Busted Business Bureau

Latest Episodes:

Buffalo Wild Wings Jul 11, 2022

Show notes

Buffalo native and hater-by-trade, Christian McCann, has dropped by the podcast to give us a people's history of the most bizarre restaurant chain: Buffalo Wild Wings! It is kind of crazy how many things Buffalo Wild Wings has entered into our culture. Its origin story is COMPLETELY left field. We also talk about how busted the service industry is. If you like wage theft, polio, or overindulgent descriptions of meat, this is definitely the episode for you. Christian is so near and dear to my heart, follow @c_and_c_dueling_pianos on Instagram or his twitter @CThomasMccann (he thought his handle was @fullonacidtrip, but it is not. he simply lied for attention)

FOOTNOTES:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/195224567/?terms=a%20Woman%20Worth%20Moving%20a%20Restaurant%20Chain%20For&match=1

https://www.nrn.com/mergers-acquisitions/arby-s-buy-buffalo-wild-wings-29b-deal?NL=NRN-02_&Issue=NRN-02__20171129_NRN-02__134&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_1&utm_rid=CPG06000002760274&utm_campaign=20321&utm_medium=email&elq2=4c13e545705c41069634f725a3785a8e

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-11/buffalo-wild-wings-sued-by-server-over-tipped-wage-practices

https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2015/10/buffalo_wild_wings_owners_agre.html

https://www.fslawfirm.com/blog/current-cases/buffalo-wild-wings-complaint/

https://www.bradleygrombacher.com/blog/2017/september/buffalo-wild-wings-wage-hour-lawsuit-alleges-unp/

https://www.legalreader.com/buffalo-wild-wings-agrees-to-pay-1-5m-ending-lawsuit-over-employee-pay/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-27/buffalo-wild-wings-cuts-jobs-amid-rising-labor-wing-prices

https://www.carlsonattorneys.com/news-and-update/food-poisoning-lawsuit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ODqkxgg1AM&ab_channel=MattPlapp

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

TECH ERROR FIXED! Woman with BFA, Sarah, is back on the pod to talk about the musical that got cancelled to its death on Twitter: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812! This is my favorite musical ever written that unfortunately was, in fact, a busted business. Bad decisions all the way at the top. I'm not kidding, you should put this on a playlist with all the bangers from the show. If you like controversy, overindulgence, opulence, and Josh Groban, this one's a must-listen! If you're going to listen to one song to get into the show, I think I might recommend sitting down and fully listening to The Ball. Sooooo enchanting. Anyways, plz follow @BustedBizBureau on tiktok and instiegram if you want to see all the Great Comet vids I've posted (of which I've posted many). Donate to the patreon, I guess. Go on Dave Malloy's website, too. You won't regret it. Cheers! :)

FOOTNOTES:

https://www.papermag.com/beetlejuice-broadway-tiktok-trend-1-2640689936.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/theater/how-to-keep-the-great-comet-party-going-on-broadway-dish-out-the-pierogies-and-add-josh-groban.html

https://digboston.com/experience/2011/12/from-the-aisle-three-pianos/

https://thehustle.co/the-economics-of-broadway-shows/

scribd.com/book/401397644/I-Wanna-Be-a-Producer-How-to-Make-a-Killing-on-Broadway-or-Get-Killed

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/theater/on-the-town-producers-keep-faith-in-their-investment.html

https://playbill.com/article/great-comet-and-ars-nova-say-contract-dispute-resolved

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/theater/josh-groban-great-comet.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcTfhMT2_4o&ab_channel=KevinSpaceyTalks

https://www.npr.org/2017/05/18/528803081/josh-groban-leaves-big-shoes-to-fill-in-the-tony-nominated-great-comet

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ohenry-report/id1261146501

https://playbill.com/article/mandy-patinkin-will-return-to-broadway-in-the-great-comet

https://deadline.com/2017/07/mandy-patinkin-drops-out-of-natasha-pierre-and-the-great-comet-of-1812-on-broadway-1202138576/

https://nypost.com/2017/09/21/investor-demands-answers-from-shuttered-great-comet/

