Click HERE for 12 Months FREE Restaurant Unstoppable Network. 

Click here to access Jills Course: Confident Customers Through Customer Experience (join the network and save $500)

Check out The Speed of Trust: The one Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M. R. Covey as mentioned in today's episode!

Check out RestaurantOwner.com as mentioned in today's episode!

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:

• “Individually we are one drop but together we are an ocean.”

• Educate
• Engage
• Entrust

More info and resources if you join the network here!

Get 12 Months of Restaurant Unstoppable Network here

David Vargas, Chef/Owner, Vida Cantina brings his Mexican heritage and appreciation for local seasonal New England products to every plate at Vida Cantina in Portsmouth, NH. A James Beard-nominated chef, David grew up in Southern CA and spent time in Mexico as an exchange student. David works with the Kittery school system training the administration and staff, and teaching the students about healthy cooking and eating.  David also is co-creator of Chefs After Dark, a friendly (raucous!) chef rivalry night among friends in the NH/MA/Maine chef community with hosted events raising funds for deserving local charities. David is also a leader in the region supporting NH Community Seafood, creating “Catch of the Day Tacos” with whatever fresh fish the collaborative hauls in.  He earned a cult-like following for his home-made heritage corn tortillas, sourced with his own blend of local organic corn grown for him at Tuckaway Farms, resulting in David opening his own tortilla business, Vida Tortilla. These specialty tortillas are available at the popular Dos Amigos restaurants, Vida Cantina, and select New England restaurants. 

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:

• Justify your existence.

In today's episode with David Vargas we will discuss:

• Being a wild child and growing up
• Feeling at home with restaurant industry workers
• Hospitality is treating people like family
• Living in Mexico City and learning to cook
• Culinary school and if you should go, very expensive
• Mentors
• Learning California-style cooking
• When to transition from line cook to head chef/restaurant owner
• Taking the next step in your career out of survival
• Learning food cost - reality vs. what you learn in culinary school
• You must be aware of what’s going on in your industry - talk to other chefs and restauranteurs
• If you’re not excited about your food, neither will your guests
• Sobriety in the industry
• Spend time away from your restaurant so that you long to be there
• Opening/operating a food truck
• Surviving (monetarily) a fire in your food truck
• Working as a mercenary chef
• Set your team up for success in their own lives and your business
• Catering
• Saying yes to everything
• Diversifying income
• Should we pay attention to services like Yelp?
• The power of getting involved with your community
• Cooking competitions
• Diversify your revenue streams
• Retail in your restaurant - online store and shipping advice
• Evolving because of COVID-19 - surviving the upcoming winter in NH (no outdoor dining)

Today's sponsor:

7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free.

PlateIQ- the leading AP automation platform in the hospitality industry. Since 2014, Plate IQ has been saving time and money for companies like Cava, Tender Greens, and more. Just upload your invoices into Plate IQ and our proprietary technology will code each line item to your chart of accounts — automatically. For Bill Pay, virtual cards, and end-to-end invoice automation, head to plateiq.com.

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?
   • Coming in prepared every day to enjoy the day
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Not listening to my wife enough
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • What makes you happy?
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Besides COVID, work ethic of new staff, determining work ethic before hire someone
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Mental Mise en place
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • To cook good is to look good
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • California Dish: What I Saw (and Cooked) at the American Culinary Revolution by Jeremiah Tower 
   • Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
   • *any book about overcoming hurdles*
     GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or often enough?
   • Give their staff the opportunity to succeed
9. Name one service you've hired.
   • Martha Sullivan - Sullivan Communications - PR
10. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenceD operations?
    • Square POS
    • Social media - Instagram and Facebook
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?
    • Justify your existence
    • Si, se puede
    • Spend more time with your family

Contact info:

info@vidacantinanh.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 David Vargas 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 and access the Profit First Course 

Today we're going to talk about why you need to pay yourself, FIRST! We're also diving into how.

Joining us for the conversation are two of the best qualified: Kasey Anton and Mike Michalowicz.

