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NRN editors discuss Starbucks store closures, McDonald’s buying out franchisees, Dave & Buster’s shaking up the C-suiteNRN editors discuss Starbucks store closures, McDonald’s buying out franchisees, Dave & Buster’s shaking up the C-suite

Plus, hear from Cava CEO Brett Schulman on the healthful chain’s new menu items and growth plans

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

July 15, 2022

1 Min Read
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This week on Extra Serving, a podcast by Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Bret Thorn and Joanna Fantozzi discussed Starbucks permanently closing stores due to health and safety concerns.

Last week, Starbucks closed 16 stores due to health and safety concerns involving drugs. The chain’s CEO Howard Schultz spoke with employees a few months ago and as a direct result of that, these 16 stores were closed due to needles and drug use in the bathrooms. The team discussed why Starbucks would close units rather than attack the problem with another solution.

Next, the team discussed McDonald’s buying back units from a retiring franchisee. The country’s largest chain bought back 60 units from one of its franchisees earlier this week and the team discussed what it could mean for the fast-food giant. The team also discussed why McDonald’s hasn’t made any food acquisitions in a while.

Lastly, the team spoke about Dave & Buster’s new executive team. The casual-dining company revamped its C-suite after acquiring Main Event and incorporated people from that company’s C-suite into its own C-suite. The team discussed the harmonious merger and what it could hold in the podcast.

Plus, hear from Brett Schulman, CEO and co-founder of Cava, on the chain’s 2021 success and its plans for growth along with menu development and LTOs.

Be sure to check out NRN’s latest podcast, First Bite. A daily news podcast featuring the top stories of the day plus a deeper dive into one of the trending stories with an NRN editor, delivered to your phone or computer every morning. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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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