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…
Why does everyone suddenly love Kansas City? Suzie Tsai says Bonchon fans keep asking for Kansas City, and somehow the conversation turns into Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, red and white, and Chiefs fever. #HospitalityHangout #Bonchon #TaylorSwift #KansasCity
Are you tipping your Uber driver? Suzie Tsai says her 5.0 Uber rating might have something to do with being a good tipper, even if the finance team has questions. #HospitalityHangout #Bonchon #UberRating #Tipping
Why is Sonic ice so good? John Kelly confirms people love Sonic’s famous ice so much they buy it by the bag. Nugget ice, pellet ice, hospital ice, whatever you call it, Sonic ice has a real following. #HospitalityHangout #SonicDriveIn #SonicIce #FastFood
Why is Bonchon chicken so crispy? Suzie Tsai tells the story of founder Jinduk Seo, the double-fried chicken method, the signature sauces, and why every piece gets hand-brushed instead of drowned in sauce. #HospitalityHangout #Bonchon #KoreanFriedChicken #CrispyChicken
Sonic has over 1 million drink combos, carhops at every order, made-to-order Smashers, and 3,500 drive-ins across America. John Kelly explains why Sonic still feels different from regular fast food, and why crazy drinks are still one of the brand’s biggest superpowers. #HospitalityHangout #SonicDriveIn #SonicDrinks #FastFood
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.
800 Bonchon restaurants in America? Suzie Tsai says Bonchon’s latest U.S. study shows room for major growth, with more Korean fried chicken restaurants planned in markets that still do not have Bonchon yet. #HospitalityHangout #Bonchon #KoreanFriedChicken #RestaurantGrowth
Is kimchi replacing Ozempic? Absolutely not. Suzie Tsai of Bonchon jokes about the “Bonchon Kimchi Diet”: bacon kimchi bowls, kimchi and water, three kids, and apparently no Peloton or Pilates required. #HospitalityHangout #Bonchon #Kimchi #Ozempic
Branded Cocktails & Connections at Prosper 2026 — Fireworks, Live Band & the Best Night in Hospitality
Kimchi and bacon over rice or noodles, stir-fried and topped with a fried egg? Suzie Tsai of Bonchon explains the bacon kimchi combo that sounds dangerous in the best way. #HospitalityHangout #Bonchon #Kimchi #KoreanFood
Would you dip fries in a Frosty? Bruce Nelson plays Hot or Not with Spam, mocktails, protein everything, pickle-flavored everything, private dining clubs, music festivals turning into food festivals, cloud-based POS, and fractional CFOs writing books. #HospitalityHangout #HotOrNot #FrostyFries #FoodTrends
Viral food trends on TikTok and Instagram do not last forever. Suzie Tsai of Bonchon says the K-food trend is exciting, but the real foundation is still Korean fried chicken, Korean dishes, and a core menu that delivers every day. #HospitalityHangout #Bonchon #KoreanFriedChicken #FoodTrends
Which weird food headline is fake: emotional support mozzarella sticks, Baskin-Robbins turkey dinner ice cream, or IKEA recipes written like furniture instructions? Bruce Nelson takes a swing at Hospitality Headlines, and somehow turkey ice cream is real. #HospitalityHangout #FoodNews #MozzarellaSticks #BaskinRobbins
Bruce Nelson tries to define a sandwich. Then one word changes everything: bun. #HospitalityHangout #SandwichDebate #HotDog #FoodDebate
Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group says restaurant technology has to get the basics right. Take the order. Send it to the kitchen. Run the card. Track labor. Put the money in the bank. #HospitalityHangout #BruceNelson #RestaurantPOS #RestaurantTech
Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group used to teach knife skills. Jimmy may need the beginner class: dicing, slicing, julienne, and not throwing the knives. #HospitalityHangout #BruceNelson #TempoHospitalityGroup #KnifeSkills
Hot or Not with Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group. Cloud-based POS? Insane. Fractional CFOs? Very hot. Fractional CFOs writing books? Bruce says not hot. #HospitalityHangout #BruceNelson #TempoHospitalityGroup #HotOrNot
Quickfire with Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group. His Hazelwood go-to, why Chicago is one of his favorite food cities, and the most practical last Google search possible. #HospitalityHangout #BruceNelson #TempoHospitalityGroup #Hazelwood
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…
Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group learned restaurant math the hard way. At 22, he copied a competitor’s menu, priced everything a dollar cheaper, and found out why menu pricing can make or break a restaurant. #HospitalityHangout #TempoHospitalityGroup #RestaurantFinance #MenuPricing
Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group says AI is brilliant for restaurant analytics, reporting, and auditing between systems. But the line is clear: AI should never get between the restaurant and the customer. #HospitalityHangout #TempoHospitalityGroup #RestaurantAI #Hospitality
Scott Lawton started as a 16-year-old busboy, worked 70-hour restaurant weeks, helped build bartaco, and lived the full hospitality hustle. #HospitalityHangout #bartaco #ScottLawton #HospitalityHustler