Restaurant Rockstars Podcast

I’ve always believed a great restaurant website brings the food, drinks and experience to life for the customer and draws them in. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with Tony Darden and Ted Beaman of a red-hot burger joint called Mooyah www.mooyah.com! I’ve always believed this business is all about entertainment, and these guys bring that showbiz approach to their...

If you’re a sports fan, you probably like sports bars. Before the pandemic, you’d enjoy gathering with friends sharing beers and great food watching incredible victories and heart-wrenching defeats. It was a weekly ritual that suddenly came to a screeching halt. Today I’m speaking with Geo Concepcion the CEO of Greene Turtle, a once fast-rising chains of sports bars. He had a thriving business wit...

If you want to run a restaurant and be like every other restaurant, go for it. If you want to build a brand, stay with us. This is a powerful episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast. It's different and a bit unconventional, but stay tuned to learn how to dominate your competition by becoming “notorious” in your marketplace. You do this through great customer service. I’m speaking with Mark Qui...

During this pandemic and reduced consumer confidence providing a food delivery service to your customers is a must! But you’re probably thinking where to begin? Well hold on, we’ve got you covered. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with two guys who can set up your restaurant delivery service from soup to nuts. If you need vetted, insured drivers, they have it. If y...

I’m a huge believer that training your staff to provide Superior Customer Service is “Job 1” for any business, especially restaurants. In the thousands of details in running your restaurant, nothing will build your business faster, nor have a greater impact on your profit and bottom line. This is more important now during the pandemic than ever. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast,...

I own a breakfast restaurant and this pandemic has hit us hard! We’ve been forced to pivot several times since March. We’ve shrunk our menu, shrunk our staff, closed our dining room, opened it back up and turned ourselves into a Grab N Go market… all in the name of survival and future success. Government relief funds have been our Godsend and is giving us the chance to pivot again with an all-new...

Whether you’re a restaurant owner, chef or line cook, now may be the time to uplevel your kitchen talent. This pandemic keeps on keeping on, but you’re future in this business depends on your creativity, skillset and value to your employer. So why not consider taking cooking classes online? In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m speaking with Ken Rubin, Chief Culinary Officer of...

Finding gratitude and hope this holiday...from my heart and home to yours.

Imagine a teenage passion for cake decorating leading to a high-flying career opening and investing in numerous restaurants, consulting to top hospitality groups, and then just before Covid hit, opening a new wine bar and restaurant. In this episode of the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast, I’m speaking with Lindsey Anderson, a top sommelier and now proprietor of UVAE Kitchen & Wine Bar in Chicagoland....

For those unfamiliar, Artificial Intelligence allows software to think like and interact with humans. This provides a great opportunity to optimize your restaurant marketing strategy. Listen to see how you can capture key information on your customers such as “how frequently they visit, their favorite menu items and even what they spend”. With text or email, Jerry shows how you can deliver powerfu...

You have to tune in this week as I’m speaking with Max Sheets, an illustrious 30 year veteran of restaurant start-ups, major restaurant chains and restaurant franchising. From concept and menu development to finding the real estate, staffing, leading by example, critical numbers and all-important brand building, Max has achieved restaurant success! Here’s a true restaurant evangelist! I speak to s...

How do you deal with negative online reviews? Before the days of Yelp and TripAdvisor many of us used comment cards and secret shoppers to obtain feedback, myself included. Sure these were ways to track customer satisfaction and even build a database, but there’s a better, simpler and more effective way. Now your customers can bring issues to your attention digitally before they leave the restaura...

In this episode of the Podcast, my friend Jaime Oikle of Running Restaurants and I are speaking to a restaurateur with the magic touch. Our guest is Nick Bogacz of Caliente Pizza & Draft House.  Nick is building a successful restaurant empire with street smarts, gut instincts, proper systems and a flair for promotion. Firstly, Nick will share his key learnings.  Secondly, he will share his thought...

From time to time, our restaurants need a makeover, a fresh new look and furniture makes the biggest splash. It’s not only greater comfort for your guests, but just the thing to transform your ambiance. Maybe now’s the time to think furniture while your dining room may still be idle or you’re looking to Up the “Wow Factor” in your place. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m onc...

I get to speak to some pretty fascinating people in this industry and I love talking shop. its amazing how much we can keep learning from others who share our passions, our challenges, our pain and out triumphs. In this week’s episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m speaking with Elizabeth Blau of Honey Salt in Las Vegas. Elizabeth is highly acclaimed as a 30+ year veteran restaurateur, a...

These are crazy times and no-one knows what the future holds. This is precisely why you should take control, plan for your future and the future of your business. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast I’m speaking with Ashley Micciche, the CEO of True North Retirement Advisors. You may or many not be ready to retire due to Covid or other reasons, but this show is really all about how...

Long before the crisis hit, drive-thru’s changed the way restaurants served their customers. The opportunity is now greater than ever to take the standard drive-thru up a notch or two with customer safety, convenience and entertainment paramount. It’s time to work “ON” your business, not just to survive this crisis but to dominate your competition. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podca...

If you have a concept your customers love, this might be the time to think about expanding your business. Covid has hit us all really hard, but never perhaps have we had more time to focus on improving our business and even growing it. This is not just a survival story, but a way forward to build true success and a lasting legacy. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m excited to...

Covid-19 has turned all of us upside down, but it’s also been a huge opportunity… a time to flesh out your business, tighten things up, make necessary changes and pivot to a more profitable business model. Many of you are trained chefs and culinarians. Possibly you’ve lost your cooking gig, or your hours have been reduced and you need a new opportunity. What to do? Listen to this episode of the Re...

About a year ago I was fortunate to interview Joshua Kopel for the Restaurant RockStars Podcast. At the time. Joshua had opened an incredibly successful bar on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame and had opened a Michelin-Rated restaurant in LA called “Preux & Proper”. Amazingly Joshua had limited experience, but his charismatic personality and sincere passion for hospitality were the keys to his...

Its no secret that customers are spooked… all this terrible news every day has them running for the hills and not your restaurant. But here’s the opportunity: If you show them that you’re restaurant cares about their safety, follows all best practices and gives them a contactless experience, they’ll gain confidence and your business will grow. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I...

Imagine learning the secrets of success from some of the world’s most recognized and powerful brands and then applying them to your business. You can! In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I speak with Jill Raff of the Jill Raff Group. Jill brands herself as a “Customer Experience Strategist” and we dive deep into the true meaning of hospitality and paramount customer service. Jill...

Covid-19 blindsided us all and hit like a ton of bricks. Maybe your business was strong and things were good last February. Now a few months later, no-one knows when the roller coaster ride will end. Many of us have re-opened with limited service and restrictions. Just when we were starting to get back on our feet, the rules change and maybe you’re now being forced to close again as Covid is resur...

In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars podcast, I’m speaking with Matthew Patrick, Principal of Patrick & Associates, a CPA firm specializing in the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. We’re going to cover all the ins and outs of these programs, and most important how to maximize or get complete forgiveness for your PPP! Listen on as we cover: - The different progr...

So many restaurants spend and spend on marketing hoping to make something stick! It’s really a shotgun approach dumping money out the window or throwing darts at a board. Problem is you don’t know what’s going to work unless you try, but unless everyone who walks in your door tells you why they came in, you’ll never know. So today’s guest on the Restaurant RockStars Podcast is Matt Plapp of ROI Ex...