Mike Michalowicz is the author of Profit First: Transform Your Business From a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine. He's helped thousands of entrepreneurs gain control of their business.

Kasey Anton, founder of Spark Business Consulting, and former restaurateur, and one of the only, if not THE only Certified Profit First Professionals with extensive restaurant owning experience.
Success Quote or Mantra
Care more than others. Your Sucess is our success.
In this episode with Kasey Anton and Mike Michalowicz, we discuss:

How Mike developed the Profit First Money Management System.
How the profit first system is about making systems for you, and not the other way around.
The human behavior behind why profit first works; Parkinson's Law, Primacy Effect.
Howthe key to implementing profit first is to start slowly.
How to implement Profit first into your business.
The unique aspects of the restaurant industry that need to be considered when implementing profit first.

Nick Bishop Jr grew up in a restaurant family and today is the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Hattie B's. Hattie B's Hot Chicken is a family business, founded and operated by father-and-son team Nick Bishop, Sr. and Nick Biship, Jr., and is headquartered in Nashville, TN, where there are three locations. The fast-casual eatery expanded first to Birmingham, AL, in 2016, followed by openings in Memphis, TN, and Atlanta, GA, in 2018. In the late summer of 2018, they opened their most recent location at Block 16 Urban Food Hall at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Check out A Lapsed Anarchist's Approach to Building a Great Business by Ari Weinzweig as mentioned in today's episode.

Check out Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek as mentioned in today's episode.

Check out Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek as mentioned in today's episode.

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:

• "Smile and hustle."

• Creating core values
• Family businesses
• Seeing and acknowledging opportunity
• Retaining employees
• The history of hot chicken in Nashville
• Creating a brand around one item
• FOH
• Make your staff's lives better and they will make your customers' lives better
• Tip-sharing
• Inward growth
• Existing to make people's lives better
• How to know when you're ready to scale
• Modern society NEEDS restaurants for human-to-human contact in a digital age
• The weird bright side of COVID-19 in the industry

Today's sponsor:

PlateIQ- the leading AP automation platform in the hospitality industry. Since 2014, Plate IQ has been saving time and money for companies like Cava, Tender Greens, and more. Just upload your invoices into Plate IQ and our proprietary technology will code each line item to your chart of accounts — automatically. For Bill Pay, virtual cards, and end-to-end invoice automation, head to plateiq.com.

7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free.

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?
   • I care to point where I take it home with me
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • I care to point where I take it home with me, try to keep it separate
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • What gets you going outside of work and restaurants?
4. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Smile and hustle
5. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Recognize customers and knowledge it, take care of locals and regulars
6. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
   • GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
7. What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
   • Take themselves too seriously
8. Name one service you've hired.
   • Mesa - furniture
9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenced operations?
   • Toast POS
   • Olo - Online Ordering for Restaurants
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?
    • Surround yourself with good people
    • Don't continue to do things toast don't fulfill you
    • Be open, be an open book

Contact info:

Hattie B's website

Instagram: @hattiebs

Facebook: @HattieBsMidtownNashville

Twitter er: @HattieBs

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 Bishop Jr. 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!

Click this link for 12-months FREE Restaurant Unstoppable Network R.U.N.

You can find Carrie Luxem at her website www.carrieluxem.com or read her book Restaurant Operator's HR Playbook here. We are here today to learn about recruiting and onboarding best practices, hiring for cultural fit.

Check out my conversation on episode 321 with Carrie Luxem!

Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network to get access to hundreds of experts like Carrie and take part in these workshops.

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:

• "Leadership is about making an emotional connection with people."

1. Recruiting - How to find talent
2. Cultural fit - hire people who match your culture
3. Onboarding/orientation process

Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a FULL list of resources mentioned and breakdown of the advice given in today's workshop!

Today's sponsor:

7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free.

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.

PlateIQ- the leading AP automation platform in the hospitality industry. Since 2014, Plate IQ has been saving time and money for companies like Cava, Tender Greens, and more. Just upload your invoices into Plate IQ and our proprietary technology will code each line item to your chart of accounts — automatically. For Bill Pay, virtual cards, and end-to-end invoice automation, head to plateiq.com.

