Morning Brew Daily – Producers Show!

Episode Title: The Year of Fast-Casual Dining, Viral Marketing Moments and more
Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Emily Milian, Raymond Liu, Olivia Graham (“OG”), Olivia Lake

Overview

In this special “Producers Show,” the Morning Brew Daily production team takes over the mic for a holiday episode, reflecting on 2025’s most memorable stories in business, pop culture, and marketing. Stepping in for regular hosts Neil and Toby, producers Emily, Ray, OG, and Liv share their personal favorites and behind-the-scenes insights, covering everything from fast-casual food booms and nostalgic dining, to viral marketing controversies and shifting late-night TV. With candid, witty banter, they explore how the year’s trends shaped their work, their habits, and the industries they cover.

Key Stories and Discussion Points

1. The Year of Fast-Casual Dining & Nostalgia-Driven Food Trends (02:36–07:00)

• Food was a universal headline in 2025: Producer Emily highlights 2025 as “the year of slap bowls and fast-casual dining” ([02:36]).
  • Chili’s vs. McDonald’s: In April, Chili’s trolled McDonald’s with its new Quarter Pounder burger. McDonald’s teased the return of snack wraps. Taco Bell revived a hugely popular menu item, and Red Robin launched a “Burger Pass” for bottomless burgers ([02:43]).
• Chili’s wins big: Chili’s posted a 24% sales spike and 16% traffic growth, jumping from $3.1M/unit revenue in 2022 to $4.5M in 2025.
  • Emily confesses: “Hand up. When we covered the Quarter Pounder story… I did go to a Chili’s in Westfield, New Jersey, and I tried the burger and it was delicious.” ([03:32])
• Staff try food stories themselves:
  • Olivia Lake and Toby sampled Luckin Coffee’s hyped NYC debut, comparing it to Starbucks. “I liked how it tasted better, which I’m always gonna put over speed.” – Olivia Lake ([04:03])
  • The team went to Dave & Buster’s for nostalgia and research—a trend they noticed drives restaurant business. Waitstaff confirmed the “nostalgia factor” was reviving customer traffic ([05:13]).
• Nostalgia as a restaurant differentiator: With “flavor flip outs” like Cracker Barrel’s redesign and restaurants evoking childhood memories, atmosphere and value became key draws in 2025 dining ([05:57]).

Memorable Quote:

“If you’re going to spend your money and leave the house, the nostalgia factor and the atmosphere is a big thing, too, that we saw this year.”
— Olivia Lake ([05:57])

2. The Changing Culture of Drinking and Dry January (07:00–12:16)

• Drinking declines: Raymond recaps August’s Gallup poll: “53% of Americans believe… even moderate drinking was bad for their health—up 28% from 2015.” Weekly drinks averaged just 2.8, the lowest in decades ([07:04]).
• Dry January’s rise: Olivia Graham (Gen Z) and Emily participate—sort of. “I did dry January Monday through Thursday.” – Emily ([08:17])
  • Social pressure, health consciousness, and the home-cocktail economy are all influencing the sobriety movement.
• Bar tab anxiety: Gen Zers increasingly refuse to “start a tab” at bars, causing confusion for bartenders and changing their tipping/work habits ([08:43]).
  • “I actually had a bartender say thank you to me...I guess they’re so used to now, people closing out, and they probably just have to do it so much more.” – Olivia Lake ([09:02])
• Shift to non-alcoholic beverages: Increased NA options, as well as the high cost of cocktails, further explain this trend. Cannabis was floated as a substitute, but not universally accepted as a replacement ([09:36]; [10:12]).
• Cocktails are expensive: “In New York City a cocktail can be up to like 20 something dollars… some of it is probably health but a lot of it also might just be we don’t got money to spend.” – Olivia Lake ([10:30])

Notable Moment:

“Yeah, when cocktails are like 15 to $20, you have to make do. And I see why people aren’t keeping those tabs open.”
— Olivia Graham ([11:00])

3. The Fall of “The Late Show” and the Turbulence of Legacy Media (13:52–19:14)

• “The Late Show” canceled: Olivia Graham, who once worked on the Colbert show, shares the shock of its surprise cancellation, announced for May 2026. Officially for financial reasons (“not a reflection of the show’s performance”), but media speculated about CBS’s motives following Colbert’s on-air criticism of parent company Paramount ([13:52]).
  • “When that news broke, I had people texting me that I didn’t talk to in years saying, like, what’s the... what’s inside scoop? And I’m like, I’m finding out with you.” — Olivia Graham ([14:33])
• Industry-wide implications: Kimmel’s show also pulled temporarily, and the hosts discuss massive layoffs at Paramount, and the general shake-up in legacy TV.
• Legacy vs. new media: Producers reflect on working in large, rigid legacy organizations with defined roles versus the scrappier, creative chaos of digital media and podcasts.
  • “It’s interesting growing up thinking of wanting to work in film and television…Everyone knew their role and it was, you know, down to a science…But then you move over to something like Morning Brew and you get to try so many different things.” – Olivia Lake ([18:28])
  • “We’re still figuring out what our roles are, whereas when we worked at the Late Show…there’s not really upward movement.” – Olivia Graham ([19:21])

Memorable Quotes:

