FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

Warren Rustand is the most successful human I know. Warren is a basketball hall of famer, he's served US presidents, been the CEO of 10 companies and mentor to countless CEO's and, candidly, he's been an amazing father, husband and friend. Today, Warren will give you the tactics, tools and strategies he's used to live the life of his dreams. For more on Warren or to buy his book visit https://warrenrustand.com _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the most valuable seats in your restaurant aren’t in your dining room, but in your database? Samuel Bernstein has spent the last five years proving that loyalty isn’t a punch card. It’s a revenue model. As the founder of Table 22, Sam has helped more than 1,000 operators launch subscriptions, memberships, and bundled offers that routinely generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in high-margin revenue. In this conversation, we get into why most “clubs” fail, how to design offers rooted in what guests actually care about, and how to pressure-test whether your concept has a five-figure upside or a six-figure one. We also break down his systems, marketing playbooks, and AI-powered insights that turn creativity into consistency. If you’re serious about building revenue you can forecast, and fund real growth with, this episode is your blueprint. To learn more about Table 22 and how they help restaurants build recurring revenue, visit table22.com. _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

The hardest part of ownership isn't owning the business, it's in owning the choices you've made and the impact they have on you and your team. Today, we chat with multi-million dollar culinary clothing maven, Ellen Bennett. Ellen wrote a book that's one part biography and one part action plan for aspiring entrepreneurs. In this conversation, we run though what the past 10 years has been like for Ellen, bringing to light the leadership lessons that have made her company so successful. You can pick up Ellen's new book Dreams First, Details Later at major retailers everywhere. _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What happens when you do achieve your goals but, over time, those goals don’t matter anymore? Most of us just stay the path. Alan Roth didn’t. He walked away at the height of his career, shut it all down, and spent years figuring out what actually mattered. In this conversation, we get into the courage it takes to quit, what happens when you lose your identity as an operator, and how he found his way back to our industry with a completely different lens. If you’re questioning your path—or just running on fumes—this conversation hits where it counts. To learn more about his work with The Restaurant People and their growing portfolio of concepts, visit therestaurantpeople.com. _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

For over a decade, I ran my restaurants the way I was taught to run other people's restaurants. I led my teams the way others had led me and I never questioned it. But what if you never got that education? Andrew Dana owns more than half a dozen successful restaurants and he began his journey as a restaurateur with absolutely no operational experience. He just did what he thought was right and followed his gut instincts. Today we go through how an industry outsider is challenging the way we look at our restaurants and our industry. For more information on Call Your Mother, visit https://www.callyourmotherdeli.com. _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the real reason your restaurant marketing isn’t working has nothing to do with your ads? Patrick Noone thinks most brands are solving the wrong problem. As a marketing leader at Slim Chickens, he’s watched restaurants pour money into advertising, discounts, and promotions, only to discover they still can’t clearly explain who they are or why guests should care. In this conversation, Patrick breaks down the shift from advertising to content, why most restaurants fall into the discount trap when they lack real attribution, and how strong brand positioning becomes the foundation for every campaign that actually drives traffic. If your marketing feels like throwing spaghetti at the wall, this conversation will reset how you think about growth. To learn more about Slim Chickens and how the brand is expanding its global footprint while rethinking restaurant marketing, visit slimchickens.com. _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

During our time in this industry we’ve watched countless healthy restaurant concepts go under. But today’s guest, Jeff Fenster, seems to have finally figured it out. His concept, Everbowl, has scaled massively over the last few years despite an economic downturn and a global pandemic. We sit down to discuss the strategy he used to become massively successful in a vertical that seemed destined for failure. For more information on Everbowl, visit https://www.everbowl.com/. _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the most powerful marketing channel in restaurants isn’t ads, email, or social media, but the people already influencing where your guests eat? Vince Wang believes that’s exactly the case. As the force behind Mustard, Vince is applying the discipline of performance marketing to one of the most chaotic channels in hospitality: influencer marketing. In this conversation, we get into why influencer marketing may be the most underpriced performance channel in the industry, why micro-creators often outperform celebrity influencers, and how data—real data—can turn content into predictable growth. If you’re tired of marketing that feels like guesswork, this conversation shows what happens when you start measuring what actually works. To learn more about Mustard and how they’re turning influencer marketing into a measurable performance channel for restaurants, visit mustard.love. _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

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. He’s built a reputation for himself while building awareness for his greatest passion. We discuss, what it took to inform the market, the evolution from chef to restaurateur, and the path from that restaurant to the local grocer’s freezer section. For more information on the chef and his concepts, visit https://unapizza.com/. _________________________________________________________ Today’s episode was brought to you by Loop AI. If you want better visibility and control over your delivery business while protecting your margins, find out how Loop AI can help at loopai.com. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the future of restaurants isn’t smaller, faster, and cheaper—but louder, warmer, and more human? While everyone else is shrinking footprints and racing to the bottom on price, John Tilley is rebuilding the pizza parlor. In this conversation, we unpack why he believes the future of restaurants isn’t frictionless, it’s emotional. He shares how nostalgia became strategy, why discounting is a death spiral, and what it really means to act like an owner instead of a manager with equity. If you’re wondering how to compete in a louder, leaner market, this episode is a masterclass in zigging while everyone else zags. To learn more about Shakey’s and see how they’re reimagining the classic pizza parlor experience, visit shakeys.com. _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

