The Cutting Onions Podcast

Thanks for joining us today on The Cutting Onions Podcast! This is Episode 61 and today we dive into the topic of Supply Chain and the key points from the Q2 2022 Kinetic 12 Deck. This was a great conversation and it was helpful for us to tackle this topic and do a deep dive on it, and we hope it helps you just as much! Please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts as well. We would love to enga...

In this episode, Bobby and Myles begin to unpack the excellent Emergence Kinetic 12 Q2 2022 Report that shares Emerging and Growth chain insights, operator connections and live regional roundtables on important subjects like Supply Chain, Technology, Automation, Inflation, Labor Retention and so much more. Bobby and Myles provide their insights and commentary on the data found in the report and ov...

Welcome back to The Cutting Onions Podcast! Myles and I have been gone for a bit, getting the opportunity to put into practice so many of the core beliefs we both have around culture building, people development and operational excellence. We have been able to do all that through the process of opening new restaurants! That's right, NRO's are back folks! It was great to connect with each other and...

Welcome to the Cutting Onions Podcast, Episode 58! On today’s episode we are super happy to feature our conversation with Frios Gourmet Pops president Patti Rother. It was so fun to chronicle Patti’s journey through the restaurant space from her time at two iconic brands, Panera and Noodles & Company, into Franchise Sales and Development, into her current role. But rooted in all of that is Pat...

Today we feature a super fun conversation with Cherryh Cansler. Cherryh is the Editor of FastCasual.com and the VP of Events for Networld Media. Cherryh leads some of the most attended events in the restaurant industry and provides opportunities for leaders from every restaurant segment to get together, learn from each other, share best practices, and have a whole lot of fun while they are doing i...

Welcome to the Cutting Onions Podcast, Episode 56! Today we are featuring our conversation with Chef Essi Tadrus. Essi got his start in restaurants at the age of 14 years old and became an entrepreneur very, very fast. After working in kitchens in his teens and developing his craft, he took the plunge and bought a cell phone/pager shop and it was a huge success! Realizing his love for restaurants,...

We are thrilled to present this conversation with Stephanie Stuckey, CEO of Stuckey's (during National Pecan Month) and it really was a masterclass on what it means to be an entrepreneur, the lessons she has learned along the way, how she ended up as CEO of Stuckey's, and the advice she would give any would be entrepreneur! We also had a great time chatting about the Great American Road trip, whic...

We are so excited to present our conversation with Duck Donuts CEO Betsy Hamm this week on The Cutting Onions Podcast!!! Betsy has such an inspiring leadership journey, including her time at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts and then joining Duck Donuts as Marketing Director, becoming COO, and then being named CEO at Duck Donuts right before COVID changed the world. She talked about how she navi...

Today on The Cutting Onions Podcast , Myles Gift and we have a terrific conversation to share with Tory Bartlett, MBA who serves as the Chief Brand Officer for Moe's Southwest Grill ! Tory told some amazing stories about his growth as a leader, how it all started on a basketball court and in the dish pit at Hooter's, not quitting when things get tough, and how his journey has continued on as a sen...

We are so excited for you to listen in to this conversation with Ali Kraus, Director of Franchise Marketing for Entrepreneur Media. This was a super fun and informative conversation where Ali shared her incredibly inspiring story as she transitioned from teaching into being a full-time entrepreneur. She shared her passion for Women in Franchising, what true mentorship looks like, and her desire to...

Today on The Cutting Onions Podcast we talk with Author, Podcast Host, and Mindset Coach  Heather Hakes . Heather challenged so much of the conventional wisdom about what it takes to live a great life. She walks us through the cycle of Thoughts, Emotions, Actions and Results, as well as talks about the 80/20 rule but it is not what you think. It's 80 percent Mindset and 20 percent Strategy. N...

Welcome to a milestone on The Cutting Onions Podcast! This is Episode 50 and we could not be happier to still be hanging around trying to create meaningful content and engage in conversations that help us all get better, together. Today's conversation is centered around Danny Klein's excellent article "Why The Pandemic Only Made Fast Casual Stronger" where he touches on some incredibly important l...

