Restaurant Owners Uncorked

Wil and Nicholas open by talking about “flowing like water” and how that mindset shows up in hospitality: staying adaptable, humble, and open. Nicholas traces his path from teaching skiing to unexpectedly building a career in enterprise software and QA with major pharma and tech companies, then starting a nonprofit, and finally helping open Feast Bistro in Bozeman. He describes the harsh reality of the first two years at Feast: the gap between fantasy and the P&L, mispriced menus, long hours, financial strain, and the grit required to survive COVID. What kept them afloat was humility, constant feedback from guests, and a deep belief that hospitality is about service, not ego.Those struggles led him to create Check This Out, a simple SMS-driven retention and word-of-mouth platform built first for Feast. Traditional marketing (direct mail, email, social) felt like guesswork because he couldn’t track what actually drove revenue or distinguish new from returning guests. By counting every mailer and transcribing every comment card, he discovered that over 80% of guests came because someone they knew recommended Feast. That insight became the backbone of Check This Out: use SMS to bring guests back more often and amplify referrals with trackable, time-bound offers that clearly show who is driving traffic and sales. Throughout the episode, Nicholas emphasizes the same core ideas he’s lived by: hospitality as service, learning over knowing, capital-efficient building, and using simple tools that actually work.10 Key Takeaways Hospitality is a gateway industry.Nicholas entered it through ski instruction and serving tables, learning empathy and customer focus, skills that shaped everything he’s done since. Boredom fuels creativity.Long, quiet Vermont summers sparked the imagination that later helped him pivot careers and eventually become an entrepreneur. An unlikely path to restaurateur.Years in software QA taught him how to build systems that solve real user problems, experience that later informed Feast and Check This Out. Most pro formas are fantasy.Reality hits fast in restaurants: labor, food cost, pricing, and traffic rarely match projections, and the P&L forces honesty. Underpricing is a common early mistake.Feast discovered they were charging too little and had to adjust based on real customer behavior and feedback. Equity builds commitment.Giving chefs, GMs, and key partners skin in the game helped Feast survive the hardest stretches and come out stronger. Listening is everything.Nicholas embraces Kaizen and Deming’s cycle: feedback from guests and staff only matters if you act on it without ego. Word-of-mouth is the true growth engine.His analysis showed 80%+ of guests came through personal recommendations, far more than any ad channel. SMS outperforms email and social.Near-100% open rates and fast response times mean campaigns drive real, trackable revenue, something other channels can’t match. Check This Out delivers “butts in seats.”Restaurants use it to send compelling texts and let guests forward offers to friends, giving operators clear attribution and measurable ROI instead of guesswork.

In this lively Restaurant Owners Uncorked chat, Anesh Bodasing, founder of fast-casual Indian concept Tiffin Box, traces a 30-year hospitality journey that began with an audacious “give me 60 days” pitch to Hard Rock Café in Cape Town, winds through Canada, South Africa, the UK, and South Florida, and culminates in launching Tiffin Box in 2019 (right before COVID), surviving a bruising first year, testing a food hall, shutting the original West Palm store, and smartly pivoting to dense college-town sites (FSU/FAMU in Tallahassee, UF in Gainesville). Framing Tiffin Box as “Chipotle for Indian,” he shares lessons on branding, build-out nitty-gritty, cash-flow reality, and a service-first ethos (own the mistake, fix it fast, win loyalty), while aiming to “crack the code” for mainstreaming authentic, everyday Indian food and ultimately franchising.10 Takeaways Bold beginnings pay off: confidence got Anesh his first shot at Hard Rock and set the tone for his career. “Chipotle for Indian” creates instant understanding for new guests unfamiliar with the cuisine. Brand words matter: “Americanized” signaled watered-down; switching to “fast, fresh Indian” restored credibility. Cash flow rules everything during build-out; opening day is the first chance money can flow back in. Owner vs. operator: the job shifts from running shifts to deciding lights, outlets, signage, leases—every detail. Pandemic resilience: momentum stalled in 2020, but tight pivots (and lessons from a short-lived food hall) refined the model. Site strategy upgrade: closing West Palm and targeting student-dense, walkable college corridors increased fit and foot traffic. Service > food > price: great service makes guests forgiving and price-agnostic; poor service makes every dollar feel worse. Reviews are a gift: answer fast, fix the problem, and you’ll often create your most loyal fans from a bad moment. Founder availability matters: post your number, handle issues personally, and build trust at scale.

