Forget Top Chef. The winner of NBC’s upcoming America’s Next Great Restaurant gets to open a three-unit chain with money supplied in part by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and Chipotle Mexican Grill boss Steve Ells, with these two remaining on board as investor/partners. We know you’ll watch this show. The question is: If there’s a second season, how can you get on it to compete?

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Keep your eye on the just-reopened “Original SoupMan” in New York City. Its performance will show just how long and how far a celebrity chef’s brand can extend when that chef—Al Yeganeh, the “Soup Nazi” of Seinfeld fame—is no longer on site. Back in the day, his “No soup for you” shtick was as important as his soup’s quality. Is it enough to drive franchise sales today?

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It’s no great secret that consumers these days expect great customer service. Fortunately, they are willing to pay a premium for it, according to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer, a survey conducted recently in the U.S. and 11 other countries. A majority of the 1,000 Americans surveyed (61%) agreed that quality customer service is more important to them in today’s economic environment. Those polled added that they would be willing to spend an average of 9 percent more with a firm that provides excellent service.

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