Happy Mouth
Philip Camino & Nyesha Arrington
1 Creator
1 Creator
Hosted by acclaimed restaurateur Philip Camino and star chef Nyesha Arrington, the Happy Mouth podcast is your source for the daily news about the hospitality industry. From bite-sized news stories to food for thought, Philip and Nyesha combine their unique insights to give you the lowdown on what’s happening and how it impacts you.
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Top 10 Happy Mouth Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Happy Mouth episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Happy Mouth for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Happy Mouth episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
05/27/21 • 12 min
Independents are getting another big boost as we come out of the coronavirus pandemic. Grubhub, one of the top food delivery apps, announced they’re launching a commission-free platform for independent restaurants and bars.
On this episode of the Happy Mouth podcast, restaurateur Philip Camino and chef Nyesha Arrington discuss Grubhub’s new platform, Grubhub Direct. Nyesha and Philip break down what benefits the new platform will bring and what other solutions exist for independents. They also share their insight on just how helpful this service might actually be for smaller restaurants that need a web presence.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss Grubhub Direct:
- 90% of restaurant sales were off-premise at one point during the pandemic
- Over 50% of adults have used a delivery app in the past year
- Grubhub Direct allows independents to create customizable ordering websites and provides access to customer data
- To sign up, there will be a $99 set-up fee and $49 monthly hosting fee for Grubhub Direct, plus standard credit card processing fees
- However, all fees are being waived through May 2022 if you join the waitlist now
- UberEats and DoorDash have been offering a similar service
Links:
Happy Mouth’s May 12 episode on restaurant recovery
Restaurant Dive - Grubhub launches commission-free platform
Restaurant Business - Sysco says that independents have recovered in some markets
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
05/10/21 • 13 min
Are we finally living like The Jetsons? Depending on what restaurants you go to, it could certainly feel like it.
On this episode of the Happy Mouth podcast, join restaurateur Philip Camino and chef Nyesha Arrington as they discuss how restaurants are turning to new technology to handle their staffing issues. From restaurants turning to new recruiting apps to find employees during the worker shortage to literal robots serving food; the hospitality industry is getting tech-savvy in a hurry.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss how restaurants are using technology to solve the worker shortage:
- The continued restaurant worker shortage
- Restaurants are turning to robots as servers and for food delivery
- New hiring apps for the hospitality industry
- The restaurant hiring app Seasoned functions like a dating app to match potential employees and employers based on their interest
- Bite Ninja is solving staffing issues by using remote workers for drive-thru orders
- New technology for recruiting and hiring workers
- The restaurant Mr. Q Crab House is using robot servers
Links:
Happy Mouth Podcast - Instagram
Restaurant Business - Chick-Fil-A is testing robot delivery
KIRO7 - South Florida restaurant employs robot servers
ABC7 - Food-delivery robots get rolling in Los Angeles
Restaurant Business - As staffing woes continue, some restaurants turn to technology
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
May 6, 2021: Starbucks’ Borrow-A-Cup Program
Happy Mouth
05/06/21 • 13 min
Starbucks recently announced they’re testing a “Borrow-a-Cup” program where customers can get a reusable cup for a $1 deposit. It’s part of Starbucks’ wider efforts to reduce its waste by 50% by 2030.
On this episode of the Happy Mouth podcast, restaurateur Philip Camino and chef Nyesha Arrington take a look at how large multinational brands like Starbucks are starting to roll out new efforts to reduce their impact on the environment. Nyesha and Philip discuss how Starbucks’ “Borrow-a-Cup” program works, how it’s dealing with the hurdles of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what other restaurants can do to improve their sustainability practices.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha talk about sustainability programs:
- Starbucks is testing out a “Borrow-a-Cup” program in five locations in Seattle
- For a $1 deposit, customers can borrow a reusable cup and return it for a $1 credit and 10 “bonus stars” on their account
- How the program is working during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep people safe
- The sustainability programs McDonald's, Burger King, Sweetgreen, and Panera Bread are implementing
- The wider impact of big multinational brands having more sustainable practices
- The ways other restaurants and businesses can offset their environmental impact
Links:
Happy Mouth Podcast - Instagram
Starbucks Stories - Starbucks announces new Borrow-a-Cup program
National Restaurant News - McDonald's to test zero waste cup solution
USA TODAY - Burger King is testing reusable packaging
Medium - Sweetgreen’s commitment to be Carbon Neutral by 2027
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
July 7, 2021: Chipotle’s Avocado Shortage
Happy Mouth
07/07/21 • 28 min
Would you like to add guac to that? If so, your Chipotle burritos and bowls could cost a little more thanks to an avocado shortage.
