620: Steve DiFillippo on Following Your Passion
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 06/03/2019
737: Jennifer Weishaupt on Engineering Ideal Operations
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Trained engineers, Erich and Jennifer Weishaupt had no plans to own a restaurant. That all changed when a friend purchased a property in their community and asked them to run a breakfast restaurant there. They took the challenge head-on and leveraged their years of experience with critical thinking and project management to revitalize the Mid-City New Orleans neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. 12 years later, they've scaled to 18 locations throughout the Gulf Coast under the brand of Ruby Slipper and Ruby Sunshine. In addition, Jennifer has served on the Board of Directors of...
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736: Josh Kopal on Always Grateful, Never Satisfied
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Entrepreneur, restaurateur, and environmental advocate, Josh Kopel, was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Throughout his 20+ year career in food and beverage, he has managed venues ranging from the Alligator Bayou Bar, as well as the hottest Hollywood nightclubs, bars, and ultra-lounges. He went independent in 2010, opening his first concept Five0Four, in Hollywood, CA. Ten years later, he's created a family of brands ranging from Michelin-rated fine-dining to fast-casual, all with a central focus on Southern hospitality and Southern cuisine. Check out his website . To learn...
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735: Nina Compton on Positive Vibes All Around
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Hailing from the island of Saint Lucia, Nina Compton is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park. She started her professional career working under the mentorship of Daniel Boulud at his namesake restaurant . Nina then moved on to Miami where she continued to work in leading restaurants and hotels including Scott Conant's where she served as chef de cuisine. After being runner up on Top Chef season 11, and voted fan favorite, Nina moved to New Orleans to open her own restaurant, Compère Lapin in 2015. In 2018, was followed by . Go to as mentioned in today's episode to...
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734: Drew Delaughter on Operating Without Fear or Greed
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
was created by Drew Delaughter, Chef Blake Aguillard, and Trey Smith. Drew and Trey met in 2008 at culinary school in Hyde Park, NY. They both moved to New Orleans after school. Drew worked at Susan Spicer’s working his way up to Captain, gaining valuable service experience, as well as, wine and spirit knowledge. Smith went to work for Chef Michael Gulotta at where he met and worked alongside Blake. After some European traveling, and working in other cities, the trio reunited and Saint-Germain was born. Check out as mentioned in today's episode! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! ...
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733: Ariane Daguin on Humane and Sustainable Farming
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Ariane Daguin is the founder, owner and CEO of , the renowned gourmet food purveyor. Famous for providing humanely-raised meats, from game and foie gras to organic chicken and prepared charcuterie, the name D’Artagnan is synonymous with top-quality food produced with care. Today we're here to discuss how the meat industry has been impacted by COVID-19, how Ariane has pivoted her company to keep quality meat on American tables, the issues of factory farming that have been brought to light by the pandemic, and why returning to sustainable methods is crucial to the environment and consumer...
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732: Michael Gulotta on Employees-First Culture
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Born and raised in New Orleans, Michael Gulotta began cooking in local restaurants at a young age. After graduating from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, he joined the newly opened , where he was named Chef de Cuisine in 2007 and led the award-winning kitchen for 6 years. In 2014 Michael opened to rave reviews and accolades. Today, Michael has scaled the operation to include and a second Mopho located in the new Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Check out as mentioned in today's...
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731: Dr. Kara Farley on COVID-19 and Blue Ocean Health Services
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Dr. Kara Farley is a veteran, wife, mother of two, and physician. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred during Dr. Farley's last tour as a Naval Flight Surgeon. During that time, Dr. Farley was a lead member of the public health emergency services team where she created and implemented protocol aimed at decreasing transmission between sailors and soldiers. During her transition out of the military, she realized that the civilian sector was in need of these same services she created. In June she started , which aims to give your business the tools for success during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond....
