September 4, 2025 • 43 mins
Jeff Gigante, founder of Next Level Brands, joins Restaurant Masterminds to share how his Tampa-based restaurant group generates nearly $40 million with just three locations through "laid-back luxury" hospitality. Learn his strategies for employee retention (4.5 weeks vacation for all leaders), community integration, technology adoption challenges, and expansion plans for 20+ restaurants. Discover how treating culture as CapEx investment and authentic community engagement drives exceptional performance in upscale casual dining.
~This episode is sponsored by: Gusto → https://gusto.pxf.io/PBN ~
#1 rated HR platform for payroll, benefits, and more
With Gusto’s easy-to-use platform, you can empower your people and push your business forward. See why over 400,000 businesses choose Gusto.
#RestaurantBusiness #HospitalityLeadership #CasualDining
Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/
Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.
Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory
~This episode is sponsored by: Gusto → https://gusto.pxf.io/PBN ~
#1 rated HR platform for payroll, benefits, and more
With Gusto’s easy-to-use platform, you can empower your people and push your business forward. See why over 400,000 businesses choose Gusto.
#RestaurantBusiness #HospitalityLeadership #CasualDining
Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/
Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.
Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We are back here on the Restaurant Masterminds podcast, and
today you have a special treat. As you will notice,
the Brady Bunch has arrived, and that is mister Rudy Mick,
our culture guru, Mister Paul malin Nari, the tech man
that knows no boundaries, and of course the ultimate, the
(00:21):
Queen of marketing, the diva that brings it to the max,
Miss Stacey Kane. How are you, Miss Stacey Kane?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
So good?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
I don't know if everybody else is as pumped up
as me. I've had like three cups of coffee, how
about you, guys? Yeah, number three right here, my friends,
there you go.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
See, I'm lagging this morning. Last night the deal?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
What's the deal here?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I went to this new Korean barbecue place here in Baltimore. Yeah,
how do you go to Korean barbecue and not come
out like feeling pregnant? Because after I can't stop, even
when I'm like really being healthy, if there's a Korean barbecue.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
There is dangerous.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I am gorging. It is like the pie scene and
stand by me. I mean it is so much, I
can't stop. So this morning I've got like the meat
sweats a little bit.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Oh jeez. All right, let's hope that gets better. All right, guys,
we have a good one today. The topic is casual
dining versus upscale casual is a battle brewing out there
in the market. We'll be talking about that with a
very special guest coming in from next level Brands. You
(01:41):
don't want to miss this one, because it's going to
be crazy. Good stand by. My name is Paul Baron.
(02:12):
As the early pioneer in fast casual, I've seen the
industry evolve from just a few operators to the most
sought after segment by consumers around the world. Now we're
planning to shape its future. Tap into decades of my
expertise identifying the emerging brands and tech winners in the space.
(02:33):
Saber Capital will be fueling the next generation of fast
casual innovation. All right, we're back here on the Restaurant
Masterminds podcast. I've got the beautiful Stacy Caine there, of course,
Paul Molinari and mister Rudy mick All writing in today.
I was Rudy pops in on the on the stream.
Then here comes Stacy and then Paul, and I'm like, okay,
(02:55):
what did I miss? Something, miss, I love it.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Well.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Anyway, we've got a great guest today and that of
course is Jeff Shigante, who's coming in from Next Level Brands. Jeff,
let me give you the screen time.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
All right, how are you guys? Everyone here there. I'm
excited to be on this.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
I'm a big fan and was super excited when you
guys reached out and excited to talk a lot about
chop it up with you guys.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, for sure. Hey, let's bring on everybody there, and
of course we're going to get into Next Level Brands
what you guys are doing just for our audience, because
I think not everybody will be completely aware even though
you guys have made a lot of news here recently.
Give this an update of what you guys are up
to right now?
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Okay, well, Next Level Brands is comprised of my two partners,
Joe Gagino Andrew Wright and myself. We make up the
general partnership and then you know, we have limited partners
that make up our investment pool. But we own three
big scale restaurants in Tampa, four Bitchy Modern Italian and
the Hyde Park neighborhood Bulam Brassery, which is our big
(04:04):
French brassery kind of a homage to the Bafflezar of
New York City is in the Water Street, our new
development right downtown. And then Union New American, which is
on the West Shore District, which is kind of like
between the malls and all of the business district, you know,
at the top of Tampa.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, I've been to the Union restaurant. Fantastic experience. I
will give you that. It was amazing. Food was on
was on point. But I'll tell you this, my friend,
your best asset at Union was your staff.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Oh thank you.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
They were phenomenal. And I don't I don't think they knew.
It was like the Mastermind podcast coming in because I
go in incognito. It was fantastic. It was fantastic.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
That had what.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Do you mean, what does that mean? Was that she
just dissed me?
Speaker 4 (05:03):
I think he's not sure she dissed me or your
infamous in our industry and I'm cut from the colth
of Rudy Mick. Culture is everything, and you know, it
starts with a little tiny spark and then grows into
a forest fire. And that's what really keeps your guests
and keeps you longevity in the game. So we're very
very high on culture, and you know, we believe we
(05:25):
take care of our people and the people will take
care of everyone else.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
You're looking at the I'm showing you guys union right
now on it. By the way, if you're not on
the YouTube channel, come over to Savor dot fm. You'll
see us over there. You can see all these podcasts,
but you'll notice what we're showing on screen. Great first
of all, great great video of this one. But the
size of this restaurant surprised me. Is this a typical
footprint for your operations?
Speaker 4 (05:50):
No, that's that's our biggest restaurant. It's a little over
eleven thousand feet. Four Bitche is about fifty eight hundred
square feet, and then Mulan's seventy one hundred square feet. Okay,
we are doing bigger restaurants, like we're expanding the Forbitchy brand,
My my fun modern Italian. You know, we have live
(06:10):
music every night, and we're building our second one that'll
open up here in November.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
And downtown Saint Pete.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
It's nine thousand square foot inside with a thirty five
hundred square foot patio. So it's a big, big restaurant.
And you know, we believe that this is part of
our vision of elevating the culinary landscape is place making.
You know, people, I believe, through pandemic and through all
these things that happened our world, you know, people are
(06:37):
going to hold on to their last social bastion, which
is getting together and communing, you know, over a meal,
over an occasion, a holiday. And so we want to
build our places to be kind of iconic space making
places where people can come and experience, you know, a
(06:58):
meal together.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
And you know, official motto.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Of my group is, you know, every friend was once
a stranger, and we like to stree places where you
know that can change.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
You know, in an instant, I'm.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Gonna let Rudy hit you up on a culture question
because I'm sure he's got one.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
Well, I just my hat's off. I applaud you and
the whole people thing, especially especially at this current the
courage for you guys to go big, the courage for
you to broadband and just allow people to celebrate again
(07:36):
and do it through training and onboarding and all the
fun stuff you guys are doing. Brab oh Man. So
that's more of a statement than a question. Yeah, here
would be a question. So, as you guys took the
risk to go big and to wide open a city
(07:57):
like Tampa, what what think is the biggest step that
open the door for folks to come and apply with you.
What what lets you stand out in such a way
that folks are your team is joining you.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Well, you know, so if you want to be an anomaly,
you have to act like one.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
So we start off all of our leaders, all of
our salaried leaders in the company, start off with four
and a half weeks of paid vacation.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
So that's unheard of in our industry.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
You know, you got one week, maybe two if you've
been there for you know, eight to ten years. So
we wanted to start off that. That comes from my partner,
Andrew Wright, is very big in commercial real estate and development,
and so he's got you know, he's an organization builder,
and he's like, Jeff, you know, this is going to
cost us a little more upfront, but what it's going
(08:53):
to pay in dividends is we're going to get the
best of the brightest from all the companies. They're going
to go Wait a second, my benefits package start at
double what I'm getting here, and I work within this culture.
And then you know, we we truly believe that, you know,
we bring it.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
We we we make a very long process of hiring
these amazing leaders. We go through many interviews.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
We have, you know, almost everybody in the c suite
of my company interviews. You know, these you know, prospective leaders.
Once we hire them, we give them authorship. We want
them to run the business. Now obviously it's under the
tutelige and guidance of what we've set up, but that's
very loose. We want them to really feel like they
can create the trust and love and support. It goes
(09:39):
back and forth with the people that they're leading. So
we really try to get out of the way. And
and then you know, my job, which I love. You know,
I've got an amazing director of operations, Heather Rivas, who
you know, came from recently from Opening Husk and Savannah, Georgia,
you know, one of the greatest restaurants you know for me,
(10:00):
like she basically took my job because you know, I've
been doing this business for thirty years. I've built another
company in town up to twenty five restaurants. I exited
in twenty eighteen, and because it was going in a
direction that you know, wasn't my passion. And when your
life isn't about money but about purpose, you've got to
get busy moving and pivoting. So that's why I started
(10:24):
Next Level Brands is because I wanted to create laid back,
luxury experiential meeting places.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
And do you think, Jeff, that you're getting people in
from the fine dining sector now, Yes, and they're they're
coming into this element and both from the customer side,
but also from the staff and the team side.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
So we're we're kind of become a magnet and we're
drawing from all over and we've been advertising for the
last eighteen months out of state, so I'm trying to
get you know, Tampa's sure is so hot and tail
is so wide open and so on the radar for everyone.
