About The Hospitality Hangout
The Hospitality Hangout is one of the hospitality industry's leading podcasts, bringing together the people shaping the future of restaurants, foodservice, hospitality, technology, and consumer brands. Every week, we sit down with the CEOs, founders, operators, investors, marketers, and innovators driving the industry's biggest ideas and most important conversations.
Hosted by Michael "Schatzy" Schatzberg and Jimmy Frischling, Managing Partners at Branded Hospitality, the Hospitality Hangout goes beyond traditional interviews. Each episode delivers candid conversations, practical insights, and real-world experiences from the leaders building and transforming some of the world's most recognized hospitality brands.
Meet Your Hosts
Michael "Schatzy" Schatzberg
Michael "Schatzy" Schatzberg is the Founder and Managing Partner of Branded Hospitality, an investment, advisory, and media platform focused exclusively on the hospitality industry. A lifelong entrepreneur and connector, Schatzy has spent his career helping restaurant brands, technology companies, investors, and operators build meaningful relationships and accelerate growth.
Known throughout the industry as "The Restaurant Guy," Schatzy combines decades of experience with an unmatched network across restaurants, hospitality technology, foodservice, and venture capital. His passion for storytelling and authentic conversations has helped make The Hospitality Hangout one of the industry's most trusted podcasts, with hundreds of interviews featuring the leaders shaping hospitality today.
Jimmy Frischling
Jimmy Frischling is a Managing Partner at Branded Hospitality and is widely known as "The Finance Guy." Before joining Branded, Jimmy spent more than two decades on Wall Street, building a career in institutional sales and capital markets before bringing his financial expertise to the hospitality industry.
Today, Jimmy works with hospitality technology companies, restaurant brands, founders, and investors while helping audiences better understand the business behind hospitality. His perspective on finance, technology, payments, operations, and growth complements Schatzy's operator-first approach, creating conversations that are equal parts insightful, educational, and entertaining.
About the Podcast
Since launching, the Hospitality Hangout has produced 400+ episodes featuring executives from companies including Five Guys, Chipotle, Jersey Mike's, Shake Shack, Chili's, PepsiCo Foodservice, DailyPay, and hundreds of other brands influencing the future of hospitality.
Our conversations cover every corner of the industry, including:
- Restaurant leadership and operations
- Hospitality technology and artificial intelligence
- Marketing and brand growth
- Franchising and multi-unit expansion
- Customer experience and loyalty
- Payments and fintech
- Labor, staffing, and workforce innovation
- Food trends and consumer behavior
- Entrepreneurship and restaurant investment
The Hospitality Hangout is produced by Branded Hospitality, an investment, advisory, and media platform dedicated to connecting the hospitality ecosystem through content, community, and strategic partnerships. Through Branded's media network, events, newsletters, and digital storytelling, the podcast reaches hospitality professionals, restaurant operators, founders, investors, and decision-makers across the industry.
More than just a podcast, the Hospitality Hangout has become a trusted destination for hospitality leaders looking to stay informed, discover new ideas, and hear directly from the people building the industry's future. Every episode is designed to educate, inspire, and create meaningful conversations that move hospitality forward.
Whether you're a restaurant executive, technology founder, operator, investor, marketer, or someone passionate about hospitality, you'll find valuable insights, actionable strategies, and authentic stories from the people shaping the business every day.
Welcome to the Hospitality Hangout, where hospitality's biggest conversations happen.