#130 - INTERVIEW with Shawn Walchef, Founder of Cali BBQ and Host of the Digital Hospitality Podcast ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: SEVENROOMS With a full suite of products including reservation, waitlist and table management, online ordering, review aggregation, and marketing automation, SevenRooms is the perfect choice for helping you gain a 360-degree view of your guests across both on- and off-premise. Book a demo with SevenRooms today and receive an Amazon gift card for $50. Simply email to hello@trysevenrooms.com with "Restaurant Strategy" in the subject line. ***** I often interview marketers and operators on this show, but very rarely at the same time. Shawn Walchef is the rare exception. He's the founder of Cali BBQ out in San Diego, as well as the host of the Digital Hospitality Podcast. Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with one of the smartest, most generous people I know!  IMPORTANT LINKS: Cali BBQ Website - https://calibbq.mediaInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/shawnpwalchef/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/calicomfortbbq/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CaliComfortBBQSpringValleyTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@calibbq?Twitter - https://twitter.com/calicomfortDigital Hospitality Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-hospitality-a-cali-bbq-media-podcast/id1235316273?ls=1&mt=2*****Looking to increase revenue in your restaurant? How about 10 tips to increase revenue by 10% overnight? Get my new e-book: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/revenue

#129 - Subsistence vs. Surplus ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: SEVENROOMS With a full suite of products including reservation, waitlist and table management, online ordering, review aggregation, and marketing automation, SevenRooms is the perfect choice for helping you gain a 360-degree view of your guests across both on- and off-premise. Book a demo with SevenRooms today and receive an Amazon gift card for $50. Simply email to hello@trysevenrooms.com with "Restaurant Strategy" in the subject line. ***** SUBSISTENCE: "maintaining or supporting oneself at a minimum level."SURPLUS: "the amount that remains when need has been satisfied." Today we talk about the differences. More importantly, we're going to adopt a new mindset for managing these two ideas.  *****Looking to increase revenue in your restaurant? How about 10 tips to increase revenue by 10% overnight? Get my new e-book: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/revenue

#128 - INTERVIEW with Staffing Consultant, Adriane Mack ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: VIRTUAL RESTAURANT GROUP They offer innovative, turnkey delivery-only brands that you're able to easily operate out of your existing restaurant with very little disruption to your current operation. Onboarding is super easy, with recipe guides, and step-by-step training for you and your staff. Visit the link below and use the promo code CHIP2021 to get started. That link is in the show notes VISIT: https://www.virtualrestaurantgroup.com/chip ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: POPMENU If you’re a restaurant owner you need a great website that not only looks beautiful, but helps drive more traffic and sales. Use POPMENU to take your business to the next level. Best of all, listeners of this show can lock in one, set monthly rate… and get $100 off their first month.  VISIT: https://popmenu.com/restaurantstrategy   ***** Adriane Mack is the Founder of Miss Mack Enterprises, where she helps restaurants grow and develop that staff, to ultimately build more profitable businesses. Her work bridges the gap between hospitality and social impact, and she brings a fresh perspective to the staffing crunch we're all feeling right now.  IMPORTANT LINKS: Miss Mack Enterprises - https://www.missmackenterprises.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/missmackenterprises/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MissMackEnterprises Twitter - https://twitter.com/adriane_mack LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriane-mack-1aa48596/ ***** Looking to increase revenue in your restaurant? How about 10 tips to increase revenue by 10% overnight? Get my FREE e-book: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/revenue  

#127 - The Future of QR Codes ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: VIRTUAL RESTAURANT GROUP They offer innovative, turnkey delivery-only brands that you're able to easily operate out of your existing restaurant with very little disruption to your current operation. Onboarding is super easy, with recipe guides, and step-by-step training for you and your staff. Visit the link below and use the promo code CHIP2021 to get started. That link is in the show notes VISIT: https://www.virtualrestaurantgroup.com/chip ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: POPMENU If you’re a restaurant owner you need a great website that not only looks beautiful, but helps drive more traffic and sales. Use POPMENU to take your business to the next level. Best of all, listeners of this show can lock in one, set monthly rate… and get $100 off their first month.  VISIT: https://popmenu.com/restaurantstrategy   ***** Did you know QR codes were invented in 1994? It’s true… Denso Wave is a Japanese company… a subsidiary of Toyota… and they needed a more accurate way of tracking vehicles and parts during the manufacturing process. The system used a sort of bar code… of course we’re all now familiar with those bar codes… but it allowed managers in the stock room and on the assembly floor to see exactly where their inventory was going.  We’ve had this technology for more than 25 years and yet it took a pandemic to drive the kind of widespread adoption we now have. On today’s episode I want to talk about how restaurants are using QR codes today… how we might be able to use them in the future… and finally I want to introduce you to a sister technology called NFC, that I believe will change our world in the next 24 months.  ***** Looking to increase revenue in your restaurant? How about 10 tips to increase revenue by 10% overnight? Get my FREE e-book: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/revenue  