We want people moving their families here because a once
they make that kind of commitment and they land with us,
(11:11):
I feel like, you know, they really come in and
they create their world in and around what we're creating. Yeah,
and you know, not to mention they're bringing that big
city perspective into Tampa, which still has all the trappings
of a modest small town, but it's shaking loose and
starting to really have some big city feel.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
And you know, we had.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Tom Brady here for several years. They won a Super Bowl,
back to back championships with the Lightning. You know, big
tech is moving in, lots of finances moving in, people
are moving their headquarters here. It's starting to show that
we're going to be a big city. So I want
those people that have been serving the big city clientele
moving into our town.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
It's certainly taking over a lot of the space of
Florida because Miami had been kind of sucking up all
the wind for a while. But Tampa has really come along.
And Jacksonville's just not necessarily the city and Orlando. You know,
it's a tourist town, you know where. I think what
you're saying is that Tampa is really shaping.
Speaker 6 (12:10):
In beautiful features.
Speaker 7 (12:13):
I mean, they're they're Tampa had is a It's a
part of the country that I think is very different.
Speaker 6 (12:18):
From from the rest of the world.
Speaker 7 (12:19):
And it's and it has like some serious attractions.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Yea, beaches are right here, Pete Clearwater, Tampa.
Speaker 7 (12:27):
I remember a couple of years ago my only dining
experience in Tampa was at Columbia.
Speaker 6 (12:32):
Okay, you know which is I guess the same thing.
Speaker 7 (12:34):
I'm in Boston, So that would be like the Union
Oyster House correct of Tampa.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
A one hundred year old group run by Richard Gonzmar
who's a friend of mine, and yeah, a great restauranteur
in his own right.
Speaker 7 (12:46):
And so one of the interesting things about Columbia, and
I think what lends to its staying power, is the
fact that it's it is somewhat of a cultural experience.
And I like what you're saying, Jeff, because I got
I'm like, I need a I can't keep up with
your with your with your jeffisms.
Speaker 6 (13:04):
You have some great you're dropping wisdom. I love it.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 7 (13:07):
But you know, how is it that it seems to
me you're on the path to modernizing Tampa And in
some ways I did a little bit of homework on you. You're
on the board. Uh, you're you're on the board with
the city. Yes, so you're somehow taking uh, your restaurants
are taking a seat at the table with the development
(13:29):
of the city. Yes, Well, explain to me a little
bit about how restaurants, particularly in your segment, can utilize
that strategy. As at a way to help mold, you know,
help create, help you know, bring that community together to
build something special.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Well, our success is three pronged, and you know we
preach this amongst all of our group and our leaders
is is you know, our our teammates. First, we take
care of everybody in house. We have a little over
five hundred employees. We take very good care of them,
and their issues are our issues, and we're we really
move as a team. Secondly, we we create these unbelievable
(14:13):
dining places and meeting places and they're in the heartbeats
of the city's you know center here. And then thirdly
is we take care of our community. Yeah, and doing
that is we're super philanthropic. All of my partners and myself,
I've been doing this for many years. I'm the I'm
the board chair of Bullard Family Foundation, which you know,
(14:35):
we have a big local celebrity here who is like
my brother. His name's Titus O'Neil, but Fatteus Bullard. He
was a WWE championship.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
You guys can watch him on Bravo right now, which
is such a joke and I laugh every night.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
But he's on King's Court, you know, trying to find love,
which you know that guy, you know trips over the
front door and he's got love in his life. But anyhow,
so he's he has created the Bull Family Foundation about
ten years ago. I came on one year after it started.
And so we take care of the underprivilege and the
(15:08):
need in Tampa and.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
We do back to School Bash that we do at.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
The Tampa Stadium here at Raymond James Stadium, where we
give thirty thousand underprivileged children full book bags and full
medical services, and we feed them and give them a
beautiful day before school to where you know, they're able
to get their eyes checked, they get haircuts, they get
their teeth checked, they get you know, their parents get mammograms.
(15:34):
You know, Advent Health is a great partner. Then in
Christmas time we do the Joy of Giving where we
give them unbelievable Christmases and so I'm very honored to
be able to give that back. And this is our
eighth year of doing that together. And you know, when
we started, Titus came to me and he's like, look,
you know, I said, I'm so inspired by what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
You know, I'd like to donate. And he goes oh no, right,
and the check's easy.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Jeff.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
I need you to activate your circle. And you're so
respected in our town. When your friends and family and
everyone who loves you sees you in action, they're going
to want to get an action. And that's how we
impact change. So I've been doing that and the first time,
our first event was ten thousand people, and he's like, okay,
I need you to feed everyone.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
I was like, okay, that's.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
Great, So what's our budget? And he just started laughing
that big Gregarius laugh. He's like, bro, we don't have money.
He's like, you're the food guy. You got to figure
that out. And I didn't even realize, you know, I
went to Cisco and I went to Doc Green's and
I'm like, listen, guys, we're doing something really noble here.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
I need you to partner.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
And they were very quick to say, whatever you need,
we got you donating food and here's ten thousand hamburgers
and and so, you.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Know, change happens that way.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
And I think a lot of people want to help,
they just have no idea how to help. So that's why,
you know, I'm so passionate about doing that, and I'm
you know, I'm taking board positions with the city and
with Tampa Police Department and with Advent Health, so that
my circle of influence can look and go, oh my god,
you're really giving.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Of your time.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
And I was like, yeah, give up your time and treasure.
It's how we build a community, and it takes a village.
And so I've inspired a lot of people to do
more than just right dext which I'm super proud of.
And you know, for me, I do everything I do
about legacy. And you know, I've got two wonderful kids
and I want them, long after I'm gone from this earth,
to look back and see either you know, a podcast
(17:27):
that I've done, or videos that I've done, or events
that I was a part of, and go, oh my god,
this is what was part of Dad's life.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
This is why he was driven.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
And so for me, you know, we're all going to
be gone from here in a minute, So why not
do everything that.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
You can to impact as many lives as you can.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
The perfect queue for marketing like local store marketing, Yeah, well.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
It's bigger than marketing at some level. To Paul's question,
and mister Barry, where you're headed with Stacy with a
marketing piece there's something gigantic being said, and I don't
want it to get missed.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Jeff.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
It seems to me like every touch point you're talking
about with your team and the community, you're treating hiring,
training and community as if it was a cap X investment.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Right absolutely, and the audience really needs to pay attention
to this is the touch point is your people.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
The food, of course, is going to get executed through
your thought and your business plan. But just a big
shout out to you and everything you're doing.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
With that rob thank you.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
You remember I even forgot who said it, but people
will forget everything except how you make them feel.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
And so we have thousands and thousands of.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Moments every day through our staff to be able to
affect that emotional tie. And so that's what we instill
in our people is that they have authorship. And you know,
I'm a huge fan of Danny Meyer and Will Gadera
and all of those things. We want to serve unreasonable
hospitality and whatever that means. You know, I read something
(19:19):
the other day about the Ritz Carlton and how you
know they brought in somebody and that person came in
and said, we want to give every employee in the
company a two thousand dollars opportunity. They can spend up
to two thousand dollars to affect hospitality and whatever way
that is, whether it's you know, a gentleman left his
(19:40):
laptop and he had to fly to Atlanta, and the
lady gets on the plane with the laptop, flies there,
gives it to him, and then flies back. Like those
moments are cemented in creating. People are like, God, I
just love Jeff's places. I love next level brands, Like,
wherever we go, whatever we do, let's try to fall
into one of their places.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
A couple of just kind of foundational questions. Clearly you're
a mission driven a mission driven organization, which by the
way makes my heart saying, it's so much easier to
market a brand or a collection of brands that have
a true purpose. You're not filling a story. This is
all incredibly authentic, and it's what people are craving right now.
(20:22):
Is that authenticity. But from a marketing perspective, these all
of these amazing things that you're doing are huge heavy lift.
How big is your marketing department and are you leaning
into is it all come back to the mission, So
it's not that's building the brand awareness for you. So
(20:45):
are you is that like the foundation of your marketing strategy.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
Yeah, So there's two questions there. The first one is
how big is our department. I'm really the biggest part
of our marketing department. I have Adriana Ariya, who's our
marketing lead and director, and then we manage many other facilitators,
like we have videographers, we have photographers, we have a.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Social media group, we have a PR agency.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
And then because I don't want it to be just
cut and paste and like you know, glossy pictures and
you know, sexy videos. We believe that those who document
their journey and tell the best story wins. So that's
how we do it, and that's largely my passion is.
