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621: Beejhy Barhany on Following Your Instincts

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Release Date: 06/06/2019

1198: Chris Florczak, CEO of Risen Restaurant Group show art 1198: Chris Florczak, CEO of Risen Restaurant Group

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Chris Florczak is the CEO of . Risen consists of one concept with four location and a fifth soon to open. The concept is Rise, originally located in Dallas and opened in 2008. Chris got his start with an internship at Hillstone Group and he quickly was given a job offer and worked there for 16 years. In 2016, he was offered the COO position at Rise and in 2021 he became CEO and the umbrella group, Risen, was created with sights set on scaling.  Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation...

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1197: Samir Watter, COO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers show art 1197: Samir Watter, COO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Samir Watter is the COO at based in Dallas, TX. Samir joined Layne's in 2021 when there were only 7 total locations. Before that, he held impressive roles and big franchise companies like Denny's, where he worked for 10 years starting as AGM until heading the opening of 30 locations by the end of his tenure there. He also worked for La Salsa for 10 years as director of ops, where he opened 30 locations for that company as well. Today, Layne's has 25 locations and continues to grow. Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and...

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1196: Thom Crosby, CEO of Pal’s Sudden Service show art 1196: Thom Crosby, CEO of Pal’s Sudden Service

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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1195: Zane and Brandon Hunt, Co-Founders of VIA 313 show art 1195: Zane and Brandon Hunt, Co-Founders of VIA 313

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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1194: The Game of Restaurant Growth with Matthew Mabel show art 1194: The Game of Restaurant Growth with Matthew Mabel

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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1193: Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers show art 1193: Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Garrett Reed is the CEO of . Garrett got his start in the real estate business right out of college as a site selector for Radio Shack in he 90s. By the early 2000s he had moved on to Starbucks where he served as Real Estate Director for the east and west coasts. In 2005 he started his own real estate business and in the mid-2010s he began the search to own a restaurant brand and/or franchise. He bought Layne's Chicken Fingers in 2017 and became CEO and Partner. Layne's began in 1994. There are 25 locations as of this recording (April of 2025) with plans to open a new location every month for...

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1192: How to Secure Funding with Michael Praver show art 1192: How to Secure Funding with Michael Praver

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Michael Praver is the founder of  Michael's company specializes in helping businesses secure capital without the stress of traditional lending. Their mission is to help businesses secure fast, reliable, and customized funding solutions that empower businesses to thrive.  This workshop covers How To Get Funding with expert Michael Praver. Workshops can be found every Thursday in the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast feed or on YouTube. Most have a visual component, so consider watching the video version . Join the RUNetwork to take part in workshops and ask the experts YOUR...

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1191: Rachel Cope, Founder and CEO of 84 Hospitality show art 1191: Rachel Cope, Founder and CEO of 84 Hospitality

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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1190: Workers’ Compensation Deep Dive with David DeLorenzo show art 1190: Workers’ Compensation Deep Dive with David DeLorenzo

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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1189: Zack and Silvana Walters, Partners of Sedalia’s Oysters & Seafood show art 1189: Zack and Silvana Walters, Partners of Sedalia’s Oysters & Seafood

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Zack and Silvana Walters are the Owners/Partners at Sedalia's Oysters & Seafood located in Oklahoma City. Zack and Silvana are married and met in 2017. Prior to 2017, Zack went to culinary school and eventually opened his own butcher shop/deli in LA in 2010 with a partner which was very successful. He left that venture in 2016 to work in another restaurant where he met Silvana who worked FOH there. Silvana lived in NYC and worked FOH in various restaurants before loving to LA to work in an art museum and work restaurants. Silvana worked under Will Guidara before she met Zack. After...

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Born in Ethiopia, Beejhy Barhany made it to the USA by way of Kenya, Uganda, Europe, Isreal, and South America before setting roots in New York City. In 2000 Barhany founded Beta Israel of North America, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating about the culture and heritage Ethiopian Jews. In 2014  Barhany, and husband, Padmore John, opened Tsion Café in the historic Harlem district of Sugar Hill. 5 years later the café continues to thrive, serving the community as a place to put differences aside and to celebrate the arts over Ethiopian and Israel inspired food.

Show notes…

Favorite success quote or mantra:

  • "Follow your instincts."

In this episode with Beejhy Barhany we will discuss:

  • Beejhy's childhood in escaping Ethiopia
  • A general history of Ethiopian Jews
  • The melting pot of Jerusalem when Beejhy arrived there
  • Beejhy's early influences and mentors
  • Beejhy's life in the Israeli army
  • The importance of discipline
  • The power of momentum, "keep moving"
  • The importance of learning from other people who are very different from you
  • The importance of travel
  • Beejhy's time traveling through South America
  • Why Beejhy settled in NYC
  • The MASSIVE importance of community and helping others
  • Very friendly competition
  • Choosing a location for your business
  • The hardships of dealing with contractors
  • Obtaining permits for your business
  • Scaling into a more robust liquor and beer selection
  • The more you do, the better you become at doing
  • Being true to who you are in life and your business
  • The importance of being face-to-face with your guests
  • Importance of training
  • Advice for venues that want entertainment (live music)
  • Introducing new and different cuisine to a market

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.

Revel Banner Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast

 

Knowledge bombs

  1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
    • Determination
  2. What is your biggest weakness?
    • Perfectionist
  3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
    • Understanding and aligning with the vision
  4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
    • Need to be more firm with staff
  5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
    • Honesty, integration into our culture, all about family and providing a wholesome experience
  6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
    • What you are providing must be something you would want for yourself
  7. What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
    • Go to other restaurants and businesses to learn from them and see what you can do better
  8. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
  9. 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?
    • Be honest
    • Be compassionate
    • Be patient

Contact info:

Website: tsioncafe.com

Instagram: @tsioncafe

Email: [email protected]

Call: 212-234-2370

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 Beejhy Barhany for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

 

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