Restaurant Owners Uncorked - By Schedulefly

In this episode of Restaurant Owners Uncorked, Wil talks with restaurateur-turned-coach Josh Kopel about his journey from running highly successful, Michelin-rated restaurants in Los Angeles to how he ultimately transitioned to teaching profitability and marketing. Kopel emphasizes that hospitality is fundamentally about people, not products, and that lasting success requires a servant’s heart, resilience, and a willingness to embrace failure as a teacher. Their conversation explores the grind of restaurant ownership, the importance of clarity in brand storytelling, the danger of “scope creep” in menus or features, and why businesses must focus on benefits over features. Kopel also shares his philosophy of teaching everything he knows through a free masterclass, his use of AI as an “executive” assistant, and his mission to give more back to the industry than he takes.Key Takeaways Hospitality as performance art — Kopel discovered the industry young, viewing the bar as a stage and service as a performance.