Going on 20 years now Sandra Bernstein had been Owner of The Girl and the Fig. Today, Sondra has expanded her operations with The Fig Cafe & winebar in Glen Ellen, as well as a unique event space in Sonoma Known as Suite D. She is also the author of two books: The Girl and the Fig Cookbook, and Plats Du Jour.

In this episode we talk about leading from where you are, staying in touch with what fascinates you about this industry, how to overcome the lens through which a manager is seen, and representing the product and the story behind it. 16 years of experience as a barista, trainer, USBC competitor, competition creator, writer, consultant, and manager have been good to Chris Deferio. Along the way he has picked up key tips and insights into the foundational elements of what it takes to run a thriving and successful cafe. Today, Chris serves as Shop Operations Manager for Sunergos Coffee in Louisville, KY and when he's not in the cafe he's sharing what he's learned about that business with his podcast Keystotheshop.com

Kathleen is the founder of Kathleen Wood Partners, LLC, an innovative growth strategy firm specializing in shifting leaders and businesses to new levels of success. Kathleen Wood Partners consults with clients to identify and clarify their purpose and competitive differentials to accelerate their growth and profitability. Kathleen Wood Partners collaborate with managers, leaders, and companies ranging from startups to large multinationals on how to optimize company and employee performance to build sales and increase profitability in any economy! Kathleen doesn't only talk the talk she practicing what she preaches at Suzy's Swirl, where she is co-owner of two locations.

In this episode we talk about doing something great instead of something big, extending trust before receiving it, surrounding yourself with great people, and hiring people that make you laugh. Scott Wise is the President & CEO of a Pots & Pans Production, the parent management company for Scotty’s Brewhouse, Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Company, Scotty’s Brew Club and Scotty’s Dawghouse. With 15 restaurants in Indiana, 4 more being built in Florida, Illinois, Ohio and Plainfield, Indiana, the Brewhouse team has been busy. Scotty is well known as a community philanthropist, consistently committing his time and effort along with monetary and food donations to causes in every city in which his restaurants reside.

NYU graduate and former venture capitalist, Ron Shah is the founder and CEO of Bizly. Bizly is an on-demand, web and APP based platform for booking meeting rooms in luxury hotels and space in restaurant private dining rooms by the hour. Featuring a curated selection of hotels/restaurants across a variety of styles, Bizly focuses on spaces that boost productivity, connectivity and inspiration for an increasingly mobile workforce. Bizly is the only platform partnering exclusively with hotels to serve seamless and autonomous workspace solutions with all the amenities and technologies for corporate needs.

In this episode we talk about: Cooking without the ego and giving the guest what they want, the power of goal setting, the importance of consistency, being great instead of big, and taking the time to develop yourself and find the right opportunity. Upon Graduating the University of Virginia Chef Brendan Vesey found himself serving as an officer in the US Navy. Since finishing service in 2005, his nose has been to the grindstone growing and developing as a professional Chef. In 2014, he opened his second restaurant, The Joinery, located in Newmarket NH. When he's not leading his team at the Joinery he serves as an adjunct hospitality professor at Great Bay Community College and serves as a local leader for chefs collaborative. 

In this episode, we're providing an overview of Nick Fosberg's newly published book, Bar and Restaurant Success. This book will show you the RIGHT way to market and promote your restaurant by using new age technology, techniques, and insight. Nick has become a leading authority on restaurant and bar marketing and promotions. He has helped hundreds of bar owners all over the US and Canada take their business to the next level by applying his Loyal Regular Value Optimize (LRVO) Marketing & Promotional Formula into their business. 

In this episode, we discuss: why it is so important to just start; how the universe will present the path to success after you start; why you need to listen to your gut to find clarity in your mission and vision; and why it is ok to have an evolving vision. Joseph and Jenna Cuccia are the brother and sister team behind 17 Summer Street, located in Lodi, New Jersey. Starting as a Catering company in 2012, 17 Summer street has scaled and evolved over time and now serves as a full-service restaurant which is garnering accolades from around the industry including Joseph's recent accomplishment of being nominated as a semi-finalist for James Beard: Rising Star Chef Award

Jim Rowe hails from White Center Washington and is the Founder, CEO, and Owner of Wing Central which opened in 2003. Since then he has gone on to open four additional restaurants, which include: The Roadhouse Grill, Brooklyn's Pizzeria, Creekside West, and Blue Rock Saloon.  In this episode, Jim shares with us his biggest lesson: grow your people before you grow your business. Additionally, Jim touches on the value of never ending learning and joining a mastermind.

Committing his professional life to the hospitality industry, Jerrett Young had a 15-year tenure with top Canadian restaurant organization Oliver & Bonacini. As Vice President of Operations, he was responsible for the Toronto restaurant portfolio which included 7 unique restaurants, totaling sales of approximately 45 million in revenue. With an MBA in Hospitality Management specializing in organizational behavior, he helped the O&B team navigate successfully through a period of intense growth, innovation, and new partnerships. Currently, he is now Co-founder and owner of two companies: Blue Print Hospitality and Pineapple.

