Restaurant Rockstars Podcast

For those unfamiliar, Artificial Intelligence allows software to think like and interact with humans. This provides a great opportunity to optimize your restaurant marketing strategy. Listen to see how you can capture key information on your customers such as “how frequently they visit, their favorite menu items and even what they spend”. With text or email, Jerry shows how you can deliver powerfu...

You have to tune in this week as I’m speaking with Max Sheets, an illustrious 30 year veteran of restaurant start-ups, major restaurant chains and restaurant franchising. From concept and menu development to finding the real estate, staffing, leading by example, critical numbers and all-important brand building, Max has achieved restaurant success! Here’s a true restaurant evangelist! I speak to s...

How do you deal with negative online reviews? Before the days of Yelp and TripAdvisor many of us used comment cards and secret shoppers to obtain feedback, myself included. Sure these were ways to track customer satisfaction and even build a database, but there’s a better, simpler and more effective way. Now your customers can bring issues to your attention digitally before they leave the restaura...

In this episode of the Podcast, my friend Jaime Oikle of Running Restaurants and I are speaking to a restaurateur with the magic touch. Our guest is Nick Bogacz of Caliente Pizza & Draft House.  Nick is building a successful restaurant empire with street smarts, gut instincts, proper systems and a flair for promotion. Firstly, Nick will share his key learnings.  Secondly, he will share his thought...

From time to time, our restaurants need a makeover, a fresh new look and furniture makes the biggest splash. It’s not only greater comfort for your guests, but just the thing to transform your ambiance. Maybe now’s the time to think furniture while your dining room may still be idle or you’re looking to Up the “Wow Factor” in your place. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m onc...

I get to speak to some pretty fascinating people in this industry and I love talking shop. its amazing how much we can keep learning from others who share our passions, our challenges, our pain and out triumphs. In this week’s episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m speaking with Elizabeth Blau of Honey Salt in Las Vegas. Elizabeth is highly acclaimed as a 30+ year veteran restaurateur, a...

These are crazy times and no-one knows what the future holds. This is precisely why you should take control, plan for your future and the future of your business. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast I’m speaking with Ashley Micciche, the CEO of True North Retirement Advisors. You may or many not be ready to retire due to Covid or other reasons, but this show is really all about how...

Long before the crisis hit, drive-thru’s changed the way restaurants served their customers. The opportunity is now greater than ever to take the standard drive-thru up a notch or two with customer safety, convenience and entertainment paramount. It’s time to work “ON” your business, not just to survive this crisis but to dominate your competition. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podca...

If you have a concept your customers love, this might be the time to think about expanding your business. Covid has hit us all really hard, but never perhaps have we had more time to focus on improving our business and even growing it. This is not just a survival story, but a way forward to build true success and a lasting legacy. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m excited to...

Covid-19 has turned all of us upside down, but it’s also been a huge opportunity… a time to flesh out your business, tighten things up, make necessary changes and pivot to a more profitable business model. Many of you are trained chefs and culinarians. Possibly you’ve lost your cooking gig, or your hours have been reduced and you need a new opportunity. What to do? Listen to this episode of the Re...

About a year ago I was fortunate to interview Joshua Kopel for the Restaurant RockStars Podcast. At the time. Joshua had opened an incredibly successful bar on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame and had opened a Michelin-Rated restaurant in LA called “Preux & Proper”. Amazingly Joshua had limited experience, but his charismatic personality and sincere passion for hospitality were the keys to his...

Its no secret that customers are spooked… all this terrible news every day has them running for the hills and not your restaurant. But here’s the opportunity: If you show them that you’re restaurant cares about their safety, follows all best practices and gives them a contactless experience, they’ll gain confidence and your business will grow. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I...

Imagine learning the secrets of success from some of the world’s most recognized and powerful brands and then applying them to your business. You can! In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I speak with Jill Raff of the Jill Raff Group. Jill brands herself as a “Customer Experience Strategist” and we dive deep into the true meaning of hospitality and paramount customer service. Jill...

Covid-19 blindsided us all and hit like a ton of bricks. Maybe your business was strong and things were good last February. Now a few months later, no-one knows when the roller coaster ride will end. Many of us have re-opened with limited service and restrictions. Just when we were starting to get back on our feet, the rules change and maybe you’re now being forced to close again as Covid is resur...

In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars podcast, I’m speaking with Matthew Patrick, Principal of Patrick & Associates, a CPA firm specializing in the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. We’re going to cover all the ins and outs of these programs, and most important how to maximize or get complete forgiveness for your PPP! Listen on as we cover: - The different progr...

So many restaurants spend and spend on marketing hoping to make something stick! It’s really a shotgun approach dumping money out the window or throwing darts at a board. Problem is you don’t know what’s going to work unless you try, but unless everyone who walks in your door tells you why they came in, you’ll never know. So today’s guest on the Restaurant RockStars Podcast is Matt Plapp of ROI Ex...

Never have we seen a crisis so devastating to our business, and never have we seen so many rally together to help however we can. This episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast is all about an initiative to help those industry workers most affected. I’m speaking with Sean Weissbart, a NYC attorney specializing in setting up tax-exempt non profit organizations who has teamed with Danny Meyer of U...

The new normal is contactless ordering & payment. If you have pivoted or are ready to pivot your business model to take out, curbside pickup and delivery, here’s a solution. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m speaking with Laurent May, leader of READY. Ready is a virtual ordering system that allows your customer to view your menu digitally, place the order and pay without cas...

The Government has all but shut us down, and returning to days of normal is still out of sight for most of us. We’re scrambling for a new plan and that plan keeps shifting day by day. What to do next? In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast I speak with George Deeb of www.restaurantfurnitureplus.com George and I originally recorded an episode on all things furniture for your operation...

This crisis has hit us all like a ton of bricks, and we can either cry in our soup (pardon the pun) or kick some A! Now that our restaurants are either idle or we’re offering limited service, we have a choice. We can either muddle along and hope for the best when things get back to more of a normal, or we can create a whole new game plan today and improve your operation for greater efficiency and...

RockStars: The fact is that you need technology to run an efficient and profitable restaurant operation, and everyday, new software is coming on the market. Whether you are a veteran, brand new or aspiring operator; Its our goal at the Restaurant RockStars podcast to bring you new technologies so that you can make an informed decision for your hospitality business. LATE BREAKING NEWS: Since this e...

This crisis is turning our industry upside down, and we are pivoting almost daily to stay in business and stay relevant with our customer. What every restaurant needs right now is to notify, communicate and keep the customer informed as to the status of your business. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m speaking with Tasso Roumeliotis, the founder of NUMA, a virtual business a...

RockStars…this is it, our BIG 200th Episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast and it comes at a most CHALLENGING time. This crisis is unprecedented and the worst disaster to ever hit our industry. The Stats are staggering: Hundreds of Billions of Dollars Lost, Millions and millions of our employees out of work and worst of all, complete uncertainty for the future. When will we be able to re-open...

This situation is unfathomable and it’s constantly shifting. Every minute, there’s new information, new challenges and lots of uncertainty. No one knows what will happen next or how long before its over. Now’s the time to take action… to think your business through. To protect yourself, your employees, your customers, your business. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, my friend an...

We’re all looking for a Marketing Edge… one that not only drives business, but builds your Brand! Sometimes it’s elusive and we brainstorm endlessly and scratch our heads, but sometimes like a bolt of lightning the idea is right there in front of us. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast I’m speaking to Anisha Blodgett of Powerhaus Pizza. She set out to start a health & wellness busi...