FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

People post pandemic want an experience. Have you heard that before? But what kind of experience do they want?  This isn't an industry where the margins allow for a lot of trial and error so I reached out to Michael Dorf, the founder of City Winery. Michael has created the perfect experience for his target market blending an elevated food menu with an in house winery and live entertainment. It's e...

It's a risk to get into this industry. It's a risk to open your own restaurant. And, for most of us, after we've taken those two big risks, our appetite for risk diminishes. But, as the years wane on, there's this thing nagging within us. All of these amazing ideas for all of these incredible dishes and concepts that we're afraid to execute because, honestly, they're really out there. That's why I...

When you open a restaurant you've investing in more than a business, you're investing in a community. As we change and evolve as individuals so do our communities and few places more beautifully illustrate this capacity to change more than Portland, Oregon. Today's we chat with, Portland's adopted son, Celebrity Chef Gregory Gourdet. Instead of staking his claim in his hometown of New York or foll...

For years we've heard the tales of the days that robots would come to take our jobs. Well that day is today. On this episode we're chatting with Benson Tsai an engineer turned restaurateur who took top talent from SpaceX and leveraged their genius to create an autonomous pizzeria. Today we discuss the jobs his robots are taking and the opportunities that presents for all of us. For more on Stellar...

We know that there's restaurant tech out there that can make our jobs easier. There's tech out there that makes our customer's job a bit easier too. But, is there tech out there that can help us scale our organization, making a single unit restaurant run like one of the big guys? As it turns out there is and today we're chatting with Mike Connelly of Urban Plates who will break down the tech they'...

The pandemic decimated our industry on a global scale and, for many of us, it was the first time that mother nature played a major role in the way we do business. But, if you grew up in Southern Louisiana--and I did--you've been conditioned after countless natural disasters to safeguard your family and your business against the unpredictable nature of the changing tides. Today we chat with Isaac T...

We talk every week about the changes occurring in the restaurant industry. And that makes sense because we work in the restaurant industry. But few things affect our businesses more than tourism and the very nature of travel has changed. I wanted to dig deeper into what going on so I reached out to Rafat Ali of Skift. Rafat is an travel expert and his publication is the go-to resource of travel tr...

We all had a dream going into this life but so rarely do we actually achieve that dream. We're busy but we're broke. We're rich but we're working ourselves to death. We spend our days crunching numbers when all we wanted to do was cook. But some of us have figured it out. And there's hope in that for all of us. Today we chat with Kim Malek, the founder of Salt & Straw, an ice cream company tha...

Andrew Friedman has made a career of chronicling the life and work of some of the worlds most famous and most successful chefs. What makes him and his work so interesting is the effort that he puts into going beyond the food. Andrew has had a front row seat to the evolution of our industry over the last 20+ years and today we discuss the good, the bad and the ugly. To check out more of Andrew's wo...

What's that one thing that causes a restaurant to close? Well that's just the thing isn't it. There isn't just one. As restaurateurs we're affected by thousands of variables from weather to workforce and from competition to supply chain. How do we navigate our businesses through these murky waters? That's the question Jonah Bliss is trying to figure out. Jonah is the founder of Curbivore, a confer...

The global pandemic brought tragedy to our industry but, and I think this needs to be said, it brought opportunity as well. Restaurant owners and operators saw the pandemic as a catalyst for change and so did some of the organizations that support us. Today's guest is Clare Reichenbach, the CEO of the James Beard Foundation. We talk about the evolution of our industry and the evolution of the foun...

When the pandemic hit, we all had survival on the brain. Some of us focused on our families, some of us focused on our businesses and, a select few, turned their attention to our industry. Today we talk with Chef Edward Lee, who represents the absolute best of us, a true advocate for our industry serving up hope, change and inspiration for the future. For more on the Lee Initiative visit https://w...

