Restaurant Owners Uncorked

Shane is the GM of Trophy Brewing in Raleigh, NC. We had a wide ranging conversation, discussing everything from the multiple responsibilities in his role as GM, to his leadership style, to the challenge of staffing in a growing market that has a great restaurant scene, to his love of craft beer and the Trophy team's philosophy on it. Enjoy...

John has been in the restaurant business most of his life. He and I talked about what fuels his passion for the business, being an introvert in the restaurant business, managing controlled chaos, the family environment at his restaurant group, Provision Concepts, and the daily life of a corporate chef. John is a positive dude who clearly enjoys his profession immensely...

California native Brian Jenzer has cooked at places all over the world, and today is the Executive Chef at Tap + Table in Raleigh, NC. We talked about everything from the value of culinary school (he went to one) to his management philosophies to the importance of starting at the bottom and working you way up. Brian is a great dude and this was a great conversation. Enjoy...

Like so many people we've had the pleasure to interview, Brandon has been in the hospitality business for his while life. And also like so many people we've interviewed, you can't listen to him talk without wanting to be on his team. He is a GM who still works bar shifts, handles kitchen manager duties, and does all sorts of things to help make Montanya run well. He loves what he does, loves the o...

Talk about a man with conviction! Jonny and his brother Benjy started The Skinny Pancake in Burlington, VT out of a hand-made cart in 2003, and fifteen years later they have seven locations, a commissary kitchen, a catering business, a festival bus ... and that original cart is still around. We talked about everything from effective lease negotiation to "the triple bottom line" to the idea of no p...

Ray has been in the restaurant business since the 1980's, and has done everything from being the interim CEO of a large chain, to being the Executive Director of the California Restaurant Association, to owning and running a very successful group of restaurants in the Lake Tahoe, CA area. Ray is extremely knowledgeable about the hospitality business, and offered an enormous of amount of excellent...

Renee Newton graduated with a degree in biology and chemistry, came to Crested Butte to work for the Rocky Mountain Biological Labs, had an opportunity to become a distiller at Montanya Distillers, and now is the bar manager and head of special events. She's a diverse, genuine, fun person who you'd love to have on your team. Enjoy...

Brandi and Adam are GMs at the first Cantina 76 location in Columbia, SC. Cantina 76 is a very popular, successful brand with five locations in South Carolina. Listen to Brandi and Adam talk about the fantastic culture within their organization, the great leadership they work under, their awesome executive chef, how they excel against their competition, building relationships with regulars, and mo...

Rob has been in the hospitality business for fifteen years, most recently as the Assistant Director of Operations for Top Nosh Hospitality in Chicago. These folks run a handful of awesome restaurants, and Rob and I discussed everything from managing costs to building relationships with regular customers to what podcasts he enjoys. A fun, wide ranging conversation? Enjoy...

Nick Gitsis owns The Silverlake Family Restaurant in Warsaw, NY. Started in 1990 by Nick's father, now in his 80's and still a regular presence at the restaurant, Silverlake has become an iconic locally owned business in the Warsaw area. Both regulars and travelers enjoy the experience of being served by personable, welcoming staff and being able to make special requests which are honored happily....

Drew Honness and Ross Cohen own Sweet Cow Ice Cream, which has six locations in Colorado. Drew had a dream to open his own shop one day, and worked with Ross in 2010 to build a plan, raise money, and open. The plan was for one location, but they are now at six locations and growing, consistently serving up a great product backed up by a great team of smiling, happy staff. This is a great story, th...

Carmelo has been in the restaurant business since he was fifteen years old. An artist and an active non-profit volunteer, Carmelo has thrived in the family environment at Chai Pani and has learned how to make special connections with customers and provide them "wow" experiences. Enjoy...

Marshall Davis spent ten years as the lead singer of a punk rock band in Los Angeles. When the band disbanded he made his swayback home to N.C. and wound up at Centro, under the tutelage of Angela Salamanca. Today he is the Beverage Director and Bar Manager, though we spent a lot of our time talking about the exciting and unique new project he and Angela are working on. Enjoy...

Steve Davis started working at Ardy & Ed's Drive In Restaurant in Osh Kosh, WI in 1977, when the business was twenty-nine years old. Since then he's become the co-owner of the business along with his wife, Ardy, and has been named Wisconsin Restaurateur of the Year. Ardy & Ed's has been featured on too many TV shows and won too many awards to count, and it was of much fun listening to Stev...

Pepe Estrada's family is from Mexico. He grew up in the U.S. as an introvert who didn't have a strong appreciation for his heritage. After seven years at Centro in Raleigh under the tutelage of Angela Salamanca, he's found a deep appreciation for Mexico and the culture his family hails from, and has learned to trust himself and manage confidently while also knowing when to open up and ask for help...

Teddy Bourgeois is a bartender for Buxton Hall BBQ in Asheville, NC. He works with intention and has tons of respect for his craft and for the team he works with, and believes in supporting not only his team but the entire hospitality community in Asheville. Bartenders and any hospitality people will love listening to what he has to say. Enjoy...

Ashley Reda manages Tarpon River Brewing in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I was thoroughly impressed with his style, his grasp of what matters and why, and his dedication to his work. When I interview somebody I always ask myself if I'd want my kids to work for the person. Such an easy "yes!" here. Enjoy...

Dennis Carter owns Ryan'S Restaurant in Winston-Salem, N.C. The restaurant opened in 1977 and Dennis was the GM. Forty-one years later, he co-owns the restaurant and oversaw it's best year ever last year (and they are on track to surpass that this year). Dennis talked about the simple philosophy he learned early in his restaurant career (the title of this episode) and how he's stuck with that all...

The World Famous Riverside Market in Ft. Lauderdale, FL is one of the most memorable places I've been in my 10 years with Schedulefly. Nowhere else makes you feel more like you are literally visiting your friend's house. We've filmed there, they are in our second Restaurant Owners Uncorked book, owner Lisa Siegel has been on this podcast ... I guess we can't get enough of Riverside! Heather has be...

Brad and Brent come from an entrepreneurial family. In 2003 and in their early 20's with no restaurant or bar experience, they decided to partner together and open a bar. Fifteen years and lots of trial and error later, they have four successful restaurants (Wine Dive, The Hill Bar & Grill, Wine Dive + Kitchen, Industry Old Town) and a phenomenal reputation in Wichita, KS. These are two guys w...

Price co-founded Truffles Cafe in Hilton Head Island, SC in 1983. Thirty-five years later, he has two Truffles locations and two Chow Daddy's locations. He treats his team like family, leads by example, and is having a lot of fun every day building a very successful group of restaurants. Price talks about his team's focus on consistency and great guess service, and it's very clear that he's an aut...

Katharine works for Three Brothers Wineries & Estates in Geneva, NY (https://www.3brotherswinery.com). She wears many hats at this unique place, and it was really fun to hear the progression of her career over the years, what caused her to leave to try something different, and why she came back. She loves what she does, and her professionalism and commitment to being an important part of a gro...

The Cone is a landmark location in West Chester, OH, that opened in 1995 with a 30-foot tall ice cream cone building, and it has been creating smiles with it's fresh, high quality soft serve ice cream ever since. Keith and his wife Peggy bought the business from Keith's father, and they run it today with their daughter, Tabby. Hard work, lots of hours, and lots of passion go into this business eve...

I wrote a blog post last year discussing why I want my kids to work for independent restaurants when they are old enough to work. After listening to nearly every owner I speak to tell me how hard it is to find good people these days, I am even more excited for them to hopefully pursue this opportunity one day. I decided to read my post to share my thoughts on why it's such a great opportunity. Enj...