Videos
Restaurant Leaders Unite at the NYSE for No Kid Hungry
Inside the New York Stock Exchange with No Kid Hungry as restaurant leaders, chefs, and hospitality brands come together to support the fight against childhood hunger. From Toast to some of the biggest names in hospitality, the message was simple: no kid should go hungry.
Happy International Pickle Day
Happy international Pickle Day to one of the most talked about foods on The Hospitality Hangout.
Why Hockey Is the BEST Sport to Watch Live!
Is Hockey the BEST Sport to Watch Live? 🏒 Let us know in the comments. From Dallas to Vegas, the conversation dives into how NHL teams turned nontraditional markets into diehard hockey cities — and why even casual fans fall in love with the sport after going to a game.
What If Fast Casual Restaurants Could Open in Days Instead of Months?
Could modular restaurants become the future of fast casual? In this conversation on Hospitality Hangout, Neel Patel explains how Quiznos is experimenting with fully prefabricated restaurant units designed to open dramatically faster than traditional builds. The concept: • Small footprint • Drive-thru capable • Walk-up window • Delivered prefabricated •…
Is Claude AI King for Restaurants?
How are restaurant brands actually using AI right now? In this conversation on Hospitality Hangout, Neel Patel explains how modern hospitality companies are building AI workflows to operate faster, organize better, and think more strategically. One surprising takeaway: Different AI models are becoming specialized tools for different tasks. Image generation.…
How Quiznos Changed Sandwiches Forever
Before ranch, chipotle mayo, and bold sauces became standard at sandwich shops… there was Quiznos. In this conversation on Hospitality Hangout, Neel Patel explains how Quiznos helped reshape fast casual sandwiches in the 1990s and early 2000s by pushing flavor innovation far beyond the standard mayo and mustard model. Now…
Quiznos CEO Neel Patel Weighs In on the Sandwich Debate
What actually makes something a sandwich? 🤔 During this hilarious conversation on Hospitality Hangout, Neel Patel of Quiznos jumps into one of the internet’s greatest food debates after a Michelin-starred chef offered a surprising definition: “It depends how you hold it.” So… is a burrito a sandwich? What about a…
NYC’s Hottest Chefs Took Over The CIA Gala
We went behind the scenes at the CIA Annual Leadership Awards and the energy was absolutely unreal. Top chefs, VIPs, incredible dishes, and one very important debate: Is a bagel actually a sandwich? 👀 From smoked trout and turnip mousse to buttery potato pancakes, this night brought together some of…
Mel Brooks, AI Photo Saves & Bartender Hustles | Hospitality Hangout Live at RLC
Live from the Restaurant Leadership Conference, the crew from Hospitality Hangout Podcast is back with stories, laughs, restaurant industry banter, and one absolutely legendary Mel Brooks disaster story. From AI-generated photos saves to bartender psychology and the infamous missing celebrity photo, this clip is a fun teaser of everything coming…
How Quiznos Is Attempting One of the Biggest Restaurant Comebacks in America
In this episode of Hospitality Hangout, hosts Michael “Schatzy” Schatzberg and Jimmy Frischling sit down with Neel Patel, CEO of Quiznos and Rego Restaurant Group, to discuss one of the most fascinating comeback stories in the restaurant industry. Once a 5,000-unit sandwich giant, Quiznos has spent the last decade rebuilding…
We're Done With "SMB” 😂
Apparently restaurant operators are DONE being called “SMBs.” 😂 On HospitalityHangout, Sterling Douglas and the crew go completely off the rails debating restaurant industry terminology… specifically whether independent operators should ever be called “small and medium-sized businesses.” Because let’s be honest. Nobody opens a restaurant and says, “Hi, I’m an…
The Wild Legal Reason Tomatoes Became “Vegetables”
Wait… tomatoes are only considered vegetables in the U.S. because of taxes? 🤯 On HospitalityHangout, Amanda Cohen explains the bizarre legal history behind one of food’s oldest debates: Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Turns out, there was an actual court case over it. And it completely changed…
AI Could Finally Give Independent Restaurants the Edge!
AI Could Finally Give Independent Restaurants the Edge! For years, massive restaurant brands had all the advantages. Bigger teams. Bigger budgets. Bigger systems. With AI tools becoming more accessible, independent restaurant operators may finally be able to compete at the same level as enterprise brands… and in some cases, move…
The Next Big Shift in Restaurant Marketing Is Already Here
SEO still matters. A lot. But according to this conversation on Hospitality Hangout, the next big shift is already happening: GEO. Generative Engine Optimization is changing how restaurants get discovered through AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other AI search platforms. The wild part? AI referred traffic to restaurant websites…
Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy Gives The Greatest Sandwich Theory We’ve Ever Heard 🤯
What actually makes a sandwich… a sandwich? We’ve been arguing about this on Hospitality Hangout for years. Then Amanda Cohen from Dirt Candy came in with maybe the best answer yet. According to Chef Amanda, it has nothing to do with the bread. It’s all about how you hold it.…
NYC’s Hottest Chefs Took Over The CIA Gala
We went behind the scenes at the CIA Annual Leadership Awards and the energy was absolutely unreal. Top chefs, VIPs, incredible dishes, and one very important debate: Is a bagel actually a sandwich? 👀 From smoked trout and turnip mousse to buttery potato pancakes, this night brought together some of…
This Is How AI Will Actually Change Restaurants
AI is changing restaurant operations faster than most operators realize. In this short from Hospitality Hangout Podcast, Sterling Douglas explains how connected restaurant systems + AI can automatically optimize pricing, marketing, POS data, and more behind the scenes.
Mel Brooks, AI Nightmares & Bartender Hustles | Hospitality Hangout Live at RLC
Live from the Restaurant Leadership Conference, the crew from Hospitality Hangout Podcast is back with stories, laughs, restaurant industry banter, and one absolutely legendary Mel Brooks disaster story. From AI-generated photos saves to bartender psychology and the infamous missing celebrity photo, this clip is a fun teaser of everything coming…
AI Is Changing How Diners Find Restaurants 🍔
What happens when AI becomes the new search engine for restaurants? In this clip from Hospitality Hangout Podcast, the conversation breaks down why GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) may become even more important than traditional SEO for restaurant discovery. Topics include: • Why independent restaurants can now compete with massive chains…
BREAKING NEWS: sweetgreen dropped wraps today…
BREAKING NEWS: sweetgreen dropped wraps today… and of course “the restaurant guy” had to be first in line to try them. 🌯 You know we had to get the immediate reaction, the first bite review, and the full Schatzy breakdown. Because when hospitality brands make moves like this, we pay…
Inside the AI Shift Happening in Independent Restaurants
Sterling Douglas joins Hospitality Hangout to break down the real AI shift happening inside independent restaurants. As the leader of Chowly, Sterling explains how operators are adopting AI faster than any previous wave of technology, from marketing automation to generative search and data-driven decision making. This conversation covers how independent…
She Missed the Call… Then Won a Michelin Star | Chef Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy
Schatzy sits down with Chef Amanda Cohen, the force behind Dirt Candy, to talk about what it actually takes to last 18 years in NYC—and why she never broke from her vegetable-first concept. They get into: - The wild story of how she found out she won a Michelin star…
From Dirt Candy to No Kid Hungry: Chef Amanda Cohen’s Mission Beyond the Kitchen
Schatzy sits down with Chef Amanda Cohen, the visionary behind Dirt Candy, to talk about what it really means to be a chef today. This isn’t just about food—it’s about impact. Amanda shares how she built one of the most respected vegetarian restaurants in the country, why vegetables deserve the…