After graduating with a degree in philosophy and a successful 10-year stint as an independent derivatives trader, Nick Kokonas partnered with Chef Grant Achatz to open Alinea Restaurant in 2005. In the years to follow, Nick would go on to co-find Next, The Aviary, and Roisters. In addition, Kokonas is the Founder and CEO of Tock, a cloud-based comprehensive booking system for restaurants, events, and pop-ups around the world.

Check out the first time Nick Kokonas joined RU on episode 333.

Show notes…

Calls to ACTION!!!

• Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
• Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
• Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)

Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "Just show up!"

In today's episode with Nick Kokonas we will discuss:

• You should know your customer
• Deciding when to scale
• Writing a cocktail book
• Connecting with your guest digitally before they arrive
• Letting you team weigh in on creative decisions/branding/marketing
• Collecting emails
• Are regulars your most valuable customers? What do the numbers say?
• Partnering with a hotel
• Opening and closing a restaurant in 3 years
• Enforcing culture; is it possible?
• The intricacies of Tock and Tock To Go
• Contactless payment /paying with your phone

Today's sponsor:

Podium- Only half of the businesses in America are text capable. Setting up a business texting line immediately gives you a competitive advantage. Texting gives you ultimate flexibility rather than being tethered to a phone. Need more reasons? On top of Podium’s texting platform, you’ll be able to send review invites, request remote payments, and power curbside pickup; all through text.

Toast - A POS built for restaurants by restaurant people Adapt fast with Toast's cloud-based restaurant POS system that updates to evolve your POS along with changing industry trends and guest expectations. Toast is built exclusively for restaurants of all shapes and sizes, with over 2/3 of our employees having restaurant experience to serve you better. Online Ordering - Let guests easily order directly from your restaurant for pickup or contactless delivery to keep revenue flowing during these uncertain times. Toast Delivery Services Dispatch local drivers through an on-demand network to keep your community fed and revenue coming in.

Contact info:

exploretock.com/join

Email: nick@tockhq.com

Instagram: @tockhq

Twitter: @tock

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

Huge thanks to Nick Kokonas for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!

Zaid Ayoub is the founder and CEO of the Bay Area-headquartered, rapidly expanding fast-casual concept SAJJ Mediterranean. A Jordan native, Ayoub frequented a local falafel shop while in college in the U.S. studying engineering and noticed that it often had a line out the door. He wondered if Mediterranean food could blend great flavors with streamlined operations, there was a market (full of hungry people) eager to eat it. After a few years in tech startups, a friend of his mentioned his Mediterranean fast-casual concept idea, and Ayoub took the plunge, opening the first SAJJ Mediterranean location in Menlo Park in 2012.

Today we're here to learn about how Zaid took his commissary, and converted it to a Direct-t0-Market operation, delivering meals straight from the menu, family-style meals, and grocery items. We get into why he took this approach, the technology he's leveraging, models he's implementing, and much more.

Check out episode 619 - my first episode Zaid Ayoub!

Show notes…

Calls to ACTION!!!

• Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
• Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
• Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)

Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "Never test the depth of the water with both feet."

Lots of resources mentioned today!

1. Olo - Online/mobile ordering from restaurants
2. Dispatch - used with Olo to aid in delivery
3. Zuppler - Online ordering menus that are more than just a pretty face
4. Survey Monkey - Find out what your guests wants from your restaurant
5. The Farmers on Wheels - Fresh produce from the farm to your table

Today's sponsor:

Toast - A POS built for restaurants by restaurant people Adapt fast with Toast's cloud-based restaurant POS system that updates to evolve your POS along with changing industry trends and guest expectations. Toast is built exclusively for restaurants of all shapes and sizes, with over 2/3 of our employees having restaurant experience to serve you better. Online Ordering - Let guests easily order directly from your restaurant for pickup or contactless delivery to keep revenue flowing during these uncertain times. Toast Delivery Services Dispatch local drivers through an on-demand network to keep your community fed and revenue coming in.

Podium- Only half of the businesses in America are text capable. Setting up a business texting line immediately gives you a competitive advantage. Texting gives you ultimate flexibility rather than being tethered to a phone. Need more reasons? On top of Podium’s texting platform, you’ll be able to send review invites, request remote payments, and power curbside pickup; all through text.

