What if I told you that the difference between struggling and thriving in the restaurant industry is just one conversation away? I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur who’s spent decades building blockbuster brands across every tier of dining. I know the challenges you’re facing—because I’ve been there. That’s why I created FULL COMP. Every week, I go one-on-one with the smartest minds in the game—restaurateurs, chefs, and industry insiders who’ve cracked the code. Together, we unp ...
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Expert Interviews For Restaurateurs Podcasts
Welcome To Kitchen Chat! I’m Margaret McSweeney - Podcast Host, Brand Consultant, Food & Lifestyle Expert, and believer in Delicious living. I am a Connector, Communicator, and Collaborator. I'm so very happy to share my interviews with top Chefs, Restaurateurs, and successful Entrepreneurs I have met on my travels, along with everyday tips for your Foodie Life - to help you heal, be well, and find delicious moments. Together lets Savor the Day!
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Supersonic Hospitality Marketing Podcast Sponsored by NFS Hospitality feat. Mark McC
Mark McCulloch
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I created the Supersonic Marketing Podcast to interview the greatest people in hospitality and subject matter experts in Brand and Marketing. We share our insights and expertise for free to help businesses all around the world BOOM! You’re welcome. Sponsored by Vita Mojo
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Forget Loyalty—Build Fandom: Chris Smith on Growing Zunzibar with Simplicity, Purpose, and Relationships
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Forget the loyalty programs and outdated marketing tricks. Chris Smith, CEO of Zunzibar, has a different approach—one that turns customers into fans, simplifies operations, and scales with soul. From flipping burgers in college to building a franchise model with a clear mission, Chris shares how focusing on simplicity, relationships, and purpose ha…
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Office Hours: Serving This Guest Will Scale Your Restaurant
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I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…
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Why Most Training Fails: Cassie Miller on Building 19 Brands That Retain Top Talent
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Most restaurants throw new hires into the fire and hope they stick. Cassie Miller, VP of Training at Craveworthy Brands, has built a system that keeps them thriving. In this episode, she reveals why generic training is a recipe for churn, how to build real accountability into your culture, and the simple systems that scaled Craveworthy to 19 brands…
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The Hidden Gold in Your Restaurant: Kirk Grogan on Using Tips to Drive Culture, Retention, and Profit
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Most restaurant operators treat tips like a liability—or worse, an afterthought. But Kirk Grogan sees them for what they really are: one of the most powerful tools in your business. As co-founder of TipHaus, Kirk has helped thousands of restaurants transform tip management from a source of stress and legal risk into a lever for culture, retention, …
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Office Hours: How to Get Your Guest's Attention (and get them back in)
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I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…
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Jack McGarry on Becoming The Best and The Aftermath of Excellence
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Jack McGarry has achieved the accolades most of us dream about. He’s been awarded the best bartender in the world and his NY bar, The Dead Rabbit, was awarded the distinction of Best Bar in the World, a few years after that. But that’s not the end of Jack’s story. Since hitting the top, Jack has redefined excellence through the lens of bar ownershi…
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Miguel Hernandez on How To Dominate Our Industry
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Miguel Hernandez is a genius. You have never heard me begin a show this way before, but I was absolutely blown away by the fresh perspective Miguel is bringing to restaurant ownership and operations. This is a guy who’s scaled to 4 locations in just a couple of years and has financed his growth exclusively through the profits from his active restau…
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Office Hours: The Secret Hack to Product/Market Fit
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I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…
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Natasha McIrvin on Mastering Surprise and Delight
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Our guests, even our most loyal guests, can cook at home. They don’t come to us for nourishment, they come to us for entertainment. Food and beverage done well is performance art and few have done it better than Eleven Madison Park. Today we chat with Natasha McIrvin, former head of the dreamweaver program at EMP. Her job was to build a system that…
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Keith Benjamin on Crafting the Vision for a Restaurant Empire
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The numbers tell the story. Statistically, it’s nearly impossible to scale massively within our industry which is why so few do so. Keith Benjamin is the exception. With over 15 locations under his belt, Keith has broken the mold by systematizing that “it factor” we’re all looking to achieve. In today’s conversation, we discuss how to build with in…
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Office Hours: Mass Marketing is Killing Your Restaurant--Do This Instead
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I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…
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Chef Rob Rubba on Redefining Sustainability
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James Beard award-winning chef Rob Rubba seems to have it all: a blockbuster restaurant that’s great for the environment, a happy staff, and work life balance that most of us would kill for. None of this happened by accident. In today’s conversation we sit down with the chef to discuss how he architected the life and career of his dreams through th…
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Karen Akunowicz on The Linear Path to Success
