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NRN editors discuss menu innovation, Texas Roadhouse’s brand value, and ghost kitchensNRN editors discuss menu innovation, Texas Roadhouse’s brand value, and ghost kitchens

Plus hear from Jim Holthouser, CEO of Focus Brands

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

March 24, 2023

1 Min Read
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This week on the Extra Serving podcast, an award-winning product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Peter, Sam Oches and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister spoke about menu innovation.

From chicken nuggets to breakfast tacos, chains across the country are rolling out new menu items at rapid speed. Which will be here to stay, and which will be short-lived?

What’s up with Texas Roadhouse? The brand, which saw record traffic earlier this year, has seen its brand value increase by 56% and is now one of the fastest-growing chains. What does this mean for the industry and Texas Roadhouse?

Finally, the NRN editors talked about ghost kitchens. They were all the rage for a few years, but the dust has settled and they’re proving to be more difficult to get right than any brands were hoping for. Big brands like Wendy’s have pulled back their investment from ghost kitchens. So, what’s the future of ghost kitchens?

This week’s guest is Jim Holthouser, CEO of Focus Brands.

 

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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