The Late Night Restaurant Podcast Show

What does it take to build something that big, and survive everything that tries to break it? In this episode, you get the full story behind one of the most unique restaurant concepts in North America. From a 200-square-foot fish market to a multi-million dollar operation, this is about resilience, reinvention, and thinking bigger than the industry tells you to. You’ll hear: How a family business...

This episode gets real. No tech talk. No theory. Just operators in the trenches. We sit down with the team from Leo’s Kitchen & Bar in Edson, Alberta, a town of 10,000 where every decision hits harder and every dollar matters. They break down what it actually takes to run a restaurant right now: Menu changes that take months Rising costs that never stop Equipment repairs that wipe out profits...

In this episode, we sit down with Josh from Spec Tank to break down one of the simplest ways to improve kitchen efficiency and reduce labor costs. Josh shares his journey from chef to sales, and why he believes this system belongs in every kitchen. We get into how Spec Tank works, what it replaces, and where operators are wasting time and money today. This is a real look at the hidden cost of clea...

On this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Podcast, Jay Ashton Canada's Restaurant Guy and Domenic Pedulla sits down with Elias Hage, Founder and CEO of App8 and the force behind Rally Catering. This is a deep, practical conversation about how restaurants, caterers, and foodservice operators use technology to move orders faster, cut admin time, and grow revenue without burning out. Elias bre...

On this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Podcast, Canada's Restaurant Guy and Domenic Pedulla sits down with Michael Westhafer from Restaurant Rebellion to break down one hard truth... Most restaurants are losing guests because they cannot be found online. This conversation cuts straight to what matters right now for independent restaurants across Canada and North America. You’ll learn: •...

Jay Ashton, Canada's Restaurant Guy sits down with Sylvain Charlebois, host of The Food Professor Podcast, to unpack the hard numbers behind Canada’s restaurant correction. They break down: • Why more than 7,000 restaurants likely disappeared last year • How labour changes, alcohol decline, tipping fatigue, and rising costs hit margins • What GLP-1 drugs mean for appetizers, desserts, and dini...

This episode features John Rebagliati, a 26-year food service brokerage veteran at IPS , in conversation with Jay. John started his career in restaurant operations before making the leap to the brokerage side in the spring of 2000, the same week he learned he was expecting his first child. He shares the culture shock of going from managing restaurants (where he assumed distributors stocked everyth...

Jay and Dom welcome Greg from GP Hospitality Partners for a deep dive into the biggest challenge facing restaurants today: building and retaining great teams. With his new book "Loyal AF: How to Build a Ride-or-Die Team That Grows Sales, Wows Guests, and Never Leaves" dropping soon, Greg shares hard-earned wisdom from working with 200+ restaurants on what actually makes employees stick a...

Running a restaurant means juggling hiring, onboarding, scheduling, compliance, payroll, and people problems—all in a single week. This episode confronts a hard truth: fragmented systems waste time, create errors, and cost you real money. We dig into why an all-in-one people management platform transforms the operator experience. One system. One source of truth. Hiring through payroll. You'll...

In this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Podcast , Jay and Dom sit down with Greg Farineau , Co-Founder of Headhunters Canada , to challenge the most common excuse in the industry: “We can’t find good people.” Greg brings a refreshing, human-first perspective on recruiting, leadership, and retention. He explains why most hiring feels transactional, why throwing resumes at a problem never works...

Join Jay and Dom on The Late Night Restaurant Show as they sit down with Sharyar from Clara AI at 7 AM Pakistan time to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the restaurant industry. Discover how Clara AI is helping over 100 restaurants in Australia recover millions in lost revenue through intelligent call handling and automation. AI Call Management Revolution How Clara AI has answer...

On this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Show , Chef D joins us from a cruise ship to talk about his newest project Something Different , a one-seating-per-night restaurant already making waves in Cambridge and across Toronto. With decades of experience in the industry, Chef D offers sharp insights on innovation in the kitchen, the value of mentorship, and how to build something that lasts in...

In this energizing episode of the Late Night Restaurant Show, Saawan Logan, founder of North Water , shares the story behind Canada's cleanest bottled water brand and what it really means to lead with authenticity. From serving water at the G7 to redefining what it means to be a modern leader, Saawan speaks openly about challenges, clarity, and why being real matters now more than ever. It&#39...

