707: Chef Kelly Mullarney on Adaptability, Evolution, and Open-Mindedness
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 04/06/2020
1250: Understanding Tip Credits with Joshua Santana, Co-Founder of Cerboni Services
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Joshua Santana is the co-founder of , an outsourced accounting and financial consulting firm dedicated to helping restaurant and hospitality operators turn numbers into smarter decisions. A Houston native and graduate of the University of Houston with a degree in Accounting, Joshua has spent more than 15 years specializing in tax strategy, compliance, and financial planning for both individuals and businesses through his work with Santana & Associates, Cerboni’s sister tax firm. At Cerboni, he combines deep tax expertise with industry-specific financial insight to build forecasting,...
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1249: Sam Caucci, CEO of 1Huddle and Author of Wasted Talent
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Sam Caucci joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on March 9th, 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! Sam Caucci is the founder and CEO of , a workforce technology company that helps organizations find, train, and retain workers using science-backed, quick-burst mobile games. A global keynote speaker, workforce policy advisor, and bestselling author, Sam has helped...
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1248: Alec Bauer, Founder of Kitchen, Restaurant & Bar Specialists
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Alec Bauer joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on March 2nd, 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! Alec Bauer is the Principal and Creative Director of (KRBS), a Burlington, Vermont-based foodservice design consultancy. A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, he honed his skills as a chef in renowned kitchens like The Ryland Inn, Auberge du Soleil,...
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1247: Chris Goss, Director of Human Resources at Heirloom Hospitality and Founder of Awakened Hospitality
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Chris Goss is the Director of Hospitality, Operations, and Human Resources at Heirloom Hospitality in Vermont, where he oversees people, culture, and guest experience across the organization. With more than four years in this role, and over 30 years of restaurant hospitality experience before that, Chris blends strategic HR leadership with hands-on operational expertise to help build engaged teams and memorable hospitality experiences. Passionate about “awakened” hospitality, he focuses on values-driven leadership, staff development, and creating workplaces where people feel seen,...
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1246: Jordan Ware and Cindi Kozak, Co-Owners of Frankie’s
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Jordan Ware and Cindi Kozak are the chef-and-general manager team behind in Burlington, Vermont, a 70-seat, seafood-forward, farm-to-table restaurant in the former Penny Cluse Café space that has quickly become one of the most talked-about new spots in the country. After years working together at Hen of the Wood—Jordan as executive chef and Cindi as general manager and wine buyer—they struck out on their first solo venture, building a warm, “fine but friendly” dining room that bridges casual and special-occasion hospitality while spotlighting New England farms, fisheries, and...
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1245: Eric Scheffer, Founder and CEO of The Scheffer Group
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Eric Scheffer is the Founder and CEO of , based in Asheville, North Carolina. Eric comes from a family that worked in the entertainment business in NYC and LA and he too joined them in that business at a young age. Eventually, he decided to pivot to restaurateur. Eric opened his first restaurant in Asheville in 2000 and has owned 7 concepts in the city since then. Today, The Scheffer Group consists of 2 Vinnie's neighborhood Italian locations, 1 Jettie Rea's Oyster House location, and 1 Gan Shan Neighborhood Asian location. Join RULibrary: Join RULive: Set Up your RUEvolve...
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1244: Philip Bollhoefer, Vice President of Food and Beverage at Parks Hospitality Group
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Philip Bollhoefer is the Vice President of Food & Beverage at based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Starting in 2008, Parks Hospitality Group opens, owns, and operates hotels in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. When Philip joined in 2016 they owned 6 hotels and today they own 12. Join RULibrary: Join RULive: Set Up your RUEvolve 1:1: Subscribe on YouTube: Subscribe to our email newsletter: Today's sponsors: - — the leader in automated cooking oil management. Their Total Oil Management solution is an end-to-end closed loop automated...
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1243: Elizabeth Tilton, Founder and CEO of Oyster Sunday and OS BENEFiTS
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Elizabeth Tilton is the Founder and CEO of and . Based in both New Orleans and NYC and founded in 2019, Oyster Sunday is a hospitality consulting agency for independent F&B businesses. Consider them your thought partner or an extension of your in-house team, whether you're launching a business or currently operating one. The company is currently rolling out their Oyster Sunday HR department. OS BENEFiTS seeks to help your team get affordable health insurance and wellness benefits built for hospitality companies and organizations. Join RULibrary: Join RULive: Set Up...
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1242: Leonard Botello, Pit Master and Owner at Truth BBQ
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Leonard Botello is the owner and Pit Master of , which currently has two locations in Houston and Brenham, TX. Leonard grew up in restaurants with his family and went on to study Biology at A&M. He pivoted to BBQ when he had his first real eye-opening experience with craft BBQ. In 2015 he opened the first Truth BBQ in Brenham, Texas and in 2019 he opened the second location in Houston. Join RULibrary: Join RULive: Set Up your RUEvolve 1:1: Subscribe on YouTube: Subscribe to our email newsletter: Today's sponsors: - — the leader in automated cooking oil...
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1241: Ope Amosu, Chef/Owner/Blok Captain of ChòpnBlọk
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Ope Amosu is the chef/owner of located in Houston, Texas. Ope began his career working in oil and gas all over the globe. The son of Nigerian parents, Ope found that no matter where he travelled, it was difficult to get Nigerian food and find the local Nigerian culture. So, in 2017 he decided he should open a West African/Nigerian food restaurant in Houston. He began with private dinners and then held "restaurant takeovers" and in 2018 opened up in a food hall to great success. In 2022, the first standalone ChòpnBlọk opened. Join RULibrary: Join RULive: Set Up...
info_outlineChef Kelly Mullarney is a graduate from the CIA with nearly 40 years of experience working in, opening, and operating successful restaurants. Today Chef Kelly serves as co-founder and chef of Bruxie. Bruxie is responsible for the original Fried Chicken and Waffle Sandwich, and each unique sandwich recipe was developed by Chef Kelly. Today, there are seven Bruxie locations in California and Nevada, and 18 U.S. locations and 24 international locations in development.
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:
- "The mind is like an umbrella; it works best when it's open."
- Open-mindedness
- Kelly got his start working for free in order to learn as much as he could
- Kelly recommends getting kitchen experience before entering culinary school
- Any experience, good or bad, is a valuable experience
- The importance of traveling and broadening your horizons
- Growth happens when you are out of your comfort zone
- Adaptability and evolution
- Bring solutions and not problems
- Take the stress for your team
- It's better to light a fire within your staff instead of under their ass
- Working with recruiters
- Franchising
- Creation of the Fried Chicken and Waffle Sandwich
- The pressure of fine dining
- Creativity can be taxing
- Branding
- The future of Bruxie
Today's sponsor:
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.
P&G ProfessionalTM offers innovative total foodservice solutions featuring trusted brands such as Dawn® Professional, Cascade® Professional, Spic and Span® and Comet®. We are unique in that our total solutions are founded in customer and patron understanding, superior products that help save time and cut overall costs, and a five-star service group that is compensated based on customer satisfaction, not commissions. Visit www.pgpro.com for the latest information about P&G Professional's solutions and services.
Knowledge bombs
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Work ethic
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Overthinking
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- It's about personality
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Finding the right people
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Lead by example
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Exceed the guest's expectations
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- Listen
- 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
- Be open-minded
- Don't be afraid to fail but learn from the failures and learn to adapt
- (Bonus!) Find what makes you happy and be passionate about it
Contact info:
Email: info@bruxie.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 Kelly Mullarney for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!