You know, I come up with like, have you guys
(21:34):
ever see the NFL like hard knocks, you know they
do the you know they're getting ready for I want.
So that was an idea came up with and I
called my whole team at like eleven at night. They
were all sleeping, but I was like, I want to
make up bus boys, I want to make up SOO chefs,
I want to make up our dishwasher.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
One night and I want to film them and.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Let let the you know, let the people have their
Wizard of Oz moment. You know, our our client tell
let them see what our you know, our dishwasher comes
in it for he's there till two in the morning
and he's talking with everyone. He's super pleasant. So we're
creating that, but it's really just whatever moves me and
whatever hits me. I want to do that to give
(22:14):
them the peak behind the curtain so they can see
we're a human company. We're here in Tampa and we
have lots of different socioeconomic people that work with us,
but they make up the greatness of what Next Level
Brands is. And so that's how we run our marketing.
It's really storytelling. I don't like them to use the
term marketing because I want I want people to have
(22:37):
the notion that we're just kind of letting them in
on what we're doing and all the different parts of
what it is that makes us special and we just
have to storyteller.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I mean, storytelling is everything from when.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
Your child comes home, you know, who's messed up a
little bit at school and you're going to hear that
story and you're like, listen, you better tell me the
right story, because I'm going to be talking to your
teacher and I'm going to get story, and that's how
I'm going to make up exactly what happened.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
So that's how we do it.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
And you know, so we have probably I don't know
fifteen twenty people that are responsible, but it's a collective energies.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
They don't all work in house. Really.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
We have one person in house and then a list
of my executive assistant who also has a great marketing
background cheat lends a hand and helps on the events
and stuff we do. But we'll be growing because we're
at a tremendous growth point right now. We're going to
double the size of our business over the next two
years each year. So next year we'll have six restaurants,
(23:36):
the year after that, we'll have probably ten.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
So we're going to be growing that company.
Speaker 4 (23:41):
But we're laying down the foundation right now for how
it's going to be run, just with people at resources.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
So Jack, I had another follow up question to that
you have you're a multi concept organization, so when you're
telling the story, and my question comes from the fact
that you've ingrained yourself so much into the growth of Tampa.
So are you when you're doing your storytelling, is it
(24:09):
about next level as an umbrella or how much are
you leaning into each individual brand story?
Speaker 3 (24:16):
So it's a trickle down.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
We do talk like when I talk, I talk about
next level, and like you know, the employees at FORBACI
are not employees of FORBCI, they're employees of next level brands.
They're part of a much bigger thing than their one
restaurant in that little neighborhood. And so we do talk
about next level because we we're going to be a
(24:38):
hospitality company. We're going to get into hotels, we're going
to get into arenas, We're going to do a lot
of different things. Right now, we're just a big Italian,
big French, and big American restaurant.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
That's what we are.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
Yeah, let's us talk a little bit about that scale
right with with next level in particular, So you uh
to be able to scale, you're going to need certain
efficiencies you're gonna need You're going to need systems in
place that allow you to multiply. Yeah, So I'd love
to segue a little bit into the tech.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Yes, what are you doing? You know? What do you so?
Speaker 7 (25:14):
For example, it looks like your websites are beautiful, but
it looks to me I think you're using pop Menu
if I'm not taken right.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Yeah, we moved to them about a year ago.
Speaker 7 (25:23):
Yeah, pretty website. So you have a marketing platform, yes,
with with pop Menu. But tell us a little bit
more about your tech stack, you know, as it relates
maybe to front of house and back of house.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
Yeah, okay, so pop Menu great company.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
We love how heavy they are in AI and where
they're moving and all of really the data metric stack
that they're able to give us about our guests.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
So that's why we're with them.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
And I will be the first to admit we are
terrible at integrating all of.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Their technologies, so we're still learning that. We're one year in.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Oh yeah, we have a CTO that's I hired him
in nineteen ninety six. He walked into the doors of
my first restaurant in Tampa with his young, beautiful girlfriend
that was going to be his soon fiance, and you know,
he was from Boston, just super warm.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
I just fell in love with the guy.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
I was a manager of my one restaurant that I
owned in Tampa at the time, and you know, made
him an offer on the spot. He came on, you know,
and overtime grew to be an assistant manager, a manager.
He launched our catering program, and he was still with
my previous company up to I don't know, three or
four years ago, when finally, you know, he he didn't
really align with where they were moving, came sat and
(26:41):
talked with me and said, you know, I've always been
in tech. I'm happy to do tech. I'm doing a
little bit of tech over there. And I said, well,
we need tech. So we made a deal, brought him on,
and so we are right now going through our tech
stack because we have toast. We have triple seat, we
have restaurant three sixty five, uh zen. You know, we've
(27:04):
got all these different things.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
And I hate it when.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
We we buy all these expensive softwares and we use
ten percent of their functionality.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
Shelfware doesn't work for anybody.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
And you know, next, I look the other day, we're
spending two hundred and fifty grand a year on all
this ship that we have or all this stuff. Starr shit,
Oh you can't, oh good, right, get all careful. So Peter, yeah,
is to make sure that we're doing that, but AI
is super uh on the edge of where we're going,
(27:37):
and we're doing you know, we just signed up with
this company called site Zeus because we're growing our footprint
with forbitcy and the the the data that's at their
fingertips is insane. So you know, instead of me picking
a space, going god, I love this area, this feels
really good, Let's let's, you know, spend billions of dollars
and put.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
A restaurant here.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
They tell us, based on the current climate of where
our restaurants are what makes up our user mix, and
then they're like, this.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Will do very well. You were right to feel good
about this.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
This is you know, these top three demographics are going
to be perfect for that.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
But yes, we are getting better at that.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
We're not great, but you know, the first step in
becoming great is knowing your weaknesses. But you know AI,
we we have an AI phone system. We switched out
of pop Menu because theirs was very clunky and didn't
feel human, and we went back to slang AI because
there's Austin company, very good company, and you know, we
(28:36):
were with one of the first ones with them because
I wanted to kind of always lead but they just
were so expensive at the time, and you know, we
told them this is what we're paying. They're like, well,
just pay what whatever you guys want to pay. We
want to be with your company because you guys are
kind of going to where you know, we want to be.
And and you know, you're you're kind of the the
brand started there when whenever other restaurant companies in Tampa
(28:59):
see they you're onto something, they all start using it.
Speaker 7 (29:03):
So that's all part of the scale equation, right, I mean,
so it's you know, one of the other things. It's
you know, you brought up Danny Meyer earlier, and I
see some of that. I can tell you're you're you're
an advocate just simply because of the fact that.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
You think the table's my bible, buddy.
Speaker 6 (29:20):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 7 (29:21):
It has to be right if you remember in the book,
you know the way that shakeshack got invented. Yeah, so
all about our scale and yeah, but do you have
your eyes on perhaps something a little more fast casual,
like how can well?
Speaker 4 (29:36):
So the company I came from in Tampa is called
chi Cho Restaurant Group. They're known in town and in
the state and really now in the nation. For a
company that we started in twenty fourteen called Fresh Kitchen.
So we created that company and I'm very proud of it.
I think they've got nineteen or twenty stores, and they're
looking at larger footprints and you know, possible acquisitions, and
(30:01):
so yes, I do have So Chris Sullivan, founder of
out Back, who's been a dear friend and a mentor
of mine for twenty five years, is one of my
biggest investors and a huge soul of influence in our group.
He believes that FORBITCI is probably in the twenty to
forty locations throughout the southeast. That's what we're doing. We're
(30:23):
opening our second in November, our third in June, probably
our fourth, and the next November. And so once I
have those three or four showing that they're doing all
kind of what the first one was doing, we're going
to bring in joint ventures and we're going to grow
that brand. So that's that's gonna be my big walk away.
You know, when I sell over my shares, I walk
(30:44):
away with a big check and I'm on the beach
here for three months, and I'm in this little apartment
in New York City, and like.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
That'll be my plan. But that's the growth I have.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
I don't really you know, there's enough fresh kitchen knockoffs,
and there's enough of.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
The fast casual Like it's not about ego for me,
you know what I mean. Like it's it's.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
In my opinion, ego is insecurity acting as confidence. And
so I've built many of one type of restaurant enough
to see that there's no joy in that. For me, Yes,
you're serving a purpose. There's plenty of people that want
to wait eight minutes in line and get a bowl
of a bunch of fresh food and walk out the door.
(31:28):
But I'm not doing this about money. I make enough
money to be comfortable. I don't really need more. The
more is always a bonus because you know you can
do different things and help people. But for me, I
want to leave purposeful restaurants. Like the thought of me
having twenty to forty four Bitchi's where we have live
music every night, there's families coming in early. There's a
(31:50):
bunch of fourteen, fifteen and sixteen year old kids on
Friday and Saturday night on first dates in my restaurant.
