Restaurant Owners Uncorked - By Schedulefly

Mark has been in hospitality from a young age, and knew early on it was what he wanted to do for his career. He's been in the business for 18 years, he's been an owner for 8.5 years. This is a great interview from a guy who worked his tail off to learn as much as he could early on, willing to do whatever it took for the short term to help set himself up for long term success. He's inspiring to listen to, he's very transparent and sincere, he offers great advice for anybody considering being an owner, he has his priorities in check, and he has big plans for his group. A great interview! Enjoy...

This is a great interview to listen to for anybody interested in the bar business. Matt talks about the formula for success in the business, the importance of starting at the bottom (he started as a busser), hard work, solving problems every day, managing through the changes in labor laws, and the importance of building relationships with customers. Matt is awesome. Enjoy...

Ursa Minor Brewing is a 5-barrel brewery that opened in Duluth, MN 2.5 weeks ago, so Ben has a really interesting perspective! He and his brother have been working hard on for 4-5 years to take the brewery from idea to business plan to groundbreaking to opening their doors. Ben talked about what he learned along the way, why craft brewery people are all so supportive of each other, the challenge of raising money, and why their opening week was such a massive success. Enjoy...

Elissa has a degree in business and a minor in math, but found her way to the fun world of hospitality and has never looked back. She talks about the Bellisio's culture of being a small team but a big family, the annual retreat her restaurant group takes everybody on, the connections with the community that are made over a meal, the concept of throwing a party in your "house" every day at the restaurant, and more. She is a very impressive person with a great perspective on hospitality. Enjoy...

Amy has worked her way up from server to bartender to manager to GM. She talks about having a strong work ethic, learning something new every day, building a grey team, following her owner's lead, and why she loves what she does every day. Enjoy...

Another passionate, enthusiastic, fun member of the team at Sweet Cow Ice Cream joined me for a great conversation on what to look for in a hospitality job, questions to ask when interviewing, the many (many, many) roles of a GM, the hiring and firing process, work ethic, sharing in customers' important life moments, and more. Elissa is awesome! Enjoy...

Callie is a 17-year-old shift leader at Sweet Cow Ice Cream in Louisville, CO. Sweet Cow owners Drew and Ross were on the podcast recently, and spoke very highly of their incredible staff. When you listen to Callie talk about what she does and why she has so much fun doing it, you'll know why those guys are so fired up about the team of people that work with them. Enjoy...

If you don't know the story of Sup Dogs, head to http://www.schedulefly.com/films_books.htm and watch the film we made about it. It's one of the coolest stories you'll ever come across, in hospitality or elsewhere. Tarra Leatherwood has been working there for three years, and she's a great ambassador for the tremendous brand Bret and his team are building. She talks about the amazing culture, the fast pace, the teamwork, and the genuine, authentic care Bret and his family show for their staff. And you can't listen to her share her passion for what she does and not wish you had her on your team. Enjoy...

Justin McCrary has been in the restaurant business since 1999, and with the team at Provision Concepts since it was formed in 2014. He told a great story about the importance of not burning bridges, and we got into his love of teaching/coaching, the value of building relationships with guests, his strengths/weaknesses, and what he loves about the business. Enjoy...

Shane is the GM of Trophy Brewing in Raleigh, NC. We had a wide ranging conversation, discussing everything from the multiple responsibilities in his role as GM, to his leadership style, to the challenge of staffing in a growing market that has a great restaurant scene, to his love of craft beer and the Trophy team's philosophy on it. Enjoy...

John has been in the restaurant business most of his life. He and I talked about what fuels his passion for the business, being an introvert in the restaurant business, managing controlled chaos, the family environment at his restaurant group, Provision Concepts, and the daily life of a corporate chef. John is a positive dude who clearly enjoys his profession immensely...

California native Brian Jenzer has cooked at places all over the world, and today is the Executive Chef at Tap + Table in Raleigh, NC. We talked about everything from the value of culinary school (he went to one) to his management philosophies to the importance of starting at the bottom and working you way up. Brian is a great dude and this was a great conversation. Enjoy...

Like so many people we've had the pleasure to interview, Brandon has been in the hospitality business for his while life. And also like so many people we've interviewed, you can't listen to him talk without wanting to be on his team. He is a GM who still works bar shifts, handles kitchen manager duties, and does all sorts of things to help make Montanya run well. He loves what he does, loves the organization he works for, and has a great overall perspective on how to get hospitality right. Enjoy...

Talk about a man with conviction! Jonny and his brother Benjy started The Skinny Pancake in Burlington, VT out of a hand-made cart in 2003, and fifteen years later they have seven locations, a commissary kitchen, a catering business, a festival bus ... and that original cart is still around. We talked about everything from effective lease negotiation to "the triple bottom line" to the idea of no profit without purpose, and no purpose without profit. Jonny has a ton of passion for what he does, and runs his business with a very clear purpose and focus. Enjoy...

Ray has been in the restaurant business since the 1980's, and has done everything from being the interim CEO of a large chain, to being the Executive Director of the California Restaurant Association, to owning and running a very successful group of restaurants in the Lake Tahoe, CA area. Ray is extremely knowledgeable about the hospitality business, and offered an enormous of amount of excellent advice and wisdom during our conversation. Enjoy...

Renee Newton graduated with a degree in biology and chemistry, came to Crested Butte to work for the Rocky Mountain Biological Labs, had an opportunity to become a distiller at Montanya Distillers, and now is the bar manager and head of special events. She's a diverse, genuine, fun person who you'd love to have on your team. Enjoy...

Brandi and Adam are GMs at the first Cantina 76 location in Columbia, SC. Cantina 76 is a very popular, successful brand with five locations in South Carolina. Listen to Brandi and Adam talk about the fantastic culture within their organization, the great leadership they work under, their awesome executive chef, how they excel against their competition, building relationships with regulars, and more. They are both high energy and fun to talk to about hospitality. Enjoy...

Rob has been in the hospitality business for fifteen years, most recently as the Assistant Director of Operations for Top Nosh Hospitality in Chicago. These folks run a handful of awesome restaurants, and Rob and I discussed everything from managing costs to building relationships with regular customers to what podcasts he enjoys. A fun, wide ranging conversation? Enjoy...

Nick Gitsis owns The Silverlake Family Restaurant in Warsaw, NY. Started in 1990 by Nick's father, now in his 80's and still a regular presence at the restaurant, Silverlake has become an iconic locally owned business in the Warsaw area. Both regulars and travelers enjoy the experience of being served by personable, welcoming staff and being able to make special requests which are honored happily. Nick is a pilot who spends most of his year overseas, but he's able to rely on communication tools as well as a great team of trusted managers to ensure Silverlake continues the tradition of being a special place to experience excellent hospitality. Enjoy...