The meez Podcast
Josh Sharkey (Entrepreneur, professional chef, and founder/CEO of meez, the culinaryOS for food professionals) interviews world class entrepreneurs in the food space that are shifting the paradigm of how we innovate and operate in our industry.
The meez Podcast
How Chili's Got Hot Again. The K-Shaped Economy Debate, and Why Sausage Is the Better Burger Meat
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#131
Josh sits down with Michael Jacober for a wide-ranging conversation about restaurant value, shifting diner behavior, and why legacy brands like Chili’s are suddenly feeling relevant again. They unpack the idea of a “K-shaped” restaurant economy, where brands increasingly feel pushed toward either premium experiences or clear-cut value, and debate whether that narrative really holds up in practice. Along the way, they dig into Chili’s surprising resurgence, how simplifying menus and tightening operations can improve both the guest experience and the business, and why restaurant nostalgia can become a powerful growth strategy when it is backed up by execution.
The conversation also veers into restaurant supply chains, with thoughts on Cisco’s acquisition of Restaurant Depot and what cash-and-carry models offer independent operators, before ending on a more personal culinary tangent: Josh’s belief that sausage is an underappreciated burger format. From Vietnamese-style pork patties to memories of Bark’s crispy pork sandwich, the episode becomes a bigger reflection on what makes food craveable, scalable, and worth coming back for.
Links and resources 📌
Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com
Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez
Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshlsharkey/?hl=en
Follow Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sharkey-406965b/
Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-jacober-713104124/
Visit Blanket: https://www.blanket.app/
Follow Michael: @michaeljacober
Timestamps
03:00 Knowledge bases, agents, and workflow automation
08:12 The K-shaped restaurant economy explained
20:58 Is the middle of the market really disappearing?
21:18 Why Chili’s is back and what changed operationally
29:58 Cisco acquires Restaurant Depot
35:45 Why Restaurant Depot works for independents
41:18 Josh’s argument for sausage as a better burger
46:18 How Bark’s crispy pork sandwich worked so well
53:39 Gladys update and what might happen next