How Wienerschnitzel handled a sudden surge of drive-thru business

How did a small hot dog chain handle a sudden rush of customers after the pandemic? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features J.R. Galardi, the CEO of the Galardi Group, parent company of Wienerschnitzel, Tastee Freeze and Hamburger Stand. Galardi was named CEO earlier this year but had been president and chief operating officer before that and has grown up with the concept, which was founded by his father and later run by his mother after he passed away. He talks about taking over a family business, including some of the pressures, challenges and opportunities that presents. J.R. talks about what he plans to do with the brand. He also talks a lot about the state of the business, including labor issues, supply chain concerns, franchising and expansion strategies. Galardi discusses how much demand there was for the drive-thru after the pandemic, the challenges that presented, and what the company did about it.