Welcome back, and welcome to 2020!  Today we talk restaurant closings, predictions for 2020 food trends, the Cheez Whiz spectrum and we look into why customer politeness has become an endangered species.  Also, we forget to introduce ourselves at the beginning of the show!

Just in time for Christmas, we talk about NOTHING holiday related.  Today we're talking about hiring restaurant staff, people bitching just to bitch and gigantic Twixes.  Also, we've interviewed Ali Gonzales from https://sustainableculinarysolutions.com/, a chef/consultant with 30 years restaurant experience.

Tonight we're talking Thanksgiving, Canadian hyperlocal desserts and Papa John Schnatter's descent into madness.

Today we talk Cheesecake Factory, Indiana Judges vs White Castle and why Naperville Illinois is having a really bad month.

So that sandwich you just ordered on your phone & had delivered to you?  It's probably cold, the fries are a sticky mess, and it's more expensive than if you just went to the shop.  Also, the drivers get paid jack, and the restaurants get skimmed too.  This third-party delivery system is a goddamn mess.  Until we get robots.  The robots will save us.

Oh, man you guys.  Tonight we're talking customer service, unions, the Chicago Public Schools teachers strike, apple heists and high-ass robots.  It's a ride.

Here's the thing...

You win some, you lose some, and sometimes you have to fire a lazyass. If you're applying for a restaurant job, we lay out tricks & tips here!  Also, an apple-free Apple Festival and Ben goes to a childhood nostalgia hotdog restaurant.

It ain't what you know; it's who you know, and I've been very lucky in my career to know Aaron Stahlman, co-owner of Ravage Deli in Baltimore.  Aaron & I went to culinary school together, and to date, he's living the dream.  He and his wife own and operate a very exciting all-scratch deli 2 miles from their house north of Baltimore, where they basically do whatever they want.  Trouble with doing whatever you want is that you have to also do it all yourself.  Well, let's have Aaron tell you about it!   http://ravagedeli.com/ 9636 Belair RdPerry Hall, MD 21236

Steve's back in studio!  We talk White Castle, food delivery companies and how NOT to write a wine list.

Yelp is bad in every direction, and trying to examine data from Yelp is even worse.  So let's do that!  What's the most affordable, best restaurant in your state? Probably NOT what Yelp says it is!

We have another guest!  Today we're talking to Midnight Smoke about New York wine, food in the armed services and high-end chocolate.

We're back for more with Rafael Esparza of Finom coffee.  This is the second part of our longform discussion, and again, this guy is a treasure.

Tonight I sit down and chat with Rafael Esparza of Finom Coffee.  We talk...well, everything.  This guy is a FOUNTAIN.  That's why this is Part One.

Today we talk restaurant closings, tax law 'difficulties' and how to boot a racist customer.  Also, what are the considerations when hiring a yeti, and what's the difference between a funnel cake and an elephant ear/beaver tail?

Kids!  Tonight we talk National Park concessions naming rights, the new generation spacefood and the best desserts from YOUR neck of the woods!

We're back from vacation, folks!  Today we talk A&W, more new-home kitchen concerns, KFC's new Cheeto Chicken Sandwich, what is up with PBR & Ben self-identifies as a flour sorcerer.

Today we talk Vitamix, homebuying and flour recalls.  We have more fun than you'd expect.

Today we head down to the Hatchery and talk to Johanna Thompson of Pixie Dust Salts about small business entrepreneurship, food social justice and cleaning tiny bottles. Find all of Johanna's lovely salts at https://www.etsy.com/shop/PixieDustSalts, or follow her on Instagram for updates about her farmer's market appearances around Chicago!

Look, sometimes you've just gotta step up & say something.

Tonight Steve & Ben are trash talking 'influencers' (who can go thrown themselves into the sun), pitching a movie or two and having a devil of a time coming up with Kevin Kline's name.  Spoilers, it's Kevin Kline.

We're back!  Tonight we're talking old-timey drive-in restaurants, being close to your food and having your food be really close to you.   Find us on facebook, or @intheweedswbr on twitter!

What food are you afraid of?  It either has a name, or we'll name it for you!  Also, we discover Confectionary News.com, peanuts will kill you even if you don't have an allergy, and do you want Skynestle?  Because that's how you get Skynestle.

Ever wonder what it sounds like to forget to turn on your fancy microphone and accidentally record with the crappy onboard computer mic?  Unrelated: we talk tonight about the Great British Baking Show (again), trade wars and brands who have withstood seemingly catastrophic scandals.

