Hospitality Hangout

18 episodes scanned. 7% of ad slots promote the show's own products.

Recent Episodes

1. Einstein Bros., Bruegger’s, Noah’s and Manhattan: Four Takes on the Morning Bagel

   Nov 3, 2026

   Adam Modzel, chief operating officer of Bagel Brands, discusses how the company runs Einstein Bros., Bruegger's, Noah's New York Bagels, and Manhattan Bagel under one roof. The conversation covers his path from Starbucks barista to COO, the company's menu simplification after COVID, its shortened breakfast-only hours as a recruiting tool, and a consumer study on what customers mean by a 'New York bagel.' The episode is a lighthearted segment recorded at the QSR Evolution Conference, with rapid-fire questions about bagel preferences.

2. The Foodfluencers: One Trick Pony on Becoming Your Favorite Peanut Butter

   Oct 29, 2026

   Lucy Dana, co-founder and CEO of One Trick Pony, explains how a peanut butter brand grew out of a family wedding trip to Argentina and a supply need at her brother's bagel delis, Call Your Mother. The conversation covers the upside-down jar designed to address oil separation, the brand's one-product focus and bold packaging, and how organic TikTok taste tests drove sustained sales. Hosts Michael Schatzberg and Jimmy Frischling also touch on retail distribution, dog-food and flavor-extension requests, and collaborations with restaurants and food brands.

3. Mellow Mushroom Refuses to Be Just Another Pizza Chain

   Oct 27, 2026

   Ahsan Jiva, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Transformation at Mellow Mushroom, talks with hosts Michael Schatzberg and Jimmy Frischling about his path from management consulting to the restaurant business. The conversation covers Mellow's shift toward counter-service locations, the planned Mellow Mushroom Rewards loyalty program, and kitchen display technology for more accurate wait times. Jiva also discusses the brand's art, merchandise and local personality, and explains why he would not pursue shared ghost kitchens.

4. The Foodfluencers: Gato Dates Went From Shabbat Dinner to Erewhon

   Oct 22, 2026

   Gato Dates co-founders Tonya Reznikovich and Gabriella "Gabi" Labi describe how a homemade chocolate-covered date dessert served at a Shabbat dinner became a packaged snack brand built on Medjool dates and nut butters. They cover the brand's launch at Los Angeles farmers markets, its zero-dollar marketing budget and collaborations with brands such as Seed + Mill and Coconut Cult, and its placement in Erewhon and roughly 300 stores. The conversation also touches on plans for cafés, hotels, and gifting, and on the hosts' playful debate over Instagram versus TikTok.

5. Farrelli’s Pizza and Why People Come Back for More Than the Pizza

   Oct 20, 2026

   Clayton Krueger, Chief Marketing Officer of Farrelli's Pizza, talks about rising from dishwasher at 16 to CMO at the family-run Northwest-style pizza chain. The conversation covers the brand's thicker, slower-baked pie, its finishers such as honey cream cheese, and the Pizza of the Month competition between kitchen leaders. The hosts and guest also discuss the company's culture as a family business, its Pizza Today award, and how restaurant technology such as phone answering and POS handhelds should improve guest hospitality. The episode was recorded live at the QSR conference in Atlanta.

6. The Foodfluencers: Why Alice Mushrooms Wants You to Eat Chocolate Every Day

   Oct 15, 2026

   Charlotte Cruze, co-founder of Alice Mushrooms, discusses building a functional mushroom chocolate supplement brand, from her background in media and food studies to co-founding the company with pharmaceutical executive Lindsay Goodstein during the pandemic. The conversation covers the brand's product line (Nightcap, Brainstorm, Happy Ending), its social media and influencer approach, food service pop-ups, and its $8 million Series A funding. The hosts also touch on the regulatory landscape for supplements and the differences between functional and psychedelic mushrooms.

7. No Child Should Go Hungry: Billy Shore on Building Something Bigger Than Yourself

   Oct 13, 2026

   Billy Shore, founder and executive chair of Share Our Strength, joins the Hospitality Hangout live from the Prosper Forum to discuss building the No Kid Hungry campaign and the organization's history since its 1984 founding. The conversation covers how Share Our Strength brings together restaurants, corporations, government, and other partners around childhood hunger, and the upcoming Restaurant Week for Kids initiative. Shore also discusses his book The Cathedral Within and the idea of working on a problem larger than oneself.

8. The Foodfluencers: Free the Hummus With Little Sesame’s Nick Wiseman

   Oct 8, 2026

   Nick Wiseman, co-founder of Little Sesame, traces the brand's path from a 500-square-foot basement hummus pop-up beneath his DGS deli in Washington, D.C. to a packaged grocery product in roughly 4,000 stores. He describes how COVID-era hand-packed pints led to a Whole Foods opportunity, and how a year of food-science work and high-pressure processing made a clean-label, shelf-stable hummus possible. The conversation also covers foodservice distribution, seasonal flavors, a planned Yellow Bird hot sauce collaboration, and Little Sesame's social media approach.

9. Greg Zamfotis on Community, Coffee and Gregorys’ Next Chapter

   Oct 6, 2026

   Gregory Zamfotis, founder and CEO of Gregorys Coffee, discusses the evolution of his New York-based coffee brand from a single Manhattan location in 2006 to 50+ cafes today, including expansion into national franchising via partnership with Craveworthy Brands. He emphasizes the coffeehouse as a community gathering place beyond product, explores adjacencies like matcha and protein offerings, and discusses Gregorys' adoption of Olo's second-party ordering platform to better understand customer data and personalization. Zamfotis also shares his involvement with No Kid Hungry's advisory board and upcoming restaurant week fundraising efforts.

10. The Foodfluencers: Before Food Influencers Had a Name | Jackie Gebel of No Leftovers

    Oct 1, 2026

    Jackie Gabel, founder of No Leftovers, traces her journey from a restaurant recommendation email list in 2012 to becoming one of the original food influencers with 347,000 Instagram followers. The episode covers her early days using Foursquare, her move to Tel Aviv where she created restaurant guides out of necessity, and her transition to full-time content creation after landing major brand deals with Absolut Vodka and tourism boards. Gabel discusses the evolution of food influencing from Instagram's early days through monetization, her philosophy on authenticity in sponsored content, and how she built a career before "food influencer" was even a job title.