In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Scott Gladstone, SVP of Strategy and Innovation at Dine Brands, to discuss the state of the industry, virtual brands, and how new technologies and innovations are going to drive sales moving forward.

Gladstone talks about the state of the industry and shares that consumers are returning to Dine Brands restaurants in record numbers. In addition to consumers dining in again, Gladstone shares that the company’s restaurants IHOP and Applebee’s have seen considerable growth in off-premise sales which the brand hopes to scale. “We’ve also been making significant investments in technology and the things to drive the off-premise experience”.

When asked about the brand’s latest concept, FLIP’D by IHOP, Gladstone says, “FLIP’D is a fast casual version of IHOP. Not every consumer has time to to sit down and enjoy a great IHOP meal with the family or significant other, sometimes they got to get it on the go.” Gladstone shares that although the concept was built for speed with features like digital menu boards and kiosks, the menu items are still prepared with the high quality ingredients consumers associate with the brand.

They talk about the latest trends in virtual brands. Gladstone shares that Applebee’s has launched a nationwide virtual brand, Cosmic Wings, which the company is very excited about. Gladstone talks about Dine Brands new partnership with Nextbite and the introduction of two new IHOP virtual brands, Thrilled Cheese and Super Mega Dilla.

He says, “I think virtual brands are important. They’re a big and important piece for full-service restaurants.”

To hear Gladstone share more about Dine Brands newest concepts and his take on robotics and automation, tune into this episode of Hospitality Hangout on Spotify.

This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality.