(http://nextrestaurants.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Table-Touch-175.png)Career restaurant folks, want to walk down memory lane?

Maybe you got your start in the working world within the restaurant industry. Maybe even a chain.

Most of us did.

On this podcast episode of Table Touch, Randy and Brandon wax nostalgic about great lessons learned from their earliest working days in the industry and once-vibrant brands who have disappeared.

We also interview Erin Levzow, Director of Digital Marketing with Wingstop (Want to skip straight to our interview? Go to the 26:10 mark of the show, or -25:58 if you're looking at the countdown clock.)
Show Notes
Among the many memories we talk about that maybe you can relate to...

* How we should thank our lucky stars for chains -- look how many people learned what it means to work at a chain restaurant
* Smoking sections in restaurants
* Fluting
* Dance floors in Applebee's (http://www.today.com/money/applebees-your-friendly-neighborhood-disco-1B6030995)
* Polyester uniforms wadded up in the manager's box
* Where can one find a good smorgasbord? Where have they gone? Did Ikea steal that category?
* How about lutefisk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk)? Do a Yelp search for that term!
* Whatever happened to Sambo's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo's)? Howard Johnson's? Chi-Chi's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi-Chi's)? Pioneer Chicken? Kenny Rogers' Roasters?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUvzzEtNevY

Randy's Nugget of Wisdom: everyone should work at some point, 1) In sales, 2) As a server or work in a restaurant, and 3) Take a public speaking and/or acting course.

Our interview with Erin Levzow was a crazy good time. Catch her on LinkedIn here (http://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlevzow) or Twitter here (https://twitter.com/Playnthestrs).
(http://nextrestaurants.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Wingstop.png)

Our Interview with Erin Levzow
Again, if you want to skip right to our interview? Go to the 26:10 mark of the show (-25:58 if you're looking at the countdown clock).

Among the takeaways from our interview with Erin:

* Erin moved from Las Vegas to Dallas to join Wingstop after a long run in the gaming industry.
* Wingstop (http://www.wingstop.com/) has 625 locations in the U.S. and more in Russia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia.
* How much do flavor preferences change from the U.S. to Russia?
* Wings are a lifestyle -- more than just food, they're an experience -- but find out why Erin feels that way.
* Erin's a lemon pepper kind of girl. Do you have a wing sauce favorite?
* What can Erin's gaming background tell us about the future of restaurants? (Data and getting to know your guests, that's what.)

Erin was a lot of fun to talk to, including playing a game of Either/Or with us. What were her choices?

* Email or text?
* Facebook or Twitter?
* Fine Dining or Takeout?
* Usher or Pharrell?
* Buzzfeed or Upworthy?
* Ben Affleck or Christian Bale?

Check out Wingstop, folks. Huge thanks to Erin for joining us. You can also catch her insights in a recent interview with Fastcasual.com's Brenda Rick Smith (http://www.fastcasual.com/videos/whats-ahead-for-wingstop-mobile-payment/).
Love Table Touch?
(http://nextrestaurants.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/subscribe-itunes.png)
Give us a 5-star rating in iTunes! (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-table-touch-show/id910228205)
(http://cloudfront.assets.stitcher.com/promo.assets/stitcher-banner-300x250.jpg)
Listen to Us on Stitcher
We're so thankful for recent reviews on iTunes and having a ton of fun with this as we carry on these easygoing conversations with movers and shakers in the restaurant industry.

More outstanding restaurant leaders are lined up for future episodes -- so subscribe or hop on board the mailing list and we'll let you know about each episode.