Restaurant

Debra Johnson, COO of M Street Entertainment Group, on hiring 1,200 people in a week at Zappos, a brutal year of loss, and rebuilding herself into The Integrated Edge.

Josh Goodman turned a crowded Baltimore bar into a 12,000-tap global operation — surviving two failed partnerships and a near-shutdown before Coca-Cola invested in PourMyBev.

Drew Nieporent, founder of Myriad Restaurant Group, on building Nobu with Robert De Niro, four decades of restaurants, and facing a health crisis head on.

Josh Zolin of Windy City Equipment shares how sixteen years as a stuntman, a studio apartment breaking point, and his father's repair business became a three-time Inc. 5000 company.

Andres Garcia built Venezuela’s first Wendy’s into 240 US locations, sold in 2024, and now builds Mr. O1 Extraordinary Pizza — deliberately, one culture-first location at a time.

Dylan McDonnell of Foodini shares how celiac disease, a corporate law career, and California's SB68 converged into a company solving the restaurant industry's allergen data problem.

Kevin Gudejko of Main Street Ventures Restaurant Group shares four decades of restaurant industry lessons, a buyout thirteen months before COVID, and $2M in annual community giving.

Luis Ginestra, CEO of the Rabbit Group, shares how he cut 15 Miami hospitality concepts to 7, doubled sales, and built a partnership model around proven global brands in one of the country's most competitive markets.

Shaun McDonald of Harri shares how restaurant operations led him to hospitality SaaS, what Fair Work Week compliance automation actually saves operators, and a cancer misdiagnosis he kept secret for years.

Brothers Kashawn and Ke Yu Chen bought Chin Chin Cafe at 19 with borrowed money. 27 years later, it’s an award-winning institution feeding schools, sponsoring teams, and hosting live sushi events.

Brad Barmore of Kin Restaurant Group shares how he built three Sonoma County restaurants on $120K, survived wildfires, evacuations, and a pandemic — and why taking care of staff first is the most profitable decision he ever made.

Stephan Harman of FUSIAN shares how Sunday sushi parties in Aspen became a 7-location Ohio chain — bootstrapped, chef-free, and built toward 100 restaurants without outside capital.