After opening 30 restaurants over the last 27 years, James Beard award winning restaurateur Kevin Boehm has become a visionary within our industry In our conversation today we talk about the winning recipe he's created centered around great chefs, inspired design, and enlightened hospitality. For more on Boka visit https://www.bokagrp.com/ FULL COMP is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In Ju...

People don't buy food, they buy a story. This will make me look thin. This will make me look cool. This will make me feel good. What story is your food telling? What does it say about someone who chooses to patronize your restaurant? If you don't know, the your guest probably doesn't know either. That's why I reached out to Joseph Szala of Vigor Branding. They specialize in telling their client's...

I want to talk about tomorrow. What do we need to know today that could benefit us tomorrow? Chris Hemmeter is playing an active role in financing our future. He's an independent restaurateur, a venture capitalist and a thought leader within our industry. His company is financing the solutions that will change the face of our industry. Today we talk about what's being built today and how it will s...

What if the labor crisis is a result of a leadership crisis? Could we build better businesses and a better industry simply by becoming better leaders? Could it be that simple? Is that even possible? Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine specializes in making the impossible, possible. Today we discuss how this career soldier from a modest background built an empire off the lessons in leadership he learned w...

It's hard not to be a little jealous of franchisees. They have this massive advantage over true independents. They get a copy of a proven playbook for success and start with brand recognition out the gate. But, for those of us that chose the independent route, I think there's massive value in taking a peek at that playbook. Today we speak with Lance Graulich, a franchising expert that mastered the...

Where do you go to learn? A podcast is great but it's far from collaborative and certainly not an immersive experience, despite my best efforts. My answer to that question is a no brainer: The MAD Academy. And today we speak with it's executive director Melina Shannon-DiPietro who's working to fill in the gaps between what we know and what we need to know to truly thrive as an industry. That's Mel...

Today we speak with Mindy Segal, James Beard award winner and successful restaurateur about her own personal revelations and the massive impact it had on her life, her business and her team. For more her restaurant go to https://www.mindysbakery.com FULL COMP is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools tha...

Today we chat with John Tallichet of Specialty Restaurants Corporation. A company his father started and grew to 80 restaurants. Today we talk about the evolution of that company over the years and the new course John has set for his family and his restaurants. For more on SRC visit https://www.specialtyrestaurants.com ________________________________ CLICK HERE to Chat with Josh Free Download: 5...

Great teams win games. Great coaches breed great teams. So, how do we become a great coach. What qualities do we need to possess to ensure that no matter what we've got a winning team on our hands. Melissa Koujakian is a winning coach. Every restaurant she's run has gone on to become a wild success and that's no accident. Today we talk about her intentional style of leadership, the importance of e...

When the pandemic hit and delivery became king, it was an ugly process all the way around. The transition to delivery and takeout was wrought with issues on our end. And the delivery companies bit off way more than they could chew. But, for the most-part, we've figured our end out. Our offering, packaging and workflow are exactly where they need to be 18 months later. But can the same be said for...

We're running out of options, as a species. Sustainability is more than a catchphrase these days, it's a moral obligation and a consumer expectation. But what does sustainability look like in action? Is it scary? Is it expensive? Is it even a realistic endeavor considering the thousands of other things we have going on at the moment? Today we talk with Chef Matt Orlando. He's a damn good chef and...

Restaurant folks are cowboys, right? We're pirates on a ship shooting from the hip and trusting our guts to point us in the right direction. But, to be honest, that hasn't always served me well. What has always served me well, is looking at the data and planning accordingly. And, when I look to the future, I use the information I can pick up now to forecast the best path forward. That's what led t...

If you had a crystal ball and could see the future of our industry, who'd be delivering the food? Did I say who? What is delivering the food? This isn't going to be a show about autonomous automobiles traveling at 1 mile an hour down the sidewalks in your neighborhood, because I just don't see that getting the job done. Today we're talking with Yariv Bash of Flytrex, a company using arial drones t...