Restaurant Influencers

Andrew Zimmern, a four-time James Beard Award-winning chef and host of Bizarre Foods, built a career through curiosity. As a chef, storyteller, and TV personality, he turned adventurous travel, an exorcism in Ecuador, and a call from Jay Leno’s team into one of food media’s most recognizable brands. Watch now to learn about the wild moment that helped Bizarre Foods break through, the surprise call...

Kerry Leo, Vice President of Technology at Shipley Do-Nuts, is helping modernize one of America’s most established donut brands. By blending frontline listening with smart technology, he’s helping turn a nearly 90-year-old company into a scalable business built for growth. Watch now to learn how a 90-year-old brand is scaling fast, why listening in the shops drives better tech decisions, and how S...

Ryan Feghali, known as “QSR Guy” on X, is a multi-unit franchisee of Little Caesars and Jersey Mike’s and co-founder of CoCo Playa. He uses honest posts to share the realities of operating restaurants at scale and turn insights into real business opportunities. Watch now to learn how Ryan Feghali uses X to build real relationships, why telling the truth creates leverage, and how anonymous posts tu...

Eddie Flores Jr., co-founder of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, built a 235-location restaurant brand by staying rooted in Hawaiian culture. As an entrepreneur and franchise pioneer, he turned one restaurant into a national concept through authenticity and community. Watch now to learn about the power of Hawaiian identity, creating opportunity through franchising, and leading through family. Sponsored by: ...

Farah Shirzadi helps restaurant brands grow through YouTube and digital content. Working at the intersection of hospitality and media, she focuses on turning storytelling into discovery, engagement, and real-world traffic. Watch now to learn how restaurants can win on YouTube, why content drives discovery, and what most operators still get wrong. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: ht...

Holly Smith, Chief Marketing Officer of P.F. Chang’s, is focused on reconnecting one of the restaurant industry’s most recognizable brands with modern diners. As a marketing leader, she blends storytelling, digital engagement, and data-driven strategy to keep the brand culturally relevant. Watch now to learn how Holly Smith is rethinking restaurant marketing, why engagement matters more than follo...

Josh Kim, co-founder of Softies Burger in Los Angeles, is building a restaurant brand in public. A former OpenTable employee, Kim shares the real process of opening and running a restaurant through storytelling and social media. Watch now to learn how a burger popup took off, why Josh Kim chose to build in public, and the reality of opening a restaurant. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant...

Restaurants are built on food and operations, but they are remembered because of the stories that come out of them.  During his tenure as Global CEO of José Andrés Group, Sam Bakhshandehpour saw how one unexpected moment can travel far beyond the dining room when it captures something real. Note: This interview was originally recorded on October 14th, 2025 when Sam Bakhshandehpour was Global CEO ...

Pamela Weekes and Connie McDonald, co-founders of Levain Bakery, built one of America’s most iconic bakeries by choosing community over scale. As longtime partners and operators, they’ve spent three decades proving that patience and care can turn a neighborhood shop into a national brand. Watch now to learn how a batch of cookies became a national brand, how community fueled their growth, and why...

Vanessa Phillips, co-founder and CEO of Feel Good Foods, grew up in the restaurant industry before turning a personal health challenge into a national frozen food brand. After being diagnosed with celiac disease, she set out to recreate the foods she loved, building a career that blends hospitality roots with consumer packaged goods innovation. Watch now to learn how a lie at a family reunion beca...

Helen Wechsler, Senior Director, Food Program CoE at Google, leads one of the world’s largest food at work programs. With a career rooted in hospitality, she oversees how food supports culture, wellbeing, and belonging across Google offices, blending intentional experiences with technology to feed people thoughtfully at global scale. Watch now to learn how food, culture, and technology come togeth...

James Petrakis, co-founder of The Ravenous Pig and a James Beard Award semifinalist, helped shape Orlando’s modern food scene by building restaurants rooted in craft, community, and endurance. As a chef, operator, and mentor, he’s built a career defined less by hype and more by staying power. Watch now to learn how survival shaped his growth, how one airport deal changed everything, and why commun...