Today we are thrilled to have Meat & Bread Owner/Operator Ernie Villarreal on the Cutting Onions Podcast! We had a fantastic conversation talking about Ernie's incredible restaurant journey over the years. From his start as an Assistant Manager at Chipotle, to GM, to Restaurateur and wrapping up a successful 12-year career there, to his time as a Managing Partner with Raising Cane's to a stint...

We are thrilled to have Chris Wunder from Leap Hospitality on The Cutting Onions Podcast where we talk about all things recruiting! There is not a topic more important right now in the restaurant and hospitality industry than recruiting and staffing and we can’t wait for you to hear the conversation with Chris. A little background first. Leap Hospitality is an executive recruiting firm specializin...

In this episode Myles and Bobby tackle the question of incorporating a touchless experience in restaurants that virtually eliminates all human interaction and the effects that might have on a restaurants ability to build true loyalty. The reason for moving in this direction is all in the name of streamlining operations, but are there better ways to do that without eliminating the human equation an...

We hope you enjoy this conversation with LEAP Hospitality founder Pat Phelan as much as we did. Pat did an amazing job talking about how to build culture, create relationships, and work through adversity. Pat shares the story of how he founded LEAP in 2006 and then immediately battled through the recession, and then how he made the pivot from providing furniture, fixtures, and equipment to recruit...

Thanks for joining us for this fun conversation where Myles and Bobby talk about what they learned in 2021 and what some of the Tech Trends are in 2022 that we can all leverage to help us serve our guests and our teams in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Happy New Year!

Today on The Cutting Onions Podcast we are so excited to feature our conversation with Brian Jackson, founder of Mighty Missouri Coffee Company in Bismarck, North Dakota! Brian is an entrepreneur through and through and in this conversation we cover his journey from a marketing executive to starting to Mighty Missouri Coffee, roasting coffee, opening his own storefront coffee shop, and creating Ba...

Today's topic on The Cutting Onions Podcast is Conscious Competence, which is all about being aware of the things that have made us successful so that we are able to teach the next generation how to achieve great results. We loved this conversation because so many times in the restaurant industry learning happens by osmosis and we are not as intentional as we should be when we are developing our t...

In this episode, my co-host Myles Gift and I have a spirited conversation around culture in the restaurant industry, and ask and attempt to ask a very important question from Joel Barker's excellent 1992 book Paradigms . "What do I believe is impossible to do in my field...but if it could be done, would fundamentally change my business?" We would love your feedback, comments, and input on how we a...

This was my first episode with my new co-host Myles Gift and it was an amazing conversation. We discussed the labor issues we are all experiencing in the restaurant and hospitality industry, how the customer is not always right, and how to better support our teams by checking in on them with intentionality and truly making sure they are doing as well as they can. We discussed the excellent August...

Join me today for a special bonus episode of The Cutting Onions Podcast this week as I talk with Matt Peppes , founder of Cuvee KC, a full-service digital marketing agency that transforms ordinary websites and social media channels into engaging, relationship-building assets.  I have had the privilege of working with Matt for the last three years at Sheridan's Unforked , the Kansas City-based fine...

I am so excited to have Matt Plapp, CEO of America's Best Restaurants, on The Cutting Onions Podcast today! Matt and I had a great conversation about his new book "Restaurant Marketing That Works: Back to the Basics" which talks about restaurant marketing before, during, and after the pandemic. Matt's book is excellent and is jam packed with real-life examples of tactical strategy that Matt has de...

On today's episode I share the audio from my first webinar where I discussed 5 Ways To Attract And Retain Top Talent. This is a message we need more than ever as restaurants, hotels, and many other service companies are reopening dining rooms and facilities as we emerge from the global pandemic. The 5 things I talk about in this podcast will help you take an honest look at where your organization...

Welcome back to The Cutting Onions Podcast! As promised here is a second volume of solid gold wisdom that has been shared on my podcast during these last couple of years. As I was getting this episode ready and listening back, I am just incredibly grateful that these amazing leaders shared some of their valuable time to have a conversation with me about culture and leadership.  Here are the i...