#126 - INTERVIEW with NY Times Food Photographer, Andrew Scrivani ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: SEVENROOMS With a full suite of products including reservation, waitlist and table management, online ordering, review aggregation, and marketing automation, SevenRooms is the perfect choice for helping you gain a 360-degree view of your guests across both on- and off-premise. Book a demo with SevenRooms today and receive an Amazon gift card for $50. Simply send an e-mail to hello@trysevenrooms.com with "Restaurant Strategy" in the subject line. ***** As many of you know my marketing career really started as a food photographer. I shot for dozens of restaurants here in NYC, helping them to create content for their websites, e-blasts, and social media platforms. That makes my conversation with Andrew Scrivani doubly special. On this week's episode we talk all about how to take create photos of your food, and how to find a great food photographer if you find you need a professional. Tons of value and insights on this one! IMPORTANT LINKS: Andrew's website - https://www.andrewscrivani.com/bio Andrew's IG profile - https://www.instagram.com/andrewscrivani/ Speakeasy IG profile - https://www.instagram.com/heyspeakeasy/ Andrew's work - https://www.andrewscrivani.com Andrew's Creative Live class - https://www.creativelive.com/class/food-photography-andrew-scrivani Andrew's Speakeasy Page - https://www.speakeasy.com/speaker/andrew-scrivani Andrew's Book "That Photo Makes Me Hungry" - https://www.amazon.com/That-Photo-Makes-Hungry-Photographing/dp/1682683982 *****Looking to increase revenue in your restaurant? How about 10 tips to increase revenue by 10% overnight? Get my new e-book by CLICKING THIS LINK. 

#125 - The Value of Creating Value ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: SEVENROOMS With a full suite of products including reservation, waitlist and table management, online ordering, review aggregation, and marketing automation, SevenRooms is the perfect choice for helping you gain a 360-degree view of your guests across both on- and off-premise. Book a demo with SevenRooms today and receive an Amazon gift card for $50. Simply send an e-mail to hello@trysevenrooms.com with "Restaurant Strategy" in the subject line. ***** Zig Ziglar said a lot of great things during his life, but my absolute favorite quote is this: "You can get anything you want in life as long as you help enough other people get what they want." A business exists to solve a very specific problem for a very specific person, and we create value by solving that problem better than anyone else. The key is to solve a problem and then make sure people know that you've solved it.  IMPORTANT LINKS: MY FREE E-BOOK - https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/revenue *****Looking to increase revenue in your restaurant? How about 10 tips to increase revenue by 10% overnight? Get my new e-book by CLICKING THIS LINK. 

#124 - INTEVIEW: Chatting Brand Strategy with Vigor Founder, Joseph Szala ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: VIRTUAL RESTAURANT GROUP They offer innovative, turnkey delivery-only brands that you're able to easily operate out of your existing restaurant with very little disruption to your current operation. Onboarding is super easy, with recipe guides, and step-by-step training for you and your staff. Visit the link below and use the promo code CHIP2021 to get started. That link is in the show notes VISIT: https://www.virtualrestaurantgroup.com/chip ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: POPMENU If you’re a restaurant owner you need a great website that not only looks beautiful, but helps drive more traffic and sales. Use POPMENU to take your business to the next level. Best of all, listeners of this show can lock in one, set monthly rate… and get $100 off their first month.  VISIT: https://popmenu.com/restaurantstrategy   ***** Joseph Szala is the Founder of Vigor Branding, an Atlanta-based agency that works specifically with restaurants and CPG brands in the food space. He's written a book on what it takes to create a "bullhearted brand" and is sharing insights from his 17 years in business. He's smart, funny, and an all-around nice guy. I feel very lucky to be able to share this conversation with all of you.  IMPORTANT LINKS: Vigor Branding: https://vigorbranding.com Support the Kickstarter Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/szalapalooza/the-bullhearted-brand-building-bullish-restaurant-brands *****Come join the community on Patreon where a monthly contribution will give you access to a bunch of different perks and benefits like monthly Q&A sessions, podcast swag, and one-on-one coachings with me. SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/restaurantstrategy

