Best Josh Kopel Podcasts (2024)

1
Francesco Zimone on importing and scaling a prolific restaurant brand 38:43

9h ago38:43

38:43

On paper it seems like a no brainer…simply take one of the most famous restaurant brands in Italy and open it in the United States. What could go wrong? Just months into Francesco Zimone opening L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Hollywood the global pandemic hit. Leveraged to the hilt, Francesco set about creating a comeback so epic it could have bee…

1
Cody Pruitt on the business plan for a blockbuster restaurant 36:07

4h ago36:07

36:07

While so many of us spent the pandemic scrambling, Cody Pruitt spend that time planning. Cody is literally the only first time restaurateur I know that opened a restaurant in a major city and managed to adhere to the plan. Today we sit down to discuss how to build and stick to a restaurant business plan and how he managed to blow his revenue target…

1
Scott Lawton on the blueprint for becoming a restaurant lifestyle brand 35:07

2d ago35:07

35:07

You walk into a restaurant and it just makes sense. It all feels right…the decor, the menus, the music and you know that they’re selling more than a meal, it’s a lifestyle. Today we sit down with Scott Lawton, the co-founder of bartaco, to discuss the foundational elements of the bartaco brand and how those elements come together to make the guest …

1
Bob Spivak on building a Hollywood hotspot and scaling it nationally 35:07

3h ago35:07

35:07

Do you feel like you should be further along in your career–that you should be more successful than you are today? Had you met Bob Spivak at 39 years old, you probably wouldn’t have thought much of him but, in his 40’s, he would go on to create one of the most prolific restaurant brands in Hollywood and then scale it nationally. Today, we sit down …

1
Michael Ungaro on what it takes to run a profitable 3,000 seat restaurant 38:56

5d ago38:56

38:56

San Pedro Fish Market is one of the highest-grossing independent restaurants in the US. Once we’ve taken a moment for that to sink in, we need to talk about how it became one of the highest-grossing independent restaurants in America. To have that conversation, we’re sitting down with Michael Ungaro, San Pedro’s CEO to discuss how narrowing focus a…

1
Andrew Glantz on harnessing the power of “cause-marketing” 34:14

4d ago34:14

34:14

I have yet to come across an independent restaurant owner that didn’t open their restaurant to better serve their community. But things get tricky when we try to get granular. We all aspire to serve our communities but with tight margins and low profits, most of us struggle to fulfill our lofty goals around community impact. Enter Andrew Glantz of …

1
Luke Reyes on how narrowing focus leads to profitable restaurants 35:39

7d ago35:39

35:39

Chef Luke Reyes is a master of mastery. I’ve worked with Luke in the past and I’ve followed his career as he’s worked to reinvent himself and contemporary cuisines over the last almost two decades. We’re both a bit older and wiser and today we sit down to discuss what’s worked and what hasn’t over the course of our careers. This is a masterclass in…

1
Hamed Mazrouei on transforming your POS data into a marketing machine 38:28

11d ago38:28

38:28

Today is a great day because today I got to sit down with my friend, Hamed. There are so many things that I love about this guys but–above all others–Hamed is relentless. In another life, I’m sure he was a prolific restaurateur. In this life, he’s a technologist and an entrepreneur working to solve the foundational issues within our industry. Today…

1
Jack Sanders on building a raving fans 34:21

14d ago34:21

34:21

Most days we’re talking about food and beverage. Today we’re talking about baseball. Enter Jack Sanders, an entrepreneur who answers the question “What if the movie Field of Dreams was a person?” We’re discussing what it took to build community and a baseball field in his own backyard and the lessons we can learn as restaurateurs about creating rav…

1
Weesie Newton on how to truly step away from day to day operations 37:00

19d ago37:00

37:00

Today you’re going to hear about how a first time restaurateur not only built a profitable business but also set it up so that she could move across the country for three years and have it operate seamlessly without her. It wasn’t all roses but Weesie Newton sits down today to share the path that led her to the restaurant industry, her departure fr…

