Restaurant Rockstars Podcast

With the continuing labor crisis, chances are you’re still struggling to staff your place, serve guests and keep the lights on! Costs are rising, the supply chain has limited your products and competition is heating up. With all this going on you’ve probably had to pivot more than once. Well, here’s a new idea. What if you could expand your restaurant’s marketing reach, reduce staff and lower over...

I am constantly amazed at what I learn from my guests, and the insights and knowledge they share with our audience. As a veteran operator myself, I believe it’s critical to keep your eye out for hooks that catch the public’s attention, as well as competitive advantages to set your place apart from the rest. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with Trial Attorney and R...

I meet a lot of Rockstars on this podcast, but it’s rare to meet someone who rose from dishwasher to the founder of a fast-growing franchise. In this week’s episode of The Restaurant Rockstars Podcast my guest is Shawn Lalehzarian of The Red Chickz. He arrived in the US not speaking a word of English and rose through the ranks from dishwasher to server to cook to manager. He then hopped on a plane...

The last two years have been a roller coaster ride and pushed us all to our limit but – better days are ahead and fear not, 2022 may be your best year yet! During this most challenging labor crisis, now is more important than ever that you watch or listen to this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast. Some of our industry’s leading experts and operators give their best advice and practices o...

We’re all suffering from the Labor Shortage. Now that business is booming, your staff is exhausted and getting burnt out from picking up the slack. What’s the answer? Well, you might consider hiring a restaurant robot! In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast I’m speaking with Juan Higueros Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Bear Robotics, the creator of “Servi”, the restaurant r...

The last two years have pushed us all to our limit, but know this – better days are ahead and fear not, 2022 may be your best year yet! Our biggest challenge as operators remains the labor crisis. Operating with restrictions, operating short-staffed, and keeping our operations OPEN has proven trying for even the best out there. Now it is more important than ever that you watch or listen to this ep...

Any restaurant that increased sales 40% when the pandemic first hit, and then broke their all-time sales record for year-end 2020, deserves our attention! What are they doing? What can WE learn from them to be more successful in our own place? Give a listen to this week’s Restaurant Rockstar’s Podcast. I’m speaking with Mark Finnegan of WaBa Grill, a 200 unit fast casual restaurant in California a...

Supply chain shortages and rising costs are on everyone’s mind, and its critical to find solutions to maintain already slim margins. One of the biggest cost increases is for fryer oil, something most restaurants can’t operate without. Over the past few months, we’ve seen oil prices double and even triple! What to do? Well in this week’s episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking wit...

The pandemic has permanently changed the restaurant landscape and the way we must do business in the future. As restaurateurs, we must stay relevant to our consumer and consistently deliver convenience, value, quality and service. Countless businesses and successful companies that once dominated their industries and didn’t evolve, no longer exist. Don’t let this happen to your operation. In this e...

There are many legendary restaurateurs in our business, and we can learn from each and every one of their stories. Rarely do I find a man still working his restaurants 50 years on with the same energy, passion and creativity that led to 26 different locations. Imagine building these brands, developing the concepts, leading the teams and fostering the customer relationships. He’s even written a boo...

We can all learn from a true restaurant magician… In my book, anyone who can rise from fry cook to creator of a 95 location taco concept has industry magic. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast I speak with Mike Rypka, Founder of Torchy’s Tacos. He started with a single food trailer in Austin riding a red Vespa scooter passing out “Damn Good” Tacos. Torchy's is now in 11 states and...

Sooner or perhaps later you will think about selling your restaurant. Maybe you want to retire, start another business, spend more time with family or just get out from under your operation. On the flip side, the pandemic has created lots of opportunity for new and existing operators. There are lots of restaurant spaces for lease, many with fit-ups and equipment in place. There are also many resta...