SummaryBranden McRill, Detroit-raised restaurateur, operator, and Michelin-star winner, traces a career from dish pits to Alinea and stints with Danny Meyer, Jean-Georges, Alain Ducasse, Marcus Samuelsson, and more, before cofounding acclaimed NYC spots Pearl & Ash and Rebelle (earning a Michelin star within months). He then expanded to Philadelphia, while recently relocating home to Michigan. He shares a philosophy that rejects “balance” in favor of riding life’s waves, embracing calm and chaos, paired with risk tolerance and a bias for action. McRill argues hospitality pros are innate givers who deserve tools that free them to be present with guests; that’s the promise of 5-out, his forecasting and automation platform that continuously re-forecasts sales, labor, and product needs (and can close the loop on purchasing and prep), augmenting, not replacing, human judgment, especially on messy, human scheduling. He sees adoption accelerating as AI gets embedded in existing systems.  Waves, not balance: McRill manages life and work by accepting cycles of calm and intensity and staying steady through both. Risk forward: He credits outsized wins to taking big swings, and not letting fear of others’ opinions block action. From Alinea to Michelin: Early exposure to elite kitchens set standards that shaped Pearl & Ash and Rebelle, which earned a Michelin star just months after opening. Hospitality first: The joy is creating experiences that “wash over” guests; tech should buy back time for that human work. Tech as a new teammate: AI in restaurants does the jobs most shops aren’t doing (analysis, forecasting), rather than replacing core human roles. What 5-out does: Pulls POS, weather (historic + forward), traffic, and local events to forecast revenue by hour; converts that into labor budgets, item-level sales, purchasing, and automated prep lists. Closed loop optionality: 5-out can auto-send POs and prep, or let teams review/override—human in the loop where it matters. Re-forecasting nightly: Like a stock ticker, the plan updates every day so operators always see the best available signal. Why some don’t adopt: Cost, another login, and rollout friction - hence faster traction with multi-unit groups that have champions. Future = partnerships: Mass adoption for independents will come as AI embeds inside familiar tools; best results will come from specialized apps working together (e.g., Schedulefly + 5-out).

Wil sits down with George and Amanda of Vicious Biscuit for a follow-up on their whirlwind year since they last joined Restaurant Owners Uncorked a year ago. Franchise growth, a disciplined “partners not franchisees” approach, and a tech stack that supports (but doesn’t replace) hospitality. They unpack a loyalty + first-party app launched Aug 12 that’s smashing acquisition/retention goals, clever perks (weekday free biscuit + jam bar), and a catering program tied to rewards. The brand pairs data with old-school site walks, rigorous training, and weekly franchise support to scale methodically amid real-estate, labor, distribution, and regulatory headwinds. The episode also celebrates how collaborative the hospitality industry is. and it's rising-tide ethos, with George and Amanda mentoring operator, and recent Restaurant Owners Uncorked podcast guest, Tyler Kotch,  over dinner10 takeaways Vicious Biscuit now operates 3 franchise and 7 corporate units; Fishers, IN targeted for Dec 2025, with ~10 more openings following in 2026. They’ve signed 13 franchise partners and prioritize “partners over pace,” saying no often to protect a legacy brand. Loyalty + first-party app (live Aug 12) is exceeding acquisition, retention, and redemption expectations—without being discount-driven. Differentiators include a weekday free biscuit + jam bar to drive dine-in and catering tied to loyalty (rewarding the gatekeeper). Rollouts are patient and pilot-heavy (a planned 2-week pilot stretched to 12 weeks) to ensure smooth ops for franchisees. Real estate is chosen via data-driven rifle shots (Placer, heat maps) plus on-the-ground visits and conversations with neighboring operators. Training is systematized (ExpandShare, videos, 4-week cadence) with weekly check-ins and detailed open checklists to prevent costly delays. The brand balances tech with true hospitality, resisting overly transactional models and emphasizing human guest experience. Headwinds: site/inspection bottlenecks, insurance spikes (e.g., Florida), labor costs, distribution hiccups, and storm recovery (e.g., Boone after Helene). Schedulefly is evolving Restaurant Owners Uncorked into a media business (films, articles, webinars, forums, maybe conferences) to foster peer learning, illustrated by George & Amanda’s hands-on mentoring of Tyler Koch (PIE.ZAA).