“Ultimately, these things happen in entertainment, shows get canceled left and right for millions of reasons. But the cancellation of ‘The Late Show’ felt different. It felt like a shift that we haven’t seen before in TV.”
— Olivia Graham ([15:29])

“While legacy media may not be the thing right now, there are so many opportunities to adapt...we’re on this news podcast, it’s Morning Brew. That’s the wave.”
— Emily Milian ([18:03])

4. Viral Marketing Dramas: American Eagle, Sydney Sweeney & “All Press Is Good Press”? (19:35–23:47)

• Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle: Ray recounts the year’s biggest marketing drama. AE’s “Sydney has great genes” campaign (July) was instantly viral—accused of flirting with eugenics language, but also praised by political figures, including Donald Trump.
  • The controversy drove stock up 10%, generated 150 million views, doubled web traffic, and added $400M in market value ([19:35]).
  • Sydney Sweeney’s later statement: “The reaction was definitely a surprise. But I love jeans.” ([20:49])
• The “no bad press” effect: Multiple hosts comment on how controversy only boosted American Eagle's attention.
  • “Did they single handedly prove that all press is good press?” — Olivia Lake ([20:49])
• Viral marketing pile-ons & campaign trends: Comparable cases cropped up all year—Beyoncé’s Levi’s ad, Labubu and Pop Mart, Gap’s “cat’s eye” campaign.
  • “Rising tides lift all boats!” — Olivia Graham ([21:46])
• Short-lived but powerful flash trends: The cycle repeats: brands jump on viral moments, market gets saturated, social media moves on ([22:24]; [22:58]).
  • “If I see one more video of this, I’m going to throw my—yes—so I never want to see it again.” – Olivia Lake ([22:41])

Notable Quote:

“In a way...if people are talking about it…it got people talking about American Eagle. I’m sure like the chief marketing officer defended the campaign, but I’m sure in the inner conversations they were like, how do we become provocative? How do we push boundaries? ...At the same time, you know, it had some metric effect to their shares. So in the end, I think it was good for the company.”
— Raymond Liu ([22:58])

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Emily Milian on Chili's Quarter Pounder:
  “Hand up. When we covered the Quarter Pounder story that weekend, I did go to a Chili’s in Westfield, New Jersey, and I tried the burger and it was delicious.” ([03:32])

• Olivia Lake on nostalgia and restaurants:
  “If you’re going to spend your money and leave the house, the nostalgia factor and the atmosphere is a big thing, too, that we saw this year.” ([05:57])

• Olivia Graham on Dry January:
  “That’s the one thing that I lock in on is dry January. So I’ll be participating.” ([08:33])

• Olivia Lake’s bar tab story:
  “I actually had a bartender say thank you to me…because I guess they’re so used to now, people closing out, and they probably just have to do it so much more.” ([09:02])

• Raymond Liu on non-alcoholic options:
  “There’s a lot more people doing non alcoholic beverages or low alcoholic beverages and they taste more or less the same. So I think that contributes to it as well.” ([09:37])

• Olivia Graham on “The Late Show” cancelation:
  “Ultimately, these things happen in entertainment, shows get canceled left and right for millions of reasons. But the cancellation of ‘The Late Show’ felt different. It felt like a shift that we haven’t seen before in TV.” ([15:29])

• Emily Milian on adapting in media:
  “While legacy media may not be the thing right now, there are so many opportunities to adapt...we’re on this news podcast, it’s Morning Brew. That’s the wave.” ([18:03])

• Olivia Lake on cross-brand marketing trends:
  “Other companies jumping on bandwagons when they’re hot and trying to capitalize on whatever is, you know, the talk of that week. Because trends are so like flash in the pan today.” ([22:01])

• Raymond Liu on “all press is good press”:
  “If people are talking about it, it got people talking about American Eagle. ...So in the end, I think it was good for the company because people definitely talked about it.” ([22:58])

Key Timestamps for Easy Reference

• [02:36] Food trends and the rise of fast-casual dining
• [03:32] Chili’s Quarter Pounder story & personal anecdotes
• [04:38] Luckin Coffee vs. Starbucks
• [05:13] Dave & Buster’s nostalgia and atmosphere in dining
• [07:04] Gallup poll: Americans’ attitudes toward drinking
• [08:03] Dry January trends among Gen Z and producers
• [09:02] Changing bar tab habits
• [13:52] Cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• [15:29] Reflections on the end of an era in late-night TV
• [19:35] Sydney Sweeney & American Eagle’s viral/controversial marketing
• [22:01] The life cycle of viral brand campaigns

Tone and Takeaways

The producers bring a friendly, candid, and self-aware tone—mixing behind-the-scenes details with social and industry observations. The episode delivers thoughtful analysis with plenty of humor and real-life anecdotes, showing how the stories the show covers filter into the day-to-day lives of the people making it.

Conclusion

The “Producers Show” offers a breezy yet insightful recap of the year’s trends in business, culture, and marketing, focusing on the producers’ unique POVs and lived experiences. Whether it’s food-induced nostalgia, shifting attitudes toward drinking, the state of legacy media, or viral ad drama, listeners get both the facts and the flavor of 2025’s biggest stories—plus a few secrets from behind the scenes at Morning Brew Daily.