Tech Turmoil, Tariff Troubles, and Taco Bell’s Time-Saving Tactics.
The Weekly from The Liquid Lunch Project, Issue No 157 | March 21, 2025
We didn’t see this on our 2025 bingo card, but Guy Fieri just went from Mayor of Flavortown to an official DC superhero. That’s right—Batman and Superman are now sharing the pages of World’s Finest with the bleach-blonde, burger-slinging icon himself. The best part? “Flavortown” wasn’t even a planned brand; it was just something Fieri said a few times before the public ran with it.
Lesson for small business owners? Sometimes, your brand’s best ideas aren’t the ones you carefully strategize…but the ones your audience latches onto. So embrace the unexpected—your version of Flavortown might be one viral moment away.
ON TAP THIS WEEK
🧮 Did your Q1 budget survive, or is it on life support?
🏢 Your condo might be unsellable thanks to THIS mortgage rule
⏱️ Did fast food finally solve the ‘Hurry Up and Wait’ problem?
🕊️ Apple’s AI plans are so delayed they might as well arrive by Carrier Pigeon
🛰️ Boeing’s Space Program is giving ‘Windows Vista’ energy
😬 Money mistakes you don’t want to explain to your accountant.
🌐 And from Around the Web: Pricey pints, judicial buzzkills, and a ring that actually does something useful.
THE CLASSROOM
Positioning Your Business for Strong 2Q Growth Second Quarter Growth
by Luigi Rosabianca
Q1 is over—did your business crush it, or did it crash and burn? Either way, Q2 is here, and it’s time to get your financial house in order. We’re talking revenue trends, profit margins (are they thinner than a juice-cleanse influencer?), cash flow nightmares, and why your business credit score is basically your VIP pass to funding.
Need funding? Need a financial reality check? Need to stop wasting money on things like $200 office plants? We’ve got you covered. Click below to read the full article before Q2 eats you alive.
HEARD ON THE STREET
✖️ Blacklist Listing
Condominium owners across the country are facing a paralyzing problem as they cannot sell their properties because of a fast-growing and little-known mortgage blacklist. Meanwhile, real estate agents are sharpening their marketing skills to sell high-end homes in America’s disaster zones.
The blacklist is maintained by Fannie Mae and includes condo associations that the mortgage finance giant thinks don’t have adequate property insurance or need to make critical building repairs. Being on the list can make it difficult for potential buyers to get a mortgage. The number of properties that fail to meet Fannie Mae’s standards has risen to 5,175 this month. Fannie Mae and its sister organization, Freddie Mac, don’t make loans but buy roughly half of the country’s home loans from lenders, package them to sell to investors, and then guarantee payments on them. Loans that meet Fannie or Freddie’s underwriting standards, known as conforming loans, can be less expensive and require lower down payments than bespoke mortgages. To ensure the debt can be repaid should the property be damaged or destroyed, Fannie and Freddie have long required a minimum level of insurance coverage for home loans they are willing to buy.
The result is lots of associations trying to reduce soaring insurance rates by agreeing to pared-down policies that make their condos ineligible for mortgages backed by Fannie and Freddie. Some homeowners’ sales are falling through, and others are looking for buyers who can pay cash or get other types of loans. Proponents of Fannie and Freddie say the tighter insurance requirements ensure that homeowners can afford to rebuild if needed. Due diligence is not optional, folks.
🍟 Faster Fast Food
Economists have found fast-food restaurants are enjoying a newfound surge in productivity after ~30 years of stagnation. Between 1992 and 2019, restaurant productivity remained the same while other sectors grew. Since the pandemic, fast-food restaurants have enjoyed ~15% more sales per employee, a figure that hasn’t dropped even as things have normalized.
Using mobile phone data to track visits, a new study has found 100K limited service (fast-food) restaurants across the US between January ‘19 and December 2022. There is a significant increase in customers who spend 10 minutes or less at a restaurant. Placer.ai research also found that Taco Bell customers who visited for 10 minutes or less rose from 58.4% in ‘19 to 62.9% in ‘23, with similar increases at Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A. These customers are typically getting takeout or picking up delivery orders; something consumers adopted during the pandemic and never gave up. These customers get in, get out, use fewer amenities, and make fewer messes, allowing restaurants to serve a larger volume of customers and spend less time cleaning. Restaurants have also changed to accommodate such customers, including mobile Apps, takeout shelves, and prioritizing drive-thrus.
As chains pivot to faster service, they’ve also invested in technology. Examples include kiosks for in-store orders, AI for drive-thrus, and automated machines that make salsa, guacamole, and fries. Potbelly is perfecting a digital kitchen that will send orders to the backline based on how long they take to make. These efforts haven’t replaced human workers and may benefit them in the long run. Wage and productivity tend to move together. Never let a crisis go to waste; thus, restaurants and bars find opportunities in the wake of the pandemic.
🍏 Worm in The Apple
Apple has delayed the release of some of its most widely touted Apple Intelligence features until ‘26 or later. Though the delay may surprise seasoned Apple observers, disruptive technologies are challenging for incumbents to incorporate. The characteristics that make AI interesting may not be consistent with Apple’s buttoned-up, optimized ecosystem.