Wil talks with Jeff Perera, founder of Jeff’s Bagel Run, to unpack a quintessentially scrappy entrepreneurial tale: laid off in 2019, Jeff stayed home with his kids while his wife returned to work, and, prompted by her longing for authentic New York-style bagels, he taught himself to bake from scratch in their kitchen, turning a novice’s sticky-fingered mishaps (including a rescue call to King Arthur Flour’s baker hotline) into a perfected recipe that evoked childhood nostalgia for his wife. What began as porch pick-ups and 20-mile deliveries for four bagels snowballed during the pandemic into home deliveries of 40 dozen a day, farmers-market lines that braved Florida rainstorms, and eventually a first leased storefront in July 2021; by 2025 the brand boasts 24 locations (6 corporate, 18 franchised), a laser-focused “bake fresh, bring joy, build community” ethos, and a franchise pipeline of 141 signed agreements—all while rejecting scalable shortcuts like frozen products or off-site baking to preserve the artisan, open-kitchen magic that turned a love story into a booming bagel empire.10 Key Takeaways Start with passion, not a plan—Jeff learned bagel-making purely to please his wife, not to launch a business; the emotional “closed-eyes, transported-to-Long Island” moment proved the recipe’s power.  Do unscalable things early—driving 20 miles for four bagels, delivering porch-to-porch, and trading bagels for toilet paper during COVID built loyalty and refined operations.  Embrace humility and ask for help—calling King Arthur’s hotline, inviting chef Tim Keating to critique kitchen layout, and leaning on mentors accelerated learning without ego.  Niche down ruthlessly—86’d labor-intensive black-and-white cookies rather than outsource them to uphold the “bake fresh” pillar; no freezers, no sandwiches, no toasting—just hot bagels, spreads, and coffee.  Pandemic chaos = opportunity—stockpiled flour, bought a commercial mixer, and leveraged Instagram/DM orders to scale home production to 40 dozen/day while the world shut down.  Franchising preserves community feel—chose franchise model to let owner-operators replicate the intimate, open-kitchen vibe Danielle and Jeff created in store #1.  Hire for cultural & culture fit—early hires came from Instagram video submissions; now stress team chemistry in tight QSR kitchens where “customers can tell” if the vibe is off.  Location is king—target “bagel deserts” in the Southeast/Southwest; repurpose closed Einstein, Starbucks, and bank drive-thrus; prioritize high-traffic Publix-anchored centers.  Morning-only model simplifies labor—6 a.m.–2:30 p.m. operation enables one-shift staffing, owner-operator flexibility, and weekend bonkers volume without late-night burnout.  Give back to earn loyalty—partnering with Give Kids the World, Make-A-Wish, and local schools; community pillar turns customers into advocates and franchisees into neighbors.

Kristina Garrison, a Ukrainian-raised San Franciscan turned globetrotting mom of two, and her classically trained chef husband David Garrison have just soft-opened Grub Smokehouse in a coworking-space kitchen in Youngsville/Wake Forest, NC—their non-traditional barbecue haven born from a hole-in-the-wall California burger joint shut by COVID, four-and-a-half years of culinary inspiration across Europe and Israel, and a ChatGPT-assisted leap to the Tar Heel State with five suitcases and zero local ties. In week three of word-of-mouth operations, they’re smoking everything in-house (12-day-brined pastrami, scratch sauces, seasonal salads, daily sweet-potato cinnamon rolls) on a shoestring DIY buildout, balancing 14-hour grinds with yoga, cold plunges, and an industry discount while betting that perfect-bite flavor symphonies and organic influencer meals will turn curious locals into loyal regulars in a growing melting-pot market.10 Key Takeaways Non-traditional BBQ = perfect-bite melody: Every sandwich/sSant is engineered for balanced flavor layers—smoky meats, house pickles, scratch sauces, seasonal produce—so one bite sings like a song.  No shortcuts, no cans: Zero preservatives, no can opener in the kitchen; everything brined, smoked, pickled, or baked fresh daily (pastrami alone: 12-day brine → smoke → steam).  Tiny menu, massive focus: Just 5 sandwiches, a few salads, 2 desserts—narrow to nail execution and avoid waste (day-old bread becomes bread pudding).  Global palate, local roots: Four-plus years in Croatia, Italy, Spain, Israel re-inspired Kristina & David Garrison; now sourcing from NC farmers and a local bakery to keep it fresh and community-supported.  DIY on a dime: Vacant coworking kitchen → smoker install + handmade wallpaper/paint; low overhead lets labor-intensive quality shine despite inflation squeezes.  Organic growth > paid hype: Soft-open via word-of-mouth + free meals for genuine local foodies/influencers; authenticity trumps bots or fake reviews.  Balance is the new hustle: Yoga, breathwork, sauna, cold plunges replace the old “work hard, party hard” chef culture—keeps Kristina & David Garrison fit and sustainable long-term.  Know your niche, own your price: Slightly higher tabs justified by love and prep; not for everyone, but perfect for foodies who crave preservative-free craftsmanship.  First year = grind with savings: Expect 12–14-hour days, weight loss, dual jobs; success demands 1-year runway and DNA-level passion (they almost opened a second CA spot pre-COVID).  Community heartbeat: Industry discount + rising-tide networking; independent restaurants remain essential third places for real human connection in a screen-heavy world.