Bumblebee Foods: The Canned Tuna Conspiracy Jun 20, 2022

Show notes

Loyal Piggly Wiggly customer, Aasia Lashay, joins me for a deep dive (haha get it) into the scandalous world of packaged seafood products. You know it's bad when a whole ass CEO genuinely faces consequences for it. If you like scheming, gruesome workplace safety violations, backstabbing, and DOJ antitrust investigations, you better listen ASAP! You'll definitely have stories for your coworkers to break the ice after this one. Anyways, stream ALL of Aasia's music on Spotify (D.A.B.O. is my personal fav), watch the stuff she writes for (What We Do in the Shadows and Upload), and follow her on ALL SOCIAL MEDIAS @euthanAasia!

FOOTNOTES:

1. This government price-fixing case makes the tuna industry sound like the mafia, LA Times, Michael Hiltzik, 2019

2. Dairy companies fined for price rigging, The Korea Herald, 김지현 2011

3. https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/4483839/Bunble-Class-Action-Complasint-Copy.pdf

4. The most important details of the Walmart suit against the “big three” tuna companies, Seafood Source, Cliff White 2016

5. Asserting innocence, Lischewski hopes to return to Bumble Bee CEO role, Undercurrent News, Jason Smith 2019

6. Cooked to death in agony for two hours: Gruesome guilty plea by Bumble Bee Foods, My News LA, Stephanie Michaud 2017

7. Chris Lischewski hopes to avoid prison, while prosecutors push for 10-year sentence, Seafood Source, Cliff White 2020

8. Thai Union's Chicken of the Sea blew the whistle on tuna price fixing, Bumble Bee and StarKist replace legal teams, Seafood Source, Cliff White 2017

9. Lischewski — There Was No Price Fixing in the Tuna Industry, Medium, Chris Lischewski 2020

10. https://twitter.com/LischewskiChris/status/1201639711124738049

PS If you live in chicago, I have a comedy/dueling pianos show coming up this Friday, June 24 2022, at the Lincoln Lodge at 6pm! It's called Christian and Christian dueling pianos, you can get tix on eventbrite, and it'll be way fun. Thanks! :)

The Charles Ponzi Security Exchange Company Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

Late bloomer Ari Levin joins me for, I'm not kidding, probably the best episode I've made thus far. THEE Charles Ponzi's scheme has so many twists and turns. Charles Ponzi is a mama's boy, he's a pisces, he's 5'2. He's.....the man of my dreams. While many historians have actually pieced together a pretty cogent puzzle of the life Ponzi lived, none are as brave as I am because none of them acknowledge that he's a total smokeshow. I'm sure you're reading this like "she's doing a joke right now" but I AM NOT. Anyways, huge thanks to Mitchell Zuckoff, whose book on Ponzi is enrapturing. Ari is also absolutely hysterical in this episode, he's the perfect podcast guest. Follow @remlevin and catch him in Trigger Happy at the Annoyance on Wednesdays at 9:30! Or anything he's in. He's a gem!

1. Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend, Mitchell Zuckoff, 2006

2. Ponzi's Scheme, Lizzie Peabody, Sidedoor - Smithsonian Institution Podcast, 2020

3. Ponzi: The Incredible True Story of the King of Financial Cons, Donald Dunn, 2004

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi

5. This Week In History: The Boston Post Takes Down Charles Ponzi, Edgar B. Herwick III, 2014

PS I actually PAID for the books I mentioned because they weren't on Scribd. If you like stuff like this, consider tossing coins at my PATREON! It's patreon.com/bustedbizbureau

"Climate Certified" Products Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

KP, who invented being funny, has returned AGAIN for an episode about the market’s solution to the pesky idea of consumers hating climate change: “climate certification.” This podcast is certified carbon neutral because I venmo’d someone in France to get an impossible whopper from Burger King. This episode is not doom and gloom, it’s full of scams and glam! It’ll be fun, I pinky promise! Follow @they.call.us everywhere and thanks for the reviews! Keep ‘em coming! I love and appreciate you <3

