Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

In this episode, we bring back past guest, Business Manager of Bar Mezzana, Jefferson Macklin, and business partner, Executive Chef, Colin Lynch. When Jefferson first came on the show (episode 228) he and his partners, Colin and Heather Lynch, were in the build-out stage of opening their restaurant, Bar Mezzana. Jefferson, Colin, and Heather all worked with the Barbara Lynch Gruppo, out of Boston, MA. In 2015 they decided to break out and pave their own path. We discuss what Jefferson, Colin, and Heather did that made the opening go well, getting experts to take care of the details, how to resign gracefully when breaking out on your own, why this location stood out to Chef Lynch, how they raised the money, the importance of practicing your pitch, what being a servant leaders looks like during an opening, how to keep your team as motivated as they were on day one, removing those who bring the rest of your team down, the impact of having a tight partnership, sharing your financials with the team, and educating the guest on the cost of serving them right. At the Helm with a combined 30 years of experience in the hospitality business, Colin and Heather Lynch, along with Jefferson Macklin worked together at Barbara Lynch Gruppo for eight years before realizing their dream of opening a restaurant of their own. All three share a passion for creating an amazing dining experience rooted in exceptional hospitality. Most recently, Colin was the Executive Chef for Barbara Lynch Gruppo, while Jefferson served as the President and Chief Operating Officer. Today, Colin, Heather, and Jefferson are the Co-Owners of Bar Mezzana location in Boston's South End.

In this episode, we discuss what makes Erik Shellenberger an authority on the topic of marketing, and we cover the 5 areas you're most likely to find your next NEW customer: word-of-mouth, reviews, search engine optimization, social media, and others. We also discuss the power in paying for a mentor and spending money to make money. Erik Shellenberger is the founder of Bar Marketing Basics where he teaches bar and restaurant owners how to improve their online presence and bring in new customers.

In this episode with Donnie Madia, we discuss the power of collaboration, knowing your strengths, attracting onto yourself those who are strong where you're weak, taking the ideas of others and tweaking them to make them your own, no one person being greater than the whole, having a will to succeed, How Madia and his business partners got the money to start Blackbird, how to attract greatness onto yourself, What makes a successful partnership, the importance of finding the right real estate deal, opening restaurant close to each other, and the power of masterminding. Chicago-born, Donnie Madia got his first lessons in hospitality by observing his mother and aunt caring for and serving guests in their home. It is said that Donnie has mastered the art of collaboration, and is gifted with the ability to see and connect talent. Today, Madia serves as co-founder of One Off Hospitality Group In Chicago IL and has received 5 James Beard Awards acknowledge his work.

In this episode, we discuss how Jen Pelka got her start in the industry, how you got to "fake it till you make it", how to create opportunity for yourself by creating positions, the power of side hustles, having great connections, networking, how to get people to like you, summarizing your brand, picking one thing and being the best at it, focusing on what you're good at, surrounding yourself with those who are good at what you're bad at, using a cause to appeal to investors, hiring with the same vision, and using branded visuals. After a decade of experience leading branded events, influencer marketing, content strategy, and media relations in-house at OpenTable, Gilt Taste, Tumblr, Chef Daniel Boulud's iconic Restaurant DANIEL,m Jen Pelka launched Magnum PR in 2015. This past January, Jen took all of her experience helping other restaurants succeed and put it into opening her own restaurant and champagne bar, The Riddler, located in San Francisco, CA.

In this episode with Ian Boden, we discuss the power of gathering and sharing knowledge, how this industry is filled with misfits- which makes it awesome, why abusing your mind and body needs to be a way of the past, correcting processes not people, taking ownership of your people falling short, why Chef Boden needed time away from the kitchen, what brought Chef Boden back to the kitchen, why you need to learn the entire business before opening your restaurant, why Chef Boden's first restaurant failed, knowing the #'s, the importance of your reputation, getting everyone in your restaurant aligned, how to get your people to "drink the Kool-Aid", leading by example, the value of intent, doing what you say you're going to do, learning from your failures, doing market research, and how to set yourself up for financial success Originating from Northern Virginia, Chef Ian Boden got his start at the early age of 13 working in a local French restaurant. He would continue his culinary education at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont before making his way to New York City, where he stayed until 2007. Back in his home state, Ian made a go at a number of ventures earning national acclaim and 2 James Beard Nomination for "Best Chef Mid-Atlantic" in the process. In 2013, Boden opened his community focused, casual dining restaurant The Shack, and has been crushing it ever since.