On this episode of the Happy Mouth podcast, chef Nyesha Arrington and restaurateur Philip Camino talk about the avocado shortage, what’s causing it, and how that’s having a massive impact on the fast-casual restaurant’s menu and stock prices.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss the avocado shortage:
- According to Chipotle CFO Jack Hartung, the company has “diversified” its avocado sourcing to counteract any seasonal shortages
- Chipotle’s tip avocado suppliers come from Mexico, Peru, and California
- Mexico is the top supplier but regularly ships fewer avocados during the hot summer months, typically offset by an increase in production in Peru
- California steadily supplies about 12% of the overall avocado supply
- Avocados make up between 5%-10% of Chipotle’s ingredient costs, which can have massive impacts on the company’s margins and stock prices
- The Hass Avocado Board is projecting a 5.8% decline in third-quarter avocado sales compared to the same time last year, which will make it more costly for Chipotle to make its guacamole
- Avocado prices have been up-and-down in 2021, seeing a 26% decrease in prices in the first quarter due to an influx of shipments from Mexico
- By the second quarter, avocado prices jumped up 4% and have increased another 6% already in June
- Chipotle has been facing the worker shortage head-on, looking to attract 20,000 new employees, increasing wages to $15-per-hour by the end of June and introducing referral bonuses of up to $750 per hire
- The company has already raised menu prices by about 4% to offset increased wages but could need to raise prices again due to the avocado shortage
- Rising avocado prices have already impacted Chipotle’s stock earnings, knocking it down 10-12 cents per share in the third quarter already
- However, shares of Chipotle (CMG) are up 5% this year so far, creating a market value of $42 billion for the company
Links:
CNBC - Falling avocado shipments could hurt Chipotle’s margins, analyst says
CNBC - Chipotle hikes prices to cover the cost of raising wages
Market Watch - Chipotle could take a hit from higher avocado prices
CNBC - Chipotle to hike wages, debut referral bonuses in attempt to hire 20,000 workers
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
07/02/21 • 18 min
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund was a massive hit, earning nearly 200,000 applicants in the first two days. But nearly two months after sending out the first checks, the SBA has been rescinding some RRF grants without a clear explanation.
Hosts Philip Camino and Nyesha Arrington break down the latest RRF updates and RRF information. They discuss what issues the RRF has had thus far, the beginning funding mistakes that led to these issues, and what it could mean for those restaurants who had awards rescinded.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha give a RRF update:
- RRF money ran out quickly, getting applications for $65 billion despite just $28.6 billion being earmarked
- In Tennessee and Texas, 3 restaurants sued the SBA for distributing the funds in a discriminatory way
- Though some applicants have already received their funds, the SBA has sent over 3,000 letters to rescind its awards, including to women and military-owned restaurants and disadvantaged individuals
- Owners whose grants were taken away will see “fully canceled” on their application status
- However, those applications will be kept in place and on the date they're filed so that businesses with rescinded grants won’t have to file a new application and will be further up the line if the SBA receives more funds
- In the 3rd round of rescinded grants, the SBA sent out a letter that sometimes incorrectly said businesses had applied for the SVOG (Shuttered Venue Program) or defaulted on an SBA loan, making them ineligible for the RRF
- Despite all the issues, the SBA has remained mostly silent, creating further frustration
Links:
National Restaurant News - SBA remains silent on RRF confusion
Restaurant Business - More restaurants have their RRF awards rescinded
Restaurant Dive - SBA rescinds more RRF grants
Happy Mouth podcast - RRF gets 186k applicants in first 2 days
Happy Mouth podcast - Revisiting the Restaurant Revitalization Fund
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
07/01/21 • 12 min
Nearly everyone loves a good chicken wing. Well, it seems like too many people are enjoying wings, creating a national chicken wing shortage.
To combat the shortage and increasing chicken wing prices, Wingstop has looked at the rest of the chicken. Wingstop partnered with delivery app Doordash to create the virtual brand Thighstop as a ghost kitchen -- serving thigh versions of their famous chicken wings.
Listen as restaurateur Philip Camino and chef Nyesha Arrington break down the chicken wing shortage, Wingstop’s ingenuity, and what this could mean for the brand and their competitors.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss chicken wings:
- Demand for chicken wings has been up 7% during the pandemic
- Despite increased demand, chicken and labor shortage are creating supply issues
- In 2020, Wingstop exceeded $1 billion in digital sales, 60% of the company’s $2 billion in total sales
- Wingstop’s digital sales increased 25% from 2019 to 2020 thanks in part to a new delivery system being introduced
- CFO Michael Skipworth said Wingstop saw a 25.8% increase in wing prices in one year, even after forming a price-mitigation strategy with their biggest poultry suppliers
- Wingstop partnered with the delivery app to open the virtual restaurant Thighstop as a ghost kitchen at 1,400 locations
- While Wingstop has created Thighstop, they won’t be putting thighs on their regular menu, choosing to build the brand separately
Links:
Associated Press - Chicken wing shortage forces restaurants to adapt
Restaurant Dive - Wingstop surpasses $1B in digital sales in 2020
Restaurant Dive - Wingstop debuts virtual brand focused on chicken thighs
Newsweek - Chicken wings shortage sees prices rise in restaurants across U.S.
