Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Today we're sitting at the Paddle Inn, Josh Childs, Beau Sturm, and Suzi Maitland's newest restaurant, located in Newburyport, MA. In addition to the Paddle Inn, the restaurant group also operates Trina's Starlite Lounge, Parlor Sports, and Audubon. This Restaurant Group is most well known for craft cocktails and high-quality comfort food.

In this episode we will discuss: The power of good partnerships. Collaboration! Find your lane and stay in it. Atmosphere can be more impactful than food. Make the effort to take the next step. Going out of your way to make guests happy. Bartending culture. Opening on a shoestring budget. You HAVE TO believe in your restaurant to make it a success. Neighborhood bars.

Direct download: Josh_and_Boe_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

Michael Krupp is an eclectic, impassioned businessman with a proven history of pushing Boston’s restaurant and retail boundaries, he co-owns and oversees business development at Area Four’s three locations including an Arcade plus a mobile wood fire catering business. He tackled the Area Four project with the same unrelenting drive to set trends that he has carried throughout his career.

In this episode we will discuss: Boston pizza! Getting ahead in this business because people like what you do. Do ONE THING really well in your business! Opening a restaurant in the middle of a economic depression. Partnerships and how to best navigate them. Let the product ride the success, not the other way around. Evolution is a good thing! Know your lane and stay in it. Quality of product. You need sufficient capital to start a restaurant and sustain it. Reinvesting in your company. Surround yourself with the right people. Find mentors and learn everything you can from them! 

Direct download: Krupp_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

 

In this episode we discuss: How experience helps you find your niche and clarity in your "why". Giving at least one year to each job you take. Building relationships and loyalty among other professionals. How to know when you're ready to go all in on opening your own restaurant. Having the right partner. The reality that things will get hard and when times do get hard, you need to take care of yourself, first. H0w establishing culture can help you transition from working in your business to working on your business. 

What started as a romantic pizza dinner on the floor of a college dorm room in RI, has blossemed into a what is probably one of the best known pizza and hamburger joints in NY City, Pizza Loves Emily. 3 years later they have a total of three locations: Emily Brooklyn, Emmy Squared, and most recently Emily West Village. They've garnered ton attention and have been featured in media outlets such as Vogue, Thrillist, Grub Street, and Travel and Leisure to name of a few.

Direct download: 354_Matt_and_Emily__mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

It was in Boston, MA where David Kennedy got his start in the restaurant industry, as a part-time bartending while working towards his MBA. Today, David is the founder of The Holy Grail, located in Epping, NH, which has been nominated as NH's #1 Irish Pub 7 years running.

In this episode we will discuss: Making guests feel special. The host and the dishwasher are the most important part of your restaurant. The importance of saying good-bye and thank you when guests leave. Make guests and team members feel like they matter. Turn your restaurant into a learning experience for your staff. The importance of passion. Looking for the perfect location for your concept. The importance of researching the market that you're trying to break into. Start small. Proper promotion. Creating a really creative loyalty program.

Direct download: kennedy_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

To Nandu's FREE "GET BACK YOUR TIME COURSE" -->https://www.myrpac.com/course/get-back-your-time-training/?ref=5 (limited time) 

To Nandu's "Profit Accelerator Master Course" ---> https://www.fandbbusinessschool.com/rpac-page

Nandku Awatramani (Nandu) is back on the show for the 2nd time consecutively. We just interviewed him yesterday, but we ran out of time. There was still something we didn't get to discuss; why time management is the first step to taking back your restaurant and life. 

In this episode, Nandu teaches us WHY you need a STRATEGY to get back time in your life. It is not enough to just delegate, you need a proven system.  

Here is the link to the course Nandu created that teach you the same exact strategy he used to regain time in his life. HE'S GIVING IT TO YOU FOR FREE!

Direct download: 352_Nandkumar_Awatramani__2_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

Nandu is a third generation Hospitality Entrepreneur with 18 years in the hospitality industry. He is based out of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and helps restaurateurs and other F&B business owners make more money, get their time back, and grow their businesses beyond what they could have thought was possible.

In this episode we will discuss: reach out and find the right education. Improving revenues by working less. Taking over managing a restaurant unexpectedly. Daily meetings with your staff are essential. Take a minute to say hello and ask how each member of your staff is doing every day. Cultural challenges. Learning another language on the job! Show your employees that you appreciate them. Bringing Italian food to India. Imprint your drive and passion on your employees. Bad business and how to avoid it. Making pizzas for a movie theater! High volume in a small space. Branding and messaging is so important! Knowing when to go for professional help and when not to. Growing your company. Learning to be strategic. Have a plan! Systems, processes, and procedures. Step outside the box. Getting the people who like your restaurant to come back more often rather than only trying to attract new customers. Leading a balanced life of profits and happiness. Hard work is important BUT SO IS SMART WORK!

Direct download: final_mix.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

David Mazur is considered the renaissance man of hospitality. I have had the pleasure of interacting with him as a hospitality professor, general manager, and mentor. His career has spanned over 25 years in hotels restaurants, clubs, consulting and coaching. He has been involved in a half-dozen startups and continues to grow his success.

In this episode we will discuss: Teaching business in a college setting. Bartending in New England. Experience equals knowledge. The REAL YOU is not the FACEBOOK YOU! Communicating with the consumer. The conception of Restaurant Unstoppable. The importance of mentors in any aspect off life. Putting yourself out there and the benefits it earns you. Money will come with skills. Don't do it for the money. Restaurant consultancy.