Hari was born and raised in the bustling metropolis of Mumbai, India. He came to the United States in 1987 to pursue graduate studies in Mathematics. Today, Hari is a classically trained James Beard nominated Chef as well as an active tenured Associate Professor of Mathematics at Stetson University. Hari teaches full-time at Stetson University during the day and returns to his kitchen at Cress Restaurant at night where he is co-owner and executive chef.

A Training & Development veteran for 30+ years, Jim Knight grew as a professional under The Hard Rock Cafe brand, where he took lead on all things learning and development. Today, he facilitates on a variety of interactive topics, including sessions around organizational culture, world-class service, building rock star teams, employee branding, performance management, philanthropy and facilitation training. Jim authored, "Culture that Rocks", which in 2015, was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine as a "top 5 books to help you transform your business". If you want continued influence from Jim and his thoughts, check out his sight Rock-n-Grow.com.

Erik Oberholtzer is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University and has worked in some of the best restaurant around the world. Today, he is a social entrepreneur and Co-founder of Tender Greens. Founded in 2006, Tender Greens is a fine casual restaurant that serves healthy, high quality food at an affordable price, or in other words, slow food done fast. In this episode, Erik teaches us about: achieving mindfulness through meditation; why it is important you know your why and to be able to communicate it to others; The power of combining partnerships with "knowing your lane". 

Chef Fabio Viviani has been involved in the restaurant industry since childhood, growing up in Florence, Italy. His career started at the age of 11. By the time he was 27, Viviani owned and operated five restaurants in Florence, a Farm House and two nightclubs! Shortly after, he moved to CA where he opened Café Firenze. He would continue on to open an additional 12 restaurants and his own wine collection.  He's authored 3 successful cook books with a fourth on its way. Recently, Viviani started the Know-How Leadership Academy, where he shares tips and advice to young entrepreneurs and also connects with them through his own digital magazine, Know-How Magazine.

At the end of every episode you're always hearing me ask for you to connect with me on facebook, or to shoot me an email and the following is why. I received a Facebook message that read:

"I'd like to hear some episodes with podcast listeners. People who started listening to Restaurant Unstoppable and have a success story from applying the things they learn."

So I found three listeners, all at different points in their career, who in my opinion are doing things right, and asked them to share how Restaurant Unstoppable has impacted their lives and decisions.

Before we dive in I want to be clear about something. Success is relative, and is dependent on a specific aim or purpose. I've found that the most successful people in this industry had an over arching definition of success, or an ultimate goal. However, they reach that ultimate goal by focusing on smaller attainable goals along the way.

The following is that discussion. Hope you enjoy! 

Ted Hawkins got his start in hospitality working summers in various restaurants on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. Soon after graduating Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration, Ted was hired at Chef Barbara Lynch’s Menton restaurant, as a kitchen server and quickly moved to a front server role. Over the next 4 years Ted climbed the ranks within the Barbra Lynch Gruppo to serve as Assistant General Manager of Lynch’s, No. 9 Park. Today, Ted serves SRV, a Coda Group restaurant, as the General Manager and Wine Director.

Jerry Posner is an accomplished training specialist, conference speaker, author and ukulele player! For more than 25 years, he's presented engaging and entertaining workshops and programs for the restaurant and hospitality industries, as well as a variety of conferences and motivational speaking engagements! We are excited for Jerry to share his 6 Keys to building empathetic staff, management that is engaged with their employees, and customers that want to come back again and again!

Debra Hermansen has over 35 years of experience in restaurant operations and 20 plus years of experience at the executive level. Debra has single unit experience, multi-unit experience, Franchise experience, multi-concept experience, and experience as an educator. In other words, our girl Debra is experienced. Debra served Share Our Strength for over 16 years, where she was awarded Humanitarian of the year. Today Debra serve as Regional Operations Director at Restaurants Unlimited where she has, at one time, been responsible for leading 10 restaurants across 5 states.

In this episode we're discussing the two things that need to happen before you can become a master of your busines: self mastering, and becoming an inspiring leader. Adam Lamb is an Author and Speaker who has spent the last 25 years as an Executive Chef running high profile restaurants, hotels and multi entertainment complexes. He leverages his passion and experience in his Coaching practice with Culinary Professionals, Business Owners & Thought Leaders all around the world. He is also the host of the only radio show for chefs by chefs, Chef Life Radio, and the founder of Foodwerksinc.com.

Shawn Wenner is entrepreneur who is passionate about helping others succeed in life and business. He has an eclectic background that includes everything from working in culinary education, to competitive fighting, being a musician and more. He speaks, writes, coaches, and recently founded Entrepreneurial Chef, which is a resource specifically for entrepreneurs in the culinary industry.Today we are hear to discuss how to reverse engineering Entrepreneurial Success. Shawn is going to share with us 6 Keys or Steps to help us with this process.

Kevin attended Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute and sharpened his culinary edge working at restaurants like Ristorante Zeppelin in Orvieto, Italy, Castle Hill Inn, in Rhode Island, and Del Posto, in New York City. His first role as Executive Chef was served at Restaurant L'Office in Paris, France. In 2012, Kevin arrived in Boston and took an opportunity with owners Michael Moxley and Jim Cochener at The Salty Pig as Executive Chef. Today he remains with the same partners and with addition of Chef Michael Lombardi and serves as Co-Executive Chef/Partner at SRV restaurant.