1
Brandon Boudet on mastering second generation concepts 35:40

22d ago35:40

35:40

It’s hard enough to open our own restaurant concepts. It takes a creative mind to reimagine someone else’s concept and breathe new life into a tired old restaurant. Today we sit down with Chef and restaurateur Brandon Boudet to discuss how on more than one occasion, he’s taken ownership of a money pit and transformed it into a cash cow. As it turns…

1
Follow These Steps to Scale Your Restaurant 3:19

26d ago3:19

3:19

Sign up for this next week's 5-Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting ⁠www.joshkopel.com⁠ Here's a Preview of the Amazing Stuff You’ll Learn: Day 1: You’ll learn the 3 Keys to Profitability that scale your restaurant’s cash flow without increasing your expenses so that you can stop worrying about money. Day 2: You’ll learn how to Master…

1
Kassady Wiggins & Sammy Monsour on scoring a lucrative cookbook deal 35:59

1M ago35:59

35:59

The band is back together. Today, we sit down with my old partners in crime from my restaurant group, Executive Chef Sammy Monsour and Beverage Director Kassady Wiggins. We’re discussing how to score a lucrative cookbook deal, what we would do differently if we could start all over again, and how to create a company culture so amazing, employees fl…

1
Sujan Sarkar on elevating cultural cuisine for the masses 33:10

1M ago33:10

33:10

What does it take to win a Michelin star in the midst of a global pandemic? It’s easy to look at Chef Sujan Sakar’s success today and see a charmed life but this is a man who has paid his dues. Sujan spent decades traveling the globe to hone his craft. Today we sit down to discuss how a broad education led him right back to the cuisine that he grew…

1
Anthony Mangieri on the path from restaurants to the grocery aisle 40:02

1M ago40:02

40:02

It feels like it would be glamorous to be a pioneer of a new cuisine in a new city but rarely does that translate into success. It’s hard enough to sell something someone has heard of before. Today we sit down with the exception to the rule. Chef Anthony Mangieri is almost singularly responsible for the introduction of neapolitan pizza to New York.…

1
Duke Harten on how to go viral on social media 36:56

2M ago36:56

36:56

Before he was repping underwear for Shinesty on social media, Duke Harten was repping wine at a local Los Angeles restaurant. Today, with millions of views under his belt, Duke seems to have cracked the code for viral marketing online. Today we sit down to discuss the formula he’s developed for Shinesty’s social media success and how we can leverag…

1
Hunter Evans on winning awards without losing yourself 35:48

2M ago35:48

35:48

I can’t tell you how many folks reach out to me with struggling businesses. Interestingly enough, they’re not interested in learning how to run a better business, they’re interested in learning how to win awards. Something as significant as a Michelin star or as simple as a James Beard Nomination can mean the difference between a busy dining room a…

1
Zachary Engel on building a high performance team 35:31

2M ago35:31

35:31

Building a restaurant is hard. Building a high performance team to work in that restaurant is harder. Today we sit down with chef/owner Zach Engel to talk about how the culture he grew up in informed the culture of his company. We discuss the merits of mutual investment, how to hire correctly, and how to create a company culture so pervasive that y…

1
Rosalie Guillem on the growth strategy from one to 67 locations 38:20

2M ago38:20

38:20

There’s power in focus and I can’t provide a better example of how that power translates to success than Rosalie Guillem. She took a simple cookie and turned it into a national brand. Today we sit down to discuss how she’s methodically grown this focused brand over the years and the decisions she’s made that directly led to her meteoric success. Fo…

1
Renee Guilbault on transforming your restaurant career 38:12

2M ago38:12

38:12

Your employees deserve a career they can get excited about, and so do you. Today we sit down with Renee Guilbault, an industry expert, to discuss how intention, modeling, and roadmapping can give us a clear path forward for ourselves and our teams. As it turns out, a clear vision of the future reveals the path to get there. Pick up Renee’s book A T…