Steve's back from London!  Tonight we talk British food, both through the lens of Steve's trip over there and Ben's lens of having super watched the Great British Baking Show.

Kids, it's St Patrick's Day & everybody's googling weird-ass pies.  It's craziness out there.

Tonight, kids, we talk restaurant tech upgrades, drone delivery services and horror movies.  Also, listener mail and naked sushi robots!

Tonight we talk airport food, Pittsburgh food and travel in general.  What's your favorite airport restaurant?  Are you eating cashews at the gate like we are? (Also, I'm in a hotel, so the sound quality's not great. Just FYI.)

Sorry, folks, this one is part of our ongoing "Bad Chefs Doing Bad Things" series, so buckle up for this to be kind of a bummer.  Also, Ben's travel plans, weaponized social media, and the continued exploration of Oreo's descent into darkness.

Just in time for the Super--I mean the Big Game!  We talk Superbowl party food, go hard against vegans and wonder about what CBS Sports is thinking, employing children.

In this episode, we keep banging our collective heads against cultural appropriation in food, get deep into some listener feedback, we broach the subject of 'Discomfort Foods' and we dissect the newest Oreo trainwreck, the Most Stuf (still mysteriously missing an 'f').

Tonight we wrestle with the ideas of successful cuisine fusion, art, cultural appropriation, ice cream, donuts and corn.  Also, what exactly IS a food allergy?

So, it looks like millennials are now killing terrible processed cheese.  More power to 'em!  Also, what's the favorite cheese in YOUR state?  Also also, naked restaurants continue to shutter.  It's a wild ride.

Tonight we engage in a year-end wrap-up (at long last), talk about the composition of poop (Google forgive me) and finally ask the question we've all been thinking: When will Instagram open a restaurant?

@page { margin: 0.79in } p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120% } Tonight, we Accidentally Review Joe vs The Volcano, talk SPAM, pooping, food replacement pills (not unrelated) and discuss the Environment of Mars.  Also, what does 2019 look like through the eyes of the people who will be writing about what 2019 looked like a year from now?

Tonight we talk everything Cruise Food!  Steve & his wife just got back from a Disney Cruise, and it sounds like the best part is the food!  Also, what would YOU call MI:6's catering company?

Did you get sick over Thanksgiving? Think it was the fault of the chain burger place where you had lunch on Black Friday?  Just FYI, it was more likely because of a toddler in a grocery store who you will never meet.  Also, there will be pie.

So when did Pumpkin Spice become a season?  What do Muppets taste like?  Was the ham a victim of circumstance?  Where do breadfruits really come from, and do they still sound appetizing?  Also, I was on somebody else's show.  Goodnight!

Tonight we talk alcohol-free whiskey, vodka made from milk, medium-roast coffee and Big Tuna.

Oh, man you guys.  Tonight we're all over the place.  We talk Sonic, Oreos, Dunkin, Starbucks, Hot&Now, candle technology and is it possible to make an apple pie potato chip.

So yeah, I forgot to tell you kids where exactly we ate while we were in Paris!  Also, I address some listener feedback.

Oh, man you guys, I went to Paris for a long weekend!  In this episode we talk travel, french food, cheese & bugs.  Not necessarily in that order.

Tonight, Steve & I chat about tricking diners at your invite-only pretentiousfest, bad marketing ideas and solar-powered German potato salad.  Also, 'relikes'.

@page { margin: 0.79in } p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120% } In which Mario Batali & Ken Friedman might go to jail, Sliders & Quantum Leap get a crossover reboot & Papa John Schnatter accuses Big Bird of using the n-word.

Oh, man, you guys.  Steve & I went to the Wisconsin State Fair.  And ate all the things.  Also, Chicago now has a Pizza Museum (your move, New York) and we want to put a bunch of fryers on a truck.

Oh, man you guys.  Tonight we talk bad decision food, theme burger restaurants, cultural appropriation and lawsuits (not how you think), racist beer in Indiana and Steve goes #vanlife all the way to Canada!

Remember how I said I was going to start interviewing people?  This was not an empty threat!  I sit down today with Josh from www.potandpanhandler.com and talk tacos, travel writing, old-school restaurant jobs and chicago pizza.

Today we're interviewing author Emily Belden about her new book 'Hot Mess', which tells the story of a young woman who gets swept up into the life and lifestyle of a rockstar chef in Chicago.  I'm not going to say that the rockstar chef is me, but his name is Benjy, so you make up your own mind.  It's a tale of love, loss, addiction, great food, craziness and restaurant life stress.  I highly recommend this book. http://www.emilybelden.com/