654: Jessica, Jill, & Jennifer Emich on Creating Community
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 09/30/2019
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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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...
info_outlineRestaurant 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...
info_outlineRestaurant 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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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...
info_outlineRestaurant 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...
info_outlineRestaurant 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...
info_outlineRestaurant 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...
info_outlineRestaurant 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...
info_outlineRestaurant 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...
info_outlineTriplets 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
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Authenticity and letting things evolve on their own
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Taking things personally sometimes
- 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?
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- You never know how many seats will be filled each day
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Respect each other and be kind
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Be able to read your customer get them to open up
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- Take care of yourself and balance
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
- 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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Huge thanks to Jessica, Jill, and Jennifer Emich for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

