Financing

How independent restaurants handle labor pressure

This week’s episode of "A Deeper Dive" features R.J. Melman, president of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.
Photograph courtesy of RPM Steak, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises

A Deeper Dive

How do the largest and most successful restaurant companies handle the rising cost of labor?

This week’s edition of Restaurant Business' podcast, "A Deeper Dive," is all about RB's Top 100 Independents ranking.

It features an interview with R.J. Melman, president of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, a large, Chicago-based creator and operator of independent restaurants.

Melman spends time with RB Executive Editor Sara Rush Wirth to talk about how his restaurants handle labor pressure, as well as a wide range of other topics affecting restaurants in 2018.

Wirth and RB Executive Editor Jonathan Maze also discuss how independent restaurants are winning the battle for customers this year.

Please have a listen.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

In Red Lobster, a symbol of the challenges with casual dining

The Bottom Line: Consumers have shifted dining toward convenience or occasions, and that has created havoc for full-service restaurant chains. How can these companies get customers back?

Financing

Crumbl may be the next frozen yogurt, or the next Krispy Kreme

The Bottom Line: With word that the chain’s unit volumes took a nosedive last year, its future, and that of its operators, depends on what the brand does next.

Technology

4 things we learned in a wild week for restaurant tech

Tech Check: If you blinked, you may have missed three funding rounds, two acquisitions, a “never-before-seen” new product and a bold executive poaching. Let’s get caught up.

Trending

More from our partners