That's what makes me go I did something really special
here and to have one in each little neighborhood. Everyone
calls it the cheers of their neighborhood. That to me
is you know, way more than you know. Danny Meyer
being a billionaire now, I'm sure he would care less
(32:10):
about that Moniker. Oh and more that he's putting, you know,
great burgers all throughout the country and giving a culture
and people a career path.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Jeff, when you look at the space right now casual dining,
there's been some wins, both good and bad. Yeah, but
here recently we've started to see a very significant shift
in upscale casual. Most of this has been pressure from
I would say, from the consumer group stepping down from
fine dining.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
Fine dining.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
You're talking about a two hundred and fifty dollars check now.
Speaker 4 (32:44):
Yeah, everything about fine dining is offensive to me.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
That's just okay. Tell us what we.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Call ourselves laid back luxury and actually union the restaurant
that you dined and we open with, you know, an administration,
a GM and a chef that came from fine dining.
But I was trying to let them understand that we
weren't going to be that. We were going to be
laid back luxury where girls you know, coming from their
yoga class at seven pm on a Tuesday Wednesday night
(33:15):
would feel very comfortable coming into our restaurant and sitting
down and getting a dozen oysters and you know, the
heart throasted shrimp. I wanted that they had a different
idea and we had to kind of just scratch that
entire administration and start over. And you know, it was
a great learning lesson for our entire team to say, look,
we got this wrong at the beginning. We had to
(33:36):
pivot and now, like you know, people are really understanding
what union is.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Well, when you're looking at fun dining, the approachable, yeah,
companies like well, I'm looking at just Capital Grill a
good example, Darden with a you know, the Capital had
I think it was almost a six percent decline in sales.
Casual side of it though has continued to kind of
to peck away and grow. But that's to your point
is the quality of products that you're bringing into the
(34:05):
market is kind of that middle ground which I think
everybody is now thirsting for. They want a better value,
but they want the same experience which you're able to deliver.
Do you Okay, so you're you've talked about scaling this
both from a tech side, from operational side within Tampa.
Obviously Tampa is only going to grow so much, correct,
(34:26):
right and beyond Tampa, would you look outside the state
of Florida. Are you feeling okay, give us the Well,
We're going.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
To first make sure that we hit all of the
cities in Florida that I want to be a part of.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Okay, one of those park which is right next to Orlando.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
We'll do cover thetone possibly Fort Lauderdale, you know, maybe
Tallahassee because that's you know, where my alma mater and
my son's going to be going there. So I know
there's a great clientele based on the capital and everything
that's happening there. But I believe Florida is good for
ten four Bitchies, and then I think we'll do the
(35:04):
additional you know, ten to thirty more in the southeastern
United States. You know, I'll stay all along the East coast.
And you know, again, I've got no intention of being
in Baltimore or being in in Rally, North Carolina and
me opening the FOURBICI. But we want to grow with
joint venture partners that understand the concept, that understand you know,
(35:28):
there's tremendous margins.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
And pizza and pasa. It's you know, it's flour and water.
Speaker 4 (35:32):
So with the alcohol mix up and what we offer,
you know, our proposal of an Italian restaurant is different
than almost everybody in the marketplace. Live music every single night.
We offer live music every single night. You know that
that that's you know, the blues house of blues type idea,
(35:53):
you know. And we really offer very affordable takeout, very
affordable dining, eating a tremendous amount.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
Of catering that goes out the door.
Speaker 4 (36:03):
We do at four at our one fourbiture right now,
we do close to thirty five thousand dollars a week
in Uber. So my number is like, yeah, which is
more than my first restaurant did in its entirety.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
So I just I keep hearing the word value screaming
out at every touch point, right, just value and fun
and smiles, touch point.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
Memories that people are coming in. They're very comfortable giving
their fifteen year old their credit card, going go to
four Bits.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
You, They'll take good care of you.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
You listen to a little music, You have a nice
date with your girl, you know, take her home. Be
home by ten o'clock and bring me the receipt. That
to me is what's missing across America as far as
landscapes of restaurants, which is you know, and we're going
to act like a big corporation when there's thirty forty restaurants,
but they're still going to be heart and soul of
(36:59):
that neighborhood and we're not going to lose you know,
touch of that. I mean again, it's a long game
for me. It has been my entire career. And that's
how you build something really special is by putting in
the work. You know, there's too many companies that are like,
you know, they start dropping quality and they start you know,
they're trying to save their way to profitability. That is
(37:21):
not the way we're growing this company.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
We do.
Speaker 4 (37:24):
In our in our three restaurants, we'll do a little
under forty million this year. That's a big number for
three restaurants.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Yeah, that's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
Twelve restaurants in my previous group to get to that number.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
So what would be you know, a five year goal
for you in terms of a number of restaurants.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
Twenty restaurants in five years. And I like to be
doing you know, upwards of one hundred and fifty million.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
Okay, hey listen, I think the scale that you've got
going right now. One, if you can replicate what you've
done in Tampa, which I think it looks like you can,
this is going to be something to watch because there's
only been a handful of hospitality companies that have done
this successfully. You know, there's a handful down here. You
(38:08):
look at Grove Bay. Do you know the guys at
Grove Bay down here? Okay, so in South Florida, we
probably should have them on. But they have a similar style,
but they're a little bit more upscale. I keep arguing
with them they should bring some of those values to.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
You know, Steven Starr, Keith McNally, like, those are the
guys that So while we're growing, because yes, fourbitcy is
great and it deserves to be in forty cities, but
while we're growing that, I'm gonna do probably between six
and ten one off big concepts in Tampa because, like
you said, when you were a union, you're like, damn,
this doesn't feel like Tampa.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
No, I think that we can do that.
Speaker 4 (38:45):
We're gonna we're right now currently working on our elevated
Mexican Mexican concept called Matilday. It's going to be awesome
right here in the downtown corridor. We've got a beautiful
Asian concept. I've got kind of like Richard Melmans like
summerhow concept. I've got like a Hampton's type concept. Okay,
So we've got a bunch that we're going to do
in this Tampa Bay area of one off set will
(39:07):
keep me very you know, keep my heart full and
be able to create, you know, and have that creative
side fulfilled. And so while we're building those forbage's around
the country.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
You go for Jeff. Hey, Jeff, it's been good having
you on the show today. Man, you are a you
are a wrecking ball.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
I love it. Man, I'm happy to talk with you.
Thanks for giving me the platform.
Speaker 4 (39:31):
And whenever you guys are in Tampa, please come and visit.
Speaker 6 (39:34):
Look you out chop it up.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
Yeah, thanks again for coming in today. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
Thanks, Thanks j Jeff. Take care all right.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
So, man, what a great interview that was. Man, just fantastic.
Speaker 6 (39:46):
He's good energy.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
In the locations. I mean, you know, this is the
thing that everybody has been addressing, and that is this
casual dining glut that we're dealing with. And I was
so proud of him to say he didn't want to
do fast casual.
Speaker 6 (40:03):
Yeah, I was like, I was, That's what I was thinking.
Speaker 7 (40:06):
That's fantastic at the end game to get to something
like a shake shack on his brand.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
But no, you know, knows knows his mission and knows
his personal brand. And because he's so in tune with that,
he's like, I've done that.
Speaker 7 (40:23):
I play in the long game, he said. You know,
he's playing the lung. He's got a focus in a
strategy that is that's well.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
I think the key there is he's he's dialed into
a sector that there's not a lot of offerings in
right now, and it is so uh craved. You know,
they're down here in South Florida. That is a craveable
concept right now. If you get an upscale casual dining.
Speaker 6 (40:46):
Concert in New York, do you ever go to death
and Code there?
Speaker 1 (40:50):
That's a good example.
Speaker 7 (40:50):
I mean, I feel like they're like a death and code,
you know, like they can do that in like in Florida.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
I got I got the Barcelona vibe. Yeah, yeah, it's casual,
but like everybody's your friend. You considered a communal table,
the pouring of the wine into your mouth, a little
bit of eat.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
I think the Mastermind Retreat in Tampa.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
Yeah are you paying? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (41:21):
You know, we probably should do the Mastermind podcast tour
all around the country. We go in, we drop into
a restaurant, we do a podcast, have guys like Jeff
on have a good time parents finally thinking big.
Speaker 5 (41:36):
If I love Mastermind's on purpose?
Speaker 3 (41:45):
Yes, yea, on purpose? Like it.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Anyway, guys, you got a big treat today because you
had all the Masterminds here except for of course, miss
Anna Tousand, who will be joining us on uh more episodes.
She was just on last week. They had a banger
on the last episode that getting ready to drop you guys,
watch out for Paul and Anna. They killed it on
the most recent one. Make sure and subscribe to the show.
