
FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution
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.
Latest episodes

Sep 23, 2022 • 35min
Karl & Sarah Worley on building a better business plan
Great restaurants stem from running great businesses and today we’re going to talk about the business of running restaurants. Our guides on this exploration of what a successful business plan looks like will be Karl and Sarah Worley, a married couple who turned their love of biscuits into a thriving restaurant brand.
They’ve built their business on the back of foundational principles and bleeding edge management strategies that have revolutionized their lives and their restaurant. Today we unpack the tactics, tools and strategies they’ve used to scale Biscuit Love from a food truck into a regional brand.
For more on Biscuit Love visit https://www.biscuitlove.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

Sep 20, 2022 • 37min
LA Chef Conference on how to build community within our industry
Brad Metzger has been the glue binding our industry together for more than a decade. He and his team have helped set the trajectory for countless chefs, owners and operators, helping them build the teams they need to thrive.
He’s one part career counselor, one part therapist and one part big brother, and when he decided to bring our industry together by creating a first of its kind conference in Los Angeles, everyone was impressed but no one was surprised. Today we sit down with him, his partner in crime Jacqui and celebrity chef Burt Bakman to discuss what it takes to create community and why it’s desperately needed at this moment.
For more on LA Chef Con visit https://www.lachefconference.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

Sep 16, 2022 • 36min
Bruce Nelson on the numbers behind profitability
Bruce Nelson never dreamed of becoming the Chief Financial Officer of a restaurant group, he wanted to be a restaurateur just like the rest of us. But, when he achieved his dream of restaurant ownership, his life became a nightmare. Coming off hard years and the closure of the restaurant, he took the time to figure out why.
It was the math. On a foundational level, his business was doomed to fail from the beginning because he was using bad math. In today’s conversation Bruce walks us through what a sound financial strategy looks like to create a wildly profitable restaurant.
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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

Sep 13, 2022 • 37min
David Morton on the formula for successful scaling
David Morton is a restaurateur and a student of the game. His ambitions go beyond making food or money, he’s trying to make a difference. David is blazing new trails in our industry, establishing partnerships and opening restaurants in ways that haven’t been done before.
In this episode, I sat down with him to discuss his family’s restaurant legacy and how the businesses he’s building today will influence the restaurant industry of tomorrow.
For more on his restaurants, visit https://www.dmkrestaurants.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

Sep 10, 2022 • 35min
Mezli on creating a restaurant without employees
The team over at Mezli believes the restaurant of the future won't need employees and they’ve invested over $3 million dollars to prove it. Mezli is a fully automated restaurant with no employees. They launched last week and have come on the show to share how it’s gone and where it’s going.
For more on Mezli visit https://www.mezli.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

Sep 7, 2022 • 32min
Sandra Noonan on the practical uses of sustainability
Sandra Noonan is running a tech startup within the fast casual concept Just Salad. She works on the bleeding edge of sustainability, pushing towards a restaurant model that serves the needs of our planet as well as it serves her guests. It hasn’t been an easy road and today Sandra walks us through what’s worked, what hasn’t and what we can do to help usher in the future of sustainable living.
For more on Just Salad visit https://www.justsalad.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

Sep 2, 2022 • 37min
Finding Your Niche: John Meadow of Scarpetta
Just because your last restaurant was a hit doesn’t mean the next one will be. And, as restaurateurs, we spend a lot of time after a closure trying to figure out what went wrong. Through trial and error, some of us are lucky enough to parse out a recipe for consistent success. John Meadow of the prolific restaurant group LDV has done just that. In today’s conversation we discuss the elements he’s put together to ensure the next restaurant that opens is more successful than the last.
For more on his restaurants visit https://ldvhospitality.com
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Full Comp 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
Industry Town Halls

Aug 30, 2022 • 36min
Level Up Your Bar Program: Jason Asher of Barter & Shake
If you’re looking to level up your bar program, Jason Asher is the expert that comes to mind. His company, Barter & Shake is directly responsible for influencing the evolution of cocktail culture over the last decade. Today we talk about the how to turn a drink into an experience, what a successful bar program looks like and how improving your bar improves your business.
For more on Barter & Shake visit https://www.bartershake.com
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Full Comp 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
Industry Town Halls

Aug 26, 2022 • 35min
Building Brand Equity: Steve Konopelski of The Sweet Life of Steve
Steve Konopelski is a former ballet dancer turned broadway performer turned professional chef turned celebrity chef turned media personality. Steve’s personal and professional evolution speaks to the aspirations we all have and today we chat about the intention and the strategy that took Steve from "doing" to "being".
For more on the chef check out his youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/SteveKonopelski
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Full Comp 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
Industry Town Halls

Aug 23, 2022 • 37min
Restaurant Marketing Mastermind: Seth Cohen of Sweetfin
Today we're talking with Seth Cohen of Sweeten about brand equity, marketing, messaging, real estate and scaling a blockbuster concept in a post pandemic world.
For more on Sweetfin visit https://www.sweetfin.com
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Full Comp 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
Industry Town Halls