Contact info:

Email: zaid@sajjstreeteats.com

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

Huge thanks to Zaid Ayoub for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!

Join The Network

Chef Hennessey is an award-winning chef and Dover, NH native. He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu at the Atlantic Culinary Academy in 2001. He has had experiences cooking alongside some of the best chef’s in the country including: Chef Charlie Palmer at New York City’sn , Chef Grant Achatz at Trio in Chicago, Andrew Carmellini at Cafe Boulud, Thomas Rice and Ken Oringer at Clio, Eli Kaimeh and Thomas Keller at Per Se. Chef Hennessey has worked as the Executive Chef of 43 Degrees North, and The Duniway Restaurant, as well as Chef de Partie of The One Hundred Club, all in Portsmouth, NH.

Chef Hennessey is trained in classical French techniques and methods and now serves what he calls Progressive New England Cuisine, utilizing locally farmed and foraged foods to create artistically inspired dishes. In the summer of 2020, Hennessey became a 3-time Chopped Champion on Food Network’s nationally acclaimed cooking competition show. In the spring of 2014, Hennessey was named a semi-finalist for the James Beard Awards in the category of Best Chef Northeast. In October of 2013, Chef Hennessey traveled to New York City and won the StarChefs.com VitaMix Challenge, a national competition that included a field of several hundreds of chefs, honed down to 6 six finalists and completed at the International Chefs Congress in Manhattan. Chef Hennessey is also a 2014 StarChefs.com Rising Star Chef Winner for Coastal New England.

Check out Evan Hennessey on the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast way back on episode 008

Show notes…

Calls to ACTION!!!

• Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
• Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
• Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)

Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "Be humble but be brave and always look forward."

• Humility
• Culinary school
• Fulfilling personal responsibilities while pursuing a career
• Literally building a restaurant
• Anarchism in business
• Learning from the greatest in your region
• The business side of restaurants
• Partnerships
• Partnerships with family
• Catering
• Word-of-mouth marketing
• Tasting menu, reservation-only dining
• The numbers of opening 3 days-a -week with only 9 seats
• Fine dining through COVID-19

Today's sponsor:

Podium- Only half of the businesses in America are text capable. Setting up a business texting line immediately gives you a competitive advantage. Texting gives you ultimate flexibility rather than being tethered to a phone. Need more reasons? On top of Podium’s texting platform, you’ll be able to send review invites, request remote payments, and power curbside pickup; all through text.

Toast - A POS built for restaurants by restaurant people Adapt fast with Toast's cloud-based restaurant POS system that updates to evolve your POS along with changing industry trends and guest expectations. Toast is built exclusively for restaurants of all shapes and sizes, with over 2/3 of our employees having restaurant experience to serve you better. Online Ordering - Let guests easily order directly from your restaurant for pickup or contactless delivery to keep revenue flowing during these uncertain times. Toast Delivery Services Dispatch local drivers through an on-demand network to keep your community fed and revenue coming in.

Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Openness
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Openness
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • What is your favorite restaurant and why?
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Maintaing the balance of positive work, finance, and family.
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Failure is fine, I'd rather you ask me questions instead of making mistakes.
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Connect with the guests.
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
   • On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor
   • GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. Name one service you've hired.
   • Brookford Farm in Cantebury, NH
9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenced operations?
   • Square Space
   • OpenTable
   • Facebook and Instagram
10. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • Don't be afraid to be brave
    • I want my legacy to be a crater with houses built around it instead of a path with footprints
    • Pay it forward

Contact info:

Instagram: @evanhennessey

Email: evan@stages.dining

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

Huge thanks to Evan Hennessey for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!

Matthew Jennings grew up in Boston, MA. During his summer teen years, Jennings got his start as a prep cook in Nantucket, MA. He went on to study at the New England Culinary Institute, and to work as a cheesemonger before opening his first business, Farmstead, in Providence, RI. After 10 years of successfully running and scaling Farmstead restaurant, Jennings followed his gut and made the move to his hometown of Boston to open Townsman. Jennings received countless awards and accolades for both restaurants. Yet, in 2018 he walked away from it all. Today, Jennings shares his knowledge with clients at Full Heart Hospitality, and works on executing his vision for Red Barn Kitchen.