Direct download: NEW_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

Chef Johnny Ray Zone, an LA native, has worked professionally under some of the best chefs in the world, including Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay and Nobu Mat Sue He Sa. In 2014, during a stage at Sean Brock’s Husk in Nashville, TN, a local chef introduced Johnny to Nashville Hot Chicken. It was instantaneous love. It is safe to say in the years to follow, Chef Johnny has dedicated is life to mastering the perfect piece of hot fried chicken. You can find his chicken at Howlin' Ray's Nashville Hot Chicken, located in Los Angeles, CA.

In this episode we will discuss: Striving for perfection. Hiring customers. The decision to go or not go to culinary school. Mentors in the restaurant industry. The different mindset of someone leaving culinary school with massive debt. The cost of training an employee. Integrity in the restaurant industry. Transitioning from food truck to restaurant. Do one thing well instead of many things well enough. Making guests happy (and encouraging them to come back) is more important than watching the numbers.

Direct download: Johnny_Rayzone_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

A native of Detroit Michigan, Chef Kate Williams studied Food Science at Michigan State University and would later transfer to the French Culinary Institute in NYC. Kate has served under Wolfgang Puck as Sous Chef, and served Detroit's Republic Tavern as Executive Chef. She's received the title of "Top Chef" Detroit and Eater Detroit "Chef of the Year - Semi-finalist." This summer Kate is opening Lady of the House which has already stirred up talk including Eater National's "Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings 2017" and Tasting Table's "Most Anticipated Opening 2017."

In this episode we will discuss: Creating a restaurant that emulates your guests dining room. Questioning why you got yourself into the restaurant industry. Making your restaurant more like a home dining room. Serving a community that you love. Finding the "right money" for investment in your restaurant. Creating a business plan for your restaurant concept. Molding your business to serve its surroundings. Making guests feel special.

Direct download: Untitled_Session_1_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

The idea for The Holy Donut grew out of a craving. Leigh Kellis wanted a donut made with fresh ingredients that she could feel good about eating. Since she couldn’t find what she was looking for, she decided to create it herself. Thus, The Holy Donut was born in 2011. Six years later Leigh has scaled The Holy Donut from an apartment kitchen wholesale shop to a 3 locations operation with 80 employees.

In this episode we will discuss: creating what you think is missing in your community. The anti-Dunkin' Donuts come to life. Everything's better with potatoes. Making donuts with potatoes. Starting a business with no overhead. The importance of testing the market BEFORE you sink too much money into your idea. Taking the risk of quitting your job to devote yourself to your idea. Welcoming change while staying true to your mission. Take your time before you grow and expand. Working with family. Spreading happiness through food and drink. Food as more than calories to keep you alive.

Direct download: 347_Leigh_Kellis_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

In 2004, Moses Sabina joined his brother, Alec, and they embarked on a gastronomic tour, eating their way across America’s finest diners, barbecue fests, soul food joints, and fish frys.  Their goal was to learn how a good neighborhood restaurant becomes a food institution. Today, Moses and his brother have spent the past decade practicing what they've learned  with their restaurant, Hot Suppa, located in Portland, ME.

In this episode we will discuss: Always trying to make things better for guests and employees. Running a "neighborhood restaurant." The desire to work for the independent restaurants. Independent v. Corporate company mentality. People-dependant businesses v. Systems-dependant businesses. Working with family. Owning real estate is important for building equity. Taking the time to establish your concept before you put its in motion. The importance of choosing the right market for your concept. Not having financial room for error can help you take your time in establishing a business. You need to be at your restaurant, especially in the beginning. Finding your life-balence. Making people happy through hospitality everyday.

Direct download: 346_Moses_Sabina_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

In 2008, After traveling the world learning how to brew and distil alcohol, Eric Michaud, opened Novare Res Bier Cafe, which has nestled itself comfortably on multiple national best beer bar list. In 2013 Eric Opened Liquid Riots Bottle Company to satisfy his need to create. Their spirits have been winning awards ever since. Today, Liquid Riots Bottle Company consist of a Brewery, Distillery, and Rest0-Bar.

In this episode, we talk about living to embrace the work we do, following your passion and living intentionally from an early age, what Eric learned about hospitality from living with Buddhist Monks, learning the business on someone else's dollar, treating the business you work in like you own it, the steps Eric took in opening his first bar, how to take initiative, listening to the advice of your future customers and the locals when opening a restaurant or bar, the impact of being a hands-on owner who teaches his/her staff first hand, leading by example, stepping back and trusting your people, sharing your business's equity with your best employees, and how being interesting can help you attract great people. 

 

Direct download: 345_Eric_Michaud_mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

In 1994 Mary Allen Lindemann and Allen Spear opened their first Coffee By Design coffeehouse in Portland, Maine. 23 years later, what started as a humble coffeehouse with a part-time barista has grown into a sustainable business that currently employs 60 individuals in its 5 coffeehouses and its sustainably sourced roastery. Their growth is attributed to their fantastic employees, exceptional coffee, and strong underlying belief that what we do can make a difference.

In this episode we discuss: Doing what is right for YOU! Community. How do you define success? Making sure your job is right for you. Proving your doubters wrong. Choosing the right market for your concept. What it means to truly be an entrepreneur. How politics can come into play when opening a business. Honoring your mistakes. Staying true to who you are. Slow growth. Good communication with your team. Doing good for your community and getting your name out there in other ways. Don't be afraid to be you. Knowing your numbers.

Direct download: Mary_Allen_Lindemann_mixdown_TWO.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:30am EST

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