Restaurant Rewind

About Restaurant Rewind

The industry’s past is packed with tales of scoundrels and heroes, big thinkers and pinheads, colossal successes and dismal failures, breakthrough moves and self-inflicted destruction. Few soap operas pack as much color and drama. Yet those yellowed snapshots provide insights relevant to the challenges of today. Join Peter Romeo, a 41-year veteran of the business with a penchant for restaurant history, as he explores those pivotal moments from the past.

Publisher

Restaurant Business Online

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Mar 2022

Latest episode

9 Jan 2025

Latest episodes

128 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Jan 2025

   Kentucky Roast Beef? When KFC was in the concept creation game

   Editor's note: This will be the final episode of the Restaurant Rewind podcast. Thank you for listening. KFC recently opened Saucy, a chicken fingers concept that aims to compete directly with the fast-growing Raising Cane’s. But this isn’t the first time the fast-food chicken concept has created a new brand to compete with a quick-growing rival, and in this week’s episode of the Restaurant Rewind podcast, Peter Romeo looks at some of those brands. For instance, did you know that it once tried Kentucky Roast Beef? Or The Colonel’s Kitchen? Or The Colonel’s Lady Dinner House? None of the concepts amounted to much, but at least one restaurant from this era remains in operation. Yet they provide some interesting lessons as KFC embarks on its latest quest for a new concept.

2. 

   19 Dec 2024

   Restaurants have had their share of true-crime horrors, including these

   Restaurant security experts discuss two notorious crimes in the industry, highlighting the need for crime protection and the importance of learning from past tragedies to prevent future ones.

3. 

   12 Dec 2024

   How much updating can Chi-Chi's stand without losing its soul?

   Restaurant Rewind hosts examine how Chi-Chi's struggles to modernize its menu while preserving its brand identity, as consumers' familiarity with Mexican cuisine poses a challenge to the chain's rebirth.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,423,111

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

8 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 80 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

90

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

82

Contact Restaurant Rewind

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.