Shifting labor models, menu controversies and the rising popularity of podcasts [Video]

Entrepreneur Doreen Gardner, CEO and founder of Papa’s Brittle, is a first-time exhibitor at the Show. | Photo by Lisa Jennings.

During the second day of the National Restaurant Association Show, there were many more miles to walk and so many more delicious things to taste and sample. The Show floor at Chicago McCormick Place was packed, and so were educational sessions. Here are a few trends the Restaurant Business team noted on Sunday:

A shifting labor model

Third-party delivery has caused some real headaches for restaurant chains’ labor strategies. At Tropical Smoothie Café, Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Von Kutzleben noted that the company used to determine labor based on sales. “But if you think about increasing prices, that wasn’t the best indicator of how to best serve the guest and the ebb and flow of customers,” she said. Now, she said, the company is using traffic patterns to determine labor. “It was a …