FOOTNOTES

1. https://www.climateneutral.org/

2. https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/carbon-cowboys-20110722-1hssc.html

3. https://features.propublica.org/brazil-carbon-offsets/inconvenient-truth-carbon-credits-dont-work-deforestation-redd-acre-cambodia/

4. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/to-regrow-forests-us-needs-billions-of-seeds-many-more-seed-hunters

5. https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0420/Carbon-offsets-How-a-Vatican-forest-failed-to-reduce-global-warming

PS towards the end I mention that I really believe in individual action to stop climate change, the IMPLICATION being that I also believe in holding companies accountable for their behaviors/believe in strict regulations. I feel like that’s clear from….the entire podcast that I do….but I did in fact fail to mention it in the rant at the end. Cancel me if you feel.

D.A.R.E. America May 30, 2022

Show notes

My brother in christ, Matt McLean, joins for a jaunty-ass personal episode about society's preventative answer to the war on drugs: DARE! Cops certainly did not get this one right, despite receiving an insane amount of funding. Like bonkers. This loosey goosey episode was so fun to record, and if you like drugs, alcohol, and violence, this episode is for you! Stream Matt's music and follow @bustedbizbureau if you're so inclined. :) KISSES!

FOOTNOTES

1. DARE Marks a Decade of Growth and Controversy : Youth: Despite critics, anti-drug program expands nationally. But some see declining support in LAPD., Jim Newton, LA Times, 1993

2. DARE takes substance abuse message into classrooms, Mureena Naseer, Journal and Courier, 1999

3. DARE to succeed, Myra Jones, The Bradenton Herald, 2000

4. DARE officers guide our youth, Joe Mazurek, Ravalli Republic, 1996

5. Program DARES youth to resist drugs and violence, Sheryald Cubrey, The Marshall News, 1996

6. Vintage DARE cartoon

7. DARE Scare: Turning Children Into Informants?, James Bovard, 1994, Washington Post

8. A brief history of DARE, the anti-drug program Jeff Sessions wants to revive, Christopher Ingramsen, Washington Post 2017,

9. Local cops defend DARE, Rex Robinson and Phil Rokohor, Southtown Star 1998

Lockheed Martin May 23, 2022

Show notes

National Organizer at CODEPINK, Danaka, joins me for the girliest episode of Busted Business Bureau: the multibillion dollar weapons company, Lockheed Martin! If you pay taxes, I promise this episode is about you. For a company that's been around so long, you think they'd build less stuff that caught on fire or less stuff that made Vermonter children lose control of their bowels. This one's got explosions, missed deadlines, a bit of the red scare, bribery, and the WHITE MAN'S CAUCUS, which I promise is just as funny as it sounds. Follow @wifeoftoast on twitter or @CODEPINK everywhere!

PS, if you live in Chicago, Mike Quigley takes money from Lockheed Martin. Follow @DivestMike and tell him to cut it out!

Footnotes:

Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex, William D. Hartung

Inside America’s Dysfunctional Trillion-Dollar Fighter-Jet Program, Valerie Insinna, New York Times 2019

Federal Contractors Are Violating Workers’ Rights and Harming the U.S. Government, Center for American Progress Report

Sandia National Labs Bribery Scandal, Department of Justice Summary

Lockheed Subsidiary (Tools and Metals) Overcharging Scheme, Jerry Seper, Washington Times 2000

Working for Equality: The Narrative of Harry Hudson, Harry Hudson

Wikipedia List of Lockheed Bribery Scandals

How Lockheed Martin Makes Money, Investopedia

Nooses, Symbols of Race Hatred, At Center of Workplace Lawsuits, Sana Siwolap, NYT 2000

Lockheed's Latest Battle: Bias, Greg Schneider, NYT 2000

Remove Labels This Ramadan <3, Coca Cola XOXO

I don't want to plug that right wing guy's website or the White Man's Caucus website but if you're dying to look them up, they're easily googlable lol.

