628: Kim Alter on Pushing Harder to Be Better
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 07/01/2019
693: Terry Pham on Failure is Not Trying
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Terry and Jennifer Pham opened the first in 2002 and, despite a challenging economic climate, grew 15-20% each year. In 2007, Fat Straws launched its second store in north Dallas. Even the 2008 recession didn’t slow Fat Straws’ continued growth, due in part to the Pham's focus on quality control, outstanding service, community-based marketing and an emphasis on strong relationships–with customers and employees. Today, has reached a total store count of 4 locations and is looking to expand across the DFW area to bring “happiness in a cup” to even more thirsty customers. Check out ...
info_outline
692: Todd Coerver on 3 Steps to Recovering a Lost Brand
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Todd Coerver is the recently-announced CEO of the Austin, Texas, hamburger chain, . Prior to his current role, Todd served as CEO and as chief brand officer and Chief Operations Officer. And if we go back EVEN FURTHER... Before his role at , Todd spent 14 years at Whataburger where he ended his tenure as VP of marketing and innovation. Check out P. Terry's founder/owner Patrick Terry's as mentioned in today's episode! Check out as mentioned in today's episode! Check out as mentioned in today's episode! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Join the private Join...
info_outline
691: Patrick Terry on Taking the Leap into Business Ownership
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
In 2005, after a career in advertisement and owning two pizza places, Patrick and Kathy Terry decided it was time to go all-in on burgers. With that, was born. The vision was to re-create the burger joint Patrick remembers as a child: simple, with a focus on quality and great customer service. 15 years later has scaled to 16 locations in and around Austin, TX with plans to expand into Houston and San Antonio within the next year.
info_outline
690: Chris Schultz on Bringing Solutions Instead of Problems
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
This is Chris Schultz's 2nd time on Restaurant Unstoppable. We met over 4 years ago at the NRA show and he was on a panel I was hosting. A few months later I hosted Chris on Restaurant Unstoppable, ! Hands down, one of my best interviews out of 691 total episodes. It was so good, I re-published it last week. In that episode, we discuss how Chris helped scale from 200 to 20,000 locations. Then we discussed how Chris helped launch and Scale from its first single unit to 400 locations. When we last left Chris, his focus was on bringing MOD international. That was 3 years ago. Today, and...
info_outline
689: Chris Schultz ARCHIVED-Scaling Culture
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
This is a REPEAT EPISODE!! One thing I'd like to do going into the future is to build on my pre-existing relationships. Who were some of our best guests? Where are they now? Let's get them back on the show and continue learning. Chris Schultz is absolutely one of those standout guests. Today, I'm bringing to you his original interview so you can get caught up because on Thursday we're bringing him back! Here is a link to the original: At the time of this interview, Chris Schultz had spent 15 years with the Starbucks Management and Leadership team before joining , aka the MOD Squad in 2009....
info_outline
688: Justin Turner on Scaling a Scratch Kitchen
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
A Chicago native, Justin Turner got his start in fine dining serving for years as a private chef to NBA star Shane Battier. When Shane was traded to the Rockets, Justin followed to Houston, but when the baller moved on again, the chef stayed, converting a yellow school bus into one of Houston’s first food trucks and naming it after his grandfather: . His gourmet burgers and fries were wildly popular and led to a fleet of buses, a spot at NRG Park and now 4 brick-and-mortar restaurants. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Join the private Join the email list!...
info_outline
687: Steve Raggiani and Joe Scalo on Fixing the Broken Review Culture
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
What if there was a way to help us find the food we’re craving, in a no-bullshit, dead-simple, dependable manner recommended by people we actually trust? According to Steve Raggiani and Joe Scalo, there is a better way and it's called the . Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra: "It's about the food." In today's episode with Steve Raggiani and Joe Scalo we will discuss: How deep and useful are the recommendations on 8it app? The obnoxious "old way" of finding a good place to eat in a city strictly about the food; the app specifically suggests restaurants based on food The online...