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731: Dr. Kara Farley on COVID-19 and Blue Ocean Health Services
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Dr. Kara Farley is a veteran, wife, mother of two, and physician. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred during Dr. Farley's last tour as a Naval Flight Surgeon. During that time, Dr. Farley was a lead member of the public health emergency services team where she created and implemented protocol aimed at decreasing transmission between sailors and soldiers. During her transition out of the military, she realized that the civilian sector was in need of these same services she created. In June she started , which aims to give your business the tools for success during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond....
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730: Dennis Bagneris Giving People the Space to Grow
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
In 2008, Janet Davas founded . Her vision was to create a place where young adults who had been neglected or criminalized could come for a hot meal, a job opportunity, and a support system. Fast forward 12 years since its inception, we're sitting with Liberty's Kitchen CEO, and longest standing employee, Dennis Bagneris. In that time Liberty's Kitchen has evolved into a workforce development training program, which functions as a social enterprise, dedicated to transforming the lives of the "Opportunity and Vulnerable Youth" population of New Orleans, LA., by providing them with the support to...
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729: Page Pressley on Clarity of Vision
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Page Pressley got his start in culinary where he grew up; Santa Fe, New Mexico. He continued on to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Upon graduation, Pressley returned to the Southwest to manage kitchens at several highly acclaimed establishments. In 2011, he moved to Austin, Texas to join the Uchi team as sous chef, and later becoming a corporate executive chef for . He returned to the line at in Mexico City until 2015, when he moved back to Austin to head up the opening team at as chef de cuisine and partner. Today Pressley serves as Founder & Chef ...
info_outlineSteve Difillippo started his restaurant career at a young age and would go on to attend Boston University and Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. In 1985, He took over Davio's of Boston at the young age of 24. 33 years later he has grown the Davio's brand to 10 separate locations which include 5 locations in MA, 2 Locations in PA, one location in Manhattan, Atlanta, and Irvine, CA.
The Davio's brand also has a food company, which spun off the concept of their Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls.
Lastly, Mr. DiFillippo is the author of the restaurant business book It's All About The Guest: Exceeding Expectations in Business and in Life, The Davio's Way
Catch Steve DeFillippo's first appearance in Episode 003 of Restaurant Unstoppable.
Show notes…
Favorite success quote or mantra:
“Follow your passion. Figure out what you want to do in life and do it.”
In this episode with Steve DeFillippo we discuss:
- Julia Child
- Learning to cook as a child
- The love of serving people and cooking
- Passion for people
- If you’re not a people person, don’t get into the restaurant industry
- Food is important but hospitality matter more
- Mentors
- Learning how to deal with people
- Pay attention (situational awareness)
- Learn more from people in other environments
- Mindfulness
- Never quitting
- Do your best, but don’t worry about winning
- It’s not about money, its about knowledge
- Loving what you do
- The history of Davio’s prior to Steve’s acquisition
- The importance of culture
- The importance of adhering to your own standards
- The importance of a to-do list
- Knowing when to grow
- Can’t have your head in the sand
- Self-awareness
- Accountability
Today's sponsor:
BentoBox helps restaurants grow their business through a connected suite of tools, offering them an integrated website to connect with their guests and drive revenue online. Restaurant owners and operators are able to easily update menus, promote specials, take catering and event inquiries, sell merchandise, gift cards and more.
Revel Systems integrates front of house and back of house operations into a single dashboard. Designed to increase security, stability, ease of use, and speed of service, Revel’s streamlined ecosystem provides businesses with the right tools to grow. Learn more at revelsystems.com/unstoppable.
Knowledge bombs:
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Run every morning
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Eat too much
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- "What do you do to be philanthropic?"
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Finding the right people
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Be yourself
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- do whatever it takes. Eye contact. Never say no.
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- The TB12 Method by Tom Brady
GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
- The TB12 Method by Tom Brady
- What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- They don't take care of their people as much as they should.
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
- Cameras
- If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
- Love what you do.
- Show up every day, give it your all, don't coast
- Never forget where you came from, stay humble
Contact info:
Email: steve@davios.com
Twitter: @stevedefillippo
Instagram: @daviosrestaurant
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
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Huge thanks to Steve DeFillippo for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!