Restaurant Misfits

This is the episode I'll be recommending to every restaurant owner I talk to this year. I sat down with Craig Susser, founder of Craig's Restaurant in LA and Nashville . 35 years in the industry. Waiter, bartender, maitre d' for 22 years, and now one of the most respected names in fine dining. This guy has seen it all.   Craig gets brutally transparent about what it actually takes t...

Babak Bina didn’t just survive the restaurant industry. He bent an entire city around his vision. After landing in Boston as an immigrant, washing dishes to stay alive, he spent the next 30 years building concepts that defined the city’s dining scene.  Babak talks about the moments operators never admit publicly:  – The lowest point where he almost walked away  – Flooding an entire dining room and...

Jordan Boesch didn’t wait for a better solution to manage staff schedules. He built it. He was just a kid when he saw his dad struggling to manage his team's schedule. Spreadsheets, paper, chaos—you know the drill.  So what did he do? He coded a tool to help his dad out. Fast forward a few years… and that tool became 7shifts —now used by over 50,000 restaurants to manage their teams, schedule...

Ever wonder what it takes to make people fall in love with sushi? Chef Cheng Lin has the answer. In this new episode, I interview Chef Cheng Lin , the mastermind behind Brooklyn’s Michelin-starred Shota Omakase . And let me tell you... he doesn’t just make sushi—he LIVES it. For him, Japanese cuisine is an art, and every detail matters. We dive into the omakase bubble in NY, the hidden costs of a...

Dr. Cheng isn’t just the Dean of FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality —he’s a major force behind SOBEWFF (South Beach Wine & Food Festival), one of the largest food festivals in the world, drawing over 120,000 attendees and raising more than $40 million for hospitality education just this year alone ! That’s beyond impressive—it’s changing the landscape of hospitality and education forever! In...

Award-winning chef Brad Kilgore has built a restaurant empire, from Michelin-starred kitchens to launching Kilgore Culinary Group. In this episode, we dive into: 🔥 His journey from Kansas to Miami’s top restaurants 🔥 Lessons from working at Alinea & L2o 🔥 How he built & scaled multiple restaurant concepts 🔥 The role of marketing, AI, and innovation in hospitality 🔥 What the future hol...

n this episode of Restaurant Misfi, we explore how restaurants can unlock new revenue streams, enhance branding, and optimize operations with smart, data-driven strategies. Joining us is Peter Litvinenko, CEO of WorkEatPlay, a platform transforming how restaurants monetize downtime by renting tables as workspaces during slow hours. Dubbed the "Airbnb for restaurants," WorkEatPlay current...

In this episode of Restaurant Misfits, we uncover the game-changing potential of influencer marketing for restaurants and brands. Joining us is Olivia Ormos, a Miami-based entrepreneur and founder of Maven, the innovative platform connecting brands with top influencers. From launching successful initiatives like Model Volleyball to crafting influencer-driven experiences that captivate audiences, O...

In this episode of Restaurant Misfits, we’re excited to introduce Leslie Diaz, a dynamic digital creator from Miami who has turned her love for restaurants into a successful content creation career. Leslie takes us through her inspiring journey, from studying speech therapy to becoming a leading voice in the restaurant industry. We explore how social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are t...

In this episode of Restaurant Misfits, we're honored to host Christian J. Fischer , a culinary visionary whose journey from the family kitchen in Feldbach, Austria, to becoming a global influence in the restaurant industry is nothing short of extraordinary. Christian shares his invaluable insights on scaling your business, the pivotal role of marketing, and how to turn a restaurant into an ar...

In this episode of Restaurant Misfits, we are thrilled to introduce Roger Beaudoin! Join us as Roger and Brett delve into Roger's journey from a novice in the restaurant industry to becoming the founder of Restaurant Rockstars. With over 25 years of experience, Roger shares his invaluable insights and hard-earned lessons. Roger dives deep into the nuances of leadership versus management and t...

In this episode of Restaurant Misfits, we are excited to feature Luana Borges,  Luana and Brett discuss the main differences between restaurants in Brazil and the US, giving us an interesting look into the unique dining customs, service styles, and food trends in these two countries. Additionally, Brett shares the fascinating story of how Dishio was created and how it’s changing the restaurant ind...

