The Ultimate Guide to Top Restaurant Business Podcasts: Xcelcast's 2025 Rankings
In the fast-paced world of restaurant management, staying ahead of industry trends, operational strategies, and innovative ideas is crucial for success. Whether you're a seasoned restaurateur, an aspiring chef, or a hospitality professional, podcasts have become an invaluable resource for learning on the go. Thanks to Xcelcast, the Universal Podcast Ranking platform, we now have data-driven insights into which restaurant business podcasts are making the biggest impact.
Why Restaurant Business Podcasts Matter
The restaurant industry is constantly evolving, with new challenges ranging from labor shortages and supply chain disruptions to changing consumer preferences and digital transformation. Podcasts offer a unique advantage: they bring expert insights, real-world experiences, and actionable strategies directly to your ears—whether you're commuting, prepping in the kitchen, or managing the floor.
Xcelcast's Universal Rating system evaluates podcasts across multiple platforms, providing a comprehensive view of quality, engagement, and growth. Let's dive into the top-ranked restaurant business podcasts that are setting the standard in 2025.
The Top 3 Restaurant Business Podcasts
1. The Dave Chang Show (Universal Rating: 5.0)
Leading the pack with a perfect 5.0 rating, The Dave Chang Show has established itself as the gold standard for restaurant industry content. Hosted by celebrity chef and Momofuku founder David Chang, this podcast offers an unfiltered look into the culinary world through the lens of one of its most innovative minds.
What sets The Dave Chang Show apart is its authenticity and breadth. Chang doesn't just talk shop—he explores the intersection of food, culture, business, and creativity. The show's YouTube channel boasts over 29,000 subscribers with an impressive 18% growth rate over 90 days, demonstrating its expanding influence. Episodes feature candid conversations with renowned chefs, restaurateurs, and food industry disruptors, offering listeners both inspiration and practical business insights.
Whether you're interested in restaurant scaling strategies, kitchen culture, or the future of food media, The Dave Chang Show delivers content that resonates with both industry veterans and newcomers alike.
2. Fast Casual Nation (Universal Rating: 5.0)
The Most Influential Podcast in Restaurant Business
Tied for the top spot with another perfect 5.0 rating, Fast Casual Nation stands out as the most influential podcast in the entire lineup—and for good reason. Co-hosted by industry veterans Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler, this powerhouse show is part of the SavorFm network, which commands an impressive 240,000+ YouTube subscribers, making it the largest media platform in this ranking by a significant margin.
This massive reach translates into real influence. While the Fast Casual Nation podcast itself has nearly 24,000 dedicated subscribers and maintains a healthy 8.77% growth rate, its association with the broader SavorFm ecosystem means each episode has the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of restaurant professionals, investors, and industry decision-makers.
Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler bring complementary expertise to every episode. Their dynamic co-hosting style combines deep industry knowledge with an accessible, conversational approach that makes complex business concepts easy to understand and implement. The duo focuses specifically on the trends, challenges, and opportunities within the fast-casual dining space—one of the most dynamic and competitive sectors in foodservice.
3. Restaurant Influencers (Universal Rating: 4.7)
Rounding out the top three, Restaurant Influencers by Cali BBQ Media brings a unique perspective to restaurant business content with a 4.7 rating. What's particularly impressive about this podcast is its substantial YouTube presence—nearly 7,000 subscribers—and its consistent growth trajectory of 4.60%.
Restaurant Influencers takes a people-first approach to industry storytelling. The podcast highlights the entrepreneurs, chefs, and innovators who are shaping the future of hospitality. Each episode explores not just the "what" and "how" of running successful restaurants, but the "why"—diving into the personal journeys, failures, and breakthroughs that define successful restaurant careers.
The show's strength lies in its ability to humanize the business side of restaurants, making it both inspirational and educational. Listeners gain insights into marketing strategies, brand building, and the increasingly important role of social media and influencer culture in the modern restaurant landscape. The Cali BBQ Media YouTube channel provides an engaging visual component that enhances the storytelling experience.
Top 10 Ranking
While the top three podcasts dominate the rankings, Xcelcast's data reveals several other exceptional shows worth your attention:
Each of these podcasts brings its own unique perspective and expertise to the table, addressing different aspects of restaurant management, from operations and finance to marketing and team building.
The Power of Multi-Platform Content and YouTube's Growing Importance
One notable trend in Xcelcast's rankings is the critical importance of multi-platform presence, particularly on YouTube. YouTube's visual format offers distinct advantages for restaurant content: viewers can see kitchen operations, restaurant designs, food presentations, and the body language of interviewees, creating a more immersive and engaging experience. This multi-sensory approach to content consumption is particularly valuable in the restaurant industry, where visual elements are intrinsically tied to the business.
The top-performing podcasts maintain strong presences on both YouTube and Apple Podcasts, recognizing that today's audience consumes content across multiple channels. This cross-platform strategy not only increases reach but also provides different ways for listeners to engage with content—whether they prefer video interviews on YouTube or audio-only episodes during their commute.
Rankings based on Xcelcast Universal Rating system as of October 2025. For the most current rankings and to discover more restaurant business podcasts, visit Xcelcast.com.
