The Cutting Onions Podcast

Today I am circling back to a conversation I had with Matt Plapp, CEO of America's Best Restaurants, on his podcast a few weeks ago. Matt was gracious and had me on to talk about a few key concepts of my book "Cutting Onions: Leadership Lessons Learned From the Restaurant Industry". One of those ideas was the concept of Generational Differences and we had a great conversation about that and I want...

Welcome to the Cutting Onions Podcast! In this episode I go into the archives from the past 34 episodes and pulled some amazing wisdom that some of the various guests I have had on the show over the last 18 months. It was fun to go back and listen to these incredible leaders. They inspired me all over again, and I think they will inspire you too! If you hear something that grabs you, make sure to...

This episode of The Cutting Onions podcast features my conversation with Dan Fogarty, Founder of Call Fogarty, an agency that helps cool companies become cult brands. Dan was also one of the earliest Marketing executives at Chipotle, first on the agency side, and then working directly for Chipotle for many years creating the iconic brand voice we had in those early days. He was responsible for lea...

Thanks for joining me for this episode where I speak with Restaurant CMO Tim Hackbardt. Tim is a 25+ year restaurant industry veteran who has served 25 restaurant chains across QSR, Fast Casual and Full Service Restaurant categories. A few of these brands include Del Taco, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Rubio’s, Pieology, Steak ‘n Shake, Johnny Rockets, and Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que. He is curr...

Here is my amazing conversation with Max Kotin, Chief Storyteller for Dodo Brands. Max shared so much great information about Dodo Brands, how they started, and how they have created the fastest growing pizza concept in the world according to Technomic. Dodo Pizza now operates more than 700 pizza shops in 14 countries, including its first US unit located in Oxford, Mississippi. But Dodo is so much...

Welcome to the Cutting Onions Podcast! Please enjoy my conversation with Chef Jeremy Barlow. Jeremy has been an innovative force in Nashville's chef scene for over 18 years and has several amazing concepts including Tayst and Sloco. Jeremy has also been a champion of food sustainability and creating accountability around sourcing and how the supply chain is managed. He walks us through the evoluti...

Welcome to The Cutting Onions Podcast! In today's episode I chat with Jason Brooks, Chief Operating Officer of Zalat Pizza in Dallas, Texas. My conversation with Jason was so inspired and I think you will be too. Zalat Pizza is committed to not only serving amazing hand-crafted pizza out of their ghost kitchen model, but also to creating a strong culture for his employees.

About a year ago I found a picture of myself as an employee of the McDonald’s in Blue Springs Missouri back in 1984. Since then I have been thinking about my sixteen-year-old self and what I was dreaming about back then. Where I thought I was going. Who I thought I would become. What I thought my life would be like. My life since that picture taken at age sixteen has been working in my chosen prof...

In this short episode I do something a little bit different. Instead of interviewing someone in the industry, I read the introduction to my new book, Cutting Onions. It was super fun to do and there's a fun story in there about one of my early leadership influences and it may surprise you to hear who it was. Hint: It was a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer!

One of the questions I like to ask in the midst of a challenge is: “What does this make possible?” That’s an important question to ask during times like these, when the media is bombarding us with all of the negative around COVID-19.

Welcome to the Cutting Onions Podcast, where we celebrate culture that develops leaders. This is Episode 26. In this conversation I sit down with Chris Cargill. Chris is a long-time HR professional with a passion for creating strong people cultures and connecting with people in a genuine way to help them accomplish their hopes and dreams. The work Chris has done in Human Resources has covered reta...

Welcome to The Cutting Onions Podcast where we celebrate culture that develops leaders. In today’s episode of The Cutting Onions Podcast I sit down with Libby Balsiger, founder of Chica Communications, where she is passionate about advancing socially conscious efforts that underscore corporate integrity and global responsibility. Libby was also one of the early marketing leaders at Chipotle when i...

Welcome to The Cutting Onions Podcast, where we celebrate culture that develops leaders. This is Episode 24. In this week’s conversation I sit down with entrepreneur, hotelier, and restaurateur, Stephen Mangano. Steve is a passionate leader known for his ability to bring a creative perspective to business and seeing value where others do not. He is a disruptor and challenges the status quo across...

