In The Weeds with Ben Randall

You guys. Brach's has made an abomination. Also, we talk Halloween in the time of COVID, restaurant dining restrictions, the further shenanigans of GrubHub, and we rank candies.

Right when everything's about to crash down, that's the best time to injure yourself, right?

This episode we're talking 2020 COVID kitchen hiring, Halloween, cold coffee, non-traditional Thanksgiving and the end (?) of restaurants in this country.

Today we're talking ongoing staffing issues in hospitality, weird fruit hybrids and food on sticks. Who doesn't love food on sticks?

Sorry we skipped a week, kids, but I lost an employee two weeks ago and have been up to my eyeballs in production work. On top of my management work. It's been a ride. Today we talk restaurant cover charges, restaurant openings, roll-feed printers and how NOT to quit a job. Roller. Coaster.

It's our 200th Episode! Tonight we're talking about menu writing, specifically descriptive word choice. Also, we dissect a particularly awful article from 2016, and the restaurant news is still all bad.

There are two things that I am extremely happy to NOT be doing in 2020: dating and getting married. How do you even do that? Also, we get an in-school foodservice update, and a drop-in from Ben's younger brother Luke! (Spoilers, he WENT to a wedding recently!)

It's a long one today, kids! We're talking long-term restaurant design planning in the time of COVID, grocery delivery ideas, Kool-Aid Pickles and Ben's first full week back to work. Let's be honest; this episode is therapy in action.

Oh, man you guys, Ben's back to work! Also we talk menu writing, 3rd-party delivery systems, food lathing and product shortages, outages & delays.

...and you thought back-to-school shopping sucked? How about going back to school in 2020? IT'S WAY WORSE.

Ok kids, today Steve & Ben are talking Back To School, fancy KitKats, desserts that are also probably sex moves and Star Wars restaurant food. ft: The Matcha Train, Pumpkin Squeezins and Don't Lie To The Clown

It's Equipment Care 101 tonight, folks! Also we cover a bit of obligatory COVID housekeeping, pitch a haunted house movie and try to find parts for Steve's old-ass stove.

Let's fix cultural appropriation in restaurants! No, there is too much. Let's start with moldy jam and paletas. Also, how much is a pizza worth, what's YOUR favorite energy drink, and who actually eats pandas?

"I wear the mask to protect my loved ones." -Batman Wear a mask when you go out. Be like Batman. Also, today we talk upcoming guests, kitchen redesigns and Sbarro, somehow.

Heya kids! Today we're talking about Disney reopening in the COVID world, Goya hitching their wagon to a turd, Alinea's intensely high-falutin' "art" mocking the global pandemic, and of course, we tie it to Corner Gas.

It's the 4th of July, so of course we're talking about food spokespeople, robot delivery services and cold-brew coffee!

Still no good news, kids! Today we talk restaurants reopening amidst COVID-19, pizza of varying qualities, the supposed meat shortage and why Rian Johnson shouldn't be the chef/owner of a restaurant.