Restaurant Owners Uncorked - By Schedulefly

After eight years of interviewing restaurant owners, I have a few thoughts I wanted to share. Also, some news on where we are going with this podcast.

David and Ben Klopp got started in the restaurant business right out of college in 1996, opening aliveOne in Chicago. In 22 years they've grown to running a restaurant group with two other partners, operating 20 locations between Chicago and Cincinnati. aliveOne is still thriving today, and David shares his thoughts on what it takes to be successful in the restaurant business, what he loves about it, what's changed, and more. It's worth paying attention to anybody who has been able to accomplish what he has in the competitive city of Chicago for as long as he has. Enjoy...

Ashley's grandparents started the restaurant in 1973, and 45 years later it's thriving as much as ever. Ashley shares what's made them successful, what she loves about independent restaurants, and how she's able to be very selective of who she hires. Enjoy...

Phil Stefani opened his first restaurant 35 years ago in Chicago. Today the Stafani family owns 17 restaurants, and Phil's grown children, Gina and Anthony, are part of the very successful business. Gin shares the lessons and philosophies she learned from her father over the years, and the challenges she faces as she attempts to continue providing the legendary customer service the Stefani restaurants are known for, while also opening new locations and growing the business. This is a very educational, informative conversation if you are interested in how a group of restaurants can keep growing while not losing a hold on the core values that go them where they are today. Enjoy...

Doug opened Nellie's Sports Bar & Grill in Washington, D.C. in 2007. Eleven years later is is an iconic, very popular sports bar that annually wins a slew of "Best of..." awards in our nation's capital. Doug came from corporate America, where he worked in advertising. When he opened Nellie's, he had never worked in, run, or owned a restaurant. The perfect recipe for success? Enjoy...

Emmy had been working in restaurants in San Francisco for a few years and felt like the only options were stuffy, fine dining places that she and her friends and fellow restaurant workers couldn't afford to go to themselves and didn't want to hang out at even if they could. The city needed a fun, laid back, affordable place. So she opened it, and called it Emmy's Spaghetti Shack. That was in 2001. Emmy's is still going strong today, and it was fun and inspiring to hear Emmy's story of the ups and downs along the way. Enjoy...

I first interviewed Keith Paul in 2010 for our book Restaurant Owners Uncorked. Keith and his wife, Heather, own A Good Egg Dining Group in Oklahoma City. They have been at it for 18 years now, and have 8 concepts and twelve total locations. One of the lessons I learned from Keith eight years ago was to not worry about what's happening around you, and to stay focused on what's happening within the walls of your restaurant. It was great to hear him talk now about how they lost a little bit of that focus a couple of years ago, realized it, and successfully resolved to return to it. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Keith, and I'm sure in another few years we'll cache up again. Enjoy...

Erica has been involved with the hospitality business for twenty years, and she's so fun to listen to and so full of energy and passion for what she does that I could have talked to her all day. Grit, determination, passion, leadership, constantly learning - Erica embodies these characteristics. Enjoy...

Karen had her own graphic design and web design business for twelve years. One day in 2008 she was sitting on a beach in Belize with her husband, and realized she was tired of helping build other people's entrepreneurial dream. She wanted to use her skills and energy for something of her own. She wanted to start ... a rum distillery. Four months later, Montanya Distillers opened it's doors. Today it's thriving and very successful, shipping rum to 44 states and 7 foreign countries. A very inspiring story. Enjoy...

Tom started his pizzaria in 1983, and thirty-five years late it's still thriving in the small town of Ravenna, OH. His passion for his business is contagious, and you'll learn how his single-location restaurant has withstood the test of time. Enjoy...

Parker started his dream Italian restaurant in downtown Raleigh, NC in 1996 when there weren't many restaurants downtown. Twenty-two years later, Caffe Luna is an institution in a town now full of successful independent restaurants. Parker has owned and operated his single location all of these years, and as you'll here in this conversation, he hasn't lost an ounce of the enthusiasm and pride for what he does. Enjoy...

This conversation was so much fun! Chick and I got into all sorts of topics from Chick living in Chicago while Maxie's is hundreds of miles away in Ithica, NY, to restaurant technology, to meditation. We spoke for over and hour and I could have talked to him twice that long. Enjoy...

Jon owns The Local Icon (www.thelocalicon.com) a very successful hospitality in Raleigh, N.C. Since 2012 he and his team have opened six concepts, and all of them are very popular and admired. This is a long and GREAT interview. We talk about very wide range of topics, and I would have asked more questions but I wanted to respect his time. We may even need to do a part II for this interviews! You'll be inspired by Jon's palpable entrepreneurial drive and appreciate his authenticity. Enjoy...

Paul left Georgetown University in the early 2000's with degrees in marketing and international business and a different plan than his friends who were heading to NYC to get into investment banking. He started bar tending and that led to a successful career in the restaurant business that has spanned 15 years, including the last 12 as owner. Paul co-owns both Town Hall and Sixth Engine, successful restaurants in the competitive restaurant scene in our nation's capital. He and his partners have a third restaurant on the way, and in this interview Paul shares advice and lessons learned over the years. He's an extremely sharp guy and if you are interested in what it takes to be a successful restaurant owner, you don't want to miss this interview!

Andrew co-owns B2 Bistro + Bar in Red Bank, NJ (http://www.b2bistro.com). He grew up around the restaurant business and started working in it when he was fourteen. After attending the Culinary Institute of America and running restaurants for nine years, he had an opportunity to join his partner Cesare "Chez" De Chellis and start his own restaurant. Andrew shares what he loves about the business, lessons learned over the years, and plans for the future. A great interview! Enjoy...

Charlie started washing dishes at age 14 in Buffalo, NY and soon fell in love with the hustle and bustle of the restaurant world. After leaving Buffalo for what he thought was for good many years ago and finding success in the highly competitive Chicago restaurant and bar scene, he returned home in 2013 and owns to successful restaurants with more on the way. Charlie talks about loyalty, hard work, passion for the business and mistakes to avoid if you want to pursue "the beast." Enjoy...

Aaron Soward tells the story of going from a school to a chain to co-founding Provision Concepts with his long-time friend and colleague, Jeff Dixon. Today they own three very successful concepts in Oklahoma City, each with one location and two of them with a second location coming soon. As always, this is a great story from a bold entrepreneur in the independent restaurant world. Enjoy...

Kiersten Traina is co-owns the very popular and successful Liberty Market in Gilbert, AZ. Started at the height of recession in 2008, Liberty Market was built on the guiding principles of having a passion for the food and serving with a servant's heart. Kiersten shares how those unchanging principles, along with the willingness to hold nothing else sacred, has helped her and her team building a single location business that is admired by her peers and has amazing staff loyalty. Enjoy...

Michael and Daniel Holzman started The Meatball shop in NYC in 2010 and it quickly grew to six locations and gained national attention. Now he's back at it with Seamore's in Brooklyn, and he was kind enough to take some time to share his story. Michael is a passionate, hard working guy who absolutely loves the restaurant business. Find out why...

Shawn owns Leroy Fox, Mortimer's, and Cowbell in Charlotte, N.C. He is one of the most respected and successful restaurant owners in the city, and he is a genuinely great guy. He shares his story of a life in the restart business and what philosophies and and his team operate with to ensure success for their restaurants. Enjoy...