#123 - Sharing My Blueprint for Opening Restaurants ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: VIRTUAL RESTAURANT GROUP They offer innovative, turnkey delivery-only brands that you're able to easily operate out of your existing restaurant with very little disruption to your current operation. Onboarding is super easy, with recipe guides, and step-by-step training for you and your staff. Visit the link below and use the promo code CHIP2021 to get started. That link is in the show notes VISIT: https://www.virtualrestaurantgroup.com/chip ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: POPMENU If you’re a restaurant owner you need a great website that not only looks beautiful, but helps drive more traffic and sales. Use POPMENU to take your business to the next level. Best of all, listeners of this show can lock in one, set monthly rate… and get $100 off their first month.  VISIT: https://popmenu.com/restaurantstrategy   ***** Over the years I've opened 9 different restaurants, and recently it seems like everyone is asking for advice. This makes sense, of course; there are a bunch of second gen spaces becoming available. On this week's episode I'm sharing my 9-Step Blueprint for Opening Restaurants. It's packed with a ton of valuable information. I hope you enjoy!  THE ONLY RESTAURANT BUDGET YOU'LL EVER NEED: Download my template: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/product-shop/p/the-only-restaurant-budget-youll-ever-need   *****Interested in a FREE 60-minute coaching call with me? E-mail me directly at chip@chipklose.com *****Come join the community on Patreon where a monthly contribution will give you access to a bunch of different perks and benefits like monthly Q&A sessions, podcast swag, and one-on-one coachings with me. SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/restaurantstrategy

#122 - INTERVIEW: Navigating the Staffing Crisis with Restaurant Consultant, Ken McGarrie ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: SEVENROOMS With a full suite of products including reservation, waitlist and table management, online ordering, review aggregation, and marketing automation, SevenRooms is the perfect choice for helping you gain a 360-degree view of your guests across both on- and off-premise. Book a demo with SevenRooms today and receive an Amazon gift card for $50. Simply send an e-mail to hello@trysevenrooms.com with "Restaurant Strategy" in the subject line. ***** Ken McGarrie is a Chicago-based restaurant consultant as well as the author of the brand new book, "The Surprise Restaurant Manager." In this interview we talk about the staffing crisis, and how employers can combat the situation. We talk structure, procedures, and development tactics to build a loyal work force.  Ken is hilarious and charming, and an all around smart guy. Glad to know him, and even more excited to introduce him to all of you!  IMPORTANT LINKS: KORGEN HOSPITALITY - https://korgenhospitality.com The Surprise Restaurant Manager (Amazon for 99 cents) - https://www.amazon.com/Surprise-Restaurant-Manager-Ken-McGarrie-ebook/dp/B093P5GGBV/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1625858274&sr=8-1 The Surprise Restaurant Manager (The Strand paperback for $14.99) - https://www.strandbooks.com/product/9781736282304?title=the_surprise_restaurant_manager   *****Interested in a FREE 60-minute coaching call? E-mail me directly at chip@chipklose.com *****Come join the community on Patreon where a monthly contribution will give you access to a bunch of different perks and benefits like monthly Q&A sessions, podcast swag, and one-on-one coachings with me. SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/restaurantstrategy

#121 - The Intersection of Hospitality and Tech ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: SEVENROOMS With a full suite of products including reservation, waitlist and table management, online ordering, review aggregation, and marketing automation, SevenRooms is the perfect choice for helping you gain a 360-degree view of your guests across both on- and off-premise. Book a demo with SevenRooms today and receive an Amazon gift card for $50. Simply send an e-mail to hello@trysevenrooms.com with "Restaurant Strategy' in the subject line. ***** Technology is fundamentally reshaping our world... everything from retail to education to medicine and more. The restaurant industry has always been slow to adopt and adapt, and I want to make the case for the bright future of hospitality. On this week's episode I'm sharing four different case studies showcasing the ways our industry is utilizing technology.  IMPORTANT LINKS: https://www.forbes.com/sites/edrensi/2018/07/11/mcdonalds-says-goodbye-cashiers-hello-kiosks/?sh=223635e86f14 https://sevenrooms.com/en/blog/the-rise-of-qr-codes-in-hospitality-during-the-pandemic/ https://tim.blog/2018/10/18/nick-kokonas/   *****Interested in a FREE 60-minute coaching call? E-mail me directly at chip@chipklose.com *****Come join the community on Patreon where a monthly contribution will give you access to a bunch of different perks and benefits like monthly Q&A sessions, podcast swag, and one-on-one coachings with me. SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/restaurantstrategy