(42:08):
If you're not already over on saver fm, on YouTube
or on saver dot fm. You can go to the
website and of course you can catch this Mastermind podcast
on all the podcast platforms out there. Spotify is our
number one right now and this show. I have some
interesting news for you guys. This show made a top
(42:28):
fifteen list in restaurant podcasts. Really yeah, oh well, let's
I just got I got an email. I got an
email and it was from one of the researchers and
they said, hey, could you share a little bit more
about masterminds. We had three podcasts in the top fifteen, Paulie,
I'm telling you, and we're killing it because the guys
(42:51):
like you and ladies and ladies. That's right, that's right,
all right, you guys, don't shake your head at me.
We'll see you guys next time right here on the
Restaurant Masterminds podcast.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
Thank h
We are back here on the Restaurant Masterminds podcast, and
today you have a special treat. As you will notice,
the Brady Bunch has arrived, and that is mister Rudy Mick,
our culture guru, Mister Paul malin Nari, the tech man
that knows no boundaries, and of course the ultimate, the
(00:21):
Queen of marketing, the diva that brings it to the max,
Miss Stacey Kane. How are you, Miss Stacey Kane?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
So good?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
I don't know if everybody else is as pumped up
as me. I've had like three cups of coffee, how
about you, guys? Yeah, number three right here, my friends,
there you go.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
See, I'm lagging this morning. Last night the deal?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
What's the deal here?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I went to this new Korean barbecue place here in Baltimore. Yeah,
how do you go to Korean barbecue and not come
out like feeling pregnant? Because after I can't stop, even
when I'm like really being healthy, if there's a Korean barbecue.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
There is dangerous.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I am gorging. It is like the pie scene and
stand by me. I mean it is so much, I
can't stop. So this morning I've got like the meat
sweats a little bit.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Oh jeez. All right, let's hope that gets better. All right, guys,
we have a good one today. The topic is casual
dining versus upscale casual is a battle brewing out there
in the market. We'll be talking about that with a
very special guest coming in from next level Brands. You
(01:41):
don't want to miss this one, because it's going to
be crazy. Good stand by. My name is Paul Baron.
(02:12):
As the early pioneer in fast casual, I've seen the
industry evolve from just a few operators to the most
sought after segment by consumers around the world. Now we're
planning to shape its future. Tap into decades of my
expertise identifying the emerging brands and tech winners in the space.
(02:33):
Saber Capital will be fueling the next generation of fast
casual innovation. All right, we're back here on the Restaurant
Masterminds podcast. I've got the beautiful Stacy Caine there, of course,
Paul Molinari and mister Rudy mick All writing in today.
I was Rudy pops in on the on the stream.
Then here comes Stacy and then Paul, and I'm like, okay,
(02:55):
what did I miss? Something, miss, I love it.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Well.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Anyway, we've got a great guest today and that of
course is Jeff Shigante, who's coming in from Next Level Brands. Jeff,
let me give you the screen time.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
All right, how are you guys? Everyone here there. I'm
excited to be on this.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
I'm a big fan and was super excited when you
guys reached out and excited to talk a lot about
chop it up with you guys.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, for sure. Hey, let's bring on everybody there, and
of course we're going to get into Next Level Brands
what you guys are doing just for our audience, because
I think not everybody will be completely aware even though
you guys have made a lot of news here recently.
Give this an update of what you guys are up
to right now?
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Okay, well, Next Level Brands is comprised of my two partners,
Joe Gagino Andrew Wright and myself. We make up the
general partnership and then you know, we have limited partners
that make up our investment pool. But we own three
big scale restaurants in Tampa, four Bitchy Modern Italian and
the Hyde Park neighborhood Bulam Brassery, which is our big
(04:04):
French brassery kind of a homage to the Bafflezar of
New York City is in the Water Street, our new
development right downtown. And then Union New American, which is
on the West Shore District, which is kind of like
between the malls and all of the business district, you know,
at the top of Tampa.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, I've been to the Union restaurant. Fantastic experience. I
will give you that. It was amazing. Food was on
was on point. But I'll tell you this, my friend,
your best asset at Union was your staff.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Oh thank you.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
They were phenomenal. And I don't I don't think they knew.
It was like the Mastermind podcast coming in because I
go in incognito. It was fantastic. It was fantastic.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
That had what.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Do you mean, what does that mean? Was that she
just dissed me?
Speaker 4 (05:03):
I think he's not sure she dissed me or your
infamous in our industry and I'm cut from the colth
of Rudy Mick. Culture is everything, and you know, it
starts with a little tiny spark and then grows into
a forest fire. And that's what really keeps your guests
and keeps you longevity in the game. So we're very
very high on culture, and you know, we believe we
(05:25):
take care of our people and the people will take
care of everyone else.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
You're looking at the I'm showing you guys union right
now on it. By the way, if you're not on
the YouTube channel, come over to Savor dot fm. You'll
see us over there. You can see all these podcasts,
but you'll notice what we're showing on screen. Great first
of all, great great video of this one. But the
size of this restaurant surprised me. Is this a typical
footprint for your operations?
Speaker 4 (05:50):
No, that's that's our biggest restaurant. It's a little over
eleven thousand feet. Four Bitche is about fifty eight hundred
square feet, and then Mulan's seventy one hundred square feet. Okay,
we are doing bigger restaurants, like we're expanding the Forbitchy brand,
My my fun modern Italian. You know, we have live
(06:10):
music every night, and we're building our second one that'll
open up here in November.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
And downtown Saint Pete.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
It's nine thousand square foot inside with a thirty five
hundred square foot patio. So it's a big, big restaurant.
And you know, we believe that this is part of
our vision of elevating the culinary landscape is place making.
You know, people, I believe, through pandemic and through all
these things that happened our world, you know, people are
(06:37):
going to hold on to their last social bastion, which
is getting together and communing, you know, over a meal,
over an occasion, a holiday. And so we want to
build our places to be kind of iconic space making
places where people can come and experience, you know, a
(06:58):
meal together.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
And you know, official motto.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Of my group is, you know, every friend was once
a stranger, and we like to stree places where you
know that can change.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
You know, in an instant, I'm.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Gonna let Rudy hit you up on a culture question
because I'm sure he's got one.
Speaker 5 (07:15):
Well, I just my hat's off. I applaud you and
the whole people thing, especially especially at this current the
courage for you guys to go big, the courage for
you to broadband and just allow people to celebrate again
(07:36):
and do it through training and onboarding and all the
fun stuff you guys are doing. Brab oh Man. So
that's more of a statement than a question. Yeah, here
would be a question. So, as you guys took the
risk to go big and to wide open a city
(07:57):
like Tampa, what what think is the biggest step that
open the door for folks to come and apply with you.
What what lets you stand out in such a way
that folks are your team is joining you.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Well, you know, so if you want to be an anomaly,
you have to act like one.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
So we start off all of our leaders, all of
our salaried leaders in the company, start off with four
and a half weeks of paid vacation.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
So that's unheard of in our industry.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
You know, you got one week, maybe two if you've
been there for you know, eight to ten years. So
we wanted to start off that. That comes from my partner,
Andrew Wright, is very big in commercial real estate and development,
and so he's got you know, he's an organization builder,
and he's like, Jeff, you know, this is going to
cost us a little more upfront, but what it's going
(08:53):
to pay in dividends is we're going to get the
best of the brightest from all the companies. They're going
to go Wait a second, my benefits package start at
double what I'm getting here, and I work within this culture.
And then you know, we we truly believe that, you know,
we bring it.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
We we we make a very long process of hiring
these amazing leaders. We go through many interviews.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
We have, you know, almost everybody in the c suite
of my company interviews. You know, these you know, prospective leaders.
Once we hire them, we give them authorship. We want
them to run the business. Now obviously it's under the
tutelige and guidance of what we've set up, but that's
very loose. We want them to really feel like they
can create the trust and love and support. It goes
(09:39):
back and forth with the people that they're leading. So
we really try to get out of the way. And
and then you know, my job, which I love. You know,
I've got an amazing director of operations, Heather Rivas, who
you know, came from recently from Opening Husk and Savannah, Georgia,
you know, one of the greatest restaurants you know for me,
(10:00):
like she basically took my job because you know, I've
been doing this business for thirty years. I've built another
company in town up to twenty five restaurants. I exited
in twenty eighteen, and because it was going in a
direction that you know, wasn't my passion. And when your
life isn't about money but about purpose, you've got to
get busy moving and pivoting. So that's why I started
(10:24):
Next Level Brands is because I wanted to create laid back,
luxury experiential meeting places.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
And do you think, Jeff, that you're getting people in
from the fine dining sector now, Yes, and they're they're
coming into this element and both from the customer side,
but also from the staff and the team side.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
So we're we're kind of become a magnet and we're
drawing from all over and we've been advertising for the
last eighteen months out of state, so I'm trying to
get you know, Tampa's sure is so hot and tail
is so wide open and so on the radar for everyone.
