

FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution
Josh Kopel
What if I told you that the difference between struggling and thriving in the restaurant industry is just one conversation away?
I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur who’s spent decades building blockbuster brands across every tier of dining. I know the challenges you’re facing—because I’ve been there. That’s why I created FULL COMP.
Every week, I go one-on-one with the smartest minds in the game—restaurateurs, chefs, and industry insiders who’ve cracked the code. Together, we unpack their biggest wins, hardest lessons, and the strategies that changed everything.
No fluff, no filler—just actionable insights to help you boost profits, build your brand, and create the kind of restaurant you’ve always dreamed of.
So, if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start seeing results, hit subscribe.
I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur who’s spent decades building blockbuster brands across every tier of dining. I know the challenges you’re facing—because I’ve been there. That’s why I created FULL COMP.
Every week, I go one-on-one with the smartest minds in the game—restaurateurs, chefs, and industry insiders who’ve cracked the code. Together, we unpack their biggest wins, hardest lessons, and the strategies that changed everything.
No fluff, no filler—just actionable insights to help you boost profits, build your brand, and create the kind of restaurant you’ve always dreamed of.
So, if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start seeing results, hit subscribe.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 23, 2023 • 36min
Omer & Jennifer Horev on transforming a restaurant into a lifestyle brand
Pura Vida is more than a restaurant, it’s a wellness brand that's selling peace of mind through nourishment. Today we sit down with the founders Omer and Jennifer Horev to discuss the essential elements of brand building and how to effectively scale without brand dilution.
For more information on Pura Vida, visit https://www.puravidamiami.com/.
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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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

May 19, 2023 • 37min
Natasha McIrvin on mastering surprise and delight
Our guests, even our most loyal guests, can cook at home. They don’t come to us for nourishment, they come to us for entertainment. Food and beverage done well is performance art and few have done it better than Eleven Madison Park. Today we chat with Natasha McIrvin, former head of the dreamweaver program at EMP. Her job was to build a system that ensured surprise and delight were baked into every guest experience. In our conversation she shares the system she built and the tactics she used to transform servers into the weavers of dreams.
To check out what Natasha is working on now visit https://www.thankyou.nyc/.
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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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

May 12, 2023 • 34min
Udi Hershkovitz on reinventing the restaurant concept
The world looks different post pandemic and so do a lot of restaurants. The same experimentation that we’ve put into our menus is now finding its way into our buildouts. My guest, Udi Hershkovitz, has been in the restaurant game for over 2 decades and he’s ready to try something new. Today we talk about his 25 year old restaurant and how it inspired him to open a second concept in a shipping container.
That’s Udi Hershkovitz. For more information on Udi and his restaurant concepts, visit https://www.eatsabarabas.com/.
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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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

May 9, 2023 • 37min
Lauren Fernandez on perfecting restaurant profitability
Lauren Fernandez went from working in restaurants, to working on restaurants, to influencing the industry at scale. After cutting her teeth as a corporate executive turned franchisee, she’s taken the lessons she’s learned and crafted not only an educational platform, but an investment engine for those that come after her. Today, we discuss what she's built and how it works to ease the burden of independent restaurateurs.
For more information on Lauren and Full Course, visit https://www.fullcourse.com/.
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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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

May 5, 2023 • 34min
Russ Hawkins on using data to become an agile business
The best companies in the world are agile. They’re analyzing data and then testing the market in small but significant ways to see what’s working and what isn’t. That’s why I sat down with Russ Hawkins. Russ is the leader of Agilence, a company that the big guys hire to process their data and create profitable strategies. Today we talk about what data we should be analyzing and how to test the market to ensure positive outcomes.
For more information on Agilence, visit https://www.agilenceinc.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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

May 2, 2023 • 38min
Sanjiv Razdan on the rebirth of a brand
If you think it’s hard to build a brand, try turning one around. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf scaled to 1,200 locations globally but, after decades of success, the wheels of progress began to slow. That’s when today’s guest, Sanjiv Razdan, was brought in as CEO. It was his job to take a great business and evolve it into a great company. Today, we discuss what it takes to begin again when you’re already in the middle of it and the tools he’s crafted to ensure that his new beginning has a happy ending.
For more information on Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, visit https://www.coffeebean.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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

Apr 28, 2023 • 37min
Miguel Hernandez on how to dominate our industry
Miguel Hernandez is a genius. You have never heard me begin a show this way before, but I was absolutely blown away by the fresh perspective Miguel is bringing to restaurant ownership and operations. This is a guy who’s scaled to 4 locations in just a couple of years and has financed his growth exclusively through the profits from his active restaurants. Today we discuss how to pick a winner, double revenues, and scale profitability.
For more information on Rreal Tacos, visit https://rrealtacos.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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

Apr 25, 2023 • 32min
Lisa Dahl on building an empire and a legacy
I always looked at the big restaurant groups out there with envy. How amazing must it be to own 6, 8, or more locations? At what point do you get rich? At what point do you go from backup dishwasher to brand evangelist. Chef Lisa Dahl has grasped the brass ring. Over the last two decades, she’s built a restaurant empire. In today’s conversation, we look back on what got her to where she is today and where she’s headed next.
That’s Chef Lisa Dahl. For more information on the chef and her restaurant group, visit https://www.dahlrestaurantgroup.com/.
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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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

Apr 21, 2023 • 39min
Carolyn Walker on building a compelling restaurant brand
How do ambitious brands punch above their weight class? Today we’re chatting with Carolyn Walker of Response Marketing, an agency that specializes in helping the little guys compete with the big guys. In our conversation we tackle the big misconceptions when it comes to restaurant marketing and Carolyn provides actionable information on how we can better position our brands to not only compete, but to win.
For more information on Response, visit https://response.agency/.
____________________________________________________________
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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars

Apr 14, 2023 • 38min
Bryce Fluellen on setting your team up for success
Bryce Fluellen has one of the most important jobs in our industry. As the Executive Director of Everytable, it’s his job to transform line level employees into managers and evolve those managers into restaurateurs. In today’s conversation we discuss Everytable’s Social Equity Franchise model and the steps they’ve taken to build the future of Everytable and our industry.
For more information on Everytable, visit https://www.everytable.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 shows:
Restaurant Marketing School
Restaurant expert videos & webinars