FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

How many times have you purchased a piece of tech believing that it would be a gamechanger for your restaurant? We’re all looking for this magical tool that will help us make the numbers make sense and give us a firm grasp on the inner workings of our business. That’s why we’re chatting with Darien Bates. He knows tech and, as the former CTO of &pizza, he knows restaurants as well. Today we di...

James Beard award-winning chef Rob Rubba seems to have it all: a blockbuster restaurant that’s great for the environment, a happy staff, and work life balance that most of us would kill for. None of this happened by accident. In today’s conversation, we sit down with the chef to discuss how he architected the life and career of his dreams through the intentional peeling away of everything that did...

Most of us don’t own a luxury hotel or a three star Michelin restaurant but that doesn’t mean that we’re not able to incorporate elements of luxury into our brands and our customer service experience. Today we chat with Chris Adams of the Ellis Adams Group, a luxury lifestyle consulting group that specializes in making folks feel special. In our conversation, Chris unpacks the small but important...

Pastry Chef and restaurateur Karen Krasne has defied the odds. Her concept, Extraordinary Desserts, has had a line out the door perpetually for more than a decade–but that’s not the most interesting part. Extraordinary Desserts has built a cult-like following in the San Diego area without following trends, receiving media attention, or going viral on social media. Today we discuss how keeping it s...

Today’s episode is a continuation of our last episode, delving into actionable advice on how to build a restaurant in today’s difficult market. We pick up where we left off which Michael Benson, Mike Hatch, and Will Knox discussing how to open a restaurant successfully, how to maintain the investment, and, when the time comes, how to maximize the value we get when selling it.  Today’s panel includ...

So many of our listeners have reached out asking for actionable advice on how to build a restaurant in today’s difficult market. In response, I’ve cobbled together three industry experts to walk us through all facets of the process including best practices and mistakes to avoid.  Today’s panel includes: Michael Benson, founder of Southern California Restaurant Design Group, a company specializing...

What does a truly holistic model for a restaurant look like? Today we chat with Chef D. Brandon Walker to find out. The chef has turned his latest concept, The Art Room, into a working social experiment. He serves fast casual and fine dining fare. It’s a completely indoor and outdoor concept with a high end art gallery nestled in the middle. If that wasn’t enough, he’s implemented universal tippin...

Jesse Cole is not an restaurateur, but, like so many of us, he is an entertainer at heart. I’ve brought him on the show to discuss his baseball team, the Savannah Bananas, and how they’ve redefined what it means to attend a professional baseball game. This is a masterclass on exceeding customer expectations, building an unforgettable experience, and staying true to the mission of your brand.  For...

Pizza is hard. Most of us know we’re in a commodity business but I feel like the pizza industry feels it more than most. So how do you stand out from the crowd? Today we’re chatting with Kevin King of Donatos Pizza. This chain has scaled massively over the years by successfully differentiating itself through culture, community, and an excellent product. In our conversation, Kevin shares what it to...

It seems like Kurt Zdesar can’t stop winning. He got his start at McDonalds and, in a matter of years, became the person in charge of Nobu’s European launch and expansion. He parlayed that success into his own brands, expanding from Europe into the American market and has thrived globally. In our conversation today, we discuss what led to Nobu’s success and how he leveraged that formula to build h...

How in the world is Gregg Majewski not a household name? He was mentored by Dave Thomas of Wendys, grew Jimmy Johns from three to three hundred locations, and has acquired and scaled some of the most famous fast casual restaurants in the country. Today we sit down to discuss his formula for repeatable success and his commitment to mentoring others for the betterment of our entire industry.  For mo...

If the labor crisis has only taught us one thing, it’s that there’s a new generation of restaurant worker who sees the world differently than we do. It’s not up to them to mold themselves to our old ideal, it’s up to us to find a way to connect in a way that resonates with them. In this world of social media and bite sized content, Jason Berkowitz may have found the solution. After helping to scal...