We want people moving their families here because a once
they make that kind of commitment and they land with us,
(11:11):
I feel like, you know, they really come in and
they create their world in and around what we're creating. Yeah,
and you know, not to mention they're bringing that big
city perspective into Tampa, which still has all the trappings
of a modest small town, but it's shaking loose and
starting to really have some big city feel.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
And you know, we had.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Tom Brady here for several years. They won a Super Bowl,
back to back championships with the Lightning. You know, big
tech is moving in, lots of finances moving in, people
are moving their headquarters here. It's starting to show that
we're going to be a big city. So I want
those people that have been serving the big city clientele
moving into our town.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
It's certainly taking over a lot of the space of
Florida because Miami had been kind of sucking up all
the wind for a while. But Tampa has really come along.
And Jacksonville's just not necessarily the city and Orlando. You know,
it's a tourist town, you know where. I think what
you're saying is that Tampa is really shaping.
Speaker 6 (12:10):
In beautiful features.
Speaker 7 (12:13):
I mean, they're they're Tampa had is a It's a
part of the country that I think is very different.
Speaker 6 (12:18):
From from the rest of the world.
Speaker 7 (12:19):
And it's and it has like some serious attractions.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Yea, beaches are right here, Pete Clearwater, Tampa.
Speaker 7 (12:27):
I remember a couple of years ago my only dining
experience in Tampa was at Columbia.
Speaker 6 (12:32):
Okay, you know which is I guess the same thing.
Speaker 7 (12:34):
I'm in Boston, So that would be like the Union
Oyster House correct of Tampa.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
A one hundred year old group run by Richard Gonzmar
who's a friend of mine, and yeah, a great restauranteur
in his own right.
Speaker 7 (12:46):
And so one of the interesting things about Columbia, and
I think what lends to its staying power, is the
fact that it's it is somewhat of a cultural experience.
And I like what you're saying, Jeff, because I got
I'm like, I need a I can't keep up with
your with your with your jeffisms.
Speaker 6 (13:04):
You have some great you're dropping wisdom. I love it.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 7 (13:07):
But you know, how is it that it seems to
me you're on the path to modernizing Tampa And in
some ways I did a little bit of homework on you. You're
on the board. Uh, you're you're on the board with
the city. Yes, so you're somehow taking uh, your restaurants
are taking a seat at the table with the development
(13:29):
of the city. Yes, Well, explain to me a little
bit about how restaurants, particularly in your segment, can utilize
that strategy. As at a way to help mold, you know,
help create, help you know, bring that community together to
build something special.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Well, our success is three pronged, and you know we
preach this amongst all of our group and our leaders
is is you know, our our teammates. First, we take
care of everybody in house. We have a little over
five hundred employees. We take very good care of them,
and their issues are our issues, and we're we really
move as a team. Secondly, we we create these unbelievable
(14:13):
dining places and meeting places and they're in the heartbeats
of the city's you know center here. And then thirdly
is we take care of our community. Yeah, and doing
that is we're super philanthropic. All of my partners and myself,
I've been doing this for many years. I'm the I'm
the board chair of Bullard Family Foundation, which you know,
(14:35):
we have a big local celebrity here who is like
my brother. His name's Titus O'Neil, but Fatteus Bullard. He
was a WWE championship.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
You guys can watch him on Bravo right now, which
is such a joke and I laugh every night.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
But he's on King's Court, you know, trying to find love,
which you know that guy, you know trips over the
front door and he's got love in his life. But anyhow,
so he's he has created the Bull Family Foundation about
ten years ago. I came on one year after it started.
And so we take care of the underprivilege and the
(15:08):
need in Tampa and.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
We do back to School Bash that we do at.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
The Tampa Stadium here at Raymond James Stadium, where we
give thirty thousand underprivileged children full book bags and full
medical services, and we feed them and give them a
beautiful day before school to where you know, they're able
to get their eyes checked, they get haircuts, they get
their teeth checked, they get you know, their parents get mammograms.
(15:34):
You know, Advent Health is a great partner. Then in
Christmas time we do the Joy of Giving where we
give them unbelievable Christmases and so I'm very honored to
be able to give that back. And this is our
eighth year of doing that together. And you know, when
we started, Titus came to me and he's like, look,
you know, I said, I'm so inspired by what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
You know, I'd like to donate. And he goes oh no, right,
and the check's easy.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Jeff.
Speaker 4 (15:58):
I need you to activate your circle. And you're so
respected in our town. When your friends and family and
everyone who loves you sees you in action, they're going
to want to get an action. And that's how we
impact change. So I've been doing that and the first time,
our first event was ten thousand people, and he's like, okay,
I need you to feed everyone.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
I was like, okay, that's.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
Great, So what's our budget? And he just started laughing
that big Gregarius laugh. He's like, bro, we don't have money.
He's like, you're the food guy. You got to figure
that out. And I didn't even realize, you know, I
went to Cisco and I went to Doc Green's and
I'm like, listen, guys, we're doing something really noble here.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
I need you to partner.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
And they were very quick to say, whatever you need,
we got you donating food and here's ten thousand hamburgers
and and so, you.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Know, change happens that way.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
And I think a lot of people want to help,
they just have no idea how to help. So that's why,
you know, I'm so passionate about doing that, and I'm
you know, I'm taking board positions with the city and
with Tampa Police Department and with Advent Health, so that
my circle of influence can look and go, oh my god,
you're really giving.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Of your time.
Speaker 4 (17:06):
And I was like, yeah, give up your time and treasure.
It's how we build a community, and it takes a village.
And so I've inspired a lot of people to do
more than just right dext which I'm super proud of.
And you know, for me, I do everything I do
about legacy. And you know, I've got two wonderful kids
and I want them, long after I'm gone from this earth,
to look back and see either you know, a podcast
(17:27):
that I've done, or videos that I've done, or events
that I was a part of, and go, oh my god,
this is what was part of Dad's life.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
This is why he was driven.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
And so for me, you know, we're all going to
be gone from here in a minute, So why not
do everything that.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
You can to impact as many lives as you can.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
The perfect queue for marketing like local store marketing, Yeah, well.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
It's bigger than marketing at some level. To Paul's question,
and mister Barry, where you're headed with Stacy with a
marketing piece there's something gigantic being said, and I don't
want it to get missed.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Jeff.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
It seems to me like every touch point you're talking
about with your team and the community, you're treating hiring,
training and community as if it was a cap X investment.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Right absolutely, and the audience really needs to pay attention
to this is the touch point is your people.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
The food, of course, is going to get executed through
your thought and your business plan. But just a big
shout out to you and everything you're doing.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
With that rob thank you.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
You remember I even forgot who said it, but people
will forget everything except how you make them feel.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
And so we have thousands and thousands of.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Moments every day through our staff to be able to
affect that emotional tie. And so that's what we instill
in our people is that they have authorship. And you know,
I'm a huge fan of Danny Meyer and Will Gadera
and all of those things. We want to serve unreasonable
hospitality and whatever that means. You know, I read something
(19:19):
the other day about the Ritz Carlton and how you
know they brought in somebody and that person came in
and said, we want to give every employee in the
company a two thousand dollars opportunity. They can spend up
to two thousand dollars to affect hospitality and whatever way
that is, whether it's you know, a gentleman left his
(19:40):
laptop and he had to fly to Atlanta, and the
lady gets on the plane with the laptop, flies there,
gives it to him, and then flies back. Like those
moments are cemented in creating. People are like, God, I
just love Jeff's places. I love next level brands, Like,
wherever we go, whatever we do, let's try to fall
into one of their places.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
A couple of just kind of foundational questions. Clearly you're
a mission driven a mission driven organization, which by the
way makes my heart saying, it's so much easier to
market a brand or a collection of brands that have
a true purpose. You're not filling a story. This is
all incredibly authentic, and it's what people are craving right now.
(20:22):
Is that authenticity. But from a marketing perspective, these all
of these amazing things that you're doing are huge heavy lift.
How big is your marketing department and are you leaning
into is it all come back to the mission, So
it's not that's building the brand awareness for you. So
(20:45):
are you is that like the foundation of your marketing strategy.
Speaker 4 (20:49):
Yeah, So there's two questions there. The first one is
how big is our department. I'm really the biggest part
of our marketing department. I have Adriana Ariya, who's our
marketing lead and director, and then we manage many other facilitators,
like we have videographers, we have photographers, we have a.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Social media group, we have a PR agency.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
And then because I don't want it to be just
cut and paste and like you know, glossy pictures and
you know, sexy videos. We believe that those who document
their journey and tell the best story wins. So that's
how we do it, and that's largely my passion is.
You know, I come up with like, have you guys
(21:34):
ever see the NFL like hard knocks, you know they
do the you know they're getting ready for I want.
So that was an idea came up with and I
called my whole team at like eleven at night. They
were all sleeping, but I was like, I want to
make up bus boys, I want to make up SOO chefs,
I want to make up our dishwasher.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
One night and I want to film them and.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Let let the you know, let the people have their
Wizard of Oz moment. You know, our our client tell
let them see what our you know, our dishwasher comes
in it for he's there till two in the morning
and he's talking with everyone. He's super pleasant. So we're
creating that, but it's really just whatever moves me and
whatever hits me. I want to do that to give
(22:14):
them the peak behind the curtain so they can see
we're a human company. We're here in Tampa and we
have lots of different socioeconomic people that work with us,
but they make up the greatness of what Next Level
Brands is. And so that's how we run our marketing.
