In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, podcast host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Jim Nusbaum, CEO of Barry Bagels. Nusbaum shares the brand's origin story, its expansion strategy into Texas, and the unique hub and spoke model that supports franchisees. He discusses the importance of employee culture, maximizing revenue streams through catering and wholesale, and ensuring consistency across locations. Nusbaum emphasizes the support provided to new franchisees and the qualities sought in potential partners, highlighting the investment opportunities within the brand.

Barry Bagels was started by a 21-year-old operator named Barry Greenblatt who along with his partner, bagel-maker Peter Johnson, opened their first location in Sylvania, Ohio in 1972.

Since then the brand has grown to Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and a recent development deal signed for 30 units in Texas.

Nusbaum talked about the hub-and-spoke model in which the "hub" is the first store in any market with about 1,600 to 2,200 square feet. That store has the bagel-making capabilities. The bagels are then delivered to the "spoke" locations.

"Spoke locations, which need no HVAC, no walk-in cooler (and) no walk-in freezer, can be built for a fraction of the cost of the hub location. And since we're not baking there, you don't need a grease trap or the HVAC or anything like that," Nusbaum said.

To learn more about Barry Bagels' operations, click the link at the top of the page.

In this episode of Restaurant Operator, host Cherryh Cansler, publisher of Fast Casual, sits down with Luke Wilwerding, VP of North America Sales of Elo Touch, sponsors of both this episode and the Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers report.

Together, they explore how restaurant technology is transforming every stage of the guest experience from self-order kiosks and drive-thru innovation to AI-powered kitchen management.

Wilwerding explains how Elo's platform approach is helping operators boost speed, accuracy and flexibility, whether it's a bustling fast casual kitchen or a multi-channel ordering environment. From interactive displays to AI-enhanced voice ordering and computer vision for accuracy, Elo's innovations are redefining what's possible for restaurant efficiency.

As Wilwerding notes, the walls between fast casual, QSR and casual dining are crumbling, and it's technology that's breaking them down. The future of restaurant operations, he says, belongs to the brands that embrace innovation, not resist it.

Sponsored by Elo Touch, this conversation offers a glimpse into how top-performing brands are using tech to deliver faster, smarter, and more personalized dining experiences.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb.com and Pizza Marketplace, talks with Or Peleg, managing partner of Tel Aviv Grill in the Los Angeles area.

Tel Aviv Grill began 11 years ago as a small kosher market making shawarma, skewers and sandwiches in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. "And, very quickly, it became a very tangible part of the community. Everybody in the area knew about it and it kind of grew out of that market," Peleg said.

Peleg came on a managing partner about five years ago.

The original restaurant quickly grew too big for several locations and now has three units.

Consistency has been the brand's biggest challenge.

"I don't want somebody to have like a shawarma in one location and then a couple of days later to go to one of our other locations is completely different. It kind of breaks the entire purpose," Peleg said. "So it's very hands-on, it's very time-consuming and it takes a long time to make sure your team is on board and knows exactly how to prepare and present the product the way we would like."

To learn more about Tel Aviv Grill, listen to the podcast in its entirety.