1
Tomer Blechman on the path from chef to entrepreneur 36:34

2M ago36:34

36:34

If only knowing how to cook was enough to guarantee success as a restaurant owner…In today’s competitive environment, our industry requires excellence in both menu development and business strategy but I have yet to find a school that teaches both. Those that make it, like Tomer Belchman, pick up culinary skills in culinary school and business skil…

1
Fabio Viviani on crafting a concept guaranteed to succeed 35:57

2M ago35:57

35:57

The pandemic taught many of us many different lessons but it taught Chef Fabio Vivani how to fight back. The chef spent the years rebounding from the pandemic curating a concept that he believes is not only recession proof, it’s pandemic proof. Today we sit down to discuss the formula he’s crafted for guaranteed success so that we too can protect o…

1
Nikita Seal on the joyful path to restaurant success 35:08

2M ago35:08

35:08

Nikita Seal shares many qualities with the average restaurateur. She’s smart, hard working, and focused on serving her guests to the best of her ability. But there’s one quality that makes her stand about amongst the rest: she’s one of the happiest people I’ve ever met. Nikita has cracked the code on how to transform the day to day grind of restaur…

1
Kevin Beary on how to create an iconic bar program 35:42

3M ago35:42

35:42

You may not know Kevin by name but you definitely know Kevin’s work. As Beverage Director of Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago, Kevin has helmed a cultural revolution in Tiki cocktails over the last decade. Today we sit down to discuss the essential elements of an iconic beverage program, the value in a blockbuster non alcoholic offering, and the fu…

1
John Manion on succeeding in a major market 35:24

3M ago35:24

35:24

Two decades in our industry would equate to 80 in any other industry so there’s something to be said for getting to the top and staying there. Today we chat with John Manion, a chef who has dominated the Chicago dining scene for almost 20 years. We sit down to discuss the long road to the top and what’s required to maintain relevance in a competiti…

1
Becca McIntyre on the right way to launch a limited time offer 32:31

3M ago32:31

32:31

There’s an art to creating a perfect limited time offer. It has as much to do with the offering as it does with the messaging around the offering. Becca McIntyre of Craveworthy Brands is an LTO expert, having created an endless series of limited time offers for the biggest brands in the country. Today she sits down to discuss the essential elements…

1
Greg Willman on how to create the next big franchise 35:37

3M ago35:37

35:37

Rarely do we open a restaurant without the aspiration to open many. Sure luck plays a role but there are some folks out there that seem to have the secret to scaling. Today we sit down with Greg Willman, an investor and restaurateur who, after becoming the largest Qdoba franchisee in the world, has set his sights on dominating with a new brand. In …

1
Obadiah "Obie" Ostergard on the evolution in mindset from chef to restaurateur 37:01

3M ago37:01

37:01

I’ll be the first one to say that if you’re looking to achieve greatness in our industry, focus is the key. Today’s guest, Obie Ostergard, may just prove me wrong. A trained chef turned operations guru, Obie has mastered the hardest parts of our industry in both front and back of house. In our conversation Obie unpacks the lessons he’s learned and …

1
Mistie Boulton on the risks and rewards of dynamic pricing 38:10

3M ago38:10

38:10

Misite Boulton has had the inside track on our industry for years. As a consultant and secret shopping agency, she’s seen the best and worst that our industry has to offer. Her vantagepoint also gives her the ability to see trendlines in our industry that wouldn’t be readily obvious without such a large client base. Today we sit down to discuss how…

1
David Dittenber on AI's Game-Changing Role in Restaurants 41:37

3M ago41:37

41:37

All anyone wants to talk about today is AI and the way that it’s going to change our industry in the future, but I find it nearly impossible to see how it’s impacting day to day operations today. That’s why I called my friend and fellow restaurateur Dave Dittenber to discuss his latest project MABEL. MABEL is the assistant we deserve and that we’ve…

1
Jonathon Sawyer the keys to sustainable success 35:00

3M ago35:00

35:00

There’s this old curse I remember hearing when I was younger, “May you get what you wish for.” What if you do get it all…the locations, the accolades, the attention and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be? Then what? Today we sit down with celebrity chef and restaurateur Jonathon Sawyer to discuss what happens when our dreams become reality. He shar…

1
Andrew Zimmerman on how patience can be a competitive advantage 36:52

4M ago36:52

36:52

Chef Andrew Zimmerman has been a fixture in Chicago’s fine dining scene for almost two decades now. In his quiet pursuit of excellence he has collected a lifetime's worth of Michelin stars, forgetting the dozens of other accolades. We sat down today to discuss what has set him apart from his competitive set and the strategies he’s used to be as rel…

1
Justin Egan on creating a scalable restaurant brand 36:18

4M ago36:18

36:18

In my humble opinion, the world has enough restaurants. What the world lacks are new ideas and, sometimes those ideas manifest themselves in the form of a new restaurant concept. Today we sit down with Justin Egan of Wing It On to discuss the big ideas behind the blockbuster brand. Justin walks us through the step by step strategy they’ve used to s…

1
The Secrets to Growth & Scale 3:19

4M ago3:19

3:19

Sign up for this month's 5-Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting www.joshkopel.com Here's a Preview of the Amazing Stuff You’ll Learn: Day 1: You’ll learn the 3 Keys to Profitability that scale your restaurant’s cash flow without increasing your expenses so that you can stop worrying about money. Day 2: You’ll learn how to Master Margi…

1
Neal Foard on the Art of Crafting an Irresistible Brand Story (Part 2) 43:25

4M ago43:25

43:25

This is where the conversation turns actionable. We sit down again with master storyteller, Neal Foard, as he walks us through the step by step process he uses to craft stories that resonate. We discuss the essential elements of virality and how to build those elements into the stories we tell. Grab a pen and get ready to take notes, this is a mast…

1
Neal Foard on the Art of Crafting an Irresistible Brand Story (Part 1) 45:53

4M ago45:53

45:53

What is great marketing? If we distill it down to its simplest form, it’s great storytelling. But, for most of us, there’s hesitation in putting ourselves out there. What would we talk about? Who would care? Today we sit down with master storyteller, Neal Foard, a marketing executive turned social media guru who’s collected close to half a million …

1
Darshak Mehta on the Fast Track to Scaling Profitability 41:01

4M ago41:01

41:01

For most of us, our career as restaurateurs is defined by making due with what we can afford. Sure it would be fantastic to bring on a Chief Financial Officer, a director of HR, and a day to day bookkeeper, providing real time analysis of our restaurants, but who can afford all of that? Well, through the internet and this globalized world we live i…

1
Jason Brookes on the Daily Habits of Exceptional Leaders 41:50

4M ago41:50

41:50

You are not what you say you are. You are what you do on a daily basis. So if you want to be a great leader, you must act like a great leader. But what does that look like in practical application? Today we find out. We’re sitting down with Jason Brooks, famed multiunit operator, to discuss his path to leadership and the tactics, tools, and strateg…

1
Ellen Yin on Building an Unbreakable Restaurant Culture 33:35

4M ago33:35

33:35

I believe restaurants have always had a pervasive culture, albeit at times not the healthiest culture. Restaurateur Ellen Yin is out to change that and she’s leading by example. Today we sit down to discuss her unorthodox path through the industry and how in breaking the mold, she’s developed the formula to heal our industry. For more information o…

1
Dustin Valette on unlocking success through powerful partnerships 37:19

4M ago37:19

37:19

I think we’ve seen in recent years that we get further faster when we work together. Few individuals exemplify this ideology more than chef Dustin Valette. Through strategic partnership, the chef has managed to grow a profitable restaurant, a successful wine brand, and contribute greatly to his community and our industry. Today we sit down to discu…

1
Anne Beiler on mastering leadership skills to change your life 36:19

4M ago36:19

36:19

Three words for you: global pretzel empire. Today we’re chatting Anne Beiler, the founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and the author of the book Overcome and Lead. We sit down to discuss the best practices she honed while scaling this company and the lessons she learned along the way. Time and time again, we keep hearing the same foundational idea re…

1
Jarad McCaroll on the art of luxury dining 33:27

5M ago33:27

33:27

The hurdles we must overcome to be successful as restaurateurs are daunting at best, but what does it look like in the most extreme cases? Today we chat with Chef Jarad McCaroll of the Ocean Club located in the Caribbean Islands. With stiff competition, high expenses, and scarce resources this is easily one of the most challenging restaurant enviro…

1
Florian Pfahler on transforming the world through a clear mission and vision 38:11

5M ago38:11

38:11

Can a sandwich save the world? Today we chat with Hannah’s Bretzel founder Florian Pfahler who’s setting the standard for green operation in our industry. With more than half a dozen restaurant’s under his belt, Florian proves that it’s possible to scale sustainably. Today we discuss the path to profitability and sustainability as he’s scaled from …

1
How to Scale to a 15% Net Profit in 5 Days 2:16

5M ago2:16

2:16

You probably listen to this show, hear the success stories, and wonder, "Could that be me?" Yes, it absolutely can be you. I'm inviting you to join me for the FREE 5-Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge, beginning April 22nd to unlock the simplest path to scaling your restaurant’s profitability. This is for every restaurateur who's tired of being…

1
Stephen Ronnow on building a thriving community of restaurateurs 37:30

5M ago37:30

37:30

We’re better together. As an industry, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish if we work in collaboration with each other. But who’s going to be the hero that brings us together? In Orange County, California, that hero’s name is Stephen Ronnow. Stephen is the creator of the Restaurant Executive’s Luncheon, a monthly invitation-only event that brings t…

1
Gocha Hawkins on building a personal brand to scale a restaurant empire 35:22

5M ago35:22

35:22

For those of you that know Gocha Hawkins, the first thing that probably comes to mind is fashion. As a celebrity stylist and reality TV star, Gocha made a name for herself styling the rich and famous. In recent years, she’s turned her attention to the hospitality industry, launching a breakfast concept in Atlanta, Georgia. For most, this would have…

1
Jonathan Morse on scaling restaurant event sales 40:07

5M ago40:07

40:07

In any industry but, especially in ours, it’s vital to control the controllables. For most of us, sales is not one of the things we can control or even influence. But what if we could? Today we’re sitting down with Jonathan Morse, founder of TripleSeat, an event management software helping restaurant owners scale sales and create predictable revenu…

1
John Currence on creating a legacy brand 31:43

5M ago31:43

31:43

Chef John Currence did not set out to build an empire when he opened his first restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi but that’s what happened. John is a guy a lot like us. He built one concept, then two, then three in a very linear way over time. Then can Big Bad Breakfast. This is a restaurant that John launched for $65,000 and it became a national br…

1
David Lawrence on charting a successful career as a chef 35:16

5M ago35:16

35:16

Chef David Lawrence has paved the way for anyone with culinary aspirations to follow. He’s worked in some of the best restaurants in the world and he’s opened successful restaurants of his own. David has accomplished this with a smile on his face the whole time, avoiding the overwhelm and the melancholy so closely tied to leadership positions withi…

1
Candace Macdonald and Andrew Freeman on 2024 industry trends 36:48

5M ago36:48

36:48

Do you ever wish you had a crystal ball that could tell you what your customers will care about in the future? Candace Macdonald and Andrew Freeman have built that crystal ball. Today they run us through their 2024 industry trends report so that we can stay ahead of the curve and at the forefront of our guests minds. To download the industry trends…

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