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
06/29/21 • 18 min
Get aboard the IPO train!
Krispy Kreme and Sweetgreen are going public as they’ve announced their IPO plans recently. With valuations in the billions, both companies are primed to do big things in the near future and potentially even become one of the new, big faces of fast food in the United States.
Join restaurateur Philip Camino and chef Nyesha Arrington as they take a look at Sweetgreen and Krispy Kreme’s IPO plans, what both companies could be looking to do by going public, and the hurdles they’ll have to face afterward.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss restaurant IPOs:
- Krispy Kreme went public once before, back in 2000
- JAB Holding bought Krispy Kreme for $1.35 billion in 2016 and made the company private
- Krispy Kreme’s revenue increased by 17% to $1.12 billion in the 2020 fiscal year, nearly matching their 19% average increase in revenue since 2016
- Krispy Kreme has reported net losses over the last 3 years due to investing revenue back into the business
- The company currently has $1.2 billion in debt
- Krispy Kreme filed documents for a $100 million IPO back in May but is now hoping to raise anywhere between $560 million - $640 million
- With shares expected to sell for $21-$24, there’s an implied valuation of $3.46 billion - $3.96 billion
- Sweetgreen officially announced its IPO plans recently
- After raising $156 million in January, Sweetgreen’s valuation is at $1.78 billion
- Sweetgreen recently underwent a brand redesign, changing logos and designing a new app
Links:
Restaurant Business - Dutch Bros Coffee says it is going public
CNBC - Krispy Kreme looks to raise as much as $640 million through IPO
Restaurant Business - Sweetgreen says it is going public
Restaurant Business - Krispy Kreme files its $100M IPO
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
05/14/21 • 27 min
On this Fun Friday episode of the Happy Mouth podcast, chef Nyesha Arrington and restaurateur Philip Camino sit down with James Starr, the owner of Prime Pizza and Bludso’s BBQ.
Prime Pizza has been getting rave reviews for years now and they’ve officially opened their West LA location. Phillip and Nyesha talk to James about his background in the hospitality industry, how he started Prime Pizza, and how he’s using NFTs in a very interesting way.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss Prime Pizza and NFTs:
- James Starr’s background, including how he started Prime Pizza and Bludso’s BBQ
- The reason James got into food
- The new Prime Pizza on the west side
- What is an NFT?
- How Prime Pizza used NFTs
- Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Links:
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
06/30/21 • 10 min
The most expensive spice in the world, saffron is an essential part of Central and South Asian cuisine. Unfortunately, its labor-intensive harvesting means it hasn’t become widely used in the United States. That is until Mohammad Salehi started Heray Spice as a way to ethically source Afghanistan saffron to the chefs and home cooks in America.
Listen as chef Nyesha Arrington and restaurateur Philip Camino give you some amazing facts about saffron and discuss Mohammad’s amazing journey from interpreter to saffron farmer.
Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss saffron:
- Mohammad Salehi was born and raised in Afghanistan to a farming family
- He became an interpreter for the U.S. Army, then moved to Chicago in 2014
- Mohammad’s family had farmed wheat and chickpeas before turning to saffron in 2002, which was made more profitable thanks to the U.S. and U.N. extending support for saffron after the fall of the Taliban
- Mohammad started Heray Spice, a nod to the Persian city “Herat” where the spice is rumored to have originated
- Heray Spice employs 28 families in Afghanistan to grow saffron, offering training, tools, and other resources to help set them up, with a focus on ethical sourcing
- Heray’s farmers harvest the saffron by hand -- the traditional method
- While Heray focuses on sourcing saffron to chefs, home cooks can also buy the spice through Heray’s website
- Mohammad plans on adding other quality spices, including cumin and Afghanistan’s popular green tea
Links:
Eater - Can good saffron change lives? Mohammad Salehi thinks so
Eater - ‘This land is meant only for saffron. Without it, it means nothing’
Heray Spice - Website
We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:
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FAQ
How many episodes does Happy Mouth have?
Happy Mouth currently has 73 episodes available.
What topics does Happy Mouth cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Arts and Food.
What is the most popular episode on Happy Mouth?
The episode title 'July 1, 2021: Wingstop Opens Virtual Brand Thighstop During Chicken Wing Shortage' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Happy Mouth?
The average episode length on Happy Mouth is 17 minutes.
How often are episodes of Happy Mouth released?
Episodes of Happy Mouth are typically released every day.
When was the first episode of Happy Mouth?
The first episode of Happy Mouth was released on Apr 12, 2021.
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