Food Focus Podcast

We begin with possibly the main food-related story of the week, as Buffalo Wild Wings enters into a preliminary agreement with Roark to be taken private. We continue with news of bolstered restaurant sales during Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and finish off the show with discussion of Campbell Soup and a glance at Chipotle’s future.

We go all bakery in the first half of the Food Focus, as Flowers Foods and Hostess both release quarterly earnings…we discuss differences between the two, and why one might be on better footing than the other going forward. After discussing Craft Brew Alliance’s recent earnings call, we turn our attention to Whole Foods’ list of projected food trends for 2018, and which may actually have a food industry impact for years to come.

We start with Papa John’s and an earnings call that referenced the NFL over 40 times as an explanation for slower-than-expected growth. Meanwhile, BJ’s slows down their construction of new locations in an effort to focus on their existing restaurants while The Cheesecake Factory hits the throttle on new development in the fourth quarter.

Both Del Taco and Chipotle name one food input that is hurting their margins, and it’s dark green and bumpy. We discuss this and other information from each company’s earnings report before looking at the new proposed value platform from McDonald’s and the complexity behind lease agreements that may hinder Whole Foods unlocking some synergies with Amazon

After several quarters of closures and shrinking sales, Ruby Tuesday finds a buyer for their concept; we compare this deal to other recent deals for struggling FSRs. Meanwhile, Captain D’s sees white space in seafood, Sonic tries to find reasons for stalling same-restaurant sales, and Muscle Maker Grill seeks funding at a time when their balance sheet is only lifting the bar.

Halo Top launches a line of dairy-free frozen desserts in an effort to stake down even more market share—we frame their expansion through the overall trend of dairy-free products. PepsiCo continues to attempt to straddle the past and the present, and Monsanto sees an increase in seed demand in the midst of a proposed merger. We close with Taco Day promotions in the U.S., and reviews of a new pizza chain and a West Coast beer.

Cracker Barrel releases their most recent earnings report, but beyond that, we look into some signals the company may be sending with their messages during the earnings call. We also look into Farmer Brothers’ increased partnerships as a potential future revenue driver, Walmart’s rollout of EBT payment acceptance in two sample markets, and Albertsons’ acquisition of meal kit delivery service Plated.

We begin with a major story from Brinker International, as they announce cuts to 40% of their current menu in an effort to simplify their offerings. We discuss whether this may actually work to boost sales, and potential hurdles for Starbucks’ latest development in cold-pressed espresso. We round out our show with legal news regarding Kroger & Lidl, and a look at El Pollo Loco’s latest LTO.

Dave & Buster’s earnings were released this week, and we discuss the increasing chasm between entertainment and food in their business model. After a Swiss chocolatier releases the first new natural chocolate color since the 1930s, we look at dynamics of a suddenly struggling chocolate industry. We close with two NBA-related stories, as the owner of Landry’s agrees to buy the Houston Rockets and a former NBA player opens up a QSR inside…Walmart?

Although J.M. Smucker saw increased sales in the pet category, Folgers and other legacy brands are beginning to hold the food manufacturer back. We discuss possible solutions, before discussing Dominos’ short partnership with Ford to explore self-driving delivery vehicles. We wrap up with a look at fall flavor challenges to pumpkin spice and a Hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego.

We lead with Zoe’s Kitchen earnings, and a clearer picture of anticipated openings for 2018 that falls short of analyst expectations. We discuss why Zoe’s may be right to limit growth, and also how a new partnership between Walmart and Kroger may be beneficial for all parties involved. Finally, mushroom sales are on the rise as demand is up and volumes are down: we explore the edible fungus market to close the show.

The announcement of closures for DineEquity’s two brands—Applebee’s and IHOP—leads our show, along with their direction forward under new leadership. We touch on two buyouts of craft beer companies, with one purchase by a beer giant and another by a craft consortium. Our show rounds out with coverage of Taco Bell’s latest LTO innovations and potentially positive news from Famous Dave’s.

After beginning our show by glancing at Shake Shack’s recent struggles (and why warning signs lurk for the up-and-coming chain), we turn our attention to two pizza QSRs. First, Little Caesars, as they partner with a technology giant to boost customer optionality and reduce in-store wait times. Then, Papa John’s, as they roll out a gluten-free crust in all locations nationwide.

Dunkin’ Brands earnings lead off our podcast, and we look closely at an upcoming reimaging program that may impact Dunkin’ locations throughout the country. After a brief glance at Del Taco’s own queso rollout, we explore Starbucks’ intent to close all Teavana locations and search for areas of positive momentum in the distilled spirits industry with Diageo’s annual report as a guide.

We begin with a story on everyone’s mind in the food industry: McDonald’s destroys analyst expectations on every front, and in their earnings call reveals some interesting suggestions about what might be next for the QSR giant. We connect last month’s story about egg prices to Cal-Maine’s lackluster earnings, hop over to Chipotle’s earnings call, and finish with an update on the Kroger-Lidl legal proceedings.

We first glance into how Subway’s store refresh program—including kiosks—may affect franchisees as they debate whether or not to make the immediate splash into a store redesign. Additionally, it was an up and down Tuesday for Chipotle, who saw negative headlines thanks to norovirus but has the momentum of queso on their side. We close by discussing a massive hot dog recall and potential looming financial woes at Bravo Brio.

After Pepsico’s earnings release this week, it becomes apparent that diversification is the key to the company’s modest growth, even if management doesn’t buy into the anti-sugar trend among consumers. We also discuss new plans for re-expansion at an original fast-casual burger chain, Maxwell House’s efforts to attract millennials, and more acquisition for Campbell Soup.

McCormick releases their second quarter earnings and beats on profit—we take a look at how aggressive acquisitions by the company has them positioned for further growth. The Brewers Association releases a new seal for exclusive use by craft breweries, and Southeastern U.S. peach growers see dramatic crop reductions—we discuss industry impacts (or potential lack thereof) of both.

As Darden once again surpasses Wall Street expectations, we look to their earnings call and J.P. Morgan research as to reasons for their continued success. Additionally, General Mills shows signs of weakness, particularly in organics and yogurt, while competitor Kellogg’s teams up with fast-casual Southwestern eatery Moe’s for a new line of pre-packaged breakfast bowls.

We lead off the show by dissecting the newly public Blue Apron financials in advance of their desired IPO, and talk about their ability to hold off both other startups in their space and brick-and-mortar imitators. After discussing Bob Evans’ earnings, we jump into the MillerCoors rollout of Zima, and why it might be a bad idea to structure the return of the drink as an LTO.