Restaurant Owners Uncorked - By Schedulefly

In our second in-person podcast, I had the honor of speaking with Sean Lilly Wilson, who founded Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, N.C. Sean started Fullsteam to help craft the "Southern Beer Economy." Through the act of commerce, he and his team aim to foster community and agricultural pride, create wealth, and encourage entrepreneurship within the post-tobacco South. And though their mission is lofty, they aim to keep it all fun. It's beer, after all! This was a very wide-ranging conversation. I learned a lot from Sean, and could have easily spoken with him for a few hours. Enjoy...

Amie is the Chef de Cuisine at Barrios Fine Mexican Dishes in Oklahoma City, OK. She started as a busser at age 16, went to culinary school, and has had lots of really cool experiences over the years. We talked about the chef quitting her first night as a busser and how she stepped onto the line to help, igniting her passion right away! We also covered "extreme hospitality," why being vulnerable is good, her biggest challenges, and more. Amie is a dedicated, intentional, thoughtful person who loves her craft. Enjoy...

Two and a half years ago, Graham left the world of investment banking to become a partner at The Common Market. TCM has three locations in Charlotte, NC, each with it's own feel but all sharing the common thread of being a "neighborhood living room." I've been to one location, and that's exactly how it feels. Very welcoming, very relaxed, full of hospitality. I really enjoyed talking to Graham about everything from what he and his team hope to do with The Common Market, the transition from corporate America to entrepreneurship, and much more. Graham and his partners have an absolutely killer business, and you'll enjoy learning why it's working out so well...

Scott has been in the business since he was a fifteen year old dishwasher, and it was fun hearing him talk about the importance of every role in a restaurant, including the dishwasher, who matters much more than you might think. This was wide-ranging interview, covering a lot of ground from the importance of strong employee benefits, to three things you need for your restaurant's first year, to the shift in our culture to consumers appreciating independent restaurants now more than ever. Scott left a long career in corporate restaurants three years ago, taking on a big risk with a wife and four kids at home, but he's found fulfillment and is working both smart and had as he builds a business he intends to be around for decades. I have tons of respect for Scott, and and soaked in a lot of wisdom while speaking with him. Enjoy...

When I asked Adam Reed, who runs the Jax Fish House locations for Big Red F, for some folks on his team who are great at what they do, love their work, and would enjoy sharing the passion for hospitality, he told me Jake Hunka, the AGM, has done every you can do and would be great on a podcast. He was right! Jake talks about hustle gaining respect, not putting on blinders, and the importance to him of working for an organization like Big Red F that cares so much about the communities they serve. Jake is fun and energetic and authentic in his love for his work. Enjoy...

Wow, this was a fun experience! Kate and I sat on a coach in Bida Manda while lunch service was winding down, and we had a great conversation about her story, what she loves about hospitality, what she has learned from Van and Vanvisa (the brother and sister who own Bida Manda), the challenge of learning to be the new GM, and much more. Sitting in person with Kate enable us to connect on a deeper level than we could have over the phone, and the conversation was much better for it. This went so well I'm now planning to start doing as many in-person interviews as possible. Enjoy...

Sophia and her business partner Sunny Lin won season six of "The Great Food Truck Race" on The Food Network. Now they own the popular and highly-respected MOFU Shoppe in downtown Raleigh, N.C. Listen to Sophia tell the story of going from working for a Big Four accounting firm to food truck to brick-and-mortar, while also sharing why staff always come first, what we can all learn from Millenials, and more. Sophia is interesting, engaging, smart, caring, and fun to talk to and respect for her time is the only reason I didn't keep rolling with this chat for a couple of hours. Enjoy...

Our first episode with two people features Jonathon (GM) and Casey (Manager) of Ten Crows BBQ in South Lake Tahoe, CA. We cover a lot of topics, but one really sticks out, which is the acronym they use within their group of restaurants: ROTS (Ridiculously Over-the-Top Service. I love the approach they take to hospitality, and they share some great examples. This is a fun interview. Enjoy...

