Restaurant

Matt Winn shares his journey from Orlando sushi concerts and serendipitous brief encounters to dual CEO role at Maple Hospitality and Arrive, leading 1200-person Cushman Wakefield team, launching Elysian Hotels during 2009 crisis, and expanding top-grossing restaurants to Boston and New York.

https://youtu.be/8mbuR9D9cBc 🎙️ From 15-Year-Old Pearl of the Orient Server to Worker-Owned Co-Op Leader: Grace Corbin's Journey at 40-Year-Old Casa Nueva In this inspiring episode, Grace Corbin, co-owner and vice presi...

Derek Sorrells shares how he built eight businesses with ten locations in Wichita by observing concepts in bigger cities, learning that hobbies cost money while businesses make money, and discovering that scaling from two to three stores feels exponentially harder without systems.

Chef William Milian shares escaping Cuba 1994 on 20-foot boat with seven others spending year and a half Guantanamo Bay, arriving Miami 1996 Japanese restaurant dishwashing sparked passion, Le Cordon Bleu 15-month sprint wife Isabel 5 AM support becoming summa cum laude, opening Hyatt Centric executive chef creating elevated Cuban restaurant Canya.

Rachael Nemeth, CEO of Opus Training, shares her journey from restaurant operations to building TikTok-style training platform serving 110 million frontline workers, burning desktop-built systems to ground, and tracking shoulder-to-shoulder learning moments across retail, QSR, and universities.

Laurent Vrignaud shares journey from 18-year-old windsurfer to Burton Snowboards super-rep to Nixon Watches co-founder to opening Moulin at age 50—now 8 authentic Parisian cafés serving 3,000 daily customers, revealing why fear is fuel and authenticity is non-negotiable.

Laura Dunlap shares her journey from personal struggles to leading HR at Tumble 22, revealing how inclusive culture and human connection drive success in Austin's competitive restaurant scene.

Kim Halloran, Managing Partner at Capital Grille, shares 30 years of hospitality leadership including mentorship transforming struggling employee into successful lawyer and child advocacy work.

Craig Bernstein shares journey from 10-year-old writing "Restaurant Entrepreneur" reports after Madison Square Garden floor seats to founding Doc B's honoring late father, pivoting fast-casual to full-service, surviving corporate chef ghost, and meeting Wendy Thomas discussing Number Six sandwich homage.

Carl Bachmann, President and COO of Riko's Pizza, shares his 30-year restaurant industry journey, near-death COVID experience, and how he's building a national tavern-style pizza chain through servant leadership and strategic growth principles.

In this inspiring episode, Eric Soller, founder of Old Scratch Pizza, shares his transformation from ITW corporate marketing director to successful restaurateur building a multi-location pizza empire in Ohio.

In this inspiring episode, Dan Simpson, CEO of Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, shares his unconventional path from healthcare technology to leading a 109-location restaurant chain dedicated to authentic Mediterranean cuisine and elevated hospitality.