Waiting On Fries: Inside Bars and Restaurants

Outdoor dining tips & tricks to build your brand and increase sales.

We're getting to the point where robots are starting to replace some basic restaurant tasks. How long until these robots are making perfect omelettes?!

It's not everyday we get to talk about firefighting and food at the same time - but today we have done just that. AJ Fusco runs an instagram account called @Forkandhose that features plates from firefighters everywhere. He also knows what he's doing in a kitchen though as he's graced several premier establishments over the years with his Fork skills. He has also improved his hosing over the years...

What's this guy know? Enough to build one business, sell it, and start a few more businesses. Matt Stanczak currently operates Good Old Days - a pizza joint in Newtown, Ct. that is looking to harbor a hip atmosphere that is doing great Detroit style pies and even has a cocktail den. 

We walk through what the complete dining experience is like from front to back and highlight a handful of the crucial points that your guests are experiencing in today's world. Are you missing opportunities? Have you maximized your check average?

Justin & Anum talk about different personalities in the kitchen and what we like to see when contributing to a building team dynamic.

As Justin has almost built out his new restaurant - he's run into quite a few odd problems that need to be navigated through. Let's look at some of the ways he's thinking of how to succeed.

As Smokehouse 1.2 gets closer to opening, Justin prepares his new space by pulling the trigger on utilizing a new POS that may offer a little more for his needs than his previous provider. Sometimes it starts to be about the ability for extensions and third party integrations.

Justin has a bit of OCD incase you didn't know. Seriously - let him vent a little bit while Noomz highlights how many chefs it takes to change a lightbulb.... I mean cook a steak.

People thought he was crazy when he left a restaurant designated 4 stars by the New York Times (Del Posto) to open up a BBQ place as a pop up in an empty lot in a dirty part of Brooklyn. Sure enough Matt Abdoo and his partners have been building a name, a brand, and populating the streets around Pig Beach over the last few years. We talk to Matt about current hardships of staffing locations so lar...

There's so much happening so quickly. Apparently Justin and Noomz are key to the refrigeration knowledge and have some experience to share with you if you're having issues with your coolers. Jae complained again about having a work week at the bar where there weren't enough bodies to man the bar - but somehow made do with what they had.... are you feeling constricted by how many employees you have...

Yes. We're from New York. Yes. We like pizza. Yes. It's natural that we talk about it. Matt Di Gesu has an interesting story as he left New York to the west coast, just to find a couple east coast buddies that allowed him to learn everything about pizza. Soon enough - he came back.

Recently a new hire that successfully made it through training decided that it was too much for them to deal with a busy weekend night and decided that the job called for too much. We also discuss the greed of the liquor stores as they push to maintain their higher sales they've seen through the pandemic.

Let's talk about powerhouse party bars. Finding a balance between  operating a food focused dining experience and keeping the register ringing all night with high volume liquor and beer sales isn't easy. We speak with Stephen Primerano, the General Manager of Sign of the Whale - a super high volume bar located in Stamford, CT.

Well - here we are again talking about the Grub Hub Hijacking that is going on. Seems some states have put laws into effect that prevent third party services from taking over and portraying themselves as known establishments. These laws can fine them per day that they are operating! Also.... you know what's crazy about not getting shifts? Gotta have a conversation with management and get to the bo...

Jon takes a second to discuss with us the frozen drink business. He didn't always sell frozen drink machines and mix - but when he did he realized that restaurants can use a lot of it.... this has made him one of the highest selling franchisee's in the Margarita Man umbrella. Let's find out about franchises as well as how he's tackling growth.

Get off of the couch and off of unemployment benefits. We're making money considering no one is working and it's great. By the time your benefits end you're going to be out of opportunities and left without the chair to sit in. We also discuss the passport you receive when you get your shots and how that may give you added abilities when it comes to dining out. 

Getting to speak to Angelo about his history as an owner can teach you a lot about being ok with taking your lumps, how to move on and make tough decisions, being too early to the party, and keeping the wheels turning with day to day operations and ideas. We also speak about segmenting your email blasts to maximize customer engagement.

What do you do when you live in an area where 3 states meet and have completely different opening plans? Well..... you grab the strap and you ride that bull as long as you can before she bucks you!

The major question always is - why should I go attend this event that I have to pay to be a part of? Well, you aren't wrong.... but you aren't right either. We cover some valid points of what you need to do to really maximize your return on investment when looking at trade shows, expos, or any industry event!

Juicy Lucy looks to hold the title of Brisket King 2021 and we get to sit down and talk with them, Blue Smoke, Handsome Devil, Pulkies, The Gramercy/Friends of Firefighters, and Avellino Family BBQ in a short form episode recorded live on site. We'll look to have more in depth conversations with these guys in the future! 

I can't believe what we discovered that Grubhub was doing with out business. These 3rd party apps are relentless in their vulture like tactics to facilitate delivery charges... has our story happened to you?

What do you get when 4 Bros walk into a pizza joint? As many owners lost their restaurants and bars, other businesses began with the extra time, stimulus aid, and ability to turn dreams into a reality. Carlos, Will, Danny, & Bryan have a cumulative lifetime in the pizza business. With each brother specializing in a different part of the business this team is able to deliver consistency and qua...

"You can't get away with plastic fold out chairs and tables anymore!" Justin proclaimed. This season it's time to get our business together and actually look like you want to have outside seating. Waiting on permits? Forget all that! Just get your tables back out there and start making money!

With three establishments under his belt and a no sleep until who knows mentality - Travis Koester is the partner and operator of The Local (a local beer bar in the truest sense), Two Villains Brewery (A micro brewery), and The Henry (A gastropbub with enough televisions to watch a game). We discuss balancing operations and the story behind these popular establishments in Nyack, NY