How do brands operate in a price-sensitive restaurant market?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Juan Martinez, the principal and founder of the consulting firm Profitality.

We periodically have Martinez on the podcast when we’re concerned about profits and, well, this is one of those times.

Consumers are frustrated by rising restaurant prices and are cutting back on dining frequency. Restaurants don’t have pricing power and are about to enter a value war. That could squeeze margins for some time.

How do you operate through that, particularly when many restaurants have already spent a lot of time cutting costs as it is?

Martinez and I talk about this challenge and what operators can do about it. We talk about value and what exactly that means in this day and age.

We’re talking about operating in a tough environment, so please check it out.

What are the restaurant industry’s biggest concerns right now?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Scott Redler, the co-founder of Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers.

We spoke with Scott at the National Restaurant Show in May and we chatted on a variety of issues. We wanted to talk with him about some of the bigger concerns in the industry right now, given regulatory efforts such as the $20 fast-food wage in California and other issues. I also wanted to talk about the overall operating environment, as many restaurants are struggling with weak traffic.

Scott has been busy in the three years since he and his co-founders sold a majority stake in Freddy’s to Thompson Street Capital Partners. We talk about what he’s been doing since then, including his role as the former chair of the National Restaurant Association.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation with the co-founder of Freddy’s on A Deeper Dive so please have a listen.

How can restaurant chains survive in this market?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features longtime industry executive James Walker.

At the moment, Walker has multiple titles. He is the chief culinary and concept officer for Experiential Brands, a concept creation engine that has created brands such as the Original Hot Chicken, Inked Tacos and Pinsa Roman Pizza.

He is also the CEO of Frisch’s Restaurants, the family-dining brand.

We talked with Walker at the National Restaurant Show last month, and it was a wide-ranging conversation. We talked with him about Frisch’s and his new concepts.

But we also got into a discussion on the state of the industry. Traffic has been down throughout the industry amid high prices, but plenty of chains, like Wingstop, Sweetgreen and many others, have done just fine. And plenty of hot independent restaurants remain tough to get into.

We talk about that and what differentiates the winners and the losers.

We’re talking all things restaurants on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.