In this episode, how Jenny Peterson got her start as a baker, getting work experience before opening your own restaurant, learning what not to do from previous experiences, being a strategic/calculated risk taker, making it fun, honesty, values, trusting your gut, make the most of the slow time, scaling into your vision by taking it slow and steady, the impact colors have on your brand imaging, knowing your lane, asking "are you willing before making all decisions, checking your ego at the door, not correcting people; correcting processes, the impact of doing what you love, knowing and sharing your why. It all began with an Easy Bake Oven. From an early age, Jenny had her hand in whatever her mother was baking. she graduated from the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, then interned in one of the most successful bakeries in Paris, "Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Lohezic." Upon arriving back to Charlottesville, Jenny worked at the Boar's Head Inn, then soon after she continued to pursue her pastry dreams. Today she is the Chef-Owner of Paradox Pastry Cafe located in Charlottesville, VA.

In this episode, we discuss the path Charles Bililies took to get to where he is today, the value of working both FOH and BOH to get the "big picture", how Charles landed a job for Thomas Keller straight out of college, creating your own luck, getting out what you put in, the power of your network, lessons learned from Thomas Keller and Michael Mina, attention to detail, open book finances, creating a company of leaders, doing one thing and doing it well, why planning a restaurant is a full-time job, how Charles raised the money for Souvla, the importance of being scrappy, clarity in identity, doing few things really well, promoting from within, how to motivate your team, when you know it is time to scale, valueing your people, and promoting from within. Charles Bililies attended Johnson and Wales University and Cornell University where he studied Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management. After finishing his formal education he continued to learn under restaurant masters such as Thomas Keller and Michael Mina. In 2014 Bililies opened Souvla- a fine-casual Greek restaurant and wine bar located in Originating in San Francisco, CA, which today has a total of 3 locations.

In this episode, we discuss how Kirk Kelewae got his start in hospitality, never-ending transitional moments, rewarding ambition, taking initiative, creating opportunities for yourself, creating a culture where people feel they can contribute and grow, why mentoring is a "two way street", how to make special experiences, establishing trust with your guest, the transition to management, why being management means you have to work even harder, how to critique a best friend, the importance of opening yourself up to feedback, how to management managers, why you should never higher someone just to "fill a role" and transitioning from fine-dining to fast-casual. Kirk Kelewae is a graduate of Cornell University where he studied Hospitality Administration and Management. In 2008 he joined the team at the Eleven Madison Park as a food runner, which lead to becoming Dining Room Manager, which lead to becoming service director, which eventually lead to becoming General Manager. In 2017 Eleven Madison Park earned the #1 spot on the San Pellegrino Worlds 50 Best Restaurants. Today, Kirk GM at Made Nice.

In this episode, we discuss why you need to "make it exciting", how there is job security in hospitality, how turning your life around is as simple as making the choice to, showing up to work with enthusiasm, using enthusiastic energy lifts those around you, how doing the work opens up doors and creates opportunity, scaling into a high volume restaurant, why choosing the right partner can make all the difference, and why you need to make your operation foolproof. While in high school, Chef Tristan Wraight got his start as a dishwasher at a bakery. He continued to work hard and climbed the ladder to become sous chef at Parson's Chicken & Fish in Chicago. Along the way, he had a few stints as touring Guitarist but eventually found his way back to the kitchen. At some point he found himself in Charlottesville, VA and in 2014 he opened Oakhart Social, which has since been one of the hottest spots in Charlottesville restaurant scene.

In this episode, we discuss the Canlis family history, what mark has learned from his family history, highering people who inspire, the difference between being a "what" and a "who", The biggest lessons Mark learned working under Danny Meyer, how Mark almost got fired from Union Square Hospitality Group, how being honest and earnest saved his job, the role humility plays, the importance of having a company mission, why it's worth putting other people first, a lesson on humility, giving others the benefit of the doubt, being empathetic, the true meaning of hospitality hailing from Seattle, WA Mark Canlis is a graduate of Cornell University and served as a Captain in Air Force Special Operations. After his service, Marked helped open famed restaurateur Danny Meyer's fifth restaurant, Blue Smoke, in Manhattan.He returned back to Seattle in 2003, as a 4th generation co-owner of the family restaurant, Canlis. Canlis is nationally acclaim as one of the finest restaurants in America.