FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

Today we’re chatting with Michael Shain who, after long stints as a member of the leadership team at Union Square Hospitality Group and Death and Co., has decided to strike out on his own. In our conversation today we discuss, in a granular way, what makes a restaurant successful and the tools at our disposal to accomplish exactly that. For more information on Michael, visit https://greathandshosp...

Matt Smith has been the marketing mastermind behind some of the most innovative brands over the last decade. His work with the Simmer Group, Madera, and One Table Restaurant brands has taken him from executive to thought leader within our industry. In our conversation today, we discuss his latest move to the experiential dining group Milkshake Concepts and his plan to help the company scale up by...

Swagyu is a national brand with retail locations, multiple restaurants, and a direct to consumer model that ships all over the world. But, just prior to the pandemic, its founder hit rock bottom. The story of Steve Brown is one of the most inspirational restaurant stories to come out of the pandemic and today we sit down to discuss how he went from rock bottom to top of the world.  For more inform...

Today we sit down with Joth Ricci, the president of Dutch Bros Coffee, who used the pandemic as an opportunity to innovate and scale a family business into a true contender in the coffee space. In our conversation, we discuss how innovative thinking paired with powerful technology can change the trajectory of our businesses.  For more information on Dutch Bros Coffee, visit https://www.dutchbros.c...

There are restaurateurs out there that just seem to have the golden touch. Everything they open gets patronized by celebrities and there are lines out the door from day one. Today we sit down with Mark Birnbaum of Catch Restaurant Groupto discover the tools and strategies he’s used to create success after success.  For more information on Catch, visit https://www.catchrestaurants.com/ . __________...

In life, sometimes our paths diverge from those we love. When the pandemic hit, my executive chef and business partner went one direction and I went another. Today we sit down together to talk about the epic wins, the heartbreaking defeats, and the moments in between. Success can be defined in many different ways these days, especially if you’re a chef. This is a broad conversation spanning our pa...

Are you interested in learning how to become the chef of a successful restaurant or starting your own catering company? Have you ever wanted to launch a pop up restaurant or a traditional brick and mortar? Today’s guest, Jason Fullilove has done all of that and so much more. In our conversation, we explore all of the options you have as a chef these days and how to capitalize on each.  For more in...

Betsy Hamm didn’t set out to become the CEO of a 100+ unit donut franchise but, when the moment arose for her to step up, she took the opportunity to go global. In our conversation today, we’re discussing how a donut shop can grow from a thousand person town to a thousand location brand and why marketing is a blade that we must constantly sharpen.  For more information on Duck Donuts, visit https:...

Daniel Shemtob is an award winning chef, a successful restaurateur, a Food Network star, and, most recently, the creator of Snibbs, a footwear line made just for us. I wanted to sit down with him to discuss the blueprint he’s used to create success after success across every aspect of our industry. Today we talk about nurturing innovation, overcoming obstacles, and the non-linear path that leads t...

Considering your legacy and the legacy of the business you’ve worked so hard to build is a worthwhile effort. Today we chat with Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman's Deli who, after breaking every rule in the book to build his $75M empire, is choosing to give it all away. We’re also joined by Natalie Reitman-White who helped him accomplish this noble goal. This conversation proves that a vision for a bett...

Snooze is a breakfast joint like many others but with a few key exceptions. Today’s guest, Clint Hughey, is one of those exceptions. Clint is Snooze’s Director of Impact and works to strengthen the bond between Snooze, its team, and its community. I think most of us take the entrepreneurial leap to create a greater impact in the lives of others, today we sit down with a subject matter expert to le...

After 30 years with restaurant conglomerate Lettuce Entertain You, Geoff Alexander could teach a masterclass on building and scaling a restaurant brand. And that’s exactly what he’s done for us today. In this far reaching conversation we discuss the essential elements of leadership, how to build a brand from the ground up, turnaround strategies for struggling brands, and how to outsmart the compet...

