FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

How do you motivate an employee that doesn’t want to work for you? For so many of our line level employees, a restaurant job is a pitstop on the way to their true destination and, as a result, most owners struggle with motivating and leading them. But it doesn’t have to be that way according to Scott Greenberg. Scott is a motivational speaker that turns phrases like culture and values into actiona...

As you know, I've coached hundreds of restaurateurs to scale profitability through effective marketing and optimizing operations. These bonus episodes serve as mini-coaching sessions where I provide you with quick lessons to help you achieve the same amazing results without spending a dollar on marketing and advertising. Enjoy! __________________________________________________________ Full Comp i...

Travis Talbot is a renaissance man who’s dedicated his life to learning and teaching. Far from the day to day grind of restaurant life, the chef travels the world, immersing himself in new cultures and cuisines for the benefit of his clients. We may not all aspire to be jetsetters but we are here to learn and Travis does not disappoint, sharing the tools and strategies he’s used to improve his lif...

Everyone loves a mom and pop restaurant. For some families, it’s a direct path to generational wealth. For others, it can be an anchor, tying future generations to 100 hour weeks and a high stress lifestyle. Today we sit down with Niko Karatassos to share a success story. Niko’s father opened their first restaurant back in 1979 and many decades and restaurants later, the company is still thriving....

As you know, I've coached hundreds of restaurateurs to scale profitability through effective marketing and optimizing operations. These bonus episodes serve as mini-coaching sessions where I provide you with quick lessons to help you achieve the same amazing results without spending a dollar on marketing and advertising. Enjoy! __________________________________________________________ Full Comp i...

I met Justin Kingsley Hall in Whitefish, Montana of all places. We were both consulting on a gorgeous restaurant project there. He oversaw the culinary program and I was brought in to refine and optimize the front of house. A friendship evolved and I wanted to have him on the show to discuss the lessons he’s learned after decades of building out his own restaurants and fixing the restaurants of ot...

We’ve all heard a ton about AI over the last couple of years but, for the most part, it feels like a solution for someone else in another industry. I’m here to argue that AI might be the solution to every independent restaurant’s marketing problems. Today we sit down with Nicole Donnelly, a professional marketer and AI expert to discuss how we can leverage AI to run and market our businesses more...

As you know, I've coached hundreds of restaurateurs to scale profitability through effective marketing and optimizing operations. These bonus episodes serve as mini-coaching sessions where I provide you with quick lessons to help you achieve the same amazing results without spending a dollar on marketing and advertising. Enjoy! __________________________________________________________ Full Comp i...

For over 30 years, Michael Mina has dominated the restaurant scene and today we sit down with the chef to find out how. In today’s conversation we dive deep into the tactics tools and strategies Michael has developed over decades to acquire talent, develop leaders, scale operations, and ensure profitability. This is a masterclass in restaurant ownership and operations.  For more information on the...

Today’s labor crisis stems from a labor shortage. There just aren’t enough people willing to work in restaurants anymore…or are there? Today we’re sitting down with Amir Hemmat of Welcome Tech to uncover the solution to our labor crisis. Amir and his company have access to literally millions of legal workers qualified and excited to work in our industry. Who are these folks and where do they come...

As you know, I've coached hundreds of restaurateurs to scale profitability through effective marketing and optimizing operations. These bonus episodes serve as mini-coaching sessions where I provide you with quick lessons to help you achieve the same amazing results without spending a dollar on marketing and advertising. Enjoy! __________________________________________________________ Full Comp i...

During our time in this industry we’ve watched countless healthy restaurant concepts go under. But today’s guest, Jeff Fenster, seems to have finally figured it out. His concept, Everbowl, has scaled massively over the last few years despite an economic downturn and a global pandemic. We sit down to discuss the strategy he used to become massively successful in a vertical that seemed destined for...

