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Bricks and Clicks

Bricks and Clicks

By: Cliff Hudson and Craig Miller
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 What does it really take to lead a legacy brand into the digital era—and keep it thriving? Why do some companies succeed, and others don’t?

Bricks and Clicks is a masterclass in modern business strategy and transformational growth. Hosted by Cliff Hudson, former CEO of Sonic Drive-In, and Craig Miller, veteran strategist and technology leader, this podcast explores how traditional businesses can evolve, innovate, and lead in a fast-changing world.

Each episode features actionable in-depth discussions with visionary executives, digital pioneers, and brand builders who are redefining what it means to serve customers in the age of disruption. From leadership in legacy companies to digital strategy, operational reinvention, and customer-centric innovation, Bricks and Clicks offers candid, practical conversations packed with takeaways you can apply to your own business.

Whether you’re in the boardroom, a member of the c-suite, part of the front-line leadership, or building a business from the ground up, join Cliff and Craig as they talk with the minds shaping the future of business—where physical and digital meet, and transformation becomes reality. Bricks and Clicks is a production of Forbes Books.Forbes Books Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • The Digital Plumbing: How Sonic’s Technology Overhaul Turbocharged Momentum

    The Digital Plumbing: How Sonic’s Technology Overhaul Turbocharged Momentum
    Sep 23 2025
    When outdated tech throttles growth, what’s the fix? For Sonic Drive-In franchise giant DL Rogers Group – operating 269+ stores – the answer was ripping out legacy systems and installing "new digital plumbing." Host Cliff Hudson and former Sonic tech chief Craig Miller dissect the transformation with James Junkin, whose franchise group pioneered Sonic’s ice cream revolution. Junkin reveals how overhauling point-of-sale systems slashed food costs daily, unlocked shift-level analytics, and drove 20%+ sales through a frictionless mobile app – even among skeptics. Learn why early collaboration with franchisees was non-negotiable, how credit card readers became a "game changer," and why antiquated vendors lost ground. For any brick-and-mortar chain navigating technical debt, this is the playbook.
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    32 mins
  • Innovation Is Not A Luxury: Rewriting the QSR Playbook

    Innovation Is Not A Luxury: Rewriting the QSR Playbook
    Sep 9 2025
    Fast-food legend Robert Rosenberg — architect of Dunkin’s global expansion — joins Sonic’s Cliff Hudson and tech leader Craig Miller to dissect the unbreakable link between innovation, convenience, and survival in quick-service restaurants.

    Rosenberg reveals how Dunkin’ turned doughnut scraps into the billion-dollar Munchkin phenomenon during the 1970s oil crisis, while Domino’s boardroom bets on digital ordering catapulted it from stagnation to 80% online sales dominance.

    Hudson reflects on Sonic’s early "pay-at-your-stall" tech gamble inspired by gas pumps, proving that incremental customer-centric shifts — not just flashy tech — build lasting brands.

    The trio argues why convenience now trumps even product quality, and why franchises that ignore the "techno-oval" risk obsolescence.
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    31 mins
  • Fortune Favors the Prepared: Sonic’s Billion-Dollar Timing

    Fortune Favors the Prepared: Sonic’s Billion-Dollar Timing
    Aug 26 2025
    Former CEO Cliff Hudson and franchisee Buddy McClain unpack Sonic’s 20-year tech evolution—from skeptics to industry leaders. They reveal how early credit card readers boosted tickets by 40%, why legacy POS systems nearly crippled growth, and how integrating a proprietary mobile app unlocked a competitive advantage for the brand. The payoff? When COVID hit, Sonic’s pre-pandemic mobile investment turned Sonic’s drive-ins into profit engines, with app sales hitting 40% in some markets. Miller and McClain detail the operational drama, billion-dollar timing, and why "fortune favors the prepared." A masterclass in brick-and-mortar digital transformation.
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    35 mins
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