Dimitri Syros, a Greek-American former teacher and law school graduate, launched The Breakfast Company with his mother in Sarasota, Florida, in October 2020 amid the COVID pandemic, transforming her dream of a small coffee shop-bakery into a full-service breakfast-and-lunch concept that exploded from day one. The family leveraged their multi-generational restaurant heritage, including translating his late grandfather's recipe book, to fuel rapid growth to five locations with two more opening in June 2025. Facing soaring labor costs (tipped wages rising from $6 to $15/hour), inflation, hurricanes, and immigration impacts on supply chains, Syros emphasizes preserving soulful, community-driven service over fast-casual efficiency while experimenting with drive-thrus, standardized builds, and potential franchising to scale responsibly without losing family involvement or local intimacy. He credits early closure at 2 PM, above-market pay, promoting internal managing partners, and a strong support system for staff retention and personal balance in an industry he views as society's vital gathering place despite its relentless challenges and imposter syndrome. Family hospitality roots run deep, with Syros growing up busing tables and washing dishes from age 12 across 40 restaurants, but initially forbidden from pursuing it professionally. Opened first location during COVID with masks and dividers, yet it was "gangbusters from day one," leading to unintended full-time involvement over law school. Post-COVID years 2021–2022 were historically booming for restaurants, misleading Syros into aggressive scaling before 2023–2024 normalization hit. Labor costs squeezing margins: Florida tipped minimum wage up $1/year, from $6 to $11 and heading to $15, forcing value focus without shrinkflation or $20 omelets. Breakfast/lunch hours (7 AM–2 PM) enable better staff recruitment, including working parents and second-job holders, plus time for owner balance like gym and family. Pay above market (e.g., $20/hour dishwashers) reduces turnover, training costs, and culture loss versus cycling through cheaper labor. Immigration policies in Florida raising produce costs/quality and hurting morale, alongside hurricanes wiping out seasonal tourism revenue. Scaling with family and promoted internal managing partners to maintain "family touch" while exploring drive-thrus (bakery/coffee focus) and prototype builds for franchising efficiency. Finished law school on scholarship despite remote operations, pivoted to business/immigration franchising expertise, but chose restaurants after one month as attorney. Restaurants as community bedrock post-malls/COVID, fostering real interactions amid declining social skills, with independents keeping money local through genuine hospitality.

Wil hosts Tyler Kotch, founder of PIE.ZAA (Asheville & Charlotte), for a candid chat about spotting late-night demand, building a hyper-focused high-margin pizza concept (five-item menu, 28" pies or 12" slices), surviving COVID, navigating a painful partner split, and scaling methodically toward franchising. Tyler shares lessons on location strategy, simplifying operations to reduce waste, ditching phones in favor of in-person/email and AI ordering, fixing third-party delivery headaches via Takeout Central, and the bigger mission: build a people-centric company, communicate face-to-face, and leave a legacy—possibly across 30–100 locations—using a mountains/city/beach testbed with the FDD in motion.10 takeaways:Simple wins: Five-item menu; whole 28" pies or 12" slices—less waste, faster training.Late-night niche: PIE.ZAA launched to serve post-10pm demand; pizza delivers the margins.Go big on product & packaging: 28" pies + distinctive black boxes = walking billboards.Location is leverage: Foot traffic/tourism/density; first 60–90 days set the trajectory.Market fit varies: Asheville skews to whole pies/families; Charlotte South End to slices/young pros.Phone-free by design: No live phone lines; AI ordering + in-person/email encourage real communication.Control the last mile: Shift to Takeout Central drivers reduced delivery damage/complaints.Choose partners wisely: Misalignment is costly; Tyler rebuilt post-split in 2022.Franchise runway: FDD/approval pending; “mountains/city/beach” proof points precede scale.Culture over control: People-centric leadership, low micromanagement, purpose beyond money.