Today we're speaking with someone who was one of my earliest guest, Chef Patrick Soucy.  I had the pleasure of working with and learning from Chef Soucy, when he was opening Applecrest Bistro as Executive Chef. From day one of being on his team, I was taken back by his ability to lead, and garner respect. I've been wanting to have a conversation to reflect on this time spent working with him, and learning through observation. 

There was a ton I learned through this experience, but what sticks with me the most is how much Chef Soucy's team respected him. Respect is at the core of todays conversation. To be successful you need a team, and a team is no good unless there is mutual respect.

In this episode Chef Soucy shares what it was like to tackle such a massive operation, and what he knows about gaining respect.  

As a restaurant consultant and trainer, Mike Ganino helps restaurants create better team cultures and teaches managers how to be more effective leaders. He is a regular keynote speaker and inspires hospitality leaders around the world to engage their staff and create stronger brands.

Jillian Rocco is a Massachusetts native, and a graduate of Boston University. She got her start in the restaurant industry as a hostess at Eastern Standard Restaurant. She has grown to Director of Operations at Row 34 and Island Creek Oyster Bar. Driven by the desire to learn more about the wine collection at Eastern Standard, Jillian did the work to create herself a job as a wine connoisseur and General Manager at Row 34.

Today I have Donald Burns on the show to discussing the #1 challenge for restaurants today; hiring and developing staff. Donald is the Founder & CEO of Off The Range Ventures, LLC we he currently has 7 brands in his portfolio including: The Restaurant Coach™, BadChef Good Chef Apparel Co, Restaurant Social+, Chef Branding Academy™, and The Restaurant Coach™ University. Donald is a leading authority, author and international coach helping  restaurant owners, operators and culinary professionals go from just good to becoming exceptional.

In this episode we've got the one... the only... Bruce Irving back on the show not for the first time, not for the second time, but for the THIRD TIME! Bruce is the Founder and Host of Smart Pizza Marking Podcast, and he's one of our authorities on marketing for restaurants. Bruce is chatting with us about whats new with Facebook. Specifically, we'll be discussing: Facebook Video; Facebook Live; and Facebook's unpublished posts.

Chicago Born, John Buchanan, is a psychology graduate of Northern Illinois University. His career at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. (LEYE) began at Evanston's Fritz, That's It, in 1978.  When Rich Melman, LEYE founder and Chairman of the Board, realized the need for a Human Resources Department, he selected Buchanan to head up the project. He currently holds the title of Senior Vice President of LEYE and His ability to teach and motivate has led to the position of President of Lettuce Consulting Group.

Molly Hopper Sandrof hails from Norther California and is a graduate of Boston University with a focus on Communication and Marketing. Today she is the Director of People and Staff Development for the Hawthorn, Eastern Standard, Island Creek Oyster Bar and two Row 34 locations.

Andrew and Claire Bowen opened their first coffee shop in 2007, after leaving senior roles in retail and healthcare. Within eighteen months they had opened three outlets and had over 1m pounds turnover. In 2011 they developed their own independent format, which they continue to run. They support coffee shop owners worldwide as founders of The Cafe Success Hub. Together they authored The Daily Grind: How to open and run a coffee shop that makes money.

Peter Jude Ricciardi is a creative consultant, and brand strategist executive producer with 15 plus years of experience working for The Walt Disney Company. He has since moved beyond the castle gates and the house of mouse and Today he is considered the Chief Storyteller and Brand Development Director for 2020 Brand Image. 2020 Brand Image is a full service consulting agency that specifically serves the hospitality industry. 

In this episode we discuss the significance of developing your story and how to deliver that story through brand imaging. 

Cameron Mitchell is CEO and founder of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. A lifelong entrepreneur, Mitchell is an accomplished businessman, culinary expert and nationally recognized restaurateur. His prominence in the industry increased exponentially in early 2008, when he guided the sale of two of his most popular concepts, a total of 22 restaurants - to Ruth's Hospitality Group for $92 million. With an entrepreneur's energy, vision and passion, Mitchell's sights are set on the development of new restaurant concepts, and the expansion of concepts currently in his company's portfolio.

Paul Barron is the go-to guy in digital, social and media for restaurant and hospitality industries. He's the founder of DigitalCoCo.com, FastCasual.com, QSRweb.com, RSMindex.com, and foodabletv.com. In addition Paul is the author of The Chipotle Effect; an award winning book on the social consumer and the retail and restaurant business. In his book, he shares an equation to help us master the chipotle effect. It is this equation, which we discuss in this episode. Also, Paul shines light on what he believes the future of our industry looks like, based on today's current trends. 

Ryan Gromfin is also known as The Restaurant Boss. After years of working in the kitchen at numerous restaurants, 5 start hotels, with James Beard Award winning chefs, and the best hotelier in the world, he is now using his experience to serve as an industry consultant at Authentic Restaurant Concepts. Today he helps restaurant owners reduce cost and increase profit with efficient strategies and you can find his work at www.TheRestaurantBoss.com

David Hayden was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri.  He has held both hourly and salaried positions at independent and corporate restaurants.  He has waited on over 100,000 guests, trained hundreds of servers and has been named Kansas City's best server. He is the author of Tips²: Tips for Improving Your Tips.   Additionally, David launched The Hospitality Formula Network, a series of sites designed to address a variety of topics related to the restaurant industry.

