Career restaurant folks, want to walk down memory lane?
Maybe you got your start in the working world within the restaurant industry. Maybe even a chain.
Most of us did.
On this podcast episode of Table Touch, Randy and Brandon wax nostalgic about great lessons learned from their earliest working days in the industry and once-vibrant brands who have disappeared.
We also interview Erin Levzow, Director of Digital Marketing with Wingstop (Want to skip straight to our interview? Go to the 26:10 mark of the show, or -25:58 if you’re looking at the countdown clock.)
Show Notes
Among the many memories we talk about that maybe you can relate to…
- How we should thank our lucky stars for chains — look how many people learned what it means to work at a chain restaurant
- Smoking sections in restaurants
- Fluting
- Dance floors in Applebee’s
- Polyester uniforms wadded up in the manager’s box
- Where can one find a good smorgasbord? Where have they gone? Did Ikea steal that category?
- How about lutefisk? Do a Yelp search for that term!
- Whatever happened to Sambo’s? Howard Johnson’s? Chi-Chi’s? Pioneer Chicken? Kenny Rogers’ Roasters?
Randy’s Nugget of Wisdom: everyone should work at some point, 1) In sales, 2) As a server or work in a restaurant, and 3) Take a public speaking and/or acting course.
Our interview with Erin Levzow was a crazy good time. Catch her on LinkedIn here or Twitter here.
Our Interview with Erin Levzow
Again, if you want to skip right to our interview? Go to the 26:10 mark of the show (-25:58 if you’re looking at the countdown clock).
Among the takeaways from our interview with Erin:
- Erin moved from Las Vegas to Dallas to join Wingstop after a long run in the gaming industry.
- Wingstop has 625 locations in the U.S. and more in Russia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia.
- How much do flavor preferences change from the U.S. to Russia?
- Wings are a lifestyle — more than just food, they’re an experience — but find out why Erin feels that way.
- Erin’s a lemon pepper kind of girl. Do you have a wing sauce favorite?
- What can Erin’s gaming background tell us about the future of restaurants? (Data and getting to know your guests, that’s what.)
Erin was a lot of fun to talk to, including playing a game of Either/Or with us. What were her choices?
- Email or text?
- Facebook or Twitter?
- Fine Dining or Takeout?
- Usher or Pharrell?
- Buzzfeed or Upworthy?
- Ben Affleck or Christian Bale?
Check out Wingstop, folks. Huge thanks to Erin for joining us. You can also catch her insights in a recent interview with Fastcasual.com’s Brenda Rick Smith.
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We’re so thankful for recent reviews on iTunes and having a ton of fun with this as we carry on these easygoing conversations with movers and shakers in the restaurant industry.
More outstanding restaurant leaders are lined up for future episodes — so subscribe or hop on board the mailing list (to the right) and we’ll let you know about each episode.