Check out Matt's book Homegrown: Cooking From My New England Roots

Show notes…

Calls to ACTION!!!

• Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
• Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
• Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)

Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "Head down, full heart"

• Culinary school
• New England Culinary Institute
• The D.I.S.K. method
• Starting small
• Buying/operating a cheese shop as a starting point
• Budgeting
• Buying a business with established roots
• A partnership is a marriage
• Farmers markets
• Visioning - write it down
• Knowing when to say "No"
• Regrets
• Self-care
• Public Relations - do you need it?
• Chasing accolades

Today's sponsor:

Toast - A POS built for restaurants by restaurant people Adapt fast with Toast's cloud-based restaurant POS system that updates to evolve your POS along with changing industry trends and guest expectations. Toast is built exclusively for restaurants of all shapes and sizes, with over 2/3 of our employees having restaurant experience to serve you better. Online Ordering - Let guests easily order directly from your restaurant for pickup or contactless delivery to keep revenue flowing during these uncertain times. Toast Delivery Services Dispatch local drivers through an on-demand network to keep your community fed and revenue coming in.

Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Sense of urgency
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Over-thinking
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • The fire in their eyes
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Shifting a culture to a new philosophy on food
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Respect
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Empathy
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
   • GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
   • Listen
9. Name one service you've hired.
   • PR
10. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenced operations?
    • Galley Solutions - data-driven foodservice software
11. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • Be good to other people
    • Believe in your own ability
    • Love hard

Contact info:

Instagram: @matthewjennings

Twitter: @matthewjennings

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

Huge thanks to Matthew Jennings for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!

Chris Schultz spent 15 years with the Starbucks management and leadership team before joining MOD Pizza, aka the MOD Squad in 2009.  Schultz helped MOD Pizza go from 1 location to 100 locations in 2016 as Senior Vice President of Operations. Today, Chris serves Voodoo Doughnut as their CEO. You can see, Chris Schultz has developed a track recording of helping great brands scale. That's what we're here to talk about today: When You Know You're Ready To Scale. 

Show notes…

Calls to ACTION!!!

• Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
• Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
• Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)

Favorite success quote or mantra:

Be authentic.

When You Know You're Ready To Scale: 

• Business
  • Can you show a conservative growth period over the period: Month over Month: quarter over quarter
  • Don't be fooled by being on Main and Main
    • Location is a factor.
    • Your brand must be great to help manage cannibalization
• People
  • Do they understand the Mission? 
  • Who are your culture carriers that can help lead and build the stores
  • Pick front line people with whom you'd share a foxhole.
    • have Confidence in leadership
    • Embrace growth and opportunity without fear
• Culture
  • Must have a solid culture to grow and employees want to grow-- "Growth mentality"
  • Failure is not an option -- not just words on a wall, but a feeling you have
  • "Growing big while staying small" 
• Infrastructure
  • A realistic view of the brand - Is it actually scalable AND scalable *where* you want to scale?
  • When to hire in for growth VS "stretch" for growth to make it work
    • Failure can occur because of too much overhead or by burning out good employees. 
  • Get utility players; they are vital to infrastructure-- find people who can wear different hats. Then empower them. 
  • CEO's must be able to sacrifice their own opinions and play the role of the visionary.
    • Having leadership you trust to make decisions based on your vision. 
• Why Growth? 
  • Making money - nothing wrong with wanting to make more money; but, important to recognize the complexities that come with it. 
  • Bringing the brand and experience to a larger consumer base. 
  • Growth is not necessarily an indicator of success
  • Incremental growth
    • One to two is hard
    • Two to five is harder and the hardest
    • Five to 10 is impossible
    • After 10 it gets easier 
• "Selling" Your Brand
  • It's okay to strategically utilize for growth
  • Why franchising works
  • Brand based companies are different 
    • licensing and Licensees
    • Company Operated. 
• Are you Ready as a Leader? 

Contact info:

Chris@voodoodoughnut.com 

425-372-6556

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

Huge thanks to Chris Schultz for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!