Mike Gibbons got his start in the industry as a waiter while attending Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Upon graduation, Gibbons transferred to Michigan accepting a position as an assistant manager, and quickly advancing to general manager, regional manager and later director of training before embarking as a restaurateur. In 1979, Gibbons joined forces with Dennis Serras and in 1981, along with Dieter Boehm, founded Mainstreet Ventures Inc. fast forward 36 years and Gibbons is a successful restaurateur operating businesses in five states as the President and CEO of Mainstreet Ventures Inc.

Petra Polakovicova moved to San Francisco from Slovakia, Europe, when she was 18 years old. She had her first taste of American restaurants while working as a food runner at the illustrious Palace Hotel. Working with great Sommeliers and their award winning wine lists has always been a great source of education and inspiration for her. Her desires to be formally accomplished in the wine profession eventually lead her to attend the Professional Culinary Institute and become a Certified Sommelier in 2007. Following her certification, she joined EPIC Steak’s opening team, as an Assistant Sommelier and since June 2009 she been the Wine Director at EPIC Steak.

Today's guest, Aman Narang is a graduate of MIT and the C0-Founder of Toast, Inc. Toast is an all-in-one restaurant technology platform. Built specifically for restaurants, Toast brings together many solutions from integrated online ordering to gift card and loyalty programs to labor and sales reporting all on a mobile, cloud-based POS system. Thousands of restaurants across the US are using Toast - from fine dining to fast casual, local businesses to national chains. Aman and I will be discussing the future of POS systems and how they impacts restaurant operations and human relations in years to come.  

In the heart of Miami, restaurateur John Kunkel, founder of 50 Eggs, Inc., focuses his unwavering passion for food into a diverse group of culinary concepts. In just under two decades, Kunkel has built 50 Eggs into an award winning restaurant group, demonstrating his talents with brand ideation, menu development and operational excellence for a broad range of hospitality concepts. Today, the group is comprised of beloved restaurants Yardbird Southern Table and Bar, Swine Southern Table and Bar and Spring Chicken.

Peter Kirwan (PK), is the Director of Marketing for Wisetail LMS and has been with the company for nearly 5 years.  In that time, he has seen Wisetail LMS grow into a multi-million dollar company with more than one million users and over 50 restaurant clients. Wisetail LMS was founded in 2009 in Bozeman, Montana, and has grown 100% per year for the past 5 years becoming both a rising star and a disruptive force in the fields of eLearning, learning management systems, and employee engagement.

Wisetail LMS serves an elite group of discerning restaurant and hospitality clients – from The Cheesecake Factory, to Chopt, to Shake Shack, and The ThinkFoodGroup. Today we discuss how Wisetail's service can help your restaurant improve it's training while strengthening it's brand, communication, and culture. 

Shore Gregory grew up just south of Boston, MA. While in college, he started working in the oyster business. Today, Shore is the founder and Owner Island Creek Oyster bar, Row 34 Boston, Row 34 Portsmouth, and has a few more projects in the works. In addition to being founder of some of Boston's premiere seafood restaurants,  in 2014 Shore was named one of "Forbes Magazines  30 under 30" in food and wine. 

In this episode we're welcoming back on the podcast, Nick Fosberg. Nick is here to share with us Facebook's newest weapon for attracting new customers; lead ads.

Nick is known as one of the highest paid marketing and promotional consultants in the bar & restaurant industry and owns two restaurants in the Chicagoland area. He's famous for creating some of the highest grossing digital marketing promotions in the history of the bar & restaurant business..... without spending a penny on marketing. He does it all through e-mail & Facebook posts. You can learn all of Nick's secrets at barrestaurantsuccess.com

Restaurateur, Kim Bartmann, comes from a punk rock culture and supported herself through college by working in kitchens. Bartmann moved to Minneapolis in 1983 and would go on to open the Cafe Weird . Today, she currently operates eight restaurants which include: Pat's Tap, Bryant Lake Bowl, Bread & Pickle, Tiny Diner, The Third Bird, Red Stag Supperclub and Trapeze. Kim and her restaurants have taken countless accolades including James Beard Semi-Finalist Outstanding Restaurateur 2013 & 2015. In addition Kim contributes to Women's Chef and Restaurateurs, which exist to promote awareness around women chefs.

New Orleans native Alex Brennan-Martin grew up as a member of the nationally acclaimed Brennan’s restaurant family, which includes the renowned Commander’s Palace. He made Houston home in the early 1980s and took over the reins at Brennan’s of Houston, which was established in 1967. For the past 30+ years, he has upheld his mission of “creating dining memories” for his patrons, which has led to the continued success of Brennan’s of Houston. Among his many accolades, Brennan-Martin was named “Restaurateur of the Year” by My Table magazine, and he and his family were inducted into the Culinary Institute of America’s Hall of Fame, making them one of only three families to ever receive this prestigious leadership award.