It's really storytelling. I don't like them to use the
term marketing because I want I want people to have
(22:37):
the notion that we're just kind of letting them in
on what we're doing and all the different parts of
what it is that makes us special and we just
have to storyteller.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I mean, storytelling is everything from when.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
Your child comes home, you know, who's messed up a
little bit at school and you're going to hear that
story and you're like, listen, you better tell me the
right story, because I'm going to be talking to your
teacher and I'm going to get story, and that's how
I'm going to make up exactly what happened.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
So that's how we do it.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
And you know, so we have probably I don't know
fifteen twenty people that are responsible, but it's a collective energies.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
They don't all work in house. Really.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
We have one person in house and then a list
of my executive assistant who also has a great marketing
background cheat lends a hand and helps on the events
and stuff we do. But we'll be growing because we're
at a tremendous growth point right now. We're going to
double the size of our business over the next two
years each year. So next year we'll have six restaurants,
(23:36):
the year after that, we'll have probably ten.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
So we're going to be growing that company.
Speaker 4 (23:41):
But we're laying down the foundation right now for how
it's going to be run, just with people at resources.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
So Jack, I had another follow up question to that
you have you're a multi concept organization, so when you're
telling the story, and my question comes from the fact
that you've ingrained yourself so much into the growth of Tampa.
So are you when you're doing your storytelling, is it
(24:09):
about next level as an umbrella or how much are
you leaning into each individual brand story?
Speaker 3 (24:16):
So it's a trickle down.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
We do talk like when I talk, I talk about
next level, and like you know, the employees at FORBACI
are not employees of FORBCI, they're employees of next level brands.
They're part of a much bigger thing than their one
restaurant in that little neighborhood. And so we do talk
about next level because we we're going to be a
(24:38):
hospitality company. We're going to get into hotels, we're going
to get into arenas, We're going to do a lot
of different things. Right now, we're just a big Italian,
big French, and big American restaurant.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
That's what we are.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
Yeah, let's us talk a little bit about that scale
right with with next level in particular, So you uh
to be able to scale, you're going to need certain
efficiencies you're gonna need You're going to need systems in
place that allow you to multiply. Yeah, So I'd love
to segue a little bit into the tech.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Yes, what are you doing? You know? What do you so?
Speaker 7 (25:14):
For example, it looks like your websites are beautiful, but
it looks to me I think you're using pop Menu
if I'm not taken right.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Yeah, we moved to them about a year ago.
Speaker 7 (25:23):
Yeah, pretty website. So you have a marketing platform, yes,
with with pop Menu. But tell us a little bit
more about your tech stack, you know, as it relates
maybe to front of house and back of house.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
Yeah, okay, so pop Menu great company.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
We love how heavy they are in AI and where
they're moving and all of really the data metric stack
that they're able to give us about our guests.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
So that's why we're with them.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
And I will be the first to admit we are
terrible at integrating all of.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Their technologies, so we're still learning that. We're one year in.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Oh yeah, we have a CTO that's I hired him
in nineteen ninety six. He walked into the doors of
my first restaurant in Tampa with his young, beautiful girlfriend
that was going to be his soon fiance, and you know,
he was from Boston, just super warm.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
I just fell in love with the guy.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
I was a manager of my one restaurant that I
owned in Tampa at the time, and you know, made
him an offer on the spot. He came on, you know,
and overtime grew to be an assistant manager, a manager.
He launched our catering program, and he was still with
my previous company up to I don't know, three or
four years ago, when finally, you know, he he didn't
really align with where they were moving, came sat and
(26:41):
talked with me and said, you know, I've always been
in tech. I'm happy to do tech. I'm doing a
little bit of tech over there. And I said, well,
we need tech. So we made a deal, brought him on,
and so we are right now going through our tech
stack because we have toast. We have triple seat, we
have restaurant three sixty five, uh zen. You know, we've
(27:04):
got all these different things.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
And I hate it when.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
We we buy all these expensive softwares and we use
ten percent of their functionality.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
Shelfware doesn't work for anybody.
Speaker 3 (27:13):
One hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
And you know, next, I look the other day, we're
spending two hundred and fifty grand a year on all
this ship that we have or all this stuff. Starr shit,
Oh you can't, oh good, right, get all careful. So Peter, yeah,
is to make sure that we're doing that, but AI
is super uh on the edge of where we're going,
(27:37):
and we're doing you know, we just signed up with
this company called site Zeus because we're growing our footprint
with forbitcy and the the the data that's at their
fingertips is insane. So you know, instead of me picking
a space, going god, I love this area, this feels
really good, Let's let's, you know, spend billions of dollars
and put.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
A restaurant here.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
They tell us, based on the current climate of where
our restaurants are what makes up our user mix, and
then they're like, this.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Will do very well. You were right to feel good
about this.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
This is you know, these top three demographics are going
to be perfect for that.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
But yes, we are getting better at that.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
We're not great, but you know, the first step in
becoming great is knowing your weaknesses. But you know AI,
we we have an AI phone system. We switched out
of pop Menu because theirs was very clunky and didn't
feel human, and we went back to slang AI because
there's Austin company, very good company, and you know, we
(28:36):
were with one of the first ones with them because
I wanted to kind of always lead but they just
were so expensive at the time, and you know, we
told them this is what we're paying. They're like, well,
just pay what whatever you guys want to pay. We
want to be with your company because you guys are
kind of going to where you know, we want to be.
And and you know, you're you're kind of the the
brand started there when whenever other restaurant companies in Tampa
(28:59):
see they you're onto something, they all start using it.
Speaker 7 (29:03):
So that's all part of the scale equation, right, I mean,
so it's you know, one of the other things. It's
you know, you brought up Danny Meyer earlier, and I
see some of that. I can tell you're you're you're
an advocate just simply because of the fact that.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
You think the table's my bible, buddy.
Speaker 6 (29:20):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 7 (29:21):
It has to be right if you remember in the book,
you know the way that shakeshack got invented. Yeah, so
all about our scale and yeah, but do you have
your eyes on perhaps something a little more fast casual,
like how can well?
Speaker 4 (29:36):
So the company I came from in Tampa is called
chi Cho Restaurant Group. They're known in town and in
the state and really now in the nation. For a
company that we started in twenty fourteen called Fresh Kitchen.
So we created that company and I'm very proud of it.
I think they've got nineteen or twenty stores, and they're
looking at larger footprints and you know, possible acquisitions, and
(30:01):
so yes, I do have So Chris Sullivan, founder of
out Back, who's been a dear friend and a mentor
of mine for twenty five years, is one of my
biggest investors and a huge soul of influence in our group.
He believes that FORBITCI is probably in the twenty to
forty locations throughout the southeast. That's what we're doing. We're
(30:23):
opening our second in November, our third in June, probably
our fourth, and the next November. And so once I
have those three or four showing that they're doing all
kind of what the first one was doing, we're going
to bring in joint ventures and we're going to grow
that brand. So that's that's gonna be my big walk away.
You know, when I sell over my shares, I walk
(30:44):
away with a big check and I'm on the beach
here for three months, and I'm in this little apartment
in New York City, and like.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
That'll be my plan. But that's the growth I have.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
I don't really you know, there's enough fresh kitchen knockoffs,
and there's enough of.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
The fast casual Like it's not about ego for me,
you know what I mean. Like it's it's.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
In my opinion, ego is insecurity acting as confidence. And
so I've built many of one type of restaurant enough
to see that there's no joy in that. For me, Yes,
you're serving a purpose. There's plenty of people that want
to wait eight minutes in line and get a bowl
of a bunch of fresh food and walk out the door.
(31:28):
But I'm not doing this about money. I make enough
money to be comfortable. I don't really need more. The
more is always a bonus because you know you can
do different things and help people. But for me, I
want to leave purposeful restaurants. Like the thought of me
having twenty to forty four Bitchi's where we have live
music every night, there's families coming in early. There's a
(31:50):
bunch of fourteen, fifteen and sixteen year old kids on
Friday and Saturday night on first dates in my restaurant.
That's what makes me go I did something really special
here and to have one in each little neighborhood. Everyone
calls it the cheers of their neighborhood. That to me
is you know, way more than you know. Danny Meyer
being a billionaire now, I'm sure he would care less
(32:10):
about that Moniker. Oh and more that he's putting, you know,
great burgers all throughout the country and giving a culture
and people a career path.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Jeff, when you look at the space right now casual dining,
there's been some wins, both good and bad. Yeah, but
here recently we've started to see a very significant shift
in upscale casual. Most of this has been pressure from
I would say, from the consumer group stepping down from
fine dining.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
Fine dining.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
You're talking about a two hundred and fifty dollars check now.
