FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

What happens when you do achieve your goals but, over time, those goals don’t matter anymore?  Most of us just stay the path. Alan Roth didn’t. He walked away at the height of his career, shut it all down, and spent years figuring out what actually mattered. In this conversation, we get into the courage it takes to quit, what happens when you lose your identity as an operator, and how he found his...

For over a decade, I ran my restaurants the way I was taught to run other people's restaurants.  I led my teams the way others had led me and I never questioned it. But what if you never got that education? Andrew Dana owns more than half a dozen successful restaurants and he began his journey as a restaurateur with absolutely no operational experience. He just did what he thought was right and fo...

What if the real reason your restaurant marketing isn’t working has nothing to do with your ads? Patrick Noone thinks most brands are solving the wrong problem. As a marketing leader at Slim Chickens, he’s watched restaurants pour money into advertising, discounts, and promotions, only to discover they still can’t clearly explain who they are or why guests should care. In this conversation, Patric...

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 fo...

What if the most powerful marketing channel in restaurants isn’t ads, email, or social media, but the people already influencing where your guests eat? Vince Wang believes that’s exactly the case. As the force behind Mustard, Vince is applying the discipline of performance marketing to one of the most chaotic channels in hospitality: influencer marketing. In this conversation, we get into why infl...

It feels like it would be glamorous to be a pioneer of a new cuisine in a new city but rarely does that translate into success.  It’s hard enough to sell something someone has heard of before. Today we sit down with the exception to the rule. Chef Anthony Mangieri is almost singularly responsible for the introduction of neapolitan pizza to New York.  He’s built a reputation for himself while build...

What if the future of restaurants isn’t smaller, faster, and cheaper—but louder, warmer, and more human? While everyone else is shrinking footprints and racing to the bottom on price, John Tilley is rebuilding the pizza parlor. In this conversation, we unpack why he believes the future of restaurants isn’t frictionless, it’s emotional. He shares how nostalgia became strategy, why discounting is a...

You walk into a restaurant and it just makes sense. It all feels right…the decor, the menus, the music and you know that they’re selling more than a meal, it’s a lifestyle.  Today we sit down with Scott Lawton, the co-founder of bartaco, to discuss the foundational elements of the bartaco brand and how those elements come together to make the guest feel like they’re a part of something special. Fo...

What if the reason your restaurant feels complicated… is because you never questioned the system you inherited? Angell Tsang didn’t come up in restaurants, he came up in tech. So when he got pulled into launching a Chinese takeout concept in Austin, he didn’t start with a POS, a lobby, or third-party apps. He started with a browser and a blank page. In this conversation, we get into how Angell bui...

It’s my pleasure to interview the industry leaders of today and ask the questions we’re all thinking of. But it’s my privilege to present to you the industry thought leaders of tomorrow. Today we sit down with David Zhao, co-founder of the Chubby Group, to discuss how they’re rapidly scaling their restaurant concepts globally through innovative joint ventures and growing their fanbase by the tens...

What if the reason you’re not more profitable isn’t effort, but clarity on what to fix next? As CEO of Lavu and the force behind Marty, an AI layer built for operators, Saleem isn’t interested in prettier dashboards or yesterday’s reports. He’s focused on something far more dangerous—and far more valuable: telling you exactly what to fix today to put more cash in your bank account tomorrow. In thi...

Running a successful restaurant is one thing; scaling that success globally while maintaining exceptional quality and culture is another. Today, I’m sitting down with Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chão, to discuss how this iconic brand continues to redefine the dining experience. From bringing a centuries-old culinary art to the forefront, to innovating service models that delight guests and empow...

What if your restaurant wasn’t just a place to eat, but a world people stepped into to feel something? Brandon Hoy didn’t set out to build a pizza place, he set out to create a party, a refuge, a piece of living art in a neighborhood hungry for connection. As co-founder of Roberta’s, he tapped into timing, tribe, and a radical commitment to craft to turn a scrappy Bushwick pizzeria into a cultural...

Most restaurateurs build concepts around a menu or a chef. Justin Cucci built Edible Beats around a philosophy—one that’s challenged conventional wisdom and redefined what restaurant success looks like. From turning historic spaces into thriving concepts to pioneering an employee-owned business model, Justin has proven that restaurants can be both financially sustainable and deeply meaningful. In...

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses. In this episode, I t...

What if the restaurants you admire most were never meant to be copied? Alex Pfaffenbach came up inside some of the most celebrated dining rooms in the world—Eleven Madison Park, The NoMad, Quality Branded—where ambition was massive and the standards were unforgiving. He saw what happens when lightning strikes. He also learned that lightning isn’t a business model. In this conversation, we break do...

Success in the restaurant industry is as much about grit as it is about vision, and few people embody both quite like Peter Newlin. As Chief Vision Officer of the Gastamo Group, Peter has transformed small neighborhood restaurants into a multi-concept hospitality group, all while championing the power of focus and community-driven dining. In today’s conversation, we explore Peter’s journey from ou...

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses. In this episode, I t...

What if your guests aren’t buying what’s on the menu, they’re buying who you are? That’s the philosophy guiding today’s guest, the CEO of Philz Coffee and the man behind some of the most successful turnarounds in hospitality. After scaling Wingstop and reviving Chuck E. Cheese, Mahesh didn’t come to Philz for the margins, he came for the mission. In this conversation, Mahesh breaks down why cultur...

What if your biggest marketing asset isn’t your food or your logo, but your team? Mike Smith didn’t build his career by following trends. As the president of Moe’s Southwest Grill, he’s championing a radical shift in how we think about fast casual: less transaction, more transformation. In this conversation, Mike shares why brand is culture, how real loyalty is built inside the four walls, and why...

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses. In this episode, I t...

What if running a restaurant is the best leadership training program in the world? Mayor Daniel Rickenmann believes it is. Before becoming Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, Daniel built his career in hospitality, managing teams, navigating high-pressure service environments, and learning how to lead when outcomes are public and unforgiving. Those lessons didn’t stay in the kitchen. They followed...

What if delivery isn’t a cost center, but your biggest growth engine? Most restaurant operators still treat delivery like a necessary evil. Today’s guest knows better. What started as a delivery-only restaurant in India turned into a blueprint for Loop, a platform now powering $4 billion in digital restaurant ordering. In our conversation, Anand shares how he turned operational obsession into comp...

Most operators think they’re managing food costs. Ronald Cardwell thinks they’re just guessing. As Commodity Director at Restaurant Technologies, Ronald has a unique vantage point: tens of thousands of kitchens and decades inside the oil and biofuel industries. And his message is blunt: if you’re not measuring it, you’re losing money. In this episode, we get into why fryer oil might be your highes...

Most chefs want more creativity. David Utterback wanted more control. After 13 years helping grow a sushi brand from one shop to a $175M empire, he walked away to build something of his own. What he learned? Great food is only part of the puzzle. In this episode, David shares how he’s applying big-brand systems to small-scale restaurants, with a relentless focus on profit, precision, and sustainab...