Restaurant Rockstars Podcast

Traditional advertising is like dumping money out the window. Unless, everyone who walks in your door says “Hey Joe, your radio commercial brought us in tonite”, you’re wasting your money. Why? Because there’s no way to track the return on investment of most ad spends if there is any and there’s just too much advertising clutter out there to get your message across. Here’s an idea. Technology can...

When I ran restaurants, my attorney was invaluable for so many unexpected issues saving me time, money and headaches. You never know when something seemingly innocent turns into a big problem. I’m also a huge believer in creating and sustaining an unstoppable “Brand”, not just running a restaurant. Today on the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m speaking with Abe Cohn, of Cohn Legal Group, a NYC at...

I was blown away this week speaking with Reed Allen Slobusky - he’s the consummate impresario restaurateur. Passion drives this business, but so does marketing genius, financial acumen and a finger on the pulse of what diner’s want in a restaurant. All this has led to a ketchup factory in Costa Rica, phenomenal success in multiple states and unlimited future opportunity. The concept is so cool and...

The biggest restaurant challenge today is finding and keeping a great staff! Doesn’t matter where you live or run your restaurant, unemployment is at record lows. The latest stats say that the average tenure of a “New Restaurant Employee” is just 4 months. And in that short period, everytime you hire someone, get them up to speed in their job, lose or have to fire them and then replace that person...

Fact is 82% of the Dining Public Order Out! If your restaurant isn’t taking online orders, you’re missing lots of sales and potential profit. I have always believed that you can’t have too many profit centers in your restaurant and this one is a must have. Problem is many systems require you to have multiple tablets from each of the delivery platforms to receive orders. Talk about a nightmare. How...

I know you agree that one of the greatest challenges you face running restaurants is staff. Going a step further, what happens when you lose a “Key” team member? I had this problem many times when I ran restaurants. All is well, things are running smooth, until they’re not! Does your operation have a “Plan B”? A backup when the unexpected occurs? Most of the time this happens in the kitchen. You j...

I loved this episode. Passion runs deep in all restaurants, but the magic formula to creating a truly great restaurant can be elusive. Even more so when you take an established and iconic brand and turn it into something completely new. Today, I’m speaking with Ms. Sylvie Gabriele who accomplished just that. She transformed her father’s 37 year old Los Angeles restaurant and re-branded it with her...

Imagine the sites, sounds, smells and ambiance of your restaurant without walking in the door. I’m talking about bringing the experience to life for the customer before they step foot in your restaurant. Then, once they’re there and they like what they see, giving them many reasons to spend money. You can sell the convenience and excitement of gift cards year-round, you can sell tickets to events,...

Selling food and beverage is Not enough. Your restaurant needs multiple profit centers. Our goal is to bring you new ideas, inspiring guests and powerful tools to help improve your restaurant. So here’s a story: Professional musician travels the country, constantly ordering out at restaurants. He sees a broken system and a better way to streamline the online ordering process. It just so happens, h...

It’s getting harder and harder to compete as an “indie” in the restaurant space. Its hard enough to open up one restaurant and succeed let alone two, three or more. But then add in tremendous competition in one of the fastest growing most intensely concentrated restaurant cities in America. What do you have? Two regular guys with a humble story who created a unique product, opened a small shop, th...

When I ran restaurants I was obsessed with Profit. Not just saving costs, but squeezing every dime of profit across the operation. Usually this takes some understanding of numbers, a keen eye and a plan; but in this case, the plan comes to you in a turn-key solution. In this episode, Naomi Canning, the President of Dining Edge shows us: How to save 8 - 12% on Inventory Purchasing with their propri...

Spirit, Soul & Passion are evident in a truly great restaurant. You know it the moment you walk in the door. The way you are greeted and made to feel welcome… the sights, sounds and smells that build anticipation. These are just the surface elements, but it’s the mission statement, the foundation and inspiring leadership that truly create greatness. This episode so moved me. My guest Mr. Hans Lutt...