Welcome to the Cutting Onions Podcast, where we celebrate culture that develops leaders. This is Episode 23! In this conversation I speak with Leadership and Business Coach, Luay Rahil, who lives in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Luay started his career washing dishes in small restaurants before joining IHOP where he washed dishes, became a server and then a restaurant manager. Luay went to college a...

Welcome to The Cutting Onions Podcast, Episode 22. In this conversation I sit down with Priscilla Mendoza, a multi-unit operator for Chick-Fil-A in Austin. Priscilla's journey with Chick-Fil-A started at 16 years old and she recently opened a second location in the Austin, TX market. Priscilla has developed high performing teams and a strong people culture that has allowed her to expand her influe...

Happy Thanksgiving! Welcome to The Cutting Onions Podcast, Episode 21. In this special episode I sit down with the person responsible for me giving me my first opportunity in the restaurant business, Art Phillips.
 Art is a legend in the McDonald’s system. His accomplishments are too numerous to mention but we discuss a few of them here, including the order by number system. Yep, that was an idea...

Welcome to Episode 20 of The Cutting Onions Podcast. In today's conversation I interview Erin Levzow, VP and CMO of Marcus Hotels and Resorts. She has such an inspiring story and her journey of how she got to where she is today will encourage you to chase your dreams! An aspiring actress, Erin started her career in HR, transitioned into Internet Marketing, and then became a highly sought after exp...

For this bonus episode, I go back to 2017 and the talk I gave at the Restaurant Franchising Innovation Summit in Dallas, TX. In this short talk, I talk about the evolution of leadership development, how we develop leaders, and who is developing you as a leader? I hope you enjoy this bonus episode and that it challenges you to look at the topic of leadership development in a new and different way.

Welcome to Episode 18 of The Cutting Onions Podcast. I am super excited to sit down on the podcast today with my son, Jacob Shaw. Jake is a GM for Raising Cane’s in the Kansas City Market. I love talking to GM’s about their passion for the business, how they develop leaders, and why culture matters. The icing on the cake is when that GM happens to be your oldest son. In this hour long conversation...

This is the first in a series of bonus episodes where Jim Howard, of Renegade Authors, interviews me about my upcoming book, "Cutting Onions". In this first conversation leading up to the book release in March 2020, we do a deep dive into how the book title came to be and the correlation between cutting an onion and leadership.

I recently had the chance to have a conversation restaurant executive Dan Lowe. I had the privilege of working with Dan for over 10 years at Chipotle Mexican Grill. During those 10 years, Dan grew into the position of Operations Director where he operated 65 restaurants in Minnesota & Wisconsin as well as restaurants in New York and New England where he grew sales to over 100MM. As you can tell fr...

In this bonus episode I travel to Nashville for a conversation with Blood:Water Development Officer and Grammy-award winning musician Dan Haseltine. You may be asking yourself, “What does a Grammy award winning musician and a non-profit organization have to do with leadership development and building a strong culture?” Well, as you’ll hear in this wide ranging conversation, they have a lot to do w...

I recently had the opportunity to have a conversation with Dee Ann Turner. Dee Ann is a Communicator, Consultant and Coach and began her own consulting company after serving 33 years at Chick-fil-A, Inc. An early architect and advocate for Chick-fil-A's well-known culture and talent systems, she was Chick-fil-A's first female officer. Dee Ann served as the Vice President, Talent/Human Resources, f...

This is Episode 13. Today I sit down with restaurant executive, culture builder, and entrepreneur, Mo Haq. Mo has an amazing background in the restaurant industry that goes back to his early teen years when he took a job to help support his family when his father fell ill. From those early morning subway rides in New York to his start at Taco Bell and ascension to multi-unit leadership, to a VP of...

In this bonus episode, I go way back to 2010 to the Chipotle All Manager Conference in Las Vegas where I spoke on how important it is to have the right people on the team, building a strong culture, and how to eradicate mediocrity. I am just as passionate about this talk as I was when I gave it 9 years ago and it is a message I refuse to let die. Keep chasing excellence and don't allow mediocrity...