So You Want to Run a Restaurant?

We spoke with Molly Irani, co-founder of Chai Pani Restaurant Group, about building a different kind of restaurant culture while also creating a thriving, decorated restaurant group with five concepts across three cities and a popular CPG line.

Executive chef Edwin Gallardo and food and beverage manager Robin Janse of Seven Stars Resort and Spa join us to talk about their unique sustainability initiatives and how operators can think about sustainability in their own restaurants.

Rachel Cope’s Oklahoma City restaurant empire started with a single pizza place and has developed into a full-fledged restaurant group featuring five different concepts that continue to grow. We talk to her about how she built it and what she sees down the road.

Alphabet City Beer Co. owner Zach Mack usually hosts So You Want to Run a Restaurant, but not this week! Producer Matt Lynch joins host Claudia Saric to interview Zach about the lessons he’s learned in the hospitality industry and how he applied them when opening his second concept, Taco Vista.

We talk to Detroit restaurateur and entrepreneur Ping Ho about her journey from the music business to the restaurant business, and what she’s learned running several hybrid retail/restaurant concepts.

June Rodil of Goodnight Hospitality talks to us about the lessons she's learned launching a restaurant group just prior to the pandemic, starting her own private CPG label, and what has her excited for the future.

We talk with Anthony Collamati of Block House about his esports-focused restaurant concept and the importance of creating unique guest experiences.

We talk with Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy in New York City about her groundbreaking restaurant Dirt Candy and more.

We talk with Chef Elyssa Kaplan, culinary operations lead at World Central Kitchen, about how she came to join the charity organization and her work feeding people in need all over the world.

We talk with Jasmine Sheth of Tasting India about where she sees the virtual concept space headed in the coming years.

We talk with restaurateur Stratis Morfoogen about his contactless QSR concept, Brooklyn Dumpling, and where the QSR space in general is headed.

We talk with Fernando de Buen Lopez, a Director of Innovation at foodservice innovation hub, Relish Works, about how different generations relate to food and what that could mean for the future of restaurants.

We talk to Lauren Bailey, co-founder of Upward Projects, about what the future of full-service restaurants looks like as we emerge from the pandemic and look forward.

We’re bringing you an exciting crossover episode from our friends at Copper & Heat, which explores the unspoken rules and traditions of restaurant kitchens through the stories of people that work in them. This episode deals with how people in the industry can support one another through mental health challenges. Check new episodes from Copper & Heat’s fourth season, which debuts September 15th.

We talk to Ellen Yin, co-owner of Philadelphia’s High Street Hospitality Group, about building an environment where staff feels valued and the role of restaurants in their communities.

We talk to chef Rodney “Rock” White of SuperChefs in Louisville about dealing with restaurant adversity, starting his own clothing line, and making a partnership work.

We talk to Upward Projects CEO and co-founder Lauren Bailey about how culture is foundational to her Arizona-based restaurant group, the role her concepts play in the communities they serve, and how it all started with a college job at P.F. Chang’s.

We talk to Gordon Food Service Corporate Consulting Chef Nick Gonring about the intensive process he goes through to keep up with culinary trends and what he sees being the next big thing.