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654: Jessica, Jill, & Jennifer Emich on Creating Community

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Release Date: 09/30/2019

1267: Ron Cardwell, Director of Commodity Strategy at Restaurant Technologies show art 1267: Ron Cardwell, Director of Commodity Strategy at Restaurant Technologies

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Ron Cardwell is the Director of Commodity Strategy at , where he oversees cooking oil sourcing, pricing, and risk management for foodservice operators across the country. With more than two decades in agriculture, energy, and vegetable oil markets, he has managed global corn oil and biodiesel trading, logistics, and policy engagement at ADM and other major firms. Ron now helps restaurants navigate everything from flavor profiles and performance to sustainability and cost savings, including how to get the most out of every pound of cooking oil. Join RULibrary:  Join RULive: Set Up...

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1266: Randy Hines, CEO and Partner at The Kolache Shoppe show art 1266: Randy Hines, CEO and Partner at The Kolache Shoppe

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Randy Hines joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on May 4th, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! Randy Hines is the CEO and owner of , a beloved Houston bakery that has been serving made-from-scratch kolaches since 1970. A former CPA and consultant, Randy fell in love with authentic Texas kolaches while growing up in the state’s “Czech belt,” and later...

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1265: Christian Wiens, Founder and CEO of Loman AI show art 1265: Christian Wiens, Founder and CEO of Loman AI

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Christian Wiens joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on May 4th, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! Christian Wiens is the Founder and CEO of Loman AI, a leading voice AI platform built specifically for restaurants that answers every call, takes orders, and helps operators capture missed revenue while easing front-of-house labor pressure. Since launching the...

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1264: David T. Denney and Chelsea Masters, Partners and Denney Law Firm show art 1264: David T. Denney and Chelsea Masters, Partners and Denney Law Firm

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Today's guests join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 27th, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! David T. Denney is the founder of Denney Law Group, a Dallas-based firm that counsels startups and growing companies on corporate transactions, business litigation, real estate, franchising, and beverage alcohol licensing, with a particular focus on the food,...

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1263: Eric Reed, Chief Development Officer at Layne’s Chicken Fingers show art 1263: Eric Reed, Chief Development Officer at Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Eric Reed and Natalie Hurley (also of Layne's) join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 20th, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! Eric Reed is the Chief Development Officer at Layne’s Chicken Fingers, where he leads the brand’s aggressive growth and real estate strategy as the company scales its footprint across existing and new markets. With more than two...

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1262: Natalie Hurley, VP of Marketing at Layne’s Chicken Fingers show art 1262: Natalie Hurley, VP of Marketing at Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Natalie Hurley and Eric Reed (also of Layne's) join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 20th, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! Natalie Hurley is the Vice President of Marketing at Layne’s Chicken Fingers, where she leads brand strategy and growth for the “Soon to be Famous” chicken finger franchise as it expands nationwide. With nearly 20 years of...

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1261: Alex Camp & Cuyler Esposito, VP of Operations Services, VP of Culture Operations at Layne's Chicken Fingers show art 1261: Alex Camp & Cuyler Esposito, VP of Operations Services, VP of Culture Operations at Layne's Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Alex Camp and Cuyler Esposito join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 13th, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! Alex Camp is the vice president of operations services at Layne’s Chicken Fingers, where he serves as the “central nervous system” of the brand’s rapidly growing franchise system. After joining Layne’s in 2024 as senior director of...

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1260: Albert Sanchez, Co-Founder of Beto’s Mexican Restaurant show art 1260: Albert Sanchez, Co-Founder of Beto’s Mexican Restaurant

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Albert Sanchez and Chris Schultz join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 6th, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! Albert Sanchez is the co‑founder and owner of Beto’s Mexican Restaurant, a family‑owned Mexican restaurant based in Grand Prairie, Texas, that has been serving the community since 1993. A lifelong Grand Prairie resident and graduate of South...

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1259: Chris Schultz, CEO of Velvet Taco show art 1259: Chris Schultz, CEO of Velvet Taco

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Chris Schultz joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 6th, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! Chris Schultz is the CEO of , a fast-casual taco brand known for its globally inspired, chef-driven tacos and cult-favorite Weekly Taco Feature program. He brings more than 30 years of restaurant leadership experience to the role and is focused on leading Velvet...

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1258: Jo Irizarry, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor at Barbs-B-Q and Thorn & Bred show art 1258: Jo Irizarry, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor at Barbs-B-Q and Thorn & Bred

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Jo Irizarry and Skeeter Miller join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on March 23rd, 2026 at 11AM EST. To join us and engage with all our guests and events, go to restaurantunstoppable.com/live -OR- to just catch today's guest, head over to restaurantunstoppable.com/cwe and we will get you a link to join that specific event for FREE! Jo Irizarry is an investor and mentor in the modern Texas barbecue scene, best known for backing nationally acclaimed concepts like Barbs-B-Q and butcher shop and restaurant Thorn & Bred. As an early believer in Barbs-B-Q, Jo helped support...

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More Episodes

Triplets Jessica, Jill, and Jennifer Emich came into this world, in that order, by way of New Jersey. All three would go on to attend the University of Nevada- Los Vegas. Two of the sisters got degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management while Jennifer focused on Elementry ed. Eventually, the sisters found their way to Boulder, CO. In 2000 they opened their first restaurant Trilogy Wine Bar, which had a successful 9-year run before they sold in 2009. After 3 years away from the industry, the sisters decided it was time to open their second restaurant, Shine Restaurant & Potion Bar, also in Boulder, CO. On top of this, the sisters have opened their own beer brewery, herbal beverage company (Shine Potions) written cookbooks, and they curate special events under the shine sisters brand.

Show notes…

Favorite success quote or mantra:

"Tap into your magic."

In today's episode with Jessica, Jill, and Jennifer Emich we will discuss:

  • What we learn from our parents
  • Importance of will power
  • Traveling abroad to gain perspective
  • Lessons learned from opening quickly
  • Choosing the right city for your concept
  • Open-mindedness
  • Let go of expectations
  • Going into business with friends/family/spouses
  • Partnerships
  • Hiring staff that propel your message and culture with you

Today's sponsor:

BentoBox empowers restaurants to own their presence, profits and relationships. The hospitality platform disrupts third-party services that come between the restaurant and the guest. BentoBox puts the restaurant first and offers tools that drive high-margin revenue directly through the restaurant’s website. BentoBox is trusted and loved by over 5,000 restaurants worldwide including Union Square Hospitality Group, Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Lilia and more.

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

Restaurant365 is a cloud-based, all-in-one, restaurant-specific accounting and back-office platform that seamlessly integrates with POS systems, payroll providers, food and beverage vendors. It generates accurate real-time reporting and analysis in user-friendly dashboards, facilitating immediate, data-driven decision making. Restaurant365 eliminates manual, error-prone processes and is designed to help restaurant businesses grow with functionality that helps optimize labor costs, reduce food costs and increase revenue.

 

Knowledge bombs

  1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
    • Authenticity and letting things evolve on their own
  2. What is your biggest weakness?
    • Taking things personally sometimes
  3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
    • Passion and where do you want to be in 5 years?
  4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
    • You never know how many seats will be filled each day
  5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
    • Respect each other and be kind
  6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
    • Be able to read your customer get them to open up
  7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
  8. What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
    • Take care of yourself and balance
  9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
  10. 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?
    • Connection and community
    • Tap into your magic
    • Feed people to their heart

Contact info:

Website: ShineBoulder.com

email: sisters@shineboulder.com

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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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 Jessica, Jill, and Jennifer Emich for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

 

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!