What do Hypnosis, Psychology and Show Business have to do with your restaurant? Tune in to this episode to find out how to increase sales in a restaurant through an amazingly effective Marketing Strategy. I’m a huge believer in building that all important “Affinity” with your customers. This was super-powerful when I ran restaurants and it still is today and here’s the “key”. Rob and Kennedy are a...

What if you could gain decades of operating experience in just an hour? All the ideas that you could instantly execute, the headaches and pitfalls you could avoid, not to mention the leg up on your competition. Stay tuned. The “key” is to listen to this episode and then run right out and join your state restaurant association. Today, I’m speaking with Mr. John Barker the President and C.E.O. of th...

We’re in this together. This crazy business of pleasing the public, creating new dishes, getting customers in the door and making money. What does it take? Commitment, inspiration, leadership, attention to detail, numbers, people. You have to be good at all these things and so many more. I’m sure you agree that running restaurants is one of the most challenging of all businesses and it takes a spe...

I see far too many operators losing money with their menu. Its a restaurant’s most powerful marketing tool, but they don’t design it for maximum profit. This is not how to run a restaurant. Follow me here, you can be filling your restaurant seats with lines out the door and still be losing money all because your least profitable menu items are the Biggest Sellers! Your kitchen staff are working ju...

Everyone has a birthday and everyone has to eat. Get the connection? Well, you’ve probably racked your brain more than once for new restaurant marketing ideas. We’ve all been there, but this one is worth your attention. If you’ve been wondering how to increase restaurant business, why not harness the power of birthdays to get new customers in the door… not just a two-top, but a whole party then ge...

To open a restaurant you need equipment. To expand your menu and increase restaurant sales you need equipment. New or Used? Buy, rent or lease? Finding time to source it? What to do? Today’s episode is a different way in sourcing equipment. I’m talking with KWIPPED, a B2B Marketplace where you can find virtually any piece of restaurant equipment across the country. You get quotes from multiple sou...

Listen, You Can’t have too many Profit Centers in your business. There is so much more opportunity than just selling food and drink. One of the biggest strategies to increase sales in a restaurant is “events” and private parties. Events are a beautiful thing! They’re predictable - you know how many are coming, when, what you’re serving and how much you’re making. This is how to run a restaurant an...

You can run a failing restaurant, an average restaurant or a wildly successful restaurant. The difference all comes down to 3 critical “systems”. If you don’t know them and don’t have them, it’s pretty likely you are not making any money. In this restaurant podcast episode, I’m going to share my 3 Secrets to Wild Success. My biggest mantra has always been “Be a Student of your Restaurant”. That is...

Today’s guest is one of my favorites! Mr. Jesse Vazquez delivers powerful advice from the trenches throughout a long illustrious career. Jesse began to learn how to run a restaurant in his family’s Miami Cuban Cafe where 18 hour days were the norm, seven days a week. They put it all on the line committing to a concept that bled money. Despite the staggering odds of failure in this business, Jesse...

What would you do to compete if you ran a casino hotel in famous Las Vegas? What would you do to open a restaurant and what strategies would you use to increase sales in the restaurant? Yes, we can all name the mega-brand hotels on the famous strip, but how could you make a splash if your operation was “Off” the strip? How could you capture the imagination of the public and get them in your door?...

I have a mantra: The Money’s either in Your Pocket or Their Pocket, so it pays to Shop around! I can’t tell you how many times I changed credit card processors over the years before finally finding one that offered both great service and a rate I could count on. But I’m willing to bet many of you are struggling with this, or have just given up accepting whatever processor you’re working with. Well...

Straight and simple. These 5 Letters: F, A, C, E, S will transform your customer experience and your business. What you do with these letters will be a true game-changer for your operation. I’m a firm believer in daily training. It doesn’t need to take much time; but to be effective, it needs to be focused and consistent. In today’s episode, I’m going to show you a simple training exercise that’s...

Restaurant success is fleeting and fickle. There I said it! Even with the right approach, success is far from guaranteed. I get it. Everyday you put your heart and soul into your business. You get up early, open your doors and get home late. You work weekends and sacrifice holidays. You truly care about your staff and your customer, but sometimes the thousand details and the unexpected get in the...