Matt Wampler returns to the Late Night Restaurant Show for an unfiltered conversation on restaurant operations, tech overload, and how to fix the broken profit formula. From his early days running sandwich shops to leading a top restaurant tech company, Matt shares real strategies that work, why most AI hype misses the mark, and what operators should actually focus on. Insightful, honest, and pack...

Matt Plapp , founder of America's Best Restaurants , reveals the marketing strategies that have helped over 2,000 restaurants grow their sales. Learn the 3 critical tactics every restaurant must implement: customer data capture, strategic email/text marketing, and authentic video content that builds community connections. Discover how one pizza restaurant generated $6,500 in sales from just $7...

In this episode, Jay and Dom talk with the team behind Pivot, a Montreal restaurant tech company that's actually built by people who've worked in restaurants. They get into one of the biggest headaches in the industry: scheduling, payroll, and trying to make five different systems talk to each other. The Pivot founders walk through how their AI scheduling works (it's literally one clic...

What do a rubber duck, local search optimization, and soggy burgers have in common? They all show up in this high-energy, no-fluff conversation with the legendary David Rev Ciancio aka Rev... restaurant owner, hospitality marketing expert, and unapologetic pickle-hater. In this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Podcast , Rev spills the secret sauce on: The 67% rule that proves Google was built...

In one of the most inspiring episodes of The Late Night Restaurant Podcast to date, we sit down with Brooks Kirchheimer, the visionary behind Utah’s celebrated Hill Top Hospitality Group. From playing pretend restaurant as a kid to running five thriving restaurants with a 300+ person team, Brooks’ story is a testament to what happens when you lead with heart, not ego. We dive deep into: His people...

Rob Hood joins us for an honest conversation about the realities of modern hospitality. From dish pits in 1988 to executive leadership across Canada, Rob shares the journey that shaped his perspective on what truly matters in this industry. We explore how technology is reshaping hotels—AI at the front desk, robotics in the kitchen, and evolving guest expectations. Rob explains which innovations ac...

Juan Cifuentes from MenuLink joins the Late Night Restaurant Show to discuss how his Toronto-based startup is helping restaurants reclaim revenue by slashing pickup order fees from 15-30% down to just 1%. In this episode, Juan shares MenuLink's mission to give restaurants ownership over their revenue, explains the simple 5-minute signup process. We dive into practical tips for restaurants usin...

Robin Apel, President at Barmetrix Vancouver, joins The Late Night Restaurant Podcast to reveal how restaurants are losing thousands of dollars every week without even knowing it. Key Takeaways: The Numbers Are Shocking One restaurant was losing $600/week on a single item (Kahlua in espresso martinis) due to bartenders overpouring by just a quarter ounce 15% of draft beer commonly goes unaccounted...

This episode hits home. After 51 years in hospitality, Tom shares how burnout shaped his life and why he’s leading The Burnt Chef Project across North America. We talk about mental health in restaurants, leadership, loneliness, and the simple things that help like saying thank you, or texting someone, “You’re awesome.” You’ll hear real talk about empathy, the pressure to be perfect, and how small...

This episode hits a key issue in restaurants today. Tech adoption. Jay and Dominic sit with Jordan Boesch the CEO from 7shifts to break down the four stages of tech adoption from paper and gut feel to a connected tech stack that drives profit. You will hear • The four stages of tech adoption and where most restaurants sit today • Why experience and intuition are not enough anymore • How tech links...

In this episode, I sit down with industry legend Joyce Turchetti for a real conversation about what’s broken in hospitality and how to fix it. We talk about accountability, leadership, and what it takes to build restaurants that last. Joyce shares stories from the old days of New York nightlife, lessons from decades in the business, and the simple truth about why hospitality has to get back to its...

In this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Show , we sit down with Daren Schwengler, President at Specialty Beverage Solutions & Food Service Equipment . Daren shares how he built his company from a $5,000 credit card and a single espresso machine into a coast-to-coast coffee solutions business. His journey covers the tough early years, the turning point that brought momentum, and how SBS no...