of Crunchtime join QSR Uncut this week as we tackle some of the industry’s most-pressing technology topics, from fragmented bloat to why surface-level API integrations haven’t solved the problem yet. We’ll introduce a new vision of a true "Connected Kitchen" and begin to lay out a roadmap for the future of operations in a more-connected restaurant world.
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College roommates Eric Ongaro and Matt Salts joined forces at RCO Limited, the first Raising Cane’s franchise partner. Together, they helped grow the company to nearly 50 Ohio locations and $200 million in annual sales before Raising Cane’s bought back the enterprise in late 2021. While scaling RCO, however, the two kept running into development challenges, leading to the creation of an inside operation that ultimately ...
Cofounder and executive chairman Steele Smiley returns to QSR Uncut to share his thoughts on why wellness and fitness remain major whitespace opportunities within the restaurant industry. We discuss how Crisp & Green is tapping in from an authentic angle, and what some brands are getting right and wrong about how America really wants to eat.
Industry vet Michael Sien joins QSR Uncut this week to talk about a recent leap—starting faSHOW, a specialist consultancy dedicated to helping organizers, exhibitors, and operators get more out of their industry events. We’ll explore what’s going wrong with the current model and how partners, leaders, and everyone in between can improve ROI while attending in-person experiences (including September’s QSR Evo...
At just about 90 locations open across 12 states and 230 signed for development in the coming years, the fast casual tenders focused brand is hitting the growth lever. Andy Howard, known as the “Chicken Guy,” has had stops from Kenny Rogers Roasters to Ranch One to Wingstop before taking on this corner of the category. What’s ahead, how is Huey Magoo’s winning over customers and franchisees—we get into...
Chick-fil-A owner-operator Jon Harmeling, a former West Point instructor in systems engineering, joins QSR Uncut to chat about his journey with the category leader, but also to break down how he’s developed 10 AI systems that run inside his store.
Harmeling speaks to restaurant, franchise, and other frontline leadership audiences about using AI to lead and develop people. His Frontline AI Leadership keynote focuses on co...
Gladys Kong, CEO of Azira, joins QSR Uncut this week to break down some rising technologies and how restaurant brands can better understand their customers, optimize operations, and compete in a market where consumer behavior is quickly changing. Is it time to move beyond basic foot traffic reporting and into predictive, data-driven decision making? Should you worry about privacy regulations? A lot to get into as innovation continu...
One of the country’s most-iconic treat chains recently rolled out Seattle’s Best Coffee as it looks to compete more aggressively for high-frequency beverage occasions and evolve beyond traditional indulgence moments. We’ll explore what that means for Cinnabon, how it’s innovating overall to meet the customer where they are, and what’s next for a chain that added more than 300 stores nationwide last yea...
Andy Grindstaff, Director, Enterprise Restaurant Product, Global Payments, joins QSR Uncut this week for a wide-ranging discussion as we roll around the tech landscape. Let's talk AI. Drive-thru (does speed matter as much as it used to?). How customers are reacting to innovation, and what the true after-shock of COVID is on the innovation debate. We get into all of it, backed by data, and take a look at what could be coming next.
Th...
Moe’s Southwest Grill is in the midst of a new, three-part strategy to drive incremental gains. It includes extended hours to serve unmet demand, a Gen Z menu play, a deeper dive into delivery, and more as the category icon readies for what’s next. Chief brand officer Mike Smith joins QSR Uncut this week to unpack what brands are missing with late-night, how snacking behavior is shaping trends, and how Moe’s plans...
Kelli Jenkins, senior product manager at Vitamix, and Derek Clayton, the company’s corporate chef, join QSR Uncut for a wide-ranging discussion covering everything from back-of-the-house foodservice trends to the skill gap in restaurants to understanding why a piece of equipment built to last can make all the difference. We roll through pressing realities and where you can turn to get ahead of what’s coming next.
This ep...
Recently named a Top 3 emerging restaurant chain in the U.S. by Datassential, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is fast approaching 100 units and $150 million in systemwide sales. President Bob Andersen joins QSR Uncut to discuss life growing a concept in a red-hot Mediterranean category and what it takes to win on the AI, menu, and franchising fronts.
Alissa Partee is stepping into the role of CEO at Restaurant Technologies, a company she joined in 2020 before becoming COO. Partee has worked at leading brands such as Buffalo Wild Wings and Caribou Coffee and has picked up no shortage of lessons along the way. She joins QSR Uncut to discuss her journey to the CEO spot, what it takes to lead with clarity, and how restaurants can find back-of-the-house solutions to improve their ho...
Dan Rowe, CEO and founder of Fransmart, and 35-plus-year-industry vet, joins QSR Uncut this week for a special episode exploring what it takes to grow, the state of concept creation, how franchising is evolving, and much more. We explore some of the stories behind CAVA, Five Guys, QDOBA, and what founders and emerging brands should look for before deciding it's time to expand.
How is regulation affecting the industry? Where is...
Can a brand based around beignets scale? We step into the unique concept with its cofounder and CEO, Fabrice Alce, to explore developing a fast casual from the roots, what it takes to start looking ahead, and how leadership changes from the early days to the evolution.
The legacy pizza buffet has posted a strong year despite the odds, leaning into a fresh approach of value-based branding and promotions. From a record-breaking loyalty launch that turned back the clock on pricing, with sales jumping nearly 30 percent in two days, to how Cicis is evolving its voice, Hestel shares why tapping into your roots and adjusting strategy along the way can lead to gains in a challenging consumer climate.
Back in March, F&B Capital, a new capital markets firm focused on advising and supporting concepts across the franchise ecosystem, emerged into the space. This isn’t your average vehicle. Zack Fishman and Jimmy Frischling, who you may best know, respectively, from Fishman PR and Branded Hospitality, joined forces to fill a need they identified. We’ll get into this venture and how it plans to tap into longstanding en...
Jennifer Durham, SVP of franchising and development at Potbelly, joins QSR Uncut to discuss the sandwich chain’s next act after its blockbuster $566 million deal to RaceTrac. One of the most-intriguing deals in recent quick-service memory brought a cult-favorite fast casual into the network of a retail giant. What does that mean for future development? Integration? Durham shares her perspective and how Potbelly will strategic...
Beginning inside a Holiday Inn hotel kitchen in Tacoma, Washington, Secret Burger Kitchen has taken a fervent following and developed a brand ready to scale. CEO and cofounder Paul Sandhu joins QSR Uncut to share how the upstart concept teamed with some of the industry’s top minds to formulate a blueprint for expansion, what it’s doing to win over guests in a burger category full of competitors, and why you might just b...
BML Public Relations president and CEO Brian Lowe returns to QSR Uncut after one of our most-listened to episodes to unpack what restaurants need to know about today’s mainstream media landscape. Learn why big, stunty creative engineered for national coverage is OUT. Why spokesperson-driven tips and hyper-local promotions are IN. The power of human-interest stories. How to make a brand splash in an attention-strapped world. T...
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