The menu, vibe, store design and service of this juice concept makes it a winning restaurant formula. Doing all of this in one location is hard…duplicating this into a fast-growing franchise, that's another ballgame! Furthermore…Chris & Ed take it a step further having more than one franchise concept! That really takes them into the big leagues of hospitality, and I can tell you, they have learned...

Talk about a great sports story! Take 2 Walk-Ons for the Louisiana State University Basketball Squad, one bench, one napkin and a pen. What do you get? A Sports Bar/Bistreaux concept on its way to 150+ locations. The idea for this winning concept was brainstormed on the bench of the basketball court. Good thing the founders weren’t starters for the team or Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux wouldn’t be set...

This pandemic has absolutely required your restaurant to adapt to the times and adopt new customer safe, friendly conveniences. This is more important now than ever as we emerge from the crisis. The good news is, these guest-friendly conveniences actually increase Sales and Profits. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with Brian Cotlove, Chief Business Officer of Bent...

Most restaurateurs are great at food, but Marketing is not their strong point. Is it any wonder, I constantly see restaurants throwing Tens of Thousands of Dollars $$$ away on everyday advertising costs. A radio sales guy calls you up and promises to deliver 200,000 impressions a week to your restaurant. Bingo, that just cost you $500. You think “My customers all read that newspaper – I’ll place a...

Big or small; chain or indie, we can all learn from true success. The magic restaurant formula is all about service excellence, on point marketing, dialed in finance and a consistency. But don’t forget that social responsibility and giving back can also be a business builder. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with Co-Owner Chris Britt and Jim Metevier, President and...

We love the word FREE don’t we? Usually that comes with strings attached or means little to no value. In this case, you’ll want to stick around and hear about something to make running your restaurant easier, less labor intensive and YES, its Free. You even get you cash back! I don’t need to tell you that in most restaurants, the typical order and receiving process is inefficient. It requires labo...

I believe that anyone can delegate and tell someone what to do. Instead, it’s a rare thing entirely to nurture, develop and “Empower” your team to achieve greatness! Nothing in this business is more important than laying a sold staff foundation, as your team represent both your brand and ultimate guest experiences. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with Chef Joshua...

Face it, not every restaurant is busy 24/7. There are times, we need new business and more business. What if you could turn a switch on your slow times, and suddenly be driving sales and putting out significantly more food? Well, it’s now possible. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast I’m speaking with Alex Canter; a serial entrepreneur, the heir to the iconic Los Angeles eatery “Ca...

I believe that operators should relentlessly build their brand and run a strong business, not a restaurant. This approach led me to dominate my competition for over two decades. It was not about dumping buckets of money out the window on traditional advertising or experimenting with this marketing idea and that. Do this and you’ll never know what really works and what’s worth the spend. Instead, i...

Finding a lifestyle balance in the craziness of the restaurant business is one elusive challenge. Keeping our restaurants and ourselves free from substance abuse is an even greater one. It’s no secret this business is ripe for misuse. Chefs selling steaks out the back door to feed cocaine habits, bartenders dealing drugs, alcoholic beverages at arm’s reach, etc.. It’s nearly impossible to run a cl...

How many ways has your business shifted during the pandemic? Are you proud of what you and your team has accomplished? Do you see a bright future ahead? If you’re still standing, it’s time to stoke that fire, get re-inspired and rock your restaurant. I have to say, for our place the way forward was “Online Ordering” and the ability to instantly change menus to deliver guest convenience, wants and...

What can you offer your guests that they would eat literally any time of day? The answer is Gourmet Pie and Organic Coffee. That’s right, any time of day comfort food that will put a smile on anyone’s face. This might be the “key” to repeat business and this concept’s fast growth and success. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with Sean Brennan, the Founder of The Pi...

During this crazy pandemic, as a fellow restaurateur, I’ve gone through every bit of the challenge as you have. The biggest challenge continues to be labor. How do you find, motivate, keep and get the best performance from your team? In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with fellow industry pro and friend Jaime Oikle of www.runningrestaurants.com We’ll be dishing up “5...