846: Ben Goldberg Co-founder & CEO of Strategic Hospitality
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
How Long Was Bar 23 Open?
When bar 23 opened, it was in the gulch in nashville. The streets weren't paved. It was gravel roads. They were in the process of putting all the utilities underground. Five years later, that entire neighborhood changed dramatically. We also opened up a live music venu called city hall. And so we had the opportunity to sell our lease and get out of that. But at the end of the day, i think what auston and i decide was like that brand, that bar 23 and city hall, wit something so special to us that we couldn't think of letting some one else run it or just risk moving it.
With excitement allow me to introduce to you today's guest Co-founder and Co-owner of Strategic Hospitality, Benjamin Goldberg. Strategic Hospitality, co-founded with his brother, Max Goldberg, is a Nashville-based hospitality company shaping the city's dining landscape by continuously introducing innovative, one-of-a-kind concepts. Properties include Paradise Park Trailer Resort, The Patterson House, Merchants Restaurant, The Catbird Seat, Pinewood, The Band Box, Bastion, Henrietta Red, Downtown Sporting Club, and Locust. Strategic Hospitality also provides consulting and management services to other hospitality groups. Founded in 2006, Strategic Hospitality has experienced steady growth annually and continues to revolutionize the dining scene.
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In today's episode with Ben Goldberg we will discuss:
- Opening your first restaurant at 23
- Early mentors
- Advice on getting investors
- Transparency
- Forced to learn because you are undercapitalized
- Location
- Being stubborn early in your career
- Deliver a product worth going out of the way for
- Going into business with family
- Ego
- Giving up control
- The importance of asking your team what they want
- Setting quarterly and annual goals
- Evolving operations
- Tech stacks
- Implementing Toast POS
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Knowledge bombs
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Hard work
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Not delegating enough
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- A good person
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Ramping up multiple restaurants at the same time
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Make people happy
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Go above and beyond
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- Rest
- Name one service you've hired.
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenced operations?
- Toast POS
- If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
- Be honest
- Be kind
- Surround yourself with amazing people
Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you'd like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
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Huge thanks to Benjamin Goldberg for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!
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