Contact info:

www.carrieluxem.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 Carrie Luxem 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!

Pat Martin learned the art and craft of West Tennessee-style smoke and meat 25 years ago in the tiny town of Henderson, TN before making Nashville his home. It became a consuming passion that eventually led to a business when he opened the first Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in October of 2006 in Nolensville, Tennessee - just south of Nashville. Today, there are 10 Martin’s locations in the Nashville area, Louisville Kentucky, Birmingham Alabama, and our newest location in Charleston South Carolina.

Pat is a member of the famed Fatback Collective, a philanthropic group of restaurateurs, pit masters, chefs, farmers and writers who strive to help others in times of need in the diverse and modern South.

Check out The Thrill of the Grill: Techniques, Recipes, & Down-Home Barbecue by Christopher Schlesinger as mentioned in today's episode.

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:

• "Being super particular on the details is what matters in success."

In today's episode with Patrick Martin we will discuss:

• Industry secrets and should you keep them?
• Mentors and their immense importance in this industry
• Waiting to open a restaurant based on finances even though you have the skills
• The IMMENSE importance of LEARNING
• People who cook often do so beyond the need for sustenance - we want to make people happy
• The benefits of an open mind
• To go to culinary school or not to go to culinary school?
• Dealing with critics
• Making mistakes and what we learn
• Partnerships
• Labor schedules
• "Game-ifying" business
• You NEED to learn the business side regardless of your role in the company
• Promoting within when your team isn't ready-avoid it!
• Pride in your brand
• Ask EVERYONE for advice but be particular about the advice you take
• Growth
• Invest in YOUR PEOPLE
• The love of teaching

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?
   • "You have to give a crap!"
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Over-analyze and go too deep into an issue
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • Training costs money so make sure they want to stay for a longer amount of time
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • People
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Know your job and do your job
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Chef-driven, fine-dining FOH
   • The customer is not always right but you still need to make them feel like they are right
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • Lessons in Service from Charlie Trotter by Edmund Lawler
   • Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
   • One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
   • GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. Name one service you've hired.
   • Accounting - Todd Mormon of Fresh Hospitality
9. 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?
   • Do all the little things
   • Smile and be very very nice with your customer base
   • Treat others better than you treat yourself

Contact info:

Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint website

Instagram: personal: @pitmasterpat business: @martinsbbq

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 Patrick Martin 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!

One of my goals with Restaurant Unstoppable is to slow down and to connect with guests and listeners on a more detailed, intimate level. I want to LITERALLY connect you with my network.

Going forward, I’m going to offer all my guest the opportunity to connect with my audience via zoom the week their episode goes live.

The goal is to pull back more layers and to get more granular. Plus, I want to provide my listeners with the opportunity to ask the questions they wish I had.

If you want access to all future “Shop Talks” plus, workshops, coffee with eric, and access to other passionate, driven restaurateurs go to www.restaurantunstoppable.com/30daytrial to join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network

In today's episode, Jeremy Julian, Host of The Restaurant Technology Guys podcast and COO of Custom Business Solutions, joins us to discuss the 5 key systems every restaurant should invest in. Let's face it, there are many options out there to choose from when it comes to outfitting your restaurant,.

Which tools and systems are most necessary? Which manufacturers of this technology to we recommend? What are my guest most recommended? These questions and more answered. 

Check out episode 137 with Jeremy about credit card security and episode 186 with Jeremy about 7 ways to prepare for a $15 per hour minimum wage increase.

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:

• “Help others get what they want and ultimately you will get what you want.”

The Five (plus a BONUS) systems to adopt in your business are:

1. POS - a truly modern system
2. Kitchen Management Software
3. Inventory Management Systems/Software
4. Labor Management
5. Security systems/cameras
6. BONUS: Data Analytics Tool

• For a full breakdown of resources mentioned in this episode regarding the above-mentioned programs please join the network here.

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:

Website: www.restauranttechnologyguys.com

Twitter: @RestTechGuys

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 Jeremy Julian 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!