Wil sits down in-person with Tim McLaughlin, technologist-turned-operator who founded GoTab after opening two Caboose breweries and confronting real service-model pain (giant spaces, staffing constraints). Years before COVID, Tim taped QRs to tables and proved guests will change behavior to avoid pain (lines), which pushed GoTab to build not just ordering but a deep KDS and, later, a POS when closed ecosystems (e.g., API roadblocks) blocked integrations. Today GoTab focuses on operations over payments, hybrid service (QR + handheld + kiosk), open integrations, and white-glove 24/7 support, while running lean and profitable (not “growth at any cost”). With Opsie for inventory/costing, expansion in higher-labor markets like Australia, and an operator-first pricing philosophy (inspired by Costco’s cap idea), Tim argues tech should feel invisible, amplify hospitality, and never replace it.10 Takeaways Pain drives adoption: guests embraced QR ordering in 2018 at Caboose Commons to skip long lines—two years before COVID. Operations > payments: GoTab’s edge is the KDS/factory-mindset—batching, throttling, inventory links—not just taking money. Hybrid service wins: seamlessly mix QR tabs, handheld orders, kiosks, and traditional POS—flip zones on/off in real time. Open…for real: GoTab publishes APIs and keeps integrations (even with competitors to Opsie) because operators need choice. Closed ecosystems cost you: API fees/blocks pushed GoTab to build its own POS so operators aren’t held hostage. Service is strategy: 24/7 phone/text/chat, humans + AI, fast responses—because hospitality vendors must model hospitality. Lean and profitable: modest capital, disciplined hardware R&D, profitable growth > headline valuations. Inventory is the sleeper win: most independents skip it; Opsie aims for “no-effort” inventory & COGS visibility inside GoTab. Follow labor costs: higher-labor markets (e.g., Australia with double-time on holidays) adopt efficiency tech faster. Pricing with trust: exploring a Costco-style profit cap; focus on transparent value, not nickel-and-diming via fees.

Episode SummaryIn this heartfelt episode of Restaurant Owners Uncorked, host Wil chats with Heidi Whitcomb a passionate and deeply committed independent restaurant owner in Florida. With nearly 40 years in hospitality, Heidi embodies service, gratitude, and resilience. She shares her journey from early jobs at Subway and Kmart to bartending, truck driving, entrepreneurship, and ultimately founding Raise the Bar & Grill. Her approach to hospitality goes far beyond food and drinks. It's about people, community, empathy, and raising standards in an industry where service and heart are often lost. Through adversity, hard work, and unfiltered honesty, Heidi proves that leading with love and purpose creates meaningful impact in business and in life.Key Takeaways Hospitality Is About People First – Heidi believes the industry is about serving others with genuine love, not just making money. Happy Teams = Happy Guests – Run your business by caring for your employees first; great service starts with a strong culture. Lead From the Front – As an owner, Heidi jumps behind the bar, onto the line, or wherever needed—no task is beneath her. Mental Health Matters – Her restaurant practices “Mental Health Mondays” to check in with both staff and guests. Serving Others Is a Responsibility – Hospitality is a service profession that requires intention—details like garnishes and quality matter. ADHD as a Superpower – Heidi credits her ADHD for her energy, multitasking ability, and relentless drive. Resilience Through Adversity – From working 20-hour days to surviving a car accident that broke her neck, Heidi keeps moving forward. Build Community Through Service – Her business prioritizes veterans, seniors, children, and local neighbors with loyalty and purpose. Consistency Builds Trust – She refuses to cut quality even with rising costs—customers deserve value. Gratitude Is Everything – Heidi tears up when talking about her customers—her success is built on human connection and thankfulness.