Is one million dollars too much insurance coverage or not enough? How does my insurance coverage need to change as I go from one location to many? For many of us, we sign up for insurance when we sign our lease and don’t think about it again until we really need it. But having the right coverage can mean the difference between a second chance and a final chapter. Today we sit down with John Casset...

Kelli Alldredge is not one of us, but she may represent the best of us. Despite having no previous experience in our industry, she’s managed to take the Chicken n Pickle restaurant national by focusing on the only thing that matters: people. Today’s episode is a masterclass in community activation and how to deliver on the promises we make to ourselves.  For more information on Chicken n Pickle, v...

The most direct path to success is to follow in the footsteps of the already successful. After 30 years in various leadership positions at the famed Union Square Hospitality Group, Mark Maynard decided to go independent. Rather than starting his own restaurant, he’s chosen to help other restaurateurs implement the best practices of his former employer. Today we discuss the strategies that made Uni...

Sometimes the only difference between those who succeed and those who fail is the decision to not give up. Today’s guest, Chef Brad Wise, is a testament to the grit required to build something prolific in our industry. In our conversation we discuss how to overcome a slow start and how he turned a failed bar into the hottest steakhouse concept on the West Coast.  For more on his restaurant concept...

Niko Viramo is the CEO of the Wild Thyme restaurant group but he’s also a student of business. He’s also a teacher at a prestigious university. Niko is probably one of the most savvy and well educated entrepreneurs I’ve ever spoken with and, today, he shares his universal truths around building and growing a strong restaurant brand. For more information on Wild Thyme, visit https://wildthymegroup....

Today we chat with Casey Cooley, a franchising expert who helps Jeremiah’s Italian Ice franchisees effectively launch blockbuster locations all over the country. In our conversation, we discuss the marketing strategy they’ve developed that takes franchisees from 2 months out to a month after opening.  For more information on Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, visit https://jeremiahsice.com/ . _______________...

We learn by doing but we also learn by teaching. Chef Brian Duffy is a successful restaurateur in his own right. After opening his own places, he became a household name as a featured expert on Bar Rescue, parlaying his fame into a successful consulting practice. We sat down today to discuss best practices and lessons learned from opening over 100 different restaurant concepts over the last decade...

If we’re paying rent 24 hours a day, we must generate revenue 24 hours a day. But, with food costs and the cost of labor skyrocketing, our revenue models are evolving. Enter Mike Sebazco of Famous Toastery. With over two dozen locations and counting, this one shift business is shifting the way we look at operations and profitability. We sat down today to discuss how thinking small can have a massi...

“Don’t back down. Don’t apologize. Don’t compromise,” are the words of Tai Ricci, a founding partner of San Francisco’s Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group. She’s grown her restaurant group to 6 locations over the last 10 years and today we sit down to discuss how she did it and who she needed to become to accomplish such lofty goals. As it turns out, personal development is professional development. Fo...

They say if it’s not broken don’t fix it. But that’s setting a pretty low bar for improvement. Andrew Lee of bb.q Chicken took a brand that was far from broken and made it better. Today we’re discussing the secrets to scaling, successful branding strategies, and how to optimize your operations for the future.  That’s Andrew Lee. For more information on bb.q Chicken, visit https://bbqchicken.com/ ....

From my first day in this industry I was told that the profit lies in the bottom of the glass. Successful beverage programs lead to successful restaurant concepts. Today we sit down with L.P. O’Brien, founder of LP Drinks, a consulting agency specializing in helping great concepts create next level bar programs. In our conversation we discuss the essential elements of a successful bar program, mis...

Chris Tripoli has built major restaurant chains, worked as an independent owner and operator, and eventually found his way into a successful restaurant consulting practice. After working with countless brands over the years, he began to see common problems and common solutions. In today’s conversation, we unpack the most common problems owners face and the practical solutions to solve them. For mo...

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...