Speaker 4 (32:44):
Yeah, everything about fine dining is offensive to me.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
That's just okay. Tell us what we.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Call ourselves laid back luxury and actually union the restaurant
that you dined and we open with, you know, an administration,
a GM and a chef that came from fine dining.
But I was trying to let them understand that we
weren't going to be that. We were going to be
laid back luxury where girls you know, coming from their
yoga class at seven pm on a Tuesday Wednesday night
(33:15):
would feel very comfortable coming into our restaurant and sitting
down and getting a dozen oysters and you know, the
heart throasted shrimp. I wanted that they had a different
idea and we had to kind of just scratch that
entire administration and start over. And you know, it was
a great learning lesson for our entire team to say, look,
we got this wrong at the beginning. We had to
(33:36):
pivot and now, like you know, people are really understanding
what union is.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Well, when you're looking at fun dining, the approachable, yeah,
companies like well, I'm looking at just Capital Grill a
good example, Darden with a you know, the Capital had
I think it was almost a six percent decline in sales.
Casual side of it though has continued to kind of
to peck away and grow. But that's to your point
is the quality of products that you're bringing into the
(34:05):
market is kind of that middle ground which I think
everybody is now thirsting for. They want a better value,
but they want the same experience which you're able to deliver.
Do you Okay, so you're you've talked about scaling this
both from a tech side, from operational side within Tampa.
Obviously Tampa is only going to grow so much, correct,
(34:26):
right and beyond Tampa, would you look outside the state
of Florida. Are you feeling okay, give us the Well,
We're going.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
To first make sure that we hit all of the
cities in Florida that I want to be a part of.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Okay, one of those park which is right next to Orlando.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
We'll do cover thetone possibly Fort Lauderdale, you know, maybe
Tallahassee because that's you know, where my alma mater and
my son's going to be going there. So I know
there's a great clientele based on the capital and everything
that's happening there. But I believe Florida is good for
ten four Bitchies, and then I think we'll do the
(35:04):
additional you know, ten to thirty more in the southeastern
United States. You know, I'll stay all along the East coast.
And you know, again, I've got no intention of being
in Baltimore or being in in Rally, North Carolina and
me opening the FOURBICI. But we want to grow with
joint venture partners that understand the concept, that understand you know,
(35:28):
there's tremendous margins.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
And pizza and pasa. It's you know, it's flour and water.
Speaker 4 (35:32):
So with the alcohol mix up and what we offer,
you know, our proposal of an Italian restaurant is different
than almost everybody in the marketplace. Live music every single night.
We offer live music every single night. You know that
that that's you know, the blues house of blues type idea,
(35:53):
you know. And we really offer very affordable takeout, very
affordable dining, eating a tremendous amount.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
Of catering that goes out the door.
Speaker 4 (36:03):
We do at four at our one fourbiture right now,
we do close to thirty five thousand dollars a week
in Uber. So my number is like, yeah, which is
more than my first restaurant did in its entirety.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
Yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
So I just I keep hearing the word value screaming
out at every touch point, right, just value and fun
and smiles, touch point.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
Memories that people are coming in. They're very comfortable giving
their fifteen year old their credit card, going go to
four Bits.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
You, They'll take good care of you.
Speaker 4 (36:39):
You listen to a little music, You have a nice
date with your girl, you know, take her home. Be
home by ten o'clock and bring me the receipt. That
to me is what's missing across America as far as
landscapes of restaurants, which is you know, and we're going
to act like a big corporation when there's thirty forty restaurants,
but they're still going to be heart and soul of
(36:59):
that neighborhood and we're not going to lose you know,
touch of that. I mean again, it's a long game
for me. It has been my entire career. And that's
how you build something really special is by putting in
the work. You know, there's too many companies that are like,
you know, they start dropping quality and they start you know,
they're trying to save their way to profitability. That is
(37:21):
not the way we're growing this company.
Speaker 5 (37:22):
We do.
Speaker 4 (37:24):
In our in our three restaurants, we'll do a little
under forty million this year. That's a big number for
three restaurants.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Yeah, that's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
Twelve restaurants in my previous group to get to that number.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
So what would be you know, a five year goal
for you in terms of a number of restaurants.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
Twenty restaurants in five years. And I like to be
doing you know, upwards of one hundred and fifty million.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
Okay, hey listen, I think the scale that you've got
going right now. One, if you can replicate what you've
done in Tampa, which I think it looks like you can,
this is going to be something to watch because there's
only been a handful of hospitality companies that have done
this successfully. You know, there's a handful down here. You
(38:08):
look at Grove Bay. Do you know the guys at
Grove Bay down here? Okay, so in South Florida, we
probably should have them on. But they have a similar style,
but they're a little bit more upscale. I keep arguing
with them they should bring some of those values to.
Speaker 4 (38:22):
You know, Steven Starr, Keith McNally, like, those are the
guys that So while we're growing, because yes, fourbitcy is
great and it deserves to be in forty cities, but
while we're growing that, I'm gonna do probably between six
and ten one off big concepts in Tampa because, like
you said, when you were a union, you're like, damn,
this doesn't feel like Tampa.
Speaker 3 (38:43):
No, I think that we can do that.
Speaker 4 (38:45):
We're gonna we're right now currently working on our elevated
Mexican Mexican concept called Matilday. It's going to be awesome
right here in the downtown corridor. We've got a beautiful
Asian concept. I've got kind of like Richard Melmans like
summerhow concept. I've got like a Hampton's type concept. Okay,
So we've got a bunch that we're going to do
in this Tampa Bay area of one off set will
(39:07):
keep me very you know, keep my heart full and
be able to create, you know, and have that creative
side fulfilled. And so while we're building those forbage's around
the country.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
You go for Jeff. Hey, Jeff, it's been good having
you on the show today. Man, you are a you
are a wrecking ball.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
I love it. Man, I'm happy to talk with you.
Thanks for giving me the platform.
Speaker 4 (39:31):
And whenever you guys are in Tampa, please come and visit.
Speaker 6 (39:34):
Look you out chop it up.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
Yeah, thanks again for coming in today. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
Thanks, Thanks j Jeff. Take care all right.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
So, man, what a great interview that was. Man, just fantastic.
Speaker 6 (39:46):
He's good energy.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
In the locations. I mean, you know, this is the
thing that everybody has been addressing, and that is this
casual dining glut that we're dealing with. And I was
so proud of him to say he didn't want to
do fast casual.
Speaker 6 (40:03):
Yeah, I was like, I was, That's what I was thinking.
Speaker 7 (40:06):
That's fantastic at the end game to get to something
like a shake shack on his brand.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
But no, you know, knows knows his mission and knows
his personal brand. And because he's so in tune with that,
he's like, I've done that.
Speaker 7 (40:23):
I play in the long game, he said. You know,
he's playing the lung. He's got a focus in a
strategy that is that's well.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
I think the key there is he's he's dialed into
a sector that there's not a lot of offerings in
right now, and it is so uh craved. You know,
they're down here in South Florida. That is a craveable
concept right now. If you get an upscale casual dining.
Speaker 6 (40:46):
Concert in New York, do you ever go to death
and Code there?
Speaker 1 (40:50):
That's a good example.
Speaker 7 (40:50):
I mean, I feel like they're like a death and code,
you know, like they can do that in like in Florida.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
I got I got the Barcelona vibe. Yeah, yeah, it's casual,
but like everybody's your friend. You considered a communal table,
the pouring of the wine into your mouth, a little
bit of eat.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
I think the Mastermind Retreat in Tampa.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
Yeah are you paying? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (41:21):
You know, we probably should do the Mastermind podcast tour
all around the country. We go in, we drop into
a restaurant, we do a podcast, have guys like Jeff
on have a good time parents finally thinking big.
Speaker 5 (41:36):
If I love Mastermind's on purpose?
Speaker 3 (41:45):
Yes, yea, on purpose? Like it.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Anyway, guys, you got a big treat today because you
had all the Masterminds here except for of course, miss
Anna Tousand, who will be joining us on uh more episodes.
She was just on last week. They had a banger
on the last episode that getting ready to drop you guys,
watch out for Paul and Anna. They killed it on
the most recent one. Make sure and subscribe to the show.
(42:08):
If you're not already over on saver fm, on YouTube
or on saver dot fm. You can go to the
website and of course you can catch this Mastermind podcast
on all the podcast platforms out there. Spotify is our
number one right now and this show. I have some
interesting news for you guys. This show made a top
(42:28):
fifteen list in restaurant podcasts. Really yeah, oh well, let's
I just got I got an email. I got an
email and it was from one of the researchers and
they said, hey, could you share a little bit more
about masterminds. We had three podcasts in the top fifteen, Paulie,
I'm telling you, and we're killing it because the guys
(42:51):
like you and ladies and ladies. That's right, that's right,
all right, you guys, don't shake your head at me.
We'll see you guys next time right here on the
Restaurant Masterminds podcast.
Speaker 3 (43:06):
Thank h
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