FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

What if your biggest opportunity wasn’t the one you planned for, but the one that forced you to prove you belonged? For Sarah Thompson, leading a fine dining Mexican restaurant as a non-Mexican chef wasn’t the goal, but it became the proving ground. At Casa Playa inside the Wynn Las Vegas, Sarah has built more than a menu: she’s built trust, earned belonging, and redefined what excellence looks li...

What if your entire career started with being told you were too nice to succeed? For John Terzian and Brian Toll, that’s exactly how it began. These are the minds behind The h.wood Group: an empire born from rejection, reinvention, and the refusal to follow the rules. In this episode, they share how protecting guests instead of exploiting them became their superpower, why aesthetics matter more th...

What if the real reward in restaurants isn’t the exit, but the impact? Scott Redler didn’t just co-found Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, he scaled it to 400+ units without losing his soul. In this episode, we get into the mindset shifts that made that possible: from hiring like your business depends on it (because it does), to giving GMs ownership in everything but name. Scott shares h...

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 e...

What if resilience is just a code word for neglect? Catarina Bill of Southern Smoke is calling BS, and doing something about it. Born into the back-of-house world through her family’s meat business, Catarina’s not just preaching compassion, she’s building infrastructure. Her work exposes the cracks in our industry’s foundation: no healthcare, no mental health safety net, no margin for error. In th...

What if the best leadership training didn’t come from business school, but from the brutal discipline of an Ironman? David Youngberg didn’t start triathlons until 50. But the mindset it required, focus, repetition, resilience, changed how he runs restaurants. After two decades at BJ’s and now CEO at Stonefire Grill, David brings that same intensity to team culture, systems thinking, and servant le...

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 best hospitality isn’t taught – it’s demonstrated, brick by brick? Wesley Sohn didn’t just walk away from a promising finance career, he ran toward something deeper. Something messier. Something real. He started as a food runner, not to climb the ladder faster, but to understand the foundation better. And it shows. Today, Wesley helps lead one of the most intentional hospitality groups...

What if staying small was actually the boldest move you could make in restaurants? Fred Piehl didn’t come to San Diego chasing an empire; he came with Paris training, a place to sleep, and a 30–seat bistro he found on Craigslist that became The Smoking Goat. In this conversation, we break down why he and his wife Tammy treat restaurants like “leaky buckets,” how he built a life where skiing trips,...

What if the best restaurant stories aren’t about food—they’re about identity, risk, and reinvention? Johno Morisano didn’t set out to open a restaurant—he set out to escape. But a chance encounter with a Greyhound bus station, and later, chef Mashama Bailey, sparked something deeper: a creative and cultural reckoning that became The Grey. In this conversation, we unpack how Johno turned personal u...

What if knowing nothing was your greatest strategic advantage? Alex Pincus didn’t grow up in restaurants—he grew up on boats. And when he stumbled into hospitality, it wasn’t with a plan. It was with a floating bar, a donated ship, and zero experience.  In this conversation, we unpack how that ignorance created freedom, why top-line success almost hid the real problems, and how grief rewired his e...

What if the biggest threat to your restaurant’s success isn’t a lack of ideas—but too many of them? Chris Gannon built BOLAY with the DNA of a legacy brand—his father helped launch Outback Steakhouse. But unlike the bloomin’ days of casual dining, fast-casual success demands ruthless focus. In this episode, Chris shares how over-innovation almost broke his business, why the need to be creative can...

Michael Mina is the best in the biz. He's mastered excellence at scale. What's equally impressive is that he's done it alongside his partner Patric Yumul for the last 20 years. Think about how much our industry has changed in the last 20 years. Today, the three of us reflect back on their decades long partnership together and look forward to the next chapter of their partnership. For more on the M...

What if imposter syndrome wasn’t a weakness, but a compass? Emily Brubaker didn’t think she was ready to run a resort kitchen. She didn’t think she’d win a national TV competition. But she did both—by betting on her values, not her ego. In this episode, we get into the real story behind her journey from Vegas fine dining to Omni La Costa. She opens up about leaving the kitchen to raise kids, comin...

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...

What if the most powerful thing you bring to your restaurant isn’t a recipe—but your story? Alon Shaya built Pomegranate Hospitality not on a model, but on a mission: to lead with identity, not conformity. In this episode, he shares how embracing his immigrant past changed everything—from how he cooks, to how he hires, to the way he gives back. We get into the power of cultural storytelling in a c...

The pandemic taught many of us many different lessons but it taught Chef Fabio Vivani how to fight back. The chef spent the years rebounding from the pandemic curating a concept that he believes is not only recession proof, it’s pandemic proof.  Today we sit down to discuss the formula he’s crafted for guaranteed success so that we too can protect our businesses from what’s lurking around the corn...

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. Today I dig into wha...

What if staying quiet is the riskiest move you can make? Katherine Miller built her career where politics and policy collide—and she’s not afraid to bring chefs into the fight. From her early days in democratic campaigns to working with global nonprofits and the UN, Katherine’s mission has been clear: empower the most trusted voices in food to influence the systems that shape it. In this episode,...

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 fo...

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 d...

What if the biggest threat to your restaurant isn’t bad food or poor service—but bad tech? That’s the bet Ankit Gupta is making. After shaping food delivery at tech companies globally, he saw a blind spot no one was fixing: restaurant tech was leaving restaurants behind.  Now he’s leading the product team at Otter, and his mission is clear: to completely redefine what a restaurant point of sale sy...

I believe restaurants have always had a pervasive culture, albeit at times not the healthiest culture.  Restaurateur Ellen Yin is out to change that and she’s leading by example. Today we sit down to discuss her unorthodox path through the industry and how in breaking the mold, she’s developed the formula to heal our industry.    To learn more about Ellen and her restaurant group, visit https://hi...

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 b...

What if the only way to build a restaurant worth running was to make it fun—even in crisis? Andy Shallal didn’t set out to be a restaurateur. He left a stable path in medical science, waited tables to get by, and discovered something powerful: hospitality could be a vehicle for joy, justice, and deep human connection. In this episode, Andy shares how he built Busboys and Poets into a mission-drive...