info_outline
686: Dave Hirschkop on Launching Your Retail Product
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Upon graduating college Dave Hirschkop opened Burrito Madness in College Park, MD. As a way to deal with unruly drunks, Dave created a hot sauce. Before long that hot sauce became Dave's main focus, and was born. Today Dave owns a website and business called where they sell Dave's Insanity Hot Sauce, pasta sauce, overnight oats and much more. In Today's episode, Dave shares how he spun a gourmet food business out of his restaurant and what advice he has for other restaurants looking to launch their products into stores and online retail. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! ...
info_outline
685: Jason Harris on 6 Habits to Make You More Persuasive
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Jason Harris is the CEO of the award-winning creative agency and the co-founder of the . Harris works closely with brands through a blend of soul and science to create proactive campaigns that engage audiences. Today we're here to talk about his book . Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra: "No growth in comfort." In today's episode with Jason Harris we will discuss: Partnerships Marketing Branding The power of trust A summary and understanding of what we will find in the book Don't mirror what is popular; be yourself The...
info_outline
684: Michael Peticolas on Be Better not Bigger
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
After over a decade of practicing law, Michael Peticolas left bailiffs and briefcases behind for barely and brews (at least that's what he thought) when he opened in 2010. In the first year, Michael and wife, Melissa, were the sole brewers, sales reps, and distributors and they still managed to win gold at the Great American Beer Festival …and again in their third year. In 2013 Peticolas was elected to the board of directors of the . Shortly after, the board elected Peticolas as co-chair of the legislative committee, which has been integral to changing Texas laws that have long hindered...
info_outlineGrowing up in Laguna Beach, CA, Chef Kim Alter is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy. She went on to work in some of the Bay Area’s most notable restaurant kitchens before joining the Daniel Patterson Group where she served as Executive Chef for Haven and Plum in Oakland, CA. Today, Kim Alter is the chef/owner of Nightbird and the adjoining cocktail concept, Linden Room, in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley.
Show notes…
Favorite success quote or mantra:
- "Success isn't just about what you've accomplished, it's about what you've inspired other people to do."
In this episode with Kim Alter we will discuss:
- You inspire others around you positively
- Using food to make people happy
- Food as acceptance
- Creating impactful “food memories”
- Mental health in the restaurant industry
- Tell your staff that they’re doing a good job
- The hard work angle
- Ego
- Mentors
- Learning something new every single day
- Constantly improve your business
- Experiencing failure
- Fear of failure
- The inevitability of doing something wrong
- Thoughts on awards
- The importance of non-transactional relationships in the kitchen
- Money and waste management in the kitchen
- Diffusing angry guests
- Supporting the restaurants in your community
- Tasting menus
- Acquiring permits
- The importance of respect
- Women in the industry
- Culture v. Systems
- Working with your life partner
Today's sponsor:
Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country — they were even named best online payroll by PCMag. And as a listener, you’ll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/unstoppable.
CAKE provides an easy-to-use integrated software and hardware solution to build better dining experiences for restaurant operators and their guests. With mobile marketing and waitlist management to point of sale payment processing, the CAKErestaurant management system helps you grow your business. Learn more at trycake.com/unstoppable
EthicsSuite.com -provide a safe, secure, simple and anonymous communication channel between you and your employees to help you protect your hard-earned reputation and assets. Demonstrate to your team that you are committed to providing a workplace that operates with the highest ethical standards. Staying informed about important issues will help you resolve them internally before they spiral into larger, costly, or public problems.
Knowledge bombs
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Being humble
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Too much time in the kitchen and not enough promoting
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- Personality, goals, how do they treat the dishwasher?
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Issues with the city impeding customer flow
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team
- Treat each other with respect
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- BOH and FOH are one in the same
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz
- Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
- Social media
- 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?
- Put your head down and work hard
- Treat people with respect
Contact info:
Instagram: @kimalter @nightbirdsf
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!
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.
Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.
And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.
Huge thanks to Kim Alter for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!