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Restaurant Rewind

`Those who don’t know their history are destined to relive it', to riff on the words of a famed philosopher. For anyone in the restaurant business, that oft-quoted saying may be more of a heartening promise than a dire admonition. The industry’s past is packed with tales of scoundrels and heroes, big thinkers and pinheads, colossal successes and dismal failures, breakthrough moves and self-inflicted destruction. Few soap operas pack as much color and drama. Yet those yellowed snapshots provide insights relevant to the challenges of today. Join Peter Romeo, a 41-year veteran of the business with a penchant for restaurant history, as he explores those pivotal moments from the past. 

Leadership

If you don't know the name 'Joe Lee,' stop right now and listen

 By Peter Romeo on Jul. 25, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: He was a key force in the creation of what we now know as casual dining. You've likely read the latest on Red Lobster. Here's the person who made it an icon.

Marketing

Good thing Paul McCartney didn't live to see these restaurant tales take hold

 By Peter Romeo on Jul. 18, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: The industry has dealt with its share of ridiculous myths over the years. Here's a look at some of the outrageous lies that were eventually swatted down.

Marketing

Think we're seeing deep discounts today? Here's when the price shifts really hit the fan

By Peter Romeo on Jul. 11, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: Even all these years later, the semi-permanent bargains that Taco Bell and McDonald's embraced in the '80s and '90s still astound.

Operations

Looking for relief from inflation? History taught us this isn't the remedy

By Peter Romeo on Jun. 26, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: President Nixon figured he could put a rein on soaring prices and wages with a stroke of his pen. There's a reason it was dubbed the Nixon Shock.

Leadership

Maybe restaurateurs need to worry about their own health more

By Peter Romeo on Jun. 20, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: Recent tragedies once again underscore how wearing the lifestyle can be. From time to time, the industry has awakened to that reality. Maybe this is one of those times.

Marketing

Thermometers say its time to give air conditioning its due

By Peter Romeo on Jun. 13, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: Never mind AI. Here's the technology that'll really matter, starting this week and continuing through the summer. This week's episode looks at the machinery's beginnings and a few moments when it brought change to the business.

Marketing

How Domino's broke new ground with a tell-all ad campaign

By Peter Romeo on Jun. 06, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: Few other chains have dared be as forthcoming about product quality as the pizza chain was. Now it's taking the opposite track. How's that likely to go?

Marketing

Here's why restaurant chains are selling one another's products

By Peter Romeo on May 30, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: The lines between segments aren't the only traditional boundaries that are being smudged in today's competitive environment. Contrary to the old rules, concepts are tapping the drawing power of competitors for share of stomach.

Marketing

Never mind Endless Shrimp. How about all the booze you can hold?

By Peter Romeo on May 23, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: There was a time 50 years or so ago when the big come-on for a flurry of new restaurant chains was the promise of unlimited beer and wine. What could go wrong?

Leadership

The restaurant business has produced its share of criminals, including these

By Peter Romeo on May 16, 2024

Restaurant Rewind: Here's why several prominent chain CEOs got a firsthand exposure to prison foodservice.

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