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 feel like they’re a part of something special. For more information on Scott and bartaco, visit ⁠https://bartaco.com/⁠. _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the reason your restaurant feels complicated… is because you never questioned the system you inherited? Angell Tsang didn’t come up in restaurants, he came up in tech. So when he got pulled into launching a Chinese takeout concept in Austin, he didn’t start with a POS, a lobby, or third-party apps. He started with a browser and a blank page. In this conversation, we get into how Angell built a cloud-based restaurant before “ghost kitchens” were a trend, why rejecting cash and eliminating legacy hardware gave him control, and how borrowing D2C marketing strategies from e-commerce unlocked predictable, data-driven growth. This is a masterclass in first principles; proof that when you stop copying the industry and start interrogating it, you can build something simpler, smarter, and far more profitable. To see how Tso Chinese Takeout built a browser-first, delivery-driven restaurant model, visit tsochinese.com _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

It’s my pleasure to interview the industry leaders of today and ask the questions we’re all thinking of. But it’s my privilege to present to you the industry thought leaders of tomorrow. Today we sit down with David Zhao, co-founder of the Chubby Group, to discuss how they’re rapidly scaling their restaurant concepts globally through innovative joint ventures and growing their fanbase by the tens of thousands using an innovative approach to loyalty programs. Buckle up because this conversation is going to leave you questioning everything you believed about how to grow a successful restaurant group. For more information on his restaurant group, visit https://chubbygroup.com/. _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the reason you’re not more profitable isn’t effort, but clarity on what to fix next? As CEO of Lavu and the force behind Marty, an AI layer built for operators, Saleem isn’t interested in prettier dashboards or yesterday’s reports. He’s focused on something far more dangerous—and far more valuable: telling you exactly what to fix today to put more cash in your bank account tomorrow. In this conversation, we get into why POS is already commoditized, why most data tools create the illusion of control, and how AI can surface the three decisions that actually move the needle. If you’re tired of tracking problems instead of solving them, this conversation is your wake-up call. To learn more about Lavu, visit lavu.com. _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

Running a successful restaurant is one thing; scaling that success globally while maintaining exceptional quality and culture is another. Today, I’m sitting down with Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chão, to discuss how this iconic brand continues to redefine the dining experience. From bringing a centuries-old culinary art to the forefront, to innovating service models that delight guests and empower employees, Barry shares the blueprint for building a thriving restaurant group. If you’re ready to rethink how to grow your business without losing its soul, this conversation is a must. For more information on Fogo de Chão and their unique dining experiences, visit https://fogodechao.com. _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if your restaurant wasn’t just a place to eat, but a world people stepped into to feel something? Brandon Hoy didn’t set out to build a pizza place, he set out to create a party, a refuge, a piece of living art in a neighborhood hungry for connection. As co-founder of Roberta’s, he tapped into timing, tribe, and a radical commitment to craft to turn a scrappy Bushwick pizzeria into a cultural institution. In this conversation, we get into why community beats marketing, how mythology makes brands magnetic, and why defining what your restaurant means matters more than what it serves. Brandon breaks down the tension between consistency and evolution, and why the brands that survive are the ones willing to move with the wind. If you’re building more than a menu—if you’re building a movement—this conversation is for you. To learn more about Roberta’s and explore what they’re building next, visit robertaspizza.com. _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

Most restaurateurs build concepts around a menu or a chef. Justin Cucci built Edible Beats around a philosophy—one that’s challenged conventional wisdom and redefined what restaurant success looks like. From turning historic spaces into thriving concepts to pioneering an employee-owned business model, Justin has proven that restaurants can be both financially sustainable and deeply meaningful. In this episode, we dig into why he bet on an ESOP model, how he scaled without losing soul, and what the next decade of restaurant leadership should look like. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow without compromising your values, this conversation is for you. To learn more about Edible Beats and how they’re reshaping restaurant culture, visit https://www.ediblebeats.com. _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses. In this episode, I talk about one of the biggest bottlenecks in restaurant leadership. When your team constantly comes to you with problems but no solutions, you become the ceiling of your business. If everything runs through you, growth slows down fast. I break down what I call the 1-3-1 rule, a simple framework that trains your team to think critically instead of outsourcing decisions upward. When someone brings a problem, they also bring one clear issue, three possible solutions, and one recommendation. This shifts your culture from dependency to ownership. We also dig into how better communication and operational discipline create faster decision making and stronger leaders inside your restaurant. If you want a team that solves problems without waiting on you, this is where you start. Takeaways Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Restaurant Challenges 02:33 The 1-3-1 Rule for Problem Solving 05:23 Empowering Your Team to Think Independently If you’ve got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at josh@joshkopel.com and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.

What if the restaurants you admire most were never meant to be copied? Alex Pfaffenbach came up inside some of the most celebrated dining rooms in the world—Eleven Madison Park, The NoMad, Quality Branded—where ambition was massive and the standards were unforgiving. He saw what happens when lightning strikes. He also learned that lightning isn’t a business model. In this conversation, we break down the difference between managing a restaurant and owning one, why being busy doesn’t mean being profitable, and how timing, capital, and emotional resilience shape long-term success. Alex shares how he blended world-class hospitality with commercial discipline to build Marquette and Argyle without chasing anomalies. If you’re building something that has to last, and not just impress, this episode will recalibrate how you think about growth. To learn more about Marquette and Argyle and follow Alex’s journey as an independent operator, visit marketterestaurant.com. _________________________________________________________ Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff. Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

Success in the restaurant industry is as much about grit as it is about vision, and few people embody both quite like Peter Newlin. As Chief Vision Officer of the Gastamo Group, Peter has transformed small neighborhood restaurants into a multi-concept hospitality group, all while championing the power of focus and community-driven dining. In today’s conversation, we explore Peter’s journey from outdoor enthusiast to restaurant innovator, his vision for disrupting suburban dining, and the critical role of AI and intentionality in shaping the future of hospitality. If you’ve ever wondered how to build a thriving business while staying grounded, this episode is for you. For more information on the Gastamo Group and their innovative concepts, visit https://www.gastamogroup.com. _________________________________________________________ Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com