Though a one-year delay might sound insignificant, such a time gap is dramatic and potentially deadly in the AI age. Just two years ago, in March ‘23, OpenAI’s GPT-4 did not exist, and ChatGPT's subscription service had yet to launch. Historically, performance has doubled for traditional technologies every two years, thanks to their learning curves and cost declines. As a result, a company one year behind would have lagged by only half a generation. In the AI age, however, performance doubles every 4/5 months, suggesting a year delay would be the equivalent of launching Apple‘s first smartphone not in 2007 but in 2012. Despite an additional year working on the project, there is no guarantee Apple will deliver its widely advertised personalized AI features, even on the newly revised timeline. Last year, users responded positively to the Apple promo videos promising a truly smart Siri that would incorporate the raw context collected on iPhones to answer questions and take intelligent actions. Yet, Apple has yet to demonstrate these capabilities in any live forum. In AI, prototypes are easy, and concept videos are even easier. Delivering a product that works consistently, however, is hard. Indeed, some of the Intelligence features that Apple has rolled out already have been recalled
AI could create a new system of operating users to manage wildly performant AI agents. As users seek a new operating system to manage their agents, AI agents could reduce the consumer need for apps and traditional web interfaces, putting Apple’s entire app store franchise at risk. Just as the iPhone relegated cellular companies to providers of dumb pipes, AI could render smartphone manufacturers into providers of dumb hardware. No wonder leaks from internal meetings suggest that Apple is in an ‘AI crisis.’ The company’s constellation of devices supports one of the most lucrative global distribution channels in history. Now, the question is whether Apple can capitalize on its channel to deliver on the AI promise. The burden of proof is on Apple. So, if your business is having a rough time incorporating AI, you are not alone!
🚀 An American. A Japanese, and a Russian Walk into a Capsule
A SpaceX Crew Dragon arrived at the International Space Station early Sunday morning with two new NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut, clearing the way for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to head home. NASA insists the pair have not been stranded this whole time, but instead, they were intentionally kept hanging for technical and budgetary reasons. 👀 On that note, the Brooklyn Bridge is still on sale. Speaking of budget, Wilmore and Williams apparently will get no overtime or compensation above and beyond their usual salary for the extra months spent working from space.
Wilmore and Williams were only supposed to be at the International Space Station (ISS) for about a week after arriving on the first crewed test flight of the Starliner in June ‘24. The Dragon capsule detached from the ISS Tuesday, and the crew splashed down off the coast of Florida just before 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The return highlights just how hard it is to build space technology and how much progress SpaceX has made.
Meanwhile, Boeing failed to complete the full crew test. At current levels, Boeing stock is worth $120B. SpaceX is valued at $350B based on private market transactions. It has become the most valuable aerospace and defense company ever. Wall Street honchos now estimate Boeing will deliver about 550 planes in ‘25. Boeing had faced heavy scrutiny from regulators and investors ever since an emergency door plug blew out of a 737 MAX-9 jet in January ‘24, leading to slower production and lower estimates. Starliner’s failure hasn’t helped the stock. Hitting those plane targets should be positive. Bumbling Boeing is still aiming to get NASA certification to fly regular missions. SpaceX has now transported 11 crews to the ISS, including the four astronauts from the U.S., Japan, and Russia last Sunday, and is still the only U.S. company certified for regular missions. Never rest on your laurels, folks, as Boeing’s robust market share made it complacent.
THE MONEY MINUTE WITH MRM
7 Useful Pieces Of Money Advice From People Who Started Their Own Business
with Matthew R. Meehan
Money can be confusing, but ignoring it won’t make the problem go away—just ask anyone who’s ever “accidentally” ignored a tax bill. Whether you’re running a business or just trying to avoid financial chaos, these tips will help you budget smarter, save more, and avoid costly mistakes. Because the only thing worse than bad money habits is realizing too late that you have them.
AROUND THE WEB
Cans Cost More, But Your Hangover’s Still Free: Well, folks, if you thought your beer budget was safe, think again—tariffs are about to make your favorite six-pack pricier than ever. 🍺 A fresh 25% aluminum tariff is jacking up the cost of cans, and ingredient prices are creeping up, too. At this rate, your happy hour tab might require its own financing plan.
Well, That Was Fun While It Lasted: A Michigan judge’s creative plan to have Walmart shoplifters wash cars instead of paying fines has officially been shut down. 🫧 Turns out, forcing thieves to buff out minivan scratches isn’t an “accepted” punishment—at least according to the higher-ups. So, no “Walmart Washes,” but we’re sure Judge Clothier is brainstorming his next outside-the-box justice experiment.
Smart Bling: A $30 smart ring that translates sign language into text? Cornell’s SpellRing uses sonar and AI to recognize ASL fingerspelling in real-time, turning hand motions into smartphone input. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s a huge step toward making communication more accessible—because who knew the future of texting might be on your thumb? 👍