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! 🚀
Jan. 16, 2024

Toasting Your Partner In Crime and Ingredients for Restaurant Success! | Season 10, Vol. 18

In today's episode of Hospitality Hangout, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” are joined by Lance Trenary, President and CEO of Golden Corral Corporation, and Roy Gilad, Founder and CEO of Vitality Bowls.


Lance discusses how Golden Corral persevered through COVID shutdowns by innovating business models while maintaining quality and caring for staff and partners. Roy shares how he started Vitality Bowls because of his daughter's severe food allergies.


Listen to this episode to hear more about the role of technology like point-of-sale systems to enable service and efficiency, and the surprise capital of hard seltzer consumption!


Key Takeaways

  • [00:06 - 04:46] Live from RFDC Pt2 — Introducing Lance Trenary, President and CEO of Golden Corral
  • [04:49 - 09:29] Golden Corral, revived and regenerated after the pandemic through innovative pivots and taking care of employees
  • [05:47 - 09:29] Doing right by guests, seven new business models while fans waited for buffet to come back. Stronger now because of it. "Thank goodness God loves a buffet"
  • [09:31 - 12:21] Breaking News: Lance talks about introducing a new fast casual concept of Golden Corral, Homework Kitchen in Southern Pines North Carolina.
  • [10:15 - 11:48] COVID exposed Golden Corral's underbelly, Lance wanted to fix that weakness so Golden Corral will be around for at least a hundred more years
  • [12:21 - 14:07] Food Service Feud with Lance: Which type of business performs worst on Mondays?
  • [14:29 - 17:27] Branded Quickfire with Lance
  • [18:36 - 22:15] Introducing Roy Gilad, Founder & CEO of Vitality Bowls
  • [22:16 - 24:21] Roy talks about the secret sauce to his success. The secret is people.
  • [24:28 - 27:15] Vitality Bowls' tech stack — Schatzy's impromptu ad for Vitality Bowl, and why they use Toast POS
  • [27:15 - 29:14] Instant TVO Online Ordering and Loyalty, a golden ticket
  • [29:18 - 31:12] Supporting growing teams, doubling down on culture and alignment with franchisees
  • [31:13 - 33:35] Food Service Feud with Roy — Which state consumes the most amount of hard seltzer?
  • [33:42 - 36:46] Branded Quickfire with Roy

Episode Credits:

  • Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
  • Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, JImmy Frischling
  • Producer: Julie Zucker
  • Creative Director: Adam Levine
  • Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
  • Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

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