What comes to mind when you hear the words “vegan food.” For many of us, it’s burlap clothing and plates made of cardboard, but Steven Salm is out to change that. Steven founded Planta, a vegan restaurant that transcends every boundary placed on that genre of food. The branding, the buildout, and the culinary program all speak to what it is: one of the most compelling restaurant concepts in the la...

As you know, I've coached hundreds of restaurateurs to scale profitability through effective marketing and optimizing operations. These bonus episodes serve as mini-coaching sessions where I provide you with quick lessons to help you achieve the same amazing results without spending a dollar on marketing and advertising. Enjoy! __________________________________________________________ Full Comp i...

What transforms a single unit family owned and operated restaurant into a regional giant with nine locations? Today we chat with Eric and Alex Adler, cofounders of the Puesto restaurant chain in Southern California. They, like so many other families, built a restaurant to share their love of food and culture with their community. But, unlike so many others in our industry, they’ve thrived, buildin...

Today we’re talking with Seth Cohen of Sweetfin about brand equity, marketing, messaging, real estate and scaling a blockbuster concept in a post pandemic world. For more on Sweetfin visit  https://www.sweetfin.com _________________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goa...

Great restaurants stem from running great businesses and today we’re going to talk about the business of running restaurants. Our guides on this exploration of what a successful business plan looks like will be Karl and Sarah Worley, a married couple who turned their love of biscuits into a thriving restaurant brand. They’ve built their business on the back of foundational principles and bleeding...

As you know, I've coached hundreds of restaurateurs to scale profitability through effective marketing and optimizing operations. These bonus episodes serve as mini-coaching sessions where I provide you with quick lessons to help you achieve the same amazing results without spending a dollar on marketing and advertising. Enjoy! __________________________________________________________ Full Comp i...

Chef Bruce Bromberg is not the typical restaurant magnate that comes to mind when you think of a national restaurant group. More than anything, he’s a chef, leveraging the universal truths he’s learned over the years in innovative ways. His ability to translate the fundamentals of cooking to the fundamentals of business has led to his meteoric success. Today we sit down to discuss the essential el...

If you want to know the truth, without one ounce of sugarcoating, just call Brian Malarkey. The Celebrity Chef  has spent almost two decades betting big on his version of what success looks like. Big venues, high stakes and higher revenues. Post pandemic, where everything is thinking small and capitalizing on a flush economy, he’s taking a different path. In today’s episode Brian and I chat about...

As you know, I've coached hundreds of restaurateurs to scale profitability through effective marketing and optimizing operations. These bonus episodes serve as mini-coaching sessions where I provide you with quick lessons to help you achieve the same amazing results without spending a dollar on marketing and advertising. Enjoy! __________________________________________________________ Full Comp i...

The idea of venture capital doesn’t typically enter the mind of most restaurant owners but those opportunities do exist. Today we’re sitting down with Schatzy Schatzberg, an industry veteran on the lookout for the next big restaurant concept. We discuss what it takes to win in this competitive market and what makes a restaurant concept truly investible. For more information on Branded Strategic an...

Over the years we’ve had a ton of industry veterans on the show. There’s so much to learn from someone who’s owned and operated a restaurant for decades. But, some of the new kids on the block have a lesson or two up their sleeves as well. Today we’re chatting with Colin Wyatt, a seasoned chef who left New York City in an effort to build something for himself. Today we discuss the path that led to...

As you know, I've coached hundreds of restaurateurs to scale profitability through effective marketing and optimizing operations. These bonus episodes serve as mini-coaching sessions where I provide you with quick lessons to help you achieve the same amazing results without spending a dollar on marketing and advertising. Enjoy! __________________________________________________________ Full Comp i...

The typical business plan for most of us is to make great food, open the doors, and hope for the best. But, in today’s competitive market, we can’t afford to wait for our customers to come to us. Ashishh Desai of Menufy and HungerRush learned this lesson early in his career and there are countless lessons to be learned from the way he skillfully scaled his company. Today we sit down to discuss wha...