Want to listen to the latest Restaurant Rockstars podcast episodes?

Episode #215 Disrupt your Competition & Build your Business!

Long before the crisis hit, drive-thru’s changed the way restaurants served their customers.  The opportunity is now greater than ever to take the standard drive-thru up a notch or two with customer safety, convenience and entertainment paramount.  It’s time to work “ON” your business, not just to survive this crisis but to dominate your competition.…

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Episode #214 Is It Time To Franchise?

If you have a concept your customers love, this might be the time to think about expanding your business. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m excited to be talking to Anthony Leone, a veteran operator with vast experience with some of the most-recognized and leading chain concepts. Now he’s helping others develop their concepts into viable and lucrative franchise opportunities.

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Episode #213 Find New Opportunity as a Personal Chef

Covid-19 has turned all of us upside down, but it’s also been a huge opportunity. Many of you are trained chefs and culinarians. Possibly you’ve lost your cooking gig, or your hours have been reduced and you need a new opportunity. What to do? Listen to this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast. I’m speaking with Chef Donna G, Founder of the Personal Chef Network.

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Episode #212 Humble And Genuine Describe This Dynamic Entrepreneur

After all the blood, sweat and tears building a restaurant and brand; Covid hit and much like the rest of us, he was forced to shut down his restaurant. It made little sense to re-open during this crisis when margins pre-Covid were stretched to the thin limit. Preux & Proper has a bright future someday down the road, but for now as any dynamic entrepreneur would do, Joshua has re-invented himself and his business.

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Episode #211 Contactless Ordering & Payment to Boost your Business!

In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m speaking with Robbert Bregman from TableDuck, a company that has figured out how your customers can order from you from anywhere safely via Messenger Apps like “FB Messenger” or “What’s App”? Lots of people communicate with their friends and family all the time using Messengers, so why not with your restaurant.

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Episode #210 Paramount Customer Service Starts With Outstanding Employee Experiences

Imagine learning the secrets of success from some of the world’s most recognized and powerful brands and then applying them to your business. You can! In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I speak with Jill Raff of the Jill Raff Group. Jill brands herself as a “Customer Experience Strategist” and we dive deep into the true meaning of hospitality and paramount customer service.

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Episode #209 Our Cheese Was Moved, Now What?

In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, I’m speaking with my good friend and fellow industry Pro, Jaime Oikle of Running Restaurants. Jaime had this idea to talk about what we can do now to not only survive, but put our business in the best position to really come out of this crisis and succeed big. Now’s the time to continue taking action. Now’s the time to strategize, plan, execute! Its all about the following simple systems to control your business and your future

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Episode #208 The Latest Scoop on PPP, EIDL and Forgiveness

The Paycheck Protection Program has worked for some and not for others. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars podcast, I’m speaking with Matthew Patrick, Principal of Patrick & Associates, a CPA firm specializing in the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. We’re going to cover all the ins and outs of these programs, and most important how to maximize or get complete forgiveness for your PPP!

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Episode #207 In a Sea of Marketing, this Really Works!

One of the coolest things we talk about is what Matt calls creating an “Emotional Connection” with the customer. Building that powerful loyalty is like money in the bank. Think of what the lifetime value of each customer is really worth if they become raving fans of your business and suddenly come in more often. We’re going to talk about social media strategy, what to communicate, how often to communicate and special offers that bring in the crowds.

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Episode #206 Leading Chefs Unite To Help Hospitality Workers

This episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast is all about an initiative to help those industry workers most affected. I’m speaking with Sean Weissbart, a NYC attorney specializing in setting up tax-exempt non profit organizations who has teamed with Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group, Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller to create a 501 (3C) company raising funds for those in our business who need it most – our front line employees.

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Episode #205 A Contactless Order And Pay Solution

The new normal is contactless ordering & payment. If you have pivoted or are ready to pivot your business model to take out, curbside pickup and delivery, here’s a solution. Think of it this way… waiting customers cost your restaurant money, mixed up orders costs you money, bad reviews cost money.  It’s all about hospitality, convenience and safety.

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Episode #204 Restaurants Share Covid-19 Aftermath & Solutions

The Government has all but shut us down, and returning to days of normal is still out of sight for most of us. We’re scrambling for a new plan and that plan keeps shifting day by day. What to do next? In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast I speak with George Deeb of Restaurant Furniture Plus. George sent out a Covid-19 Survey to 30,000 restaurants and the results are telling.

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Episode #202 An Objective View of Modern POS Systems

At the heart of your operation is of course your Point of Sale system. Interestingly, modern systems are now integrating other value-added applications such as Inventory control, payment processing, online ordering, etc… There are so many features, options and choices to look at, so with today’s episode, we’re not just bringing you another system, but an objective opinion from a software and POS expert who tells all from your perspective.

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Episode #200 Making The Most Of Downtime During The Coronavirus Crisis – A Roundtable Discussion

This crisis is unprecedented and the worst disaster to ever hit our industry. The Stats are staggering: Hundreds of Billions of Dollars Lost, Millions and millions of our employees out of work and worst of all, complete uncertainty for the future. When will we be able to re-open our restaurants? Will there be a crush of business, or will it take time to get back to normal? No-one has the crystal ball. This episode is all about what you can do Now for your business while things are idle or slower than usual. A roundtable with Food Industry Professionals.

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Episode #199 How To Protect Your Business During The Coronavirus Pandemic

This situation is unfathomable and it’s constantly shifting. Every minute, there’s new information, new challenges and lots of uncertainty. No one knows what will happen next or how long before its over. Now’s the time to take action… to think your business through. To protect yourself, your employees, your customers, your business. In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, my friend and fellow industry colleague Jaime Oikle will lead us through a panel discussion focusing on what’s happening right now… loss of business, being forced to close either voluntarily or due to civic mandate, ideas on how to pivot your business, financing options, what your staff can do if hours are lost or they’re laid off and so much more.

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Episode #198 Health Driven Eats Equals Marketing Success – Powerhaus Pizza

In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast, Anisha Blodgett set out to start a health & wellness business, Not a restaurant! Funny how the stars aligned and her brainchild became a wholesome, holistic and organic eatery featuring pizza, salads, smoothies and other “Good for You” treats. Not only that but her choice of location perfectly aligns with her youthful, health-conscious customer. There are so many learnings and “key-takeaways” in this episode. We’ll talk about staff on boarding and training, catering and other profit centers, brand-building and the importance of community service and giving back to those who support your business.

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Episode #197 Powerful Bar Promotions to Attract New Customers

In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast I’m speaking with Nick Fosberg, a bar and restaurant marketing Guru and a multi-unit owner/ operator himself. Stay tuned and Listen to Nick to find out: The Most Effective Promotions to Attract New Customers in 2020, What most owners do for marketing and Why it Doesn’t Work, The How & Why of List Building and Lead Generation, The power of what he calls the “Viral Offer Promotional Campaign”. We also discuss the Pros & Cons of “Discounts”, how to strategize a discount without diminishing your brand or the value of your products and the Profitable ways of Advertising your promotions this year.

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Episode #196 Sustainable And Profitable Starts At The Table

In this episode of the Restaurant RockStars Podcast I’m speaking with Chef Ali Gonzalez, a man who has dedicated 30 years to his passion for culture, tradition and fresh-crafted food from scratch by using natural resources. Chef Ali has been on a decades long quest to fix what’s broken in the restaurant industry. As a Chef, Coach and Mentor Ali has run restaurants, hotels, catering companies and even cooked for the movie industry.

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