Best Mastering Restaurant Scalability Podcasts (2025)

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Why Legacy Brands Are Dying: Matt Egan on Surviving the New Era 35:33

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1d ago35:33

35:33

What if your $10 chicken taco isn’t competing with food—it’s competing with feeling? Matt Egan didn’t just open restaurants—he staged immersive experiences. Drawing from a background in film, Matt treats each concept like a set, every server like a character, and every moment like a scene that should stick with you. In this episode, we unpack how h…

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Office Hours: Your Landlord Is Your Most Dangerous Business Partner 7:50

3d ago7:50

7:50

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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No days off to true independence: Paul Denamiel on Drawing the Line 36:19

5d ago36:19

36:19

What happens when the dream starts to feel like a trap? For Paul Denamiel, chef-owner of Le Rivage, the pandemic forced a reckoning. After decades of nonstop hustle—no days off, total immersion—he finally stepped back…and liked what he saw. Time with his wife. Peace. Clarity. And the terrifying realization that maybe, just maybe, the restaurant did…

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Fail Hard, Build Slow: Henry Rich on Long-Term Strategy and the End of Easy Wins 38:00

9d ago38:00

38:00

What if your biggest failure was the reason your next move actually worked? That’s the story of Henry Rich—former candy entrepreneur turned neighborhood restaurateur—who’s spent the last 15 years building one of Brooklyn’s most beloved hospitality groups. He didn’t start with a restaurant pedigree or investor backing. He started with recession scar…

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Office Hours: Your Menu Isn’t Too Long…It’s Too Lazy 8:48

10d ago8:48

8:48

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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The Case for Quitting: Kevin Tien on Success, Sacrifice, and Starting Over 37:02

12d ago37:02

37:02

Could you quit at the top of your game–just as your dreams were coming true? At the height of critical acclaim, Kevin Tien walked away from Himitsu, not because it failed, but because it no longer aligned. That decision rewired how he thinks about success, leadership, and the cost of ignoring your gut. In this conversation, Kevin opens up about lea…

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Forget the Dining Room: Neal Fraser’s Profitability Playbook 35:31

16d ago35:31

35:31

What if the true path to restaurant profitability is rethinking our business model entirely?Close to a decade ago, today’s guest changed the way I saw our industry forever and he’s here to do the same for you. Today we sit down with Celebrity Chef Neal Fraser as he pulls back the curtain on how Redbird—a 50-seat dining room attached to a cathedral—…

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Office Hours: Discounts Are a Tax on Weak Storytelling 8:22

17d ago8:22

8:22

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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Prestige Is Overrated: Jeff Bell on What Actually Keeps a Bar Alive 41:43

19d ago41:43

41:43

What if chasing prestige meant sacrificing everything else? For Jeff Bell, managing partner at the iconic PDT in NYC, bartending has never just been about cocktails—it’s about culture, connection, and the quiet cost of longevity. In this episode, he shares what 15 years inside one of the world’s most celebrated bars has taught him about endurance, …

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Train Smarter, Scale Faster: Won J Jeong on Building Teams that Scale 38:05

23d ago38:05

38:05

What if trying to control everything is the very thing holding your business back? Most operators think control means being everywhere at once. Today’s guest thinks that mindset is killing your business. After opening 100+ stores, managing $100M in revenue, and building teams across international brands, Won J Jeong realized the real goal isn’t kno…

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Office Hours: Expansion Is the Fastest Way to Go Broke 9:16

24d ago9:16

9:16

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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AI Isn’t Replacing Your Team, It’s Saving Them: Devana Bhargava on Tech That Respects Hospitality 36:54

26d ago36:54

36:54

What if AI could make your restaurant more human, not less? That’s the bold idea Devana Bhargava is betting on. As a product leader at Yelp, she’s rethinking restaurant tech from the inside out—building tools that support staff instead of replacing them. In this episode, we dig into the design philosophy behind Yelp Host, why your Yelp page convert…

