Restaurant Leadership Podcast: Overcome Burnout, Embrace Freedom, and Drive Growth

Peak season is here and the schedule is bleeding. We sit down with leadership and customer service expert Michelle Pascoe to unpack why restaurants are seeing more call‑outs, how assumptions about today’s workforce backfire, and what owners can do right now to stabilize staffing without burning out their best people. From hiring scripts that set crystal‑clear expectations to team norms that harness Gen Z’s group mindset, this conve...

Growth shouldn’t require living at the restaurant or gambling on every new hire. We dig into a clear, repeatable way to hire leaders who fit your multi‑unit reality, coach them with confidence, and keep them long enough to scale without burning out your best people.

In this episode, Christin discusses:

• how to define core values with observable behaviors

• coaching leaders through personal challenges while holding standards

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We break down how fear of callouts can lead to costly overstaffing and how chronic callouts can wreck service, burn out managers, and drain profit. Two real cases show how cross-training, intentional scheduling, and a clear callout protocol restore accountability and margin.

• Cross-training servers and bartenders to de-risk shifts
• Publis...

We coach Brandon Sharp, owner of three restaurants in Chapel Hill, through the tension between being everywhere at once and showing up with presence that develops his leaders. He realizes he must let go of covering shifts, codify decision rights, and model vulnerability to retain and grow his managers.

• using presence as respect and a path to flow
• inverted pyramid leadership and decision rights
• outsourcing low...

Guests don’t come to a full‑service restaurant for a transaction; they come hoping to feel something. We dig into how to deliver that feeling on purpose through connected hospitality, turning routine steps into genuine moments of care that guests remember long after the check drops.

We start by grounding everything in food, then layer in the human element that differentiates you in a crowded market. 

You’ll hear how:

• We ...

A new executive chef gets thrown into the deep end: understaffed, undertrained, and staring down six tough weeks. We use that moment to unpack a bigger question every operator faces—how do you stay mentally strong and lead with purpose when the room is half full and the pressure won’t let up?

We dig into:

• The gap vs. gain framework from Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy 
• Eight simple questions that snap you out of scar...

Growth shouldn’t mean chaos. We lay out a practical roadmap for independent multi-unit restaurant owners who want scalable systems, stronger leaders, and healthier margins without losing the creativity that makes their concepts special. From the early cracks that show up at three and seven units to the org design that prevents constant firefighting, this conversation blends hard-won lessons with a clear framework you can apply righ...

Want fewer fires, stronger managers, and a calmer shift without losing speed? We dig into the simple coaching moves that turn constant problem-solving into shared ownership. Hospitality leader and author Jason E. Brooks joins us to unpack three deceptively small skills—asking better questions, listening with intent, and giving feedback that actually lands in a roaring kitchen—and shows how they scale across multiple locations.
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Milestones matter when they sharpen your focus. 

As we hit 100 episodes, Christin welcomes chef Britt Rescigno of Fiama in Sun Valley, a TV chef turned mountain-town restaurateur who pairs sexy, high-end Italian with a culture built on respect. 

The conversation cuts through hype and gets tactical about what it takes to open strong, stay open through off-season, and keep a team engaged when the crowds thin.

Britt shares the ...

Growth shouldn’t feel like white-knuckling your way to the next lease. 

We break down a simple, durable framework—people, process, and profit—that helps restaurant owners scale without losing control. 

Together with Eric Cacciatore of Restaurant Unstoppable, we get specific about how to turn values into hiring standards, promotions into planned development, and check-ins into one-on-ones that actually change the business. 

If “slow do...

A revolution is brewing in hospitality leadership, and it begins with a radical notion: your most sacred guest is you.

This powerful conversation with transformational coach Mike Messeroff introduces the concept of "self-hospitality" - the practice of extending the same care to yourself that you offer guests and customers. For an industry characterized by burnout and depletion, this perspective shift provides a ...

Finding the right technology partner for your restaurant shouldn't feel like a blind date gone wrong, yet for many operators, that's exactly what it becomes. 

Seth Rankin, with 20 years of experience at OpenTable and a passion for growing people and companies, pulls back the curtain on what truly matters when selecting restaurant technology.

The conversation dives deep into why most restaurants struggle with their...

What happens when food becomes more than sustenance—when it transforms into a vehicle for social change? 

In Denver's vibrant culinary landscape, two organizations have been quietly revolutionizing how we think about restaurants, community, and access for nearly two decades.

Kristen Rauch, Executive Director of Eat Denver, and Carrie Shores, owner of Same Cafe, join us to discuss their groundbreaking work and their upc...

Imagine having the power to reclaim your time in the chaotic world of professional kitchens. 

That's exactly what Chef Adam Lamb offers in this illuminating conversation about his new book, "The Successful Chef: Time Strategies That Actually Work."

Chef Lamb doesn't just theorize about productivity—he delivers battle-tested strategies born from years in the trenches of high-pressure kitchens and his subs...

Restaurant owners, are you struggling to maintain steady growth despite your marketing efforts? 

The answer might be simpler than you think. In this eye-opening episode, Ewan Thompson, Chief Performance Optimizer for Hospitality Benchmark Services, reveals the startling truth about guest retention that could be costing you six figures in revenue.

Did you know that returning restaurant guests spend 20% more per visit than fi...

Are you struggling to balance technology and hospitality in your restaurant?

 You're not alone. This eye-opening speech from this year's EdTalks reveals how the right mindset toward restaurant technology can transform your operations without sacrificing the human touch that makes your establishment special.

Through the compelling story of Tim, a restaurant owner drowning in operational tasks and burning out while ...

Joe Fontana, founder of Fry the Coop, is redefining what it means to build a fast-casual chicken empire with heart. From his Chicago-based restaurants, Joe shares the unexpected journey that took him from a failed meatball concept to creating what he proudly calls "the number one chicken sandwich in Chicago" – double-fried in beef tallow for that perfect crunch.

What makes this conversation particularly fascinati...

Ever wondered what happens when a corporate executive trades the boardroom for the bakery kitchen? 

Neman Popov's story of launching Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro & Cafe offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial perseverance and leadership growth.

From signing a bad lease in his first location to now operating 10 thriving stores across multiple markets, Neman's journey wasn't just about scaling a busine...

"Do you know your business well enough to change it?" In an era of economic uncertainty, this thought-provoking inquiry challenges all leaders to deeply understand their operations before attempting transformation.

Ever wondered what happens to all that used cooking oil from your favorite restaurants? Alissa Partee, COO of Restaurant Technologies, pulls back the curtain on an innovative solution that's transforming re...