In this episode of Restaurant Misfits, we are privileged to feature Adrianne Calvo, a prominent name in the culinary realm. With over 15 years dedicated to infusing "Maximum Flavor" into her restaurants, cookbooks, and shows, Adrianne's journey is a testament to unexpected beginnings and unwavering passion. During our conversation she reveals invaluable insights on attracting custom...

In this episode, we are honored to interview Juan Manuel Barrientos, an eminent figure in the culinary world. As a distinguished restaurateur and world-renowned chef, Juan Manuel has made an incredible mark on the industry with his innovative approach to dining and exceptional culinary skills. With a diverse portfolio of establishments spanning from Colombia to the United States, he exemplifies th...

Ready to take your restaurant business to the next level? Look no further! In this amazing podcast episode, Ryan Grom-fin, @Therestaurantboss   himself, shares his expertise and insights on what it takes to succeed in the restaurant industry. Ryan, a former restaurant owner turned restaurant owner coach, has over 120k followers on Youtube and currently works with over 300 restaurant owners to help...

In this episode I meet with Travis “T-Bone” Talbot. Here are some of the topics we explore: - Creating the perfect menu and the psychology behind it. - Social media and why it's important  - Changes in consumer behavior  If you want to learn more about Travis and his company Change Network, head on over to: https://changenetwork.io/

Marcus Guiliano is the founder of Aroma Thyme,  a restaurant based in Ellenville, NY.  He is an amazing chef, restaurant owner, and restaurant education/influencer and is incredibly creative with how he has grown his restaurant over the years. He's been featured in NBC, NY times, Ted x,  and other major publications, and he has nearly 100k subscribers on Youtube! In this episode, we spoke abo...

Josh is the CEO and Co-founder of Sesame, a new restaurant marketplace created by restaurants, for restaurants.  Born out of the need to create a more sustainable way for restaurants to manage their off-premise businesses and fight back against the aggregators, Sesame is planning to disrupt the industry for the betterment of all stakeholders. Sesame is launching in NYC in late August. You can chec...

Interview with Sean Brennan,  the founder of the international multi-unit quick-serve pie and coffee concept “The Pie Hole” based in Los Angeles. He has plus or minus 20 years’ experience in hospitality and organizational development. By classification, he is a builder, whether it be teams, companies, campaigns, or even the perfect sandwich. More on The Pie Hole at: https://www.thepieholela.com/ o...

Quick highlights on Rev! Rev is a former New York City bar owner and knows exactly how hard it is to operate and brand a hospitality business. Hey is a Hospitality Marketing Consultant and Demand Gen and Tech Evangelist Rev has more than 20 years experience in B2B digital marketing and business development, specializing in hospitality marketing, content, local SEO, reputation management, and influ...

In this episode, I interview Jeremy Jacobowitz, a food influencer based out of New York City. More on Jeremy: Jeremy Jacobowitz brings along his over 500k followers on his food adventures all over the world. Whether that's finding that hidden gem in NYC, the best omakase in Japan, or creating a fun recipe in his home kitchen studio, his audience is obsessed with all parts of his life. And the...

Ashish is the CEO and CoFounder of POSist - He has scaled the company from a two-member team to 100+ employees, serving over 9,000+ leading restaurants in 32 countries. - Ashish is a rare combination of a Technocrat and Restaurateur. He kick-started his entrepreneurial journey in 2007 by founding a telecom company right out of college, serving all major telecom operators in India for value-added s...

Ethan Falk is the CEO of Virtual Restaurant Group. VRG offers delivery-only brands that can easily operate out of an existing restaurant. They maximize a restaurant's kitchen space and a restaurant's stream of revenue using no additional overhead. In this interview, Brett and Ethan talk about the opportunities to incorporate another virtual concept into a restaurant and other opportuniti...

If you are a restauranteur that wants a jump start on your restaurant business and learn how to instill values into your team, then you will get a ton of useful insight from this episode.

In this episode I interview Abhinav Kapur, CEO & Founder of Bikky, an omni-channel CRM system for restaurants. Abhinav is dedicated to helping restaurants build deeper, more authentic customer relationships at a time when their business is rapidly shifting beyond the traditional four walls. By aggregating data across channels (in-store, delivery, loyalty, etc.), his system unlocks a unified vi...