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Built to Serve, Not Sell: Darren Spicer’s Playbook for Turning Coffee Into Community 38:26

30d ago38:26

38:26

Does the world really need another coffee shop? That’s the question Darren Spicer had to answer before walking away from a six-figure career to start Clutch Coffee. The answer wasn’t coffee—it was connection. In this episode, Darren breaks down why community, not caffeine, is his true product, what he learned from Dutch Bros, how he made it his own…

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Office Hours: Events Are Fake Marketing 8:44

1M ago8:44

8:44

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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Scaling Through Saturation: Aaron Bludorn on Mastering Occasion 35:03

1M ago35:03

35:03

How do you define luxury? What if it isn’t about white tablecloths—but about meeting every guest, every need, every time? Aaron Bludorn didn’t just open a restaurant—he opened a new playbook for hospitality. After a business education under Daniel Boulud and Gavin Kaysen, Aaron took a massive bet: move to Houston, build a concept mid-pandemic, and …

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Stop Worshiping ‘Consistency:’ How Yann de Rocheford Scaled by Systemizing Vibe 40:51

1M ago40:51

40:51

Everyone says restaurants are about food, service, or scale. But what if it’s really about emotional engineering? Yann didn’t come from the kitchen. He came from the world of marketing and strategy. But when he opened Boqueria, he reimagined what a restaurant could be—vibe-forward, high-design, emotionally resonant, and built to scale. In this epis…

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Office Hours: Design Each Daypart as Its Own Business 9:50

1M ago9:50

9:50

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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You Don’t Have to Be L.A. to Be Legendary: Eric Bost on Building Fine Dining Outside the Bubble 39:25

1M ago39:25

39:25

By Josh Kopel

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Grow Deep, Not Wide: Mark Rampolla’s Five-Year Rule for Building Brands That Last 42:32

1M ago42:32

42:32

What if your next move isn’t another location—it’s owning a moment in your guest’s life? Mark Rampolla built ZICO into a category and now backs founders with a $600M fund; his playbook is built for operators under pressure. We talk about the five-year reality of product-market fit, why velocity per store beats “more units,” and how owning a specifi…

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Office Hours: Merchandise Minutes, Not Meals 7:57

1M ago7:57

7:57

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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The Connection Hack: Pepper Baumer on Building a Relationship-Based Empire 36:11

2M ago36:11

36:11

What if your factory was idling, your shelves were empty, and your business had just lost $15 million—and you still chose not to lay off a single person? That’s the line Pepper Baumer drew. As the third-generation CEO of Crystal Hot Sauce, he inherited a 100-year-old legacy—and nearly watched it collapse under the weight of supply chain failure, ma…

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Perfect Meals Don’t Matter: Sara Fay Egan on Experiences That Scale 37:16

2M ago37:16

37:16

If your guests remember the night but forget the meal, did you succeed? Sara Fay Egan never planned to run restaurants—she built experiences. After a career in high-end event planning, she was thrust into leadership at Beale Street Blues Company after the sudden passing of her father. But instead of mimicking traditional models, she brought an outs…

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Competition Isn’t Your Biggest Threat: Jean-Pierre Lacroix on the Power of Relevance 39:12

2M ago39:12

39:12

What if your restaurant’s biggest threat isn’t your competition—it’s your own irrelevance? Jean-Pierre Lacroix has spent decades helping brands regain their footing after losing touch with what made them matter. In today’s conversation, we unpack what’s killing restaurant loyalty—and it’s not what you think. Jean-Pierre argues that operators are ov…

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Quality is Overrated: Allan Dib on Scaling Sales the Smart Way 39:20

2M ago39:20

39:20

Most restaurant owners think better food or better service will win the game. But Allan Dib has a different take: your product is not your problem—your marketing is. Allan is the best-selling author of The 1-Page Marketing Plan, and in this conversation, he dismantles the myths that keep restaurants stuck. We get into the high cost of bad positioni…

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Office Hours: Enrollment Beats Training 7:23

2M ago7:23

7:23

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…