Best Restaurant Staffing Solutions Podcasts (2025)

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Office Hours: Events Are Fake Marketing 8:44

Play Pause

1h 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…

1
Scaling Through Saturation: Aaron Bludorn on Mastering Occasion 35:03

2d 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 …

1
Stop Worshiping ‘Consistency:’ How Yann de Rocheford Scaled by Systemizing Vibe 40:51

6d 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…

1
Office Hours: Design Each Daypart as Its Own Business 9:50

7d 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

9d 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

13d 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

14d 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…

1
The Connection Hack: Pepper Baumer on Building a Relationship-Based Empire 36:11

16d 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

20d 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

23d 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

27d 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

28d 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…

1
Burnout Isn’t a Badge: Ahu Hettema on Risk, Reinvention, and Building Restaurants That Work 35:19

1M ago35:19

35:19

Ahu Hettema didn’t hedge her bets—she burned the boats. No Plan B. No safety net. Just a belief that betting everything on one restaurant could rewrite her life. And it did. But not through stubbornness. Through adaptation. In this episode, Ahu breaks down how listening—really listening—to her guests saved her concept, why comfort matters more than…

1
This Is What Luxury Actually Feels Like: Chris Adams on Culture, Tech, and the Soul of Service 36:59

1M ago36:59

36:59

Chris Adams does. He’s built a business on showing some of the biggest brands in the world how to make guests feel something—without faking it. In this episode, we dig into what defines modern luxury and why it has less to do with money and more to do with culture, people, and emotional precision. Chris shares how AI and tech can enhance—not replac…

1
Office Hours: Acquire Talent, Don’t Nurture It 9:00

1M ago9:00

9:00

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…

1
From Maxed-Out Credit Cards to 41 Locations: John Gelastopoulos on Building Broken Yolk’s Lasting Momentum 35:49

1M ago35:49

35:49

Most people buy a restaurant and inherit someone else’s problems. John Gelastopoulos bought a closed breakfast spot, maxed out his credit cards to keep it alive—and turned it into a 41-location powerhouse. The secret? Relentless persistence and an obsession with people. In this conversation, John shares how he went from washing dishes to franchisin…

1
Geoff Alexander on Leveling Up Leadership Skills 37:57

1M ago37:57

37:57

After 30 years with restaurant conglomerate Lettuce Entertain You, Geoff Alexander could teach a masterclass on building and scaling a restaurant brand. And that’s exactly what he’s done for us today. In this far reaching conversation we discuss the essential elements of leadership, how to build a brand from the ground up, turnaround strategies for…

1
Office Hours: Sell the Thing People Dream About 7:42

1M ago7:42

7:42

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…

1
Brad Wise on Transforming a Bad Launch Into an Epic Brand 31:30

1M ago31:30

31:30

Sometimes the only difference between those who succeed and those who fail is the decision to not give up. Today’s guest, Chef Brad Wise, is a testament to the grit required to build something prolific in our industry. In our conversation we discuss how to overcome a slow start and how he turned a failed bar into the hottest steakhouse concept on t…

1
Bruce Bromberg on the Fundamentals of Scaling 39:14

2M ago39:14

39:14

Chef Bruce Bromberg is not the typical restaurant magnate that comes to mind when you think of a national restaurant group. More than anything, he’s a chef, leveraging the universal truths he’s learned over the years in innovative ways. His ability to translate the fundamentals of cooking to the fundamentals of business has led to his meteoric succ…

1
Office Hours: Stop Chasing Customers & Start Programming Behavior 7:21

2M ago7:21

7:21

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…

1
Lisa Dahl on Building an Empire and a Legacy 32:07

2M ago32:07

32:07

I always looked at the big restaurant groups out there with envy. How amazing must it be to own 6, 8, or more locations? At what point do you get rich? At what point do you go from backup dishwasher to brand evangelist. Chef Lisa Dahl has grasped the brass ring. Over the last two decades, she’s built a restaurant empire. In today’s conversation, we…

1
Rebuilding Through Hospitality: Robért LeBlanc on Culture, Storytelling & Second Chances 41:03

2M ago41:03

41:03

What if a restaurant wasn’t a business—but a way to rebuild a broken city? That’s how Robért LeBlanc saw it after Hurricane Katrina. He didn’t just open a venue—he created a space to reconnect a fractured community. In this episode, we go deep on how Robért has used hospitality to heal, unite, and inspire. From the ethos behind his post-Katrina nig…

1
Office Hours: How to know when it’s time to open the next location 7:03

2M ago7:03

7:03

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…

1
From Fine Dining to Fast Casual: John Karangis on Scaling Taste Without Losing Soul 37:24

2M ago37:24

37:24

What if you could take the precision of fine dining and scale it to millions of people—without diluting the magic? That’s the challenge John Karangis has spent a lifetime solving. From the kitchens of Paris and Gramercy Tavern to leading culinary innovation at Shake Shack, John has mastered the art of translating high-end experience into high-volum…

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Why He Refuses to Market and Still Sells Out: Giancarlo Pagani on Experience-First Restaurants 37:58

2M ago37:58

37:58

What if the best restaurant marketing isn’t digital—it’s emotional? Giancarlo Pagani has built some of the most talked-about restaurants in LA, not with ads or gimmicks, but with atmosphere. In this episode, we get into the blueprint behind Mother Wolf’s success, why frequency—not first-timers—is the real metric to chase, and how to design concepts…