Michael Palmer, CEO of McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, oversees the evolution of a historic California brand. As a brand builder and operator, he’s focused on alignment, patience, and protecting what made the product special.  Watch now to learn about taking over a legacy ice cream brand, building partnerships rooted in shared values, and growing nationally without sacrificing quality. Sponsored by: ...

Brooks Schaden, co-CEO and co-founder of Tom’s Watch Bar, is building a new kind of sports bar designed around how fans actually watch games today. Through thoughtful design, operations, and partnerships, he’s turning live sports into a scalable hospitality experience. Watch now to learn how a sports bar built around fandom grew fast, formed strategic partnerships, and turned games into shared mom...

Xavier Woods, an NFL safety and Smoothie King franchise owner, is building a second career rooted in ownership. As a professional athlete turned entrepreneur, he’s investing in systems designed for durability beyond football. Watch now to learn how an NFL veteran is applying discipline from the field to franchise ownership, long-term investing, and building businesses beyond football. (This episod...

Will Newman, founder of Edley’s Bar-B-Que, turned years of regional BBQ exposure into a growing restaurant brand. As a former law student and restaurant operator, he focuses on thoughtful growth while honoring the legacy behind the name Watch now to learn how a law student recognized an opening, named a restaurant with purpose, and navigated the realities of growing a BBQ brand. Sponsored by: • TO...

Katie Lee, founder of Katie’s Pizza & Pasta, built her career in restaurant kitchens before turning a pandemic pivot into a national frozen pizza brand. Her handmade pizzas are now sold in every Target store nationwide as part of a $20 million retail deal. Watch now to learn about a $20 million Target deal, and the discipline required to scale without losing the craft. Sponsored by:  • TOAST - All...

Matt Ensero and Justin Egan, founders of Wing It On and members of the Craveworthy Brands portfolio, built the concept from a single store into an award-winning wing brand with nine National Buffalo Wing Festival trophies. Watch now to learn how Wing It On grew from a homegrown idea, earned national recognition, and found the right partner to scale. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS:...

Marcus Viscidi, Vice President of Sales for Informa, oversees industry gatherings like Create and the National Restaurant Association Show. By bringing the right operators and partners together, he helps restaurant brands connect, learn, and grow. Listen now to learn how emerging brands grow outside their four walls, why connection beats convenience, and how the right event can change a business....

Steph So, Chief Growth Officer at Shake Shack, blends technology, creativity, and hospitality to shape how guests experience one of America’s most beloved fast casual brands. Through digital innovation and menu development, she has become a key leader driving Shake Shack’s modern growth. Listen now to learn how Steph So blends hospitality with technology, why curiosity drives her decisions, and ho...

Super Bowl Champion Ndamukong Suh has partnered with Craveworthy Brands founder Gregg Majewski to invest in people through hospitality. Together, they combine Suh’s leadership mindset with Majewski’s restaurant expertise to create opportunity across emerging concepts and growing franchise teams.  Listen now to learn about Suh’s belief in opportunity, his partnership with Craveworthy, and how he is...

Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, uses social media to stay close to the restaurants and diners who rely on the platform every day. As a leader who believes in openness, she treats online feedback as essential fuel for shaping the company’s future. Listen now to learn about the value of showing up online, the feedback that reshaped OpenTable, and why Debby Soo believes restaurants will always survive a...

Chef Bert Bonnarens, a Belgian-trained chef who cooked in Michelin-starred kitchens, now leads culinary development for Wild Thyme Restaurant Group. At Shorebird, Wild Thyme’s flagship brand, he blends global technique with fresh, market-driven cooking. Listen now to learn about his Michelin-trained beginnings, the lessons he carried across continents, and why guests follow him to the dock for fre...

Nick Kenner, Founder and CEO of Just Salad, is reshaping fast casual dining with a focus on sustainability and smart growth. His mission-driven approach has taken the brand from one Manhattan shop to more than 100 locations nationwide. Listen now to learn about scaling Just Salad from one small Manhattan shop to 100 locations, the lessons behind sustainable operations, and what it takes to build a...

Daniel Shemtob, winner of Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race and founder of The Lime Truck and Snibbs, has built a career that bridges hospitality and innovation. From food trucks to footwear, he’s turned real kitchen experience into products and businesses that serve the people behind the line. Listen now to learn about building The Lime Truck from the ground up, turning a kitchen injury into i...