Brandon hails from Detroit, Michigan. It was in Detroit where he found his mentor and started living intentionally. On this new found path, he eventually found himself studying at the Culinary Institute of America.  After graduating he started working in some of the best kitchen in the world including Lucas Carton, Le Cirque, and La Bernadin to name a few. Today, he is serves as founder of Edwin, the first ever French in-spired restaurant which also serve as a culinary institute for recently released state prisoners. He's been featured in news papers and magazine all over the country and in 2015 was awarded the title of a CNN Hero for his work.

Inspired Chef, Restaurateur, Entrepreneur, 2X TEDx Speaker, founder of ChefBrandingAcademy.com, and Author of the newly published, fresh of the presses book Making The Cut: What Separates the Best from the Rest, Chef Chris Hill is constantly striving to practice what he preaches, which in essence is leaving a positive impact on the world.

Today we're here to talk about Chef Hill's book, Making the Cut. This book provides guidance on how we should behave and lead our lives if we want to enjoy a successful career as a chef or any professional for that matter. In this book Hill profiles a handful of chefs and makes an example of their careers. Not only does Hill cover the path these chefs took get to where they are, but the attitudes, morals and beliefs they had while getting there. If you read this book and emulate the chefs profiled you too can "Make the Cut" and become UNSTOPPABLE! 

A Seattle native, Anderson received his Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Business Management from Washington State University and graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in New York with an Associate in Occupational Studies in Culinary. All together, Anderson brings nearly 30 years’ experience in the restaurant business. Today, Anderson serves as vice president of operations for Consolidated Restaurants, Inc., which owns and operates The Metropolitan Grill, Elliott's Oyster House, Steamer’s Seafood Cafes, Quincy's Chargrilled Burgers, and The Wing Dome.

Bob Burg is a sought-after speaker at company leadership and sales conferences on topics at the core of the Go-Giver books. In addition to coauthoring the bestselling Go-Giver books with John David Mann, Bob has authored a number of popular books with book sales well over a million copies. He was named by the American Management Association as one of the Top 30 Most Influential Thought Leaders in Business for 2014. You can find his work including books, blog, podcast and video series at Burg.com and TheGoGiving.com. In this episode Bob Burg and I cover the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success, shared in his book, The Go-Giver, and how we can apply these laws as restaurant operators. 

Jim Palmer is a marketing and business building expert and in demand coach. He is the founder of the Dream Business Academy and Dream Business Coaching and Mastermind Program. Jim is the host of Dream Business Coach TV, the hit weekly Web TV show watched by thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners and he is also the host Stick Like Glue Radio, a weekly podcast based on Jim's unique brand of Smart Marketing and Business Building Strategies. 

Bruce Irving is the Founder of SmartPizzaMarketing.com, the Host of Smart Pizza Marketing Podcast and one of my go to authorities on restaurant marketing. Irving is joining us on this episode to discuss email marketing.

Why its so important? What are some of the most common mistakes people make? These questions and more are answered and we also share a TON of resources that will get you started on your email marketing way. This is one you do not want to miss!

California native, Jasinski is a Graduate of Santa Barbara City College, and The Culinary Institute of America. After being mentored by Wolfgang Puck, Jasinski decided to break off on her own in 2000 and took an Executive Chef role at Panzano, located Denver, CO. While working at Panzano she met her future business partner, Beth Gruitch and in 2004 they teamed up to open Rioja. Needless to say, this has turned out to be an amazing partnership and they've gone on to open three additional restaurants, all of which are located in Denver. Her accolades include: James Beard Foundation, "Best Chef Southwest 2013"; Bravo's Top Chef Masters, "Finalist Season 5"; and James Beard Semi-finalist, "Outstanding Chef Award 2016".

Zach Goldstein is the founder and CEO of Thanx Inc. Thanx is a mobile customer loyalty program that makes the loyalty process effortless for both restaurant owner and guest. Thanx is a full-featured, incredibly robust loyalty program that requires no hardware and no point of sales integration. Thanx is a free standing, highly customizable app that focus on only rewarding your must loyal customers, where as most rewards programs just off discounts to all of your customers. Zach explains how Thanx has a seamless ease of use for both operator and guest. He also explains how Thanx has an unconventional ability to convert regular customers into loyal customers. He explains that a 5% increase in customer retention can increase profitability by 100%.

Eric Goodwin is the founder and President of Goodwin Hospitality, which is a leading expert in the hospitality industry and offers management recruiting, professional mystery shopping, innovative guest surveys and feedback programs, as well as support in recruiting and exit interviews.  In addition, Eric owns and operates both the Friendly Toast and Brazo, located in Portsmouth, NH. In 2014, Eric was named Restaurateur of the Year by the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association and his restaurant, Brazo, was voted The best cool night spot- readers choice, by New Hampshire Magazine.

Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Bruce Kalman began his career at a local pizzeria in New Jersey, and later attended a small and hands­om culinary program at Hudson County Community College in Jersey City, NJ.  Chef Kalman is a James Beard nominated Rising Star Chef and has appeared on television shows like Food Network’s Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Esquire Network’s Knife Fight,  and Bravo’s Best New Restaurant. Today, Kalman is a partner in two restaurants, Union in Pasadena and Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market in Downtown Los Angeles.