Chris has been around the restaurant business in southern California his whole life (his father is a Burger King franchisee). He learned a lot about the business from his dad, but he loved surfing and considered turning pro. However, after college and then business school, he found himself interviewing in suit-and-tie, about to go down the path to corporate America. Fortunately, he realized that wasn't what he was meant to do, and The Rockefeller was born. Chris and his team have done a tremendous job building a group with several successful brands, and he talks about everything from learning to delegate, making his team members believers, choosing locations, leasing vs. owning, and much more. A wide-ranging conversation with a guy who has his finger on the pulse of what it takes to make it in the tough restaurant business. Enjoy...

Erin is in Tuscaloosa, AL and manages not one, but two killer restaurants: Chuck's Fish and FIVE. These are sister restaurants, and part of a really incredible group co-owned by Cris Eddings, who has been on this podcast. Erin talks about her passion for hospitality, juggling two restaurants, her management style, what she's learned from the two owners, systems she has put into place, and more. Erin is very sharp and it was a pleasure to learn from her. Enjoy...

Tyler has been in hospitality since he was a teenager, though he nearly went down the suit-and-tie route after college. He talks about why he realized that wasn't the right career path; the importance of clear goals, communication, and discipline; who he admires and learns from; what he likes to read; and what he hopes to accomplishment within his group of restaurants. Great interview with a great guy. Enjoy...

Adam has been in the hospitality business since two weeks prior to his 16th birthday, and he's learned a ton about it over the last fourteen years. He talks about what he's learned on the job vs. what he learned while getting a hospitality & tourism degree, the saturated and competitive hospitality market in Charleston, S.C., how to keep good staff, his leadership style, and more. A great interview! Enjoy...

Wil shares some observations from the challenges his favorite local breakfast restaurant is facing, challenges faced by every restaurant at some point in their life cycle.

Mark has been in hospitality from a young age, and knew early on it was what he wanted to do for his career. He's been in the business for 18 years, he's been an owner for 8.5 years. This is a great interview from a guy who worked his tail off to learn as much as he could early on, willing to do whatever it took for the short term to help set himself up for long term success. He's inspiring to listen to, he's very transparent and sincere, he offers great advice for anybody considering being an owner, he has his priorities in check, and he has big plans for his group. A great interview! Enjoy...

This is a great interview to listen to for anybody interested in the bar business. Matt talks about the formula for success in the business, the importance of starting at the bottom (he started as a busser), hard work, solving problems every day, managing through the changes in labor laws, and the importance of building relationships with customers. Matt is awesome. Enjoy...

Ursa Minor Brewing is a 5-barrel brewery that opened in Duluth, MN 2.5 weeks ago, so Ben has a really interesting perspective! He and his brother have been working hard on for 4-5 years to take the brewery from idea to business plan to groundbreaking to opening their doors. Ben talked about what he learned along the way, why craft brewery people are all so supportive of each other, the challenge of raising money, and why their opening week was such a massive success. Enjoy...

Elissa has a degree in business and a minor in math, but found her way to the fun world of hospitality and has never looked back. She talks about the Bellisio's culture of being a small team but a big family, the annual retreat her restaurant group takes everybody on, the connections with the community that are made over a meal, the concept of throwing a party in your "house" every day at the restaurant, and more. She is a very impressive person with a great perspective on hospitality. Enjoy...

Amy has worked her way up from server to bartender to manager to GM. She talks about having a strong work ethic, learning something new every day, building a grey team, following her owner's lead, and why she loves what she does every day. Enjoy...

Another passionate, enthusiastic, fun member of the team at Sweet Cow Ice Cream joined me for a great conversation on what to look for in a hospitality job, questions to ask when interviewing, the many (many, many) roles of a GM, the hiring and firing process, work ethic, sharing in customers' important life moments, and more. Elissa is awesome! Enjoy...

Callie is a 17-year-old shift leader at Sweet Cow Ice Cream in Louisville, CO. Sweet Cow owners Drew and Ross were on the podcast recently, and spoke very highly of their incredible staff. When you listen to Callie talk about what she does and why she has so much fun doing it, you'll know why those guys are so fired up about the team of people that work with them. Enjoy...