682: Chef Andrew Savoie on Setting Your Team Up
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 01/06/2020
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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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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Thom Crosby is the CEO of , HQ'd in Kingstwon, TN. Pal's Sudden Service was first opened in 1956 in Kingstown, TN. Thom came on board in 1981 to help them grow. Thom's experience prior to Pal's was in corporate McDonald's and corporate Long John Silvers, as well as a franchisee with Wendy's. Today Thom is the CEO of Pal's and the company has 31 locations. All but 2 Pal's locations are drive-thru only. Thom is a true believer and member of . David McClaskey was featured on the podcast, episode 1182, and you can learn more about him and his company here:...
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Zane and Brandon Hunt are the co-founders of . VIA 313 is a Detroit-style pizza chain. This is The Hunt Bros. third time on the show. They first joined us for episode 560 in 2018 and again in 2021 for episode 826. In 2021, they had 5 locations and today they have 24! Interested in as recommended by the Hunt Bros.? Check it out here: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/mcclaskey-institute Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check...
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Matthew Mabel is a consultant, advisor, coach and President of . Surrender is a hospitality and management-consulting firm based in Dallas, TX. Matthew was last on the show for episode 518! For this in-person workshop, Matthew will take the listeners through growing restaurants in three different major and specific phases of growth. Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details:...
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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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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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Rachel Cope is the Founder and CEO of based in Oklahoma City, OK. 84 Hospitality consists of 4 concepts in 10+ locations in and around OKC. The brand started with and the newest restaurant is , a fine-dining restaurant in OKC. They also operate , , and . Rachel was previously on the show for episode 778 in 2021. Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's...
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David DeLorenzo is the CEO and Owner of . David DeLorenzo specializes in bar and restaurant insurance, but he is also a speaker, author, coach, as well as host of a mastermind and more than one charity organization. On top of all this, he has been an owner of 13 restaurants in his career. David was previously on the show for episode #1087 about a year ago! This workshop covers Workers' Compensation Deep Dive and Best Practices with expert David DeLorenzo. Workshops can be found every Thursday in the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast feed or on YouTube. Most have a visual component, so consider...
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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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Chef Andrew Savoie, a native New Yorker, began his culinary journey after graduating from Baltimore International College in 1997.
Eager to begin his professional training under the direction of highly regarded chefs, Andrew headed to New Orlean, Virginia, California, Maine, and back again to NYC.
After a move to Dallas, Andrew spent his time inspiring tomorrow’s chefs as a Culinary Instructor at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Dallas, where he earned awards and accolades from faculty and students.
Today, Savoie serves as the Chef-Owner of Resident Taqueria located in the Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas, TX
Show notes…
Calls to ACTION!!!
- Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
- Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
- Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)
Favorite success quote or mantra:
"Make new mistakes every day."
In this episode with Andrew Savoie, we discuss:
- Learning from our mistakes.
- Knowing when it's ok to quit.
- The role communication plays in creating a culture with high standards.
- The difference between people showing up to a "job" VS showing up to live out their passion.
- Do whatever it takes to get on the best restaurant teams. Even if you have to work for free.
- Surrounding yourself with equally passionate individuals.
- Investing your time into people who are worth it.
- Earning respect.
- Finesse.
- Mise en place.
- Accepting that your role as a business person is to help people grow, even if growing means moving on from your restaurant.
- Preparedness.
- Your responsibility to set your coworkers, specifically incoming shifts, up for success.
- Teaching and treating employees as individuals. They don't all learn the same way.
- Before opening, do research. What is your market missing?
- Establishing roots in a community before opening your business in it.
- Creating space within your restaurant for a line to form. You don't want people waiting outside.
- Believe in your friends and family. When people want to help out. Use it. Never stop networking.
Other episodes mentioned in today's show:
- 552: Rob Evans on Growing By Taking Chances
- 569: David Denney on What To Know Before Entering a Partnership
- 183: David Denney on Protecting Your Restaurant From Food-born Illness
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?
- Intensity.
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Anxiety.
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- Respect.
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Managing humans. Get to know your people.
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Teach your people to do the right thing when nobody is looking. That's integrity, baby!
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Teaching your staff about human behavior.
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM- Read local publications
- Culinary Artistry
- The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs
- What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea- Even Water - Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers
- Kitchen Creativity: Unlocking Culinary Genius- with Wisdom, Inspiration, and Ideas from the Worlds Most Creative Chefs.
- Name one service you've hired
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls 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?
- be kind
- Learn
- Choose happiness.
Contact info:
Thanks for listening!
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Huge thanks to Andrew Savoie for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!