FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

What's it take to become an overnight success? The short answer is years of dedication and hard work.  Chef Johnny Ray Zone took Nashville hot chicken, an obscure regional dish, and turned it into an international institution. The guy is a hot chicken mogul selling out 1,000’s of sandwiches a day, setting his own rules with the delivery companies and partnering with Post Malone on new promotions....

Staring down the barrel of a 60% permanent closure rate...It's time to fix what's broken. It’s time to change the game. The hospitality industry is at a pivotal point and it has becomes painfully obvious that business acumen and strategic planning will matter just as much as resilience. There's no shortage of resources ranging from how to apply for loans to how to negotiate with your landlord. At...

Jeremiah Tower is the father of contemporary American cuisine. From Chez Panisse to Stars, he impacted cuisine and culture. He stepped off the line and into the dining room, creating the role of the celebrity chef, I believe that, as an industry, we need to blaze a new trail and I thought it was a good idea to talk to the guy that blazed the trail for Alice Waters, Danny Meyer and, well, me. Click...

What does the COO of a $350 million restaurant conglomerate have to teach independent restaurateurs? More than you can imagine. Kat Cole worked her way up the ranks from a waitress to executive vice president of Hooters, went on to become the president of Cinnabon and now sits as the COO of Focus Brands, a corporation consisting of household names like Schlotzsky’s and Jamba Juice. Click to sign u...

Jon Taffer knows what's up. Though he's made a name for himself as a television personality, Taffer is a stone-cold operator. This guy knows his sh*t. On this episode he presents revolutionary ideas on what the restaurant can do to survive today and what the industry will look like tomorrow.  Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to...

Picking a favorite episode from season one would be like a parent picking a favorite child. Having said that, I do favorite lessons. Here are my top three from Shawn Walchef, Josh Holtzman and Sam Marvin.  We’ve have much more planned for Season 2 which begins October 6th .  Be sure to tune in next week for the Season 2 premier featuring Jon Taffer. 

Be sure to check out FULL COMP Season 2 beginning October 6th featuring: Jon Taffer Kat Cole Seth Godin Antonia Lofaso Jeremiah Tower Brooke Williamson Ari Weinzweig Sam Nazarian and many more!

A look back at some of the most inspiring moments with several of our most notable guests including Matthew Jennings, Andrew Zimmern, Joe Sasto, Jet Tila, Daniel Shemtob and Nyesha Arrington. 

He was the Chief Restaurant Officer of Union Square Hospitality Group with 20+ locations. Then he became the president of BarTaco, a restaurant group with 30+ locations across 10 states. In his spare time became a master sommelier. By all metrics, Sabato Sagaria is a huge success.  But with such a high failure rate in the industry, what elements are required to achieve that level of success? Today...

What are the best investments that you can make in your restaurant or in our industry? Eduardo Rallo is an investor in restaurants, in restaurant tech and in people. In this episode, we explore his winning strategy for seeing and seizing the opportunities out there. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Re...

Carlos Santana said “there nothing is more contagious than enthusiasm.” Wil Slickers is living proof that he was right. He has carved out his own place in the hospitality landscape through ingenuity, authenticity and transparency. On this episode, we follow along on Wil's entrepreneurial journey beginning with his first gig in the industry. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to...

Great food, drinks and service are only half the battle. What's the point of offering a world-class product and service if no one knows about it. As hospitality professionals we are as responsible for marketing our wares as we are for perfecting them.  But how? Enter Brett Linkletter of Misfit Media. Brett and his team have been working for years to master social media marketing and advertising. O...

Philip Camino is out to save his restaurants but, in the process, may be able to help save the industry. Today we discuss how he’s expanding the concept of team to include his vendors and how wellness plays a central role in his restaurant operations. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. W...

I’ve never wanted to be the first anything. It takes courage to do something no one has ever done before, to dream a new dream. Chef Andrea Drummer has that courage. Today we discuss the changing tides within our industry and our culture...covering everything from cannabis to diversity. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to downl...

One sacrifice that we all seem to make is that we spend an exorbitant amount of time away from our families. Personally, I worry about the impact that my career will have on my daughter. There are case studies out there, though and today’s guest, Christy Vega is one of them. Her restaurant, started by her father, has been in business for over 60 years. It’s one thing to love what your father does...

It's been really interesting to see chefs who are normally concerned with running a restaurant suddenly lobbying Congress, all in an effort to show how restaurants tie the whole nation together, economically and culturally. Today we discuss the fight for the survival of our industry and our planet with one of the chefs leading the charge. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to b...

I’ve spent so much time worried about myself and my own restaurant, I haven’t given much thought to the next generation of restaurateurs coming down the pike. What do they think about what’s going on? Are they discouraged by what they’re seeing? Do they have any valuable insight to share with us as we try to sort our way through this? On this episode we sit down with Eric Cacciatore, aspiring rest...

Branding experts like Chef Jet Tila have created an all-weather strategy for ensuring they’re able to provide for their families no matter what happens. The secret is creating multiple revenue streams through diversification. It’s not a easy process but the end result is looking pretty good these days. On this episode Jet Tila takes us on the journey from executive chef to household name. Click to...

Every restaurateur knows how important their digital footprint is but who has time for all of that? It’s hard to tweet when you’re backwaiting tables because your busier didn’t show up. Then the pandemic hits and, like it or not, your entire livelihood is determined by an audience you chose not to grow online. I found myself in the same boat and worried it was too late. The good news is that it is...

I know what the data says, but what’s really going on behind the scenes? Is anyone hiring right now? Is anyone using this as on opportunity for expansion? Few can offer more insight than Brad and Jacqui from BMRS Hospitality Recruitment. They have been placing the best people with the best restaurants for almost two decades now. Today we take a glimpse into the present and future of the hospitalit...

My name is Joshua Kopel and, up until March, I was a Michelin-rated restaurateur. Today, I'm not quite sure how I would define myself. In this moment,  I cannot help but look back on the choices I've made and question them. It hard to look in the mirror, as a person and as an industry but this is the time to do it. Together, let's ask the tough questions and come up with better answers. This is ou...

This one’s coming totally out of left field.  I had the pleasure of being on  my friend Luke’s podcast and I enjoyed the conversation so much, I stole some of it to share with you here. Luke is a digital marketer who’s built some huge brands within the industry. You’ll also get to hear a bit more of me than you normally do. Sit back, relax and listen to these 2 old dogs chew the fat. Click to sign...

I’m going to let you in on a big secret. Many of the successful entrepreneurs I know are all following the same playbook. The book is called Traction and the strategy is called EOS, the entrepreneurial operating system. It’s like rocket fuel for your business. Don’t believe me? I don’t blame you. That’s why I brought in the experts. Today we’re having a discussion with executive coach, Josh Holtzm...

Dine in is done yet again. Parts of California are facing another stay at home order. What do you do if you own a restaurant? What do you do if you own 2 or 3 or more. Tara Lazar owns 6 spanning all sectors of hospitality. While most of us are struggling to pivot one location, Tara is masterminding how to ensure all 6 survive the year. Today we get real about the struggles she’s working to overcom...

People won’t be hanging out in large groups for a very, very long time. It’s a tough pill for me to swallow and that’s not even my sector of the industry. Event planners are going to need to get scrappy if they’re going to find any work in the coming year. One event planner I’m not worried about is Natasha Miller. She embodies the word resilience and has taken her events company digital. Today she...