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What are you chasing? Is it the money, the fame, or maybe the acclaim that comes with being a successful restaurant owner? Deep down, I think we all know that if we follow our passions, we’ll get all three. Few stories illustrate this more beautifully than today’s guest Chef Karen Akunowicz. In our conversation, she shares her evolution from chef t…
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Office Hours: Stop Discounting, Start Enrolling
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I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…
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Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes
20:25
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Margaret McSweeney welcomes cookbook author Sarah Ahn to discuss Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom. Discover Korean culinary heritage, heartfelt family recipes, and the rich history behind beloved dishes like kimchi grilled cheese. "Kimchi is more than just a trendy food item. Kimchi is a Korean person's identity. It's our pride and it's a staple…
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Owning Your Destiny: James Bailey on Rejection, Resilience, and Running Momofuku
34:12
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What does it take to go from butcher to executive chef at one of the most iconic restaurant brands in the world—without burning out or selling out? For James Bailey of Momofuku Las Vegas, it’s not just about talent. It’s about patience, identity, and leadership. In this episode, we dive into the real story behind James’ rise through the ranks, how …
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Jonathan Sawyer on Building a Business That Lasts
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I think fear is a massive motivator for so many restaurateurs. So many of us fail to make decisions that move us towards what we want because we’re busy making decisions that move us away from what we fear. But what happens when what we fear becomes our reality? What does the end of the road look like? As it turns out, it looks like a new beginning…
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Raffles London at The OWO: A Taste of Luxury, History and Hospitality
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Join KItchen Chat host Margaret McSweeney as she steps both into the future and back in time, to the hallowed, historic grounds of the Raffles London at The OWO. Experience the property's recent magnificent transformation of the Old War Office, a building where history was profoundly made, from the days of Winston Churchill to Ian Fleming's James B…
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Tech That Pays You Back: Jeremy Julian on Restaurant Systems That Save Time, Labor, and Sanity
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Restaurant tech isn’t just about bells and whistles—it’s about ROI. And no one understands that better than Jeremy Julian. With nearly 30 years in restaurant technology and operations, Jeremy has helped thousands of restaurants plug into tools that actually make life easier and businesses more profitable. In this episode, we explore how to audit yo…
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How To Scale : Ensuring Profitability with Michael Mina
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For over 30 years, Michael Mina has dominated the restaurant scene and today we sit down with the chef to find out how. In today’s conversation we dive deep into the tactics tools and strategies Michael has developed over decades to acquire talent, develop leaders, scale operations, and ensure profitability. This is a masterclass in restaurant owne…
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On this particularly timely edition of Kitchen Chat®: A Taste of Luxury, History, and Hospitality, host Margaret McSweeney whisks you away on a flavorful journey into the captivating world of Matcha! From World Tea Expo in Las Vegas and the Chicago Tea Festival, where the global popularity and ceremonial allure of Matcha was undeniably the "hot top…
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Stop Running a Restaurant—Start Running a Business: Roger Beaudoin on Systems, Sales, and Scaling Culture
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Most operators are stuck running restaurants. Roger Beaudoin teaches them how to run businesses. A 23-year restaurateur turned global coach and the founder of Restaurant Rockstars, Roger has helped thousands of owners escape burnout by installing the systems, culture, and leadership that scale. In this episode, we break down his approach to profita…
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Serving the Story: Kathy & Ben Sidell on Building Restaurant Brands That Create Emotional Loyalty
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What if your restaurant wasn’t just a place to eat—but a part of your guest’s identity? Kathy and Ben Sidell have mastered the art of emotional branding, turning Saltie Girl and Sweet Boy into lifestyle experiences people feel proud to align with. In this episode, we explore how they’ve built high-volume, high-loyalty concepts without sacrificing s…
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I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…
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Rethinking Restaurant Metrics: Jim Taylor on the One KPI That Changes Everything
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Most restaurant operators are flying blind—tracking the wrong metrics and chasing problems that don’t actually exist. Jim Taylor, founder of Benchmark Sixty, is on a mission to fix that. With decades of experience in operations and a passion for data-driven decision-making, Jim has helped hundreds of restaurants ditch outdated systems and find free…
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Mastering the Vibe: Lee Maen on Creating Iconic Restaurants That Endure and Scale
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Some restaurants chase trends. Lee Maen builds brands that shape them. As co-founder of Innovative Dining Group, Lee has redefined what it means to create restaurants that are as memorable for their vibe as they are for their food. From Sushi Roku to BOA Steakhouse, he’s turned hospitality into a high-performance art form—blending ambiance, precisi…
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Office Hours: The #1 Hack to Transform Your Restaurant's Marketing
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I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…
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