Barbecue Catering Smarts
Barbecue Catering Smarts is your go-to podcast for mastering the business of BBQ catering. Hosted by Michael Attias—founder of CaterZen Catering Software and longtime catering strategist—this show dives deep into the systems, stories, and smarts behind the most successful BBQ catering operations in the country. Each episode features conversations with pitmasters, smokehouse owners, and catering pros who share their proven tactics for scaling revenue, streamlining operations, building loyal fans, and turning smoky deliciousness into serious profit. Whether you run a food truck, a full-service BBQ restaurant, or a booming catering department, you'll walk away with actionable ideas to elevate your BBQ catering game. Tune in to Barbecue Catering Smarts—where smoke, strategy, and success come together.
Episodes
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias sits down with Erin Childs, restaurant consultant, coach, and long-time catering operator who cut her teeth in Boston's fast casual scene.
From pounding the pavement with samples in hand to building systems for national brands like Beloco and Fresh City, Erin sh...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Phillip Scotton, President & COO of Primo Partners—one of the most successful multi-unit, multi-brand franchise operators in the Ben & Jerry's system, and a rapidly growing partner within the Starbucks licensed store network.
Phillip shares his rema...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias sits down with Amanda Quinn, Director of Catering at Viva Chicken—one of the fastest-growing Peruvian rotisserie brands in the U.S.
Amanda brings years of experience building off-premise programs across hotels, franchise concepts, and now a multi-unit restaurant...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Lauren Laurent, the powerhouse Director of Catering Sales & Marketing at Levy Restaurants — based at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
With 15+ years in hospitality,...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Christin Marvin, founder and CEO of Solutions by Christin. With over 20 years in the hospitality trenches—from line cook to multi-unit operator—Christin now helps restaurant owners and leaders create sustainable success without burning out in the process.
Read more
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Terry Matthews, Co-Founder of CaterLinked, a fast-growing community built to connect, educate, and empower catering professionals.
Terry shares how CaterLinked was born out...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias sits down with George Westberry, Director of Marketing Initiatives at Red Hot & Blue Barbecue. With 13 years at the brand and a career that began in the back of the house as a chef, George has a unique perspective on how
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Kevin Reading, VP of Sales and Community Engagement at Luna Grill.
Kevin shares his journey from hotel catering to leading national catering at Qdoba, and now helping Luna Grill scale its off-premise and catering programs. He dives into the advantages of working in a nimble, entrepreneurial organization, where testing ideas and pivot...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Jenn Saunders-Haynes, Owner & Chief Catering Strategist at Elizabeth Jewel Consulting.
Jenn shares why the three P's—Packaging, Process, and Profit—are the foundation of catering success. From avoiding the trap of...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Deborah Miller, Founder of Deborah Miller Catering & Events—one of New York City's most creative and fast-growing catering companies.
Deborah shares her journey from growing up in her father's "greasy spoon" to building a thriving, full-service catering...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias sits down with John Geyerman, Chief Strategy Officer at WOWorks, the parent company behind better-for-you brands like Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, and The Simple Greek.
John brings a wealth of experience from his days at Schlotzsky's and Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, and he dives into the complexities and opportunities of running catering operati...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Christian Hilty, VP of Partnerships at DeliverThat, a delivery logistics platform built specifically for catering.
Christian shares how DeliverThat carved out a niche in the catering world by offering scheduled, white-glove delivery services tailored for large catering orders—a game-changer for restaurants tired of the headaches from t...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias sits down with Chris Heffernan, CEO of dlivrd—a last-mile logistics company disrupting the gig delivery space with a focus on transparency, driver empowerment, and AI-driven matchmaking.
Chris shares his vision for a delivery ecosystem where restaurant operators and drivers both win. You'll hear how dlivrd's platform is custom-built for caterin...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias sits down with Jason Schultz, Founder and CEO of Blue Ridge Payment Partners, for a conversation that's less about payment processing and more about character, relationships, and doing business the right way.
Michael shares the behind-the-scenes story of how Jason uncovered a major opportunity that led to CaterZen landing one of its biggest cli...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Ellen Diehl, Operations Coordinator at Roots Natural Kitchen—affectionately dubbed "The Catering Queen" by her team.
Ellen plays a pivotal role in building and scaling off-premise catering for one of the country's fas...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Allen Beck, Director of Off-Premise and Catering at Costa Vida. With over 15 years of experience in restaurant operations and hospitality, Allen has helped Costa Vida double its catering business year over year—by building a sales-driven culture and putting boots on the ground.
Allen sh...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Marianne Jeff, also known as The Get It Done Diva and Founder of the Women's Business Momentum Center. With over 20 years of experience coaching small business owners, Marianne shares the strategies she used to help Zach's Catering transform their operations—from clunky systems and chaotic days to streamlined processes and ...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias sits down with Erle Dardick, founder of CaterLinked and the Off Premises Growth Academy—and one of the most respected voices in restaurant off-premises strategy.
Erle's journey started back in 1996 with the purchase of Tony's Deli in Vancouver. Fast forward nearly 30 year...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Kelly Grogan, Founder & CEO of CRUMBS, a platform helping restaurants grow through smarter local store marketing, online ordering, and catering strategies.
With a background in both hospitality and tech, Kelly shares how CRUMBS empowers restaurants to grow incremental revenue channels—especially catering—by si...
In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias sits down with Aron Benon, CEO of LaLa Tacos, a fast-growing taco catering business known for its high-quality food, top-notch customer service, and innovative marketing strategies.
Aron shares how he turned a small taco car...
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.