Restaurant Owners Uncorked - By Schedulefly

Katharine works for Three Brothers Wineries & Estates in Geneva, NY (https://www.3brotherswinery.com). She wears many hats at this unique place, and it was really fun to hear the progression of her career over the years, what caused her to leave to try something different, and why she came back. She loves what she does, and her professionalism and commitment to being an important part of a growing, thriving business are very clear. Katharine is the type of person we all want in our businesses. Enjoy...

The Cone is a landmark location in West Chester, OH, that opened in 1995 with a 30-foot tall ice cream cone building, and it has been creating smiles with it's fresh, high quality soft serve ice cream ever since. Keith and his wife Peggy bought the business from Keith's father, and they run it today with their daughter, Tabby. Hard work, lots of hours, and lots of passion go into this business every day, and it draws people from all over the surrounding areas to enjoy great ice cream, great service, and unique, memorable building, and a family that loves what they do for their community. Enjoy...

I wrote a blog post last year discussing why I want my kids to work for independent restaurants when they are old enough to work. After listening to nearly every owner I speak to tell me how hard it is to find good people these days, I am even more excited for them to hopefully pursue this opportunity one day. I decided to read my post to share my thoughts on why it's such a great opportunity. Enjoy...

Luisa manages one of the most unique, memorable, inspiring places you'll ever visit, Brewery Bhavana. Part brewery, part restaurant, part flower shop, part bookstore and fully amazing in design and experience, Brewery Bhavana was named in "One of the 10 Coolest Places to Eat in the World" by Forbes Magazine and was also nominated as one of Top 10 Best New Restaurants in the U.S by the James Beard Foundation, both in 2018. Luisa gets deep into the foundational philosophies she and her team have built Brewery Bhavana upon, and the amount of thought, intention, and care they put into this amazing place are staggering. Enjoy...

Dameda has been in the restaurant business off and on for many years, and last year became the GM of Comida (www.eatcomida.com) in Denver, her first time as a GM. It was fun talking to Dameda about her goals, as well as what she's learned in the last nine months and how she's made adjustments along the way. Dameda is all about learning and growing, and has a wonderful, uplifting perspective about the restaurant business. Enjoy...

Doug and Peggy Warren took over Four Seas Ice Cream in Cape Cod, MA from Doug's father, Dick, in 2001. The business was started in 1934, making it the third oldest ice cream shop in New England. It's won dozens of awards, including many Top 10 Ice Creams in the U.S. designations. Doug absolutely loves this business and his a tremendous amount of pride for it, as his father did before him. I so thoroughly enjoyed hearing his story and the stories of his customers, and you will too...

Diana has been working for Big Red F since she started as a server in 2000. Eighteen years later, she manages the group's philanthropy and sustainability efforts, owns an yoga studio, and still serves at Zolo one night per week. She loves the restaurant business and the group of people she works with, and if you want to hear the story of somebody who found a really inspiring path in the restaurant business, Diana is your lady. So authentic, so thoughtful, so fun to talk to. Enjoy...

Chester owns Fudpucker's (www.fudpucker.com) in Destin FL. He started it in 1982 as a snack bar in a nightclub, and today it's a destination in Destin, an institution that has over 300 employees and everything from a retail store to a live alligator park with over 100 gators. I've been to Fudpucker's. It's amazing, and there's no there place like it. Having said that, Chester has to deal with all of the same challenges and hurdles of making an independent restaurant work, and he was kind to share the ups and downs he's faced over early four decades. Enjoy...

Jeremiah Higgins is president of HJL Hospitality and has been in the business for thirty years, starting as a dishwashing teenager who worked his way up to GM in just over a year. Ever since, he's had a knack for finding opportunities for restaurants to grow revenue with creative ideas to turn around slow days, great training, and putting in systems and efficiencies that keep the restaurant running smooth and enable the team to focus on excellent guest experiences. Jeremiah is a high energy guy who loves the restaurant business. He was in our first Restaurant Owners Uncorked book in 2011, and it was great to find out what he's been up to since then. Enjoy...

Nick is the head brewer at The Post Brewing Company ihttps://www.postbrewing.com/boulder/. His passion for his craft and for his team is palpable, and you'll enjoy hearing from a non-owner talk about what it's like to work for a phenomenal owner and a team that is one big ole extended family at Big Red F. I was so fired up after talking to Nick! Enjoy...

Joanne Dragonowski owns several restaurants in Wisconsin with her brother and sister. The story started in 1951 when their parents opened their first place, and it continues today with four of the seven children still in the restaurant business. Joanne is very sharp, understands the business in and out, and has a clear love for the restaurant industry. We had a very enjoyable conversation, and you'll learn a lot from her during this episode. Enjoy...

A quick summary of the three episodes we have coming up this week.

Eric hosts Restaurant Unstoppable, a great podcast featuring interviews with nearly 500 restaurant owners. I loved talking to him about why he does his podcast, which he does as his full-time gig, what he's learned, and more. He's high energy and has tons of passion for independent restaurants. Enjoy...

I had a couple of quick items to share. Y'all have a great July 4th week!

I'm going to start offering my thoughts on something an owner said during an interview that struck and chord with me and stood out the next day as my biggest takeaway. These will be short, concise episodes. Enjoy...

Wow! Marcus has an absolutely amazing story, a bold philosophy, and a very authentic, intentional, passionate approach to his restaurant and the restaurant business in general. There is no room for doubt about what Marcus believes and why he believes it, an because of that there's no surprise that he and his wife Jamie have been very successful building an institution in their small town of Ellenville, NY. You can find Marcus at Aroma Thyme Bistro (http://www.aromathymebistro.com) and at Chef On a Mission (http://www.chefonamission.com). This is a MUST-listen episode if you are interested in learning from successful restaurant owners. Enjoy...

Cody is Director of Operations and co-owner of Grassburger (https://www.eatgrassburger.com), which has locations in Durango, CO and Albuquerque, NM. Cody has tremendous passion for learning and growing as manager and leads his team by example. You can't help but be inspire when listening to Cody share his philosophy for working in and running a restaurant. Great specific ideas as well as general life philosophies abound. Enjoy...

Update on new recording equipment and a new idea we have for our content. Quick and to the point...

Micheál started Jack's Prime (https://www.jacksprime.com) in 2008 and Maverick Jack's (http://www.maverickjacks.com) in 2016, and has a second Maverick Jack's opening soon. We talked about having investors and how to find the right people to be a part of your dream, finding and keeping good people in a very competitive environment in the Bay Area, business growth enabling opportunities for great team members to grow with the business, the potential pitfalls of lease negotiations, and the advantages independent restaurants have over large chains. Micheál loves what he does, and he articulates what it takes to be a restaurant owner incredibly well. Enjoy...

After eight years of interviewing restaurant owners, I have a few thoughts I wanted to share. Also, some news on where we are going with this podcast.