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The outlook for casual-dining is positiveThe outlook for casual-dining is positive

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

February 2, 2023

 

Between dining-room closures, supply-chain disruptions and labor shortages, full-service restaurants have been riding a roller-coaster the past few years. And while sales at casual and upscale brands have largely stabilized since the disaster that was 2020, full-service concepts are far from business as usual.

A big reason why is that customer expectations for their dine-out experiences have completely changed. That’s according to Josh Kern, interim CEO at SPB Hospitality, parent company to iconic casual brands like Logan’s Roadhouse, Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom and Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery and upscale concepts like J. Alexander’s and Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill.

Learn more about this interview from editorial director Sam Oches.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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