Browse every Hospitality Hangout episode featuring conversations with restaurant executives, hospitality innovators, and emerging industry leaders.

Einstein Bros. and Bruegger’s share a company, but the bagels are a different story. Bagel Brands COO Adam Modzel joins Schatzy and Jimmy in Atlanta to talk about what he learned behind the counter at Starbucks, why the words “New York bagel” make people hungry, and which bagel actually sells best at Einstein Bros.

A wedding in Argentina, a first order from Call Your Mother and a peanut butter jar worth turning upside down. One Trick Pony co-founder and CEO Lucy Dana joins Hospitality Hangout’s The Foodfluencers to talk about better peanut butter, organic TikTok buzz and making something people come back to buy again.

Mellow Mushroom’s next chapter includes counter service, better pizza ordering and plans for rewards beyond free food. Ahsan Jiva joins Schatzy and Jimmy on Hospitality Hangout to talk psychedelic art, Holy Shiitake, Mellow Rollz and keeping the brand’s personality as it evolves. Recorded on location in Atlanta.

Gato Dates began with a Shabbat dinner dessert Tonya couldn’t stop requesting. Founders Gabriella “Gabi” Labi and Tonya Reznikovich join Hospitality Hangout’s The Foodfluencers to talk chocolate-covered dates, their path to Erewhon, creative collaborations and building a following without paid ads. Plus, the Snickers debate and their dream dessert collaborations.

From dishwasher at 16 to CMO of Farrelli’s Pizza, Clayton Krueger joins Schatzy and Jimmy on location in Atlanta to talk Northwest-style pizza, unexpected toppings and the family culture behind the brand. Plus: honey cream cheese drizzle, restaurant tech and the Pizzawich debate. Presented by Pizza Cloud.

What if your daily supplement tasted like chocolate? Charlotte Cruze, co-founder of Alice Mushrooms, joins Hospitality Hangout’s Foodfluencers series to talk about building a functional mushroom brand that sits somewhere between wellness, food, beauty and indulgence. Before Alice, Charlotte spent years in media and branded content before earning a master’s degree in Food Studies and moving into early-stage consumer food brands. Her co-founder, Lindsay Goodstein, came from the pharmaceutical industry and had become frustrated with a supplement category dominated by pills, bitter tinctures, clumpy powders and products people did not enjoy taking. #AliceMushrooms #FunctionalMushrooms #TheFoodfluencers #HospitalityHangout

Billy Shore, founder and executive chair of Share Our Strength, joins Hospitality Hangout to talk about building the No Kid Hungry movement and why the restaurant industry can play such a powerful role in ending childhood hunger. Billy shares how Share Our Strength grew from a $2,000 credit card advance into a national movement, why chefs have more power to create change than they often realize, and previews the upcoming Restaurant Week for Kids initiative.

Nick Wiseman, co-founder of Little Sesame, joins The Foodfluencers to talk about turning a 500-square-foot D.C. basement pop-up into a hummus brand sold in roughly 4,000 stores. The episode gets into Whole Foods, Sprouts, Sweetgreen, regenerative farming, food science, CPG growth, Yellowbird, Fly By Jing, truffle hummus and why Nick wants everyone to Free the Hummus.

Greg Zamfotis, founder and CEO of Gregorys Coffee, returns to Hospitality Hangout live from Prosper Forum to talk about taking a New York coffee brand national. Greg gets into specialty coffee, matcha, protein, drive-thrus, Olo, customer data, social-media hype and why community still matters as Gregorys grows beyond 50 locations.

Jackie Gebel was recommending restaurants before “food influencer” was really a job. On The Foodfluencers, the creator behind No Leftovers talks about the early days of food Instagram, Foursquare, restaurant PR, brand deals, comped meals, authenticity and how she has stayed trusted after more than a decade in the space.

IHOP President Lawrence Kim joins Hospitality Hangout live from Prosper Forum to talk about evolving one of America’s most iconic restaurant brands. Lawrence shares why IHOP is “68 years young,” what he learned working inside the restaurants, his anonymous visits to more than 150 locations, the $6 Value Menu, Dubai Chocolate Pancakes, loyalty, catering and why IHOP’s next chapter starts with understanding what guests already love.

Josh Beckerman does not cook. He has been eating at restaurants almost every day for more than two decades. On The Foodfluencers, the Foodie Magician talks New York restaurants, viral food trends, restaurant influencers, Taylor Swift, paid versus organic recommendations and how algorithms are changing where people eat. Then he puts his restaurant-themed mentalism to the test live in the studio.

Nigel Henry, Global Director of Operations at Yum! Brands, joins Hospitality Hangout to talk about what it takes to operate restaurant brands like Taco Bell, KFC and Habit Burger & Grill at global scale. Nigel gets into guest recovery, digital ordering, restaurant technology, operational data, team-member experience, cross-brand collaboration, Pizza Hut’s transition and why the best operations strategy still comes down to what happens with one guest in one restaurant.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Is your restaurant menu leaving money on the table? Amir Harpaz of The Mudpuppy explains how a seasonal dockside restaurant on Tellico Lake used AI menu engineering, menu psychology, POS data, and smarter restaurant technology to improve sales without simply raising prices. From Menu Mind to SpotOn integrations, this conversation looks at how independent operators can use AI and better systems to grow.