It's no secret that I'm an ambassador of Upserve and today we're going to be discussing 5 ways you can improve your restaurant by joining the Upserve family.  

David Long is the Founder and CEO of MyEmployees; the largest employee engagement and recognition company on the planet and author of Built to Lead: 7 Management R.E.W.A.R.D.S Principles for becoming a top 10% Manager. In this episode we're discussing his book and why it is a must read for anyone aspiring to lead others or is interested in becoming a top 10% Restaurant Manager. Folks, there are countless lessons to be taken away from this book and David share the majority of those lesson in this episode. Honestly, he really gave more away more than I thought he would during this interview. You want to listen to this one! It will for sure get you moving in the right direction to becoming UNSTOPPABLE!

It's Talking Tuesday and today we're talking to Jeff Benjamin, Chief Operations Offer for the Vetri Family of Restaurants and Author of Front of the House: Restaurant Manners, Misbehaviors, & Secrets. Our topic of the day is his aforementioned book. The words that come to mind when I think of this book are: caring, soul, passion, partnership, authenticity, knowing who you are, and being genuine. Benjamin really puts this industry under such beautiful light; this book will make you be proud of being in this industry... That, I can guarantee. If you want to discover why this is a must read for anyone in our industry, especially those front of house folks, you know what to do... SMASH! that play button! 

JeffersonMackin is a Graduate of the Military Academy of West Point and the University of Virginia- Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. For about 10 years Macklin dabbled in the world of Digital Media and Music management until joining the Barbara Lynch Gruppo in 2007 as Chief Operations Officer, where he over saw the operations of 7 extremely successful restaurants. Under his tenure the Barbara Lynch Gruppo, was showered with accolades. In 2015 he left the Barbara Lynch Gruppo to Partner with Chef Colin Lynch and his wife, Heather Kennaway Lynch, on Bar Mezzana, a coastal Italian restaurant opening up in Spring 2016 in, Boston, MA

Ottawa Native, Stephen Beckta graduated with honors from Algonquin College’s Sommelier program. After completion, Stephen departed Ottawa to hone his skills in New York City for four years with the top players in the restaurant industry. While in New York he worked for Cafe Boulud and Eleven Madison Park before returning to his native city. Today, Stephen Beckta is proprietor of Beckta, one of Canada’s premier fine dining restaurants, along with the critically acclaimed, small-plates Play Food & Wine, located in the historic Byward Market, along with the upscale neighborhood restaurant Gezellig in Westboro.  

Today we're discussing the significance of mentorship. It is one of the most challenging times ever to recruit and retain talented and passionate hospitality people. If you want the best people, you need to be the best person. If you want to become the best person, you need to go work for the best people. Folks, its the power of mentorship.

Roger Beaudoin has 18 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry and has combined that experience w/MBA from Babson College. He has headed four restaurant and hospitality operations in all. His most recent restaurant, The Matterhorn Ski Bar, a seasonal, 4 month restaurant and bar,  generated 1 million dollars in annual sales.

Today, with all of his knowledge and experience, he is tackling his newest passion project, RestaurantRockstarsAcademy.com, where he shares the tricks of the trade and everything he's learned over the years of being an extremely successful restaurateur.

Frank Bonanno found his passion early, working in restaurants most of his life. After he graduated from the School of Finance at the University of Denver, Bonanno revisited that passion for restaurants by earning a second degree at the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, NY. In the late 90's when he wasn't being paid to cook he was staging throughout cities in both Europe and in the States. In 2001 he opened Mizuna, rated by Zagat as one of the top restaurants... not just in Colorado, but in the nation. Today, Under his restaurant group, Bonanno Concepts, Bonanno operates a total of 10 concepts  in the Denver Colorado area. On top of all this he's the author of two books and the Host of Chef Driven on PBS.

Robert gained twenty years of experience in operations, six sigma, financial management, business development, and multi-unit general management responsibility with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. He became Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Key Hospitality Group, a hotel management and hospitality real estate development firm. During Robert's tenure the company managed and developed several assets in collaboration with Starwood, Hilton, and Intercontinental Hotel Group. Today, Robert serves as Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Untitled Hospitality Group.

Throughout her 28 years in the service industry, Kate has learned first-hand how to manage high volume and high standards, as well as how to fix operations that were poorly managed or on their way out. With the mission to bring excellent service to patrons of the service industry, Kate launched her full-service hospitality consulting business in 2007. Kate has contributed writings to both Culintro.com and Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. For the past 6 years she has been an instructor at the Institute for Culinary Education, where her upbeat teaching style and love of public speaking have helped hundreds of future chefs navigate their own careers and create their own success stories. Today, we're here to talk about her book Hello: and Every Little Thing That Matters.

The last table is served, the station is broken down, everything is put away, the inventory is complete, and now its time to meet Chef Adam Lamb on the back dock where the most important and interesting meetings are held.

