The Hospitality Hangout
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! 🚀
The Hospitality Hangout

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

159
Sept. 17, 2026

The Foodfluencers: Cassie Yeung on Viral Food, Gordon Ramsay and Reinvention

Cassie Yeung went from professional dancer to viral food creator, Gordon Ramsay competitor, and New York Times bestselling author. On Foodfluencers, she shares how a recipe she almost didn’t post became the viral carrot ribbon salad, why simple recipes win, and how social media is changing what all of us eat.
158
Sept. 15, 2026

Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s CMO on Building Awareness, Joy and Purpose

Tropical Smoothie Cafe CMO Deborah von Kutzleben joins Hospitality Hangout to talk about growing awareness to match the brand’s 1,700-plus cafe footprint. She shares how Tropical Smoothie Cafe is building bigger brand moments through smoothies, wraps, Disney partnerships, Banana Ball, No Kid Hungry, food innovation, influencer marketing and purpose-driven growth.
157
Sept. 10, 2026

How GOODLES Made Mac and Cheese for Grown-Ups | Foodfluencers

Jen Zeszut, co-founder and CEO of GOODLES, joins Hospitality Hangout’s Foodfluencers series to talk about making boxed mac and cheese for grown-ups. From more than 100 investor nos to Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, bold packaging, protein, fiber, prebiotics, 21 nutrients from plants, Target, Costco, Whole Foods, Amazon, and millions of new customers, Jen shares how GOODLES is bringing adults back to the mac aisle. Mac is back, baby.
156
Sept. 8, 2026

Jo Lambert on Olo’s Big Bet to Give Restaurants Their Guests Back

Olo COO Jo Lambert joins Hospitality Hangout to talk about the future of online ordering, loyalty, guest data, and the Olo App. This episode gets into second-party ordering, commission-free orders, Spendgo, AI, personalization, ghost kitchens, drone delivery, and how Olo is helping restaurants keep control of the guest relationship.
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.

Recent Blog Posts

Sept. 17, 2026

Restaurant Loyalty Programs FAQ: Your Top 2026 Retention Questions Answered

This restaurant loyalty programs FAQ answers the questions owners and guests keep searching in 2026, as discount-driven traffic fails to stick and operators look for repeat visits that last — a companion to our deeper look at QSR customer retention.…
Sept. 17, 2026

QSR Customer Retention in 2026: Why the Value Wars Are Buying Traffic, Not Loyalty

Quick-service brands spent 2026 fighting a discount war, and the receipts are in. The deals moved traffic, but they did not move loyalty — and for owners and C-suite operators, that distinction is now the single most important number on the board. Q…
Sept. 17, 2026

Immersive Dining FAQ: Your Top Experiential Restaurant Questions Answered

Immersive dining is one of the most-searched hospitality trends of 2026, and operators are asking the same practical questions guests are. Below are clear, data-backed answers to the questions people are actually typing into search — a companion to …