HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Strategy , case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts—hand-selected to help you unlock new ways of doing business. For a long time in the restaurant industry, there were two dining categories: fast food or table service. But Ron Shaich, founder and former chairman and CEO of Panera Bread, managed to create an entirely new category in between the two—a category that would set the table for companies like Starbucks, Chipotle, Sweetgreen, and beyond In this episode, Shaich breaks down his strategies for successful innovation in the restaurant industry: figure out what your customers truly want, create a differentiated offering, execute with excellence, and find the right opportunities to grow. And he argues that they can be used to scale any type of organization. This episode originally aired on HBR IdeaCast in November 2023. Here it is. ALISON BEARD: Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast f...