The Hospitality Hangout
Join Michael Schatzberg aka Schatzy (The Restaurant Guy) and Jimmy Frischling (The Finance Guy) on The Hospitality Hangout as they explore hospitality, food service, and investment trends while connecting with industry leaders. Each week, receive insider insights and funny stories that shape the hospitality landscape. They live at the intersection of hospitality, food service, technology, and investment, connecting the biggest players and boldest ideas shaping the industry. Each week, they serve up funny, informative, and wildly entertaining conversations with the insiders who are leading a new era of hospitality. From emerging brands and breakthrough tech to industry trends and restaurant success stories, no topic is off the table. It’s where the who’s who of hospitality hangs out – packed with expert insights, laugh-out-loud moments, and must-know trends that keep you ahead of the game. 🍽️ Tune in, grab a drink, and let’s talk shop! 🚀
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Welcome to the Hospitality Hangout
Join Michael Schatzberg (The Restaurant Guy) and Jimmy Frischling (The Finance Guy) on The Hospitality Hangout for bold, hilarious, and insight-packed conversations with the power players redefining hospitality. From hot trends and tech breakthroughs to behind-the-scenes stories, no topic is off the table.
Recent Episodes
155
Sept. 2, 2026
Hospitality Insiders: Nadeem Bajwa’s Journey From Pizza Delivery to Franchise Empire
Hospitality Insiders is a special segment inside Hospitality Hangout for deeper conversations with the people who own, operate, and scale restaurants. In this episode, Jimmy Frischling sits down with Nadeem Bajwa of Bajco Group to talk Papa Johns, franchise growth, delivery, technology, construction, people, and the discipline of running one restaurant hundreds of times.
154
Sept. 1, 2026
The Friday Feeling: Inside TGI Fridays’ Comeback
Ray Blanchette joins Hospitality Hangout to talk about capturing the Friday Feeling and rebuilding TGI Fridays for its next chapter. From potato skins and Jack Daniel’s ribs to menu upgrades, bar flair, off-premise, Olo, social media, mocktails, global growth, and the return of casual dining, this is the TGI Fridays comeback story.
153
Aug. 27, 2026
The 2 P.M. Snack Brand Taking Over Grocery Shelves
Jake Karls of Mid-Day Squares joins Hospitality Hangout to talk about the chocolate bar built for the 2 p.m. crash and the content strategy that made the brand impossible to ignore. From a condo kitchen to thousands of grocery stores, Jake shares how Mid-Day Squares used storytelling, social media, founder drama, Hershey buzz, food influencers, and loyal fans to turn functional chocolate into a movement.
152
Aug. 25, 2026
The SONIC Way: Custom Drinks, Drive-Ins and Doing It Their Way
SONIC Brand President John Kelly joins Hospitality Hangout to talk custom drinks, dirty soda, drive-in culture, SONIC ice, tots, loyalty, AI, and why SONIC still feels different after more than 70 years. This one is about nostalgia, weirdness, beverages, and building a QSR brand that knows exactly what it is.
150
Aug. 18, 2026
Why Busy Restaurants Still Fail: Bruce Nelson on the Math Behind Profit
Bruce Nelson, founder of Tempo Hospitality Group and author of Restaurant Management: The Myth, the Magic, the Math, explains why busy restaurants can still fail if the math does not work. From menu pricing and cash flow to POS data, AI analytics, fractional CFO services, and restaurant profitability, this episode breaks down what operators need to know to manage profit, not just expenses.
149
Aug. 11, 2026
Maui Roots, San Diego Hustle: The Kalei’s Kitchenette Story
Kalei’s Kitchenette grew from a farmers market table into a San Diego Hawaiian food and catering brand rooted in Maui flavors, Filipino hospitality, and family-owned grit. Co-founder Khara Mangiduyos shares how she and Chef Andy built Kalei’s around Huli Huli chicken, Spam musubi, Kalua pork, catering, community, and the aloha spirit, while using technology to help a small restaurant operate like a bigger brand.
Recent Blog Posts
Sept. 3, 2026
Restaurant Loyalty ROI 2026: Real Numbers FAQ for Operators
Restaurant loyalty ROI is the question every operator asks before signing up for another platform: what does it cost, what do I get back, and how do I prove it? This FAQ answers the real questions people are searching, with the numbers we found this…
Sept. 3, 2026
Voice AI Ordering FAQ: Your Top Drive-Thru Questions Answered
Voice AI ordering is one of the most-searched restaurant technology topics of 2026, and operators keep asking the same practical questions. This FAQ answers them directly, with the numbers we found this week, as a companion to our main guide on the …
Sept. 3, 2026
Restaurant Loyalty Personalization 2026: An Operator's Playbook
Restaurant loyalty programs used to be a nice-to-have punch card. In 2026, they are a retention engine, and the ones that win look nothing like a blanket 10%-off blast. The shift is clear: generic discounts are out, and personalization built on real…
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