BONUS EPISODE: The Men's Rights Lawyer Who Makes a Killing off a Technicality Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Chicago improv's biggest hater KP returns to talk about men's rights (and men's wrongs). This men's rights lawyer has unleashed himself upon California to successfully sue people over ladies nights, lesbian gatherings, and Mother's Day baseball promotions. Why is Alfred Rava not a household name? This is literally all I talk about now. TUNE IN!

Souces (not enough if you ask me):

1. https://www.dfeh.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/12/DFEH_UnruhFactSheet.pdf

2. https://www.nrtoday.com/a-hetoo-movement-fighting-for-men-s-rights-in-california-courts/article_7b2a05db-3e71-542b-a7d9-4f21eabf1fbc.html

3. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-may-16-sp-promotions16-story.html

4. https://nypost.com/2018/05/11/woman-sued-by-men-for-discrimination-at-empowerment-events/

5. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/01/men-rights-unruh-act-women-discrimination/

6. https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-mens-rights-20161027-story.html

7. https://ncfm.org/2018/06/news/discrimination-news/discrimination-against-men-news/ncfm-members-file-lawsuit-against-women-only-tech-scholarships-a-man-tax/

8. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1887382.html

9. https://www.classaction.org/media/riddick-et-al-v-united-airlines-inc.pdf

10. https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=reilly_rick&sportCat=mlb&id=4247723

11. https://www.scribd.com/document/380009632/Pollister-v-Shlesinger-Et-Al

Follow @BustedBizBureau or head to BustedBizBureau.com for more updates! Thanks for tuning in. Season 2 coming soon!

Six Flags: A Chaotic Retrospective Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

Rollercoaster hater Peter Bucci joins the season finale to talk about Six Flags’ insane journey to becoming the world’s largest regional theme park chain. This episode has everything: bankruptcy, a hostile takeover, many gruesome rollercoaster deaths. Also, who knew the politics of parking could be so interesting? Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to follow @BustedBizBureau everywhere for updates on season 2.

Footnotes:

Restructuring a Theme Park: The Six Flags Bankruptcy, John Capps and Lauren Sherrell
Incidents at Six Flags parks, Wikipedia
Six Flags faces buying spree hangover, Sean Murphy, My Plainview 2005
The Atlanta Braves Borrowed Their Parking Scam From Dan Snyder, Dave Mckenna, Deadspin 2016
DEFINITIVE CONSENT SOLICITATION STATEMENT FILED BY RED ZONE LLC, 2005
Large Shareholder Files Against Six Flags Sale NFL Owner Backed By Major Investor, Paul Monies, NEWSOK 2005
Six Flags Files For Chap. 11 Bankruptcy, Forbes 2009
Dakota Hickman and Matthew D’Agostino vs. Six Flags New England, 2019
How you can eat every day at Six Flags Magic Mountain for $150 a year, Mercury News 2021
Six Flags 2018 Annual Report
Six Flags settles class action lawsuit for charging season pass holders during COVID-19 closure, Woo Sung-Shin 2021
THEME PARK
CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT Six Flags in Gurnee, Illinois, 2021
Six Flags Great America Settling Lawsuit Over Fingerprints for $36M, Chicago Sun Times 2021

ShotSpotter Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

Rising star Deanna Ortiz joins to talk about something we spend a stupid amount of tax dollars on in Chicago: ShotSpotter! It’s a national company, but the City of Chicago makes up nearly a quarter of its revenue. What are we spendin’ all that money on? This episode is sooo foolish, we talk about tech bros’ hubris, how good PR can change everything, and who from the company definitely got picked to be the fall guy. FUN STUFF! COMEDY PODCAST! Follow @DeannaOrtiz_ and @Crushes_podcast everywhere!!

Footnotes: