FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

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 restaurant life into a joyful exercise that anyone can emulate. Today we sit down to discuss how in prioritizing her own happiness, she found a shortcut to success. For more information on Nikita and her restaurant, visit https://www.zzsicecreampuffs.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 future of the bar industry. For more on Kevin and his bar, visit ​​https://www.threedotschicago.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 competitive and ever-changing market. For more information on the chef and his restaurants, visit https://www.elchechicago.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 of a perfect LTO and how to get the most bang for our buck when it comes to marketing that offer. For more information on Becca and Craveworthy Brands, visit https://www.craveworthybrands.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 our conversation he unpacks the steps to scaling successfully and the mistakes to avoid along the way. For more information on Naf Naf Grill, visit https://www.nafnafgrill.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 the tools he’s leveraged to become a jack of all trades in the trade industry. For more on Obie and his restaurant group, visit https://www.vinehospitality.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 this industry is evolving and the things we can do in our restaurants today to ensure we evolve with it. For more information on Mistie and her company, visit https://eyespycc.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 all wished we could have. In our conversation, Dave discusses how MABEL is changing the game for operators today and the roadmap for how he intends to transform our industry tomorrow. For more information on Dave, BYOD, and MABEL, visit https://byod.ai/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 shares the path that led to his success, his potential demise, and the new path he’s set for the future. For more information on the chef and his restaurant, visit https://www.kindlingchicago.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 relevant today as he was when Michelin first came to town. For more information on the chef and his restaurants, visit https://chefandrewzimmerman.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 scale up regardless of market conditions by focusing on storytelling and precise targeting. For more information on Justin and Wing It On, visit https://www.wingiton.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 Margins, giving you the tools you need to scale your per customer average spend and increase perceived value for your restaurant. Day 3: You’ll learn how to Scale Income by optimizing your floor plan and turn times, serving more guests better and faster. Day 4: You’ll learn how to Diversify Revenue by scaling Event and Catering business through our proven outbound strategy. Day 5: You’ll learn how to Scale Awareness and Customer Frequency creating a flood of new and repeat customers without spending one dollar on ads. Space is limited. Go to www.joshkopel.com to register today.

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 masterclass in world class marketing. For more information on Neal, visit https://www.nealfoard.com/. Show Notes Bumpers ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 loyal followers simply by sharing his life in the most compelling way imaginable. In this epic two part conversation we discuss the essential elements of a great story and how you can put it together to scale awareness and loyalty for your restaurant brand. For more information on Neal, visit https://www.nealfoard.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 in, there’s now hope for all of us. Today we sit down with Darshak Mehta of Analytix, an offshore Advisory firm changing the face of our industry by providing great restaurants with the information and support they need. We discuss the path to profitability for their restaurant clients and the steps you can take today to achieve the same results. For more information on Analytix, visit https://www.analytix.com/industries/restaurants/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 strategies he developed over decades to transform his restaurant family into a high performance team. You can pick up his book, Every Leader Needs Followers, wherever books are sold. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 on Ellen and her restaurant group, visit https://highsthospitality.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 discuss how to build these valuable relationships and how to leverage them for the greater good. For more information on the chef and his restaurant, visit https://www.thematheson.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 revisited: personal growth is professional growth. To check out her book look for Overcome and Lead wherever books are sold. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars

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 environments in the world. Jarad sits down to share how they’ve overcome these obstacles and many more to thrive and expand stateside. For more information on the chef and his restaurant, visit https://oceanclubstbarths.com/. ____________________________________________________ Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time. We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content: Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts Restaurant expert videos & webinars