Pura Vida is more than a restaurant, it’s a wellness brand that's selling peace of mind through nourishment. Today we sit down with the founders Omer and Jennifer Horev to discuss the essential elements of brand building and how to effectively scale without brand dilution.  For more information on Pura Vida, visit https://www.puravidamiami.com/ . ___________________________________________________...

Our guests, even our most loyal guests, can cook at home. They don’t come to us for nourishment, they come to us for entertainment. Food and beverage done well is performance art and few have done it better than Eleven Madison Park. Today we chat with Natasha McIrvin, former head of the dreamweaver program at EMP. Her job was to build a system that ensured surprise and delight were baked into ever...

The world looks different post pandemic and so do a lot of restaurants. The same experimentation that we’ve put into our menus is now finding its way into our buildouts. My guest, Udi Hershkovitz, has been in the restaurant game for over 2 decades and he’s ready to try something new. Today we talk about his 25 year old restaurant and how it inspired him to open a second concept in a shipping conta...

Lauren Fernandez went from working in restaurants, to working on restaurants, to influencing the industry at scale. After cutting her teeth as a corporate executive turned franchisee, she’s taken the lessons she’s learned and crafted not only an educational platform, but an investment engine for those that come after her. Today, we discuss what she's built and how it works to ease the burden of in...

The best companies in the world are agile. They’re analyzing data and then testing the market in small but significant ways to see what’s working and what isn’t. That’s why I sat down with Russ Hawkins. Russ is the leader of Agilence, a company that the big guys hire to process their data and create profitable strategies. Today we talk about what data we should be analyzing and how to test the mar...

If you think it’s hard to build a brand, try turning one around. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf scaled to 1,200 locations globally but, after decades of success, the wheels of progress began to slow. That’s when today’s guest, Sanjiv Razdan, was brought in as CEO. It was his job to take a great business and evolve it into a great company. Today, we discuss what it takes to begin again when you’re al...

Miguel Hernandez is a genius. You have never heard me begin a show this way before, but I was absolutely blown away by the fresh perspective Miguel is bringing to restaurant ownership and operations. This is a guy who’s scaled to 4 locations in just a couple of years and has financed his growth exclusively through the profits from his active restaurants. Today we discuss how to pick a winner, doub...

I always looked at the big restaurant groups out there with envy. How amazing must it be to own 6, 8, or more locations? At what point do you get rich? At what point do you go from backup dishwasher to brand evangelist. Chef Lisa Dahl has grasped the brass ring. Over the last two decades, she’s built a restaurant empire. In today’s conversation, we look back on what got her to where she is today a...

How do ambitious brands punch above their weight class? Today we’re chatting with Carolyn Walker of Response Marketing, an agency that specializes in helping the little guys compete with the big guys. In our conversation we tackle the big misconceptions when it comes to restaurant marketing and Carolyn provides actionable information on how we can better position our brands to not only compete, bu...

Bryce Fluellen has one of the most important jobs in our industry. As the Executive Director of Everytable, it’s his job to transform line level employees into managers and evolve those managers into restaurateurs. In today’s conversation we discuss Everytable’s Social Equity Franchise model and the steps they’ve taken to build the future of Everytable and our industry.  For more information on Ev...

The only thing I ever wanted was to own my own bar…until I owned that bar. Then the only thing I wanted was to own a bar and a restaurant. There’s something within so many of us that pushes us to scale, despite the overwhelm that we’re are already suffering from. Charles Bililies took a different route with Souvla. His growth has been measured and strategic and I believe there’s much we can learn...

I’ve always likened opening a restaurant to having a child. Over the years, you watch it evolve and you do your best to positively influence its growth. The struggle is how to convey what you’ve become to an audience that only remembers what you were. In this episode we’re chatting with Matt McAllister, the Head of Marketing at Yelp for Restaurants about the power of storytelling and how it can in...

Fred Castellucci’s story is a familiar one. He grew up in his family’s restaurant, worked there through high school, and then pursued higher education to chart a new path for himself. But, like for so many of us, Fred got sucked right back in. This is where things get interesting. When Fred jumped back into the family restaurant, he turned it around. He then opened more restaurants and, today, he...