Native of Toronto, Giorgio Taverniti attended the well known Italian culinary program at George Brown College. In 1992 Giorgio Teamed up with his mom, and took ownership of Frank's Pizza House, located in Toronto Canada. Franks Pizza House has been named "Best Pizza in Toronto", "Best Delivery in Toronto", and "Best Calzone/Panzerotti. You want to be sure to catch this episode, because Giorgio shares how he's been leveraging technology to maximize his continued Success, specifically, Snapchat. 

Hailing from Springfield, MO James has worked in restaurants for over 35 years and has trained numerous servers, bartenders, and dining room managers. His first hospitality lessons were learn simply by observing his parents hosting parties. At 16 his dream to one day own  his own restaurant began to take shape. At the age of 21  he was hired as a general manage by one of his mentors with the purpose to learn how to run a restaurant. By the age of 26 he achieved his dream and opened his first restaurant. Always known for his charity work, his restaurant, Clary’s, was named the Small Business of the Year by the National Philanthropic Association. James is also the author of Servers Sales Training (restaurants Secrets to Success) 

Today we're breaking from the typical mold and talking to a listener of Restaurant Unstoppable. Like a restaurant owner speaking with their guest, I speak with my listeners to understand what I can do to make this podcast as valuable as possible.

I was following up with one of my listeners, Colton Shoults, to thank him for using one of my links when signing up for a service.

After listening to his story, I was so blown away by his persistence, determinism, and creativity, that I just had to share his story with you.

Hit play and hear how he acted on the advice of our past guest to take control of his life by taking a chance and displaying determinism.

I hope this story inspires you to do the same!

Kath Gallant is the Proprietor of Blue Moon Evolution. Blue Moon's deep-rooted philosophy is based on the inherent respect for the individual and the planet. Since 1995 They have had a close relationship with their local farmers and community members, and have maintained a focus of education, global awareness and constant learning. Blue Moon has won a MASSIVE handful of New Hampshire "Best of Awards" during the 21 years they've been in business, and they continuing to accelerate with every new day.

Chef Rojas originates from El Paso, Texas and is a graduate of the Culinary Art Institute of Dallas. Rojas held numerous positions throughout restaurants in Florida, Nevada, and California before making his way to the Northeast. Today Chef Rojas Spearheads all things culinary as Chef Proprietor of Tallulah on Thames in Newport, RI, two Talulah Tacos, and multiple food carts.

Anna started working in the restaurant industry as an immigrant bartender with no english skills, no contacts and no resources in 2002. 14 years later she has owned and helped open numerous restaurant across the world. Today, Anna is a Miami based restaurant couch and consultant. She has helped restaurant owners nationwide take their businesses to the next level and stand out in the market place, by creating a winning culture through leadership development, the spirit of hospitality, and with profit building systems.

Today we're speaking with Steve Ziegler, the Product Knowledge Expert for the WebstaurantStore.com. Based in Lancaster, PA, WebstaurantStore.com is the leading restaurant supply store providing restaurant supplies and equipment to the foodservice industry and individual customers worldwide. 

So I asked Steve and his team at the WebstaruantStore.com to put together a list of the top 5 selling items of 2015 that could help our restaurants operate more productively, efficiently ultimately making us more profitability. The following is what they came up with. 

In the 21 years of Anthony's career he's been a student at the Culinary Institute of America, has been an Assistant Food and Beverage Outlets Manager at Doubletree Hotel, was a Matre D at both Jean-Georges NYC  and Per Se, was the General Manger for Per Se and would be promoted to the Director of Operations for the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. Today, Anthony's passion project is Journee, where by bringing people together, They hope to empower restaurant professionals to take control of their careers and change the way the industry evolves. They're doing it simply providing access to knowledge and resources

Today we're chatting with two authorities on the topic of employee recognition and restaurant culture: Roger Beaudoin of RestaurantRockstars; and David Long of MyEmployees.com. How many times have you heard "theres no good people out there." or "Its so hard to find good staff." Perhaps you've ever muttered these words out loud or to yourself in the past.

Truth is, if you're having trouble finding good people, the problem likely isn't with the people, instead it is you. This episode will teach you to be the best you can be to your people and in return, your people will be the best they can be to you. 

Michael Anthony Plays a huge role at Union Square Hospitality Group as Executive Chef and Partner of a little restaurant you may have heard of, Gramercy Tavern, as well as Executive Chef and Managing Director of Untitled and Studio Cafe at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Chef Anthony's most current project. Passionate about using ingredients that can be traced to their sources, Mike is known for forging strong ties between the restaurant and local farmers. Mike's accolades include: Food and Wines "Best New Chef" 2002; James Beards "Best New Restaurant" in 2005; New York Times "Best New Chef" in New York; James Beard Award for "Outstanding Restaurant" in 2008; James Beard Award "Best Chef in New York City" in 2012; and most recently James Beard Award "Outstanding Chef in America" in 2015.

Chef Chris Young is the Co-Author of the six volume Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, which is an accessible 2,438-page encyclopedic cookbook for the professional chef or curious home cook. More recently, his life focus has been on ChefSteps.com. Founded in 2012, Chefsteps is a Seattle-based food and technology company on a mission to help people cook smarter. Chefsteps.com and its companion app are designed to inspire creativity and encourage experimentation through high-quality interactive content, techniques, tools, and resources.

