by Restaurant Business Online
Menu Talk, formally Menu Feed, is a podcast hosted by Pat Cobe of Restaurant Business and Bret Thorn with Nation’s Restaurant News. We are veteran reporters on the menu beat and eager to bring you inspiring conversations about what’s happening in restaurant kitchens, including weekly interviews with chefs, operators and food professionals.
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Publishing Since
11/15/2019
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April 29, 2025
<p>Lots of LTOs and permanent menu items launched recently, as innovation accelerates. Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, started with the big news: Crispy Chicken Strips are now on McDonald’s permanent menu—the mega-chain’s first new menu item since 2022. </p><p>Arby’s continues its LTO collaborations with celebs, this time partnering with Cedric The Entertainer and Anthony Anderson, slathering the comedians’ line of barbecue sauces on a brisket and pulled pork sandwich. And Cava introduced a spicy variation on its fan-favorite pita chips—Hot Harissa.</p><p>Pat had a first taste of a couple of sweets from soon-to-open Cinnabon Swirl, a dual-branded Cinnabon-Carvel concept from GoTo Foods. The highlight is a Bonini, an ice cream sandwich made with two cinnamon roll slices with a disc of Carvel vanilla in the middle. It’s placed in a panini press for 15 seconds and comes out all gooey—in a good way.</p><p>Bret attended a 4/20 party at Red Lobster, learning that the chain’s Cheddar Biscuits are a popular munchie for stoners. Instead of passing out joints, Red Lobster served cocktails featuring Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre's gin mixed with orange juice, pineapple juice and guava juice with a garnish of Skittles on the side of the glass. There’s a recurring candy theme here.</p><p>Our guest this week is Jay Kumar, chef-owner of Lore in Brooklyn, N.Y. He specializes in the cuisine of the Malabar coast with masala dosas a signature, but the restaurant has a diverse and interesting menu. Give a listen.</p>
April 22, 2025
<p>Pat Cobe, senior menu editor at Restaurant Business, and Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, together moderated a menu innovation panel at the Restaurant Leadership Conference last Monday in Phoenix. Participants included operators from Popeyes, Noodle’s & Company, Potbelly, Applebee’s and Velvet Taco, and we heard a lot about what’s in the works and what’s to come.</p><p>At RLC, we also heard from Kevin Hochman, CEO of Chili’s and our Restaurant Leader of the Year. He chatted about a lot of things on stage, including the Big QP Burger, Chili’s quarter-pound burger that launched that day. It’s a clear swipe at McDonald’s, and as a special introductory deal, it comes with fries and a soft drink for $10.99.</p><p>Then we shared an interview with Bob Johnston, CEO of The Melting Pot, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. When the restaurant chain started, there were only three fondues on the menu: beef, cheese and chocolate. </p><p>Johnston, who began as a dishwasher at The Melting Pot, talked about how the menu has since expanded, with on-trend items like seafood and veggie fondues, a brie and fig variation, and steak fondue with mango-habanero sauce. There is also a full bar with craft cocktails and a varied wine selection, a far cry from Michelob—the only beer option back in the ‘70s. Listen as we hear how The Melting Pot has evolved but is still offering an interactive dining experience, which is exactly what many guests want these days when they visit a restaurant. </p>
April 15, 2025
<p>Hosts Pat Cobe, senior menu editor of Restaurant Business, and Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, had a busy week going to chain restaurants’ promotional events in New York City.</p><p>Pat had high tea featuring Portillo’s menu items, and Bret went to a preview of the first United States location of Chinese chain Pull-Tab Coffee, whose signature menu item is a sort of reversed iced cappuccino: Coffee foam on top of milk on the rocks. </p><p>He also went to Bar Tender, a two-day pop-up in Brooklyn created by Wingstop, featuring the chain’s upgraded, crunchier chicken tenders in 12 different flavors (he didn’t try them all, but he did his best).</p><p>They also discussed the big chain news of Wendy’s new Frosty options. They can now be blended with syrups, and starting in May there will be mix-ins available — like Dairy Queen Blizzards.</p><p>Also big news: McDonald’s has upgraded its lemonade, doing away with Minute Maid (although its orange juice is still in stock), and replacing it with a beverage of lemon juice, lemon pulp and sugar. </p><p>Then Bret shared an interview with Juan and Gee Smalls, the owners of three-unit Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta, featuring the food of the Gullah and Geechee people of the coastal areas from North Carolina to Georgia. They’re first-time restaurateurs, motivated by what they saw as a need for venues owned and operated by Black gay people. The couple discuss their learning process and plans for the future.</p>
Restaurant Business Online
Restaurant Business Online
Restaurant Business Magazine
The New York Times
NPR
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Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
NPR
NPR
MeidasTouch Network
This American Life
MSNBC
Nation's Restaurant News
Align Public Strategies
Nation's Restaurant News
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