Trees, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, has worked at Le Bernardin, spent a month at Fat Duck in Britain and opened five restaurants as corporate sous-chef with Michael Mina and eventually became chef de cuisine. He has also worked with Gordon Ramsay on “Hell’s Kitchen” and as chef de cuisine at Fig. Today Trees is the Executive Chef at Superba Food and Bread  in both Los Angeles and El Segundo, CA.

In this episode we discuss: How having a good brand more than great guest, but also great employees and media coverage; The biggest challenge restaurant have when establishing their brand; the four pillars to developing a restaurant brand; when to start the branding processes; how to create your brand if you're an existing restaurant; resources and tools you can leverage when developing your brand; and the mistakes to avoid when building your brand. 

Kaen Post is an entrepreneur, international branding authority, and author. She has been a monthly columnist for Fast Company, and has appeared in business and industry venues around the world including Fox News, Bloomberg TV, the New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine and Forbes. Her work has benefited both Fortune 500 companies and emerging businesses along with many industry associations and individual professionals. In 2013 along with fellow branding expert Jocelyn Ring she co founded RestaurantBrandingRoadmap.com, an online destination where restauranteurs can learn how to build strong and distinct brands.

In todays episode we chat about: focusing on hospitality; the importance of culture; why you need to treat every moment of your career like your building a resume; treating it like you own it; staying hungry for knowledge; the one question you should be asking during all of your interviews. 

Erick Castro initially built his cocktail empire at San Francisco's Rickhouse and Bourbon & Branch by searching for obscure recipes, methods and ingredients that originated prior to Prohibition. His beverage programs have been place on some of the nation’s most coveted lists, including Esquire's Best Bars in America, Food & Wine’s “World’s Top Bars” and countless nominations at the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in New Orleans, and was recognized by the StarChefs organization as “Rising Star Mixologist” in 2010.In 2013, Castro partnered up with Southern California's hospitality collective, CH Projects, to launch Polite Provisions –which quickly received accolades such as Imbibe magazine’s Cocktail Bar of the Year 2014 and Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Bars. In 2014, he teamed up with the team behind Cocktail Kingdom to create Boilermaker in New York City, where it quickly earned a reputation. Also, in 2014, Castro, co-created Follow The Liter, an irreverent series of cocktail tutorials. On top of all this Castro manages the PossessedBySpirits.com blog and his newest project BartenderAtLarge.com, which he tells us more about at the end of the episode! 

Today we're breaking from the standard mold. We'll be sharing Jennifer Desrosiers resent journey of opening her very first restaurant and she'll share her biggest challenges, victories and why she believes she has had such great success straight out of the gates.

As a holistic health and wellness coach, yoga instructor, and self-proclaimed real food junkie, Jennifer believes great health is a synergistic balance of a healthy diet, tons of self-love, passionate relationships, and powerful movement. When she's not inspiring people to live their life to the fullest, you can find her whipping up treats at Laney & Lu Cafe, upside down on her yoga mat or adventuring in the mountains.

In this episode we're discussing Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck-- Why Some Thrive Despite Them All. The premise of this book revolves around one simple questions: Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not? 

Authors, Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen, call the thriving companies "10xers" or companies that out perform their comparison companies by factor of at least 10 times.

It is Authority Thursday and on the show we have Chef Chris Hill, an authority on developing personal brands for chefs and other hospitality professionals. In one year Chef Hill took his Facebook following from 6,000 to 35,000 and he shares how he did it. Chef Hill discusses; how he got his personally brand to explode over the past year; why its important to develop personal brands; and what you can do today to start developing your own personal brand.

Inspired Chef, Restaurateur, Author, Entrepreneur, 2X TEDx Speaker and founder of ChefBrandingAcademy.com, Chef Chris is the regularly featured guest chef on TV shows in various markets throughout the Southeast. He and his writing and work have been featured in various publications. Additionally, he travels the east coast speaking to various colleges and universities regarding culinary media, branding, social media, and the realm of food writing. He is also the CEO, and personality behind Bachelor Kitchen, a food and lifestyle brand focused on recipes, video, tips and writing, encouraging people to "Fall in Love with Cooking".

In this episode we discuss: the importance of reflecting on your accomplishments; having tenacity when the going gets tough; being willing to learn from anybody; picking the right partner to go into business with; creating respect in your restaurant; empowering your staff with the right tools; why it is so important to love the work you do; and why you should take the time to get experience before opening your own restaurant or business. 

Katherine's upbringing on a small Wisconsin farm led to an appreciation for fresh, delicious products. Her first venture started at the age of 10, when she would use cream from her family's Jersey cows to create soft, old-fashioned caramels. "Katherine's Karamels" were sold at Dad's office for 25 cents each, and quickly became a local favorite. Soon, her caramels and truffles were highly anticipated gifts every Christmas. In the fall of 2006, Katherine Anne Confections was launched in Chicago to rave reviews. Today, you can find Katherine in her Chicago kitchen, Katherine-Anne Confections, stirring caramel, and rolling truffles just like she did at age 10, but with a lot more chocolate