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707: Chef Kelly Mullarney on Adaptability, Evolution, and Open-Mindedness

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Release Date: 04/06/2020

1198: Chris Florczak, CEO of Risen Restaurant Group show art 1198: Chris Florczak, CEO of Risen Restaurant Group

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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1197: Samir Watter, COO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers show art 1197: Samir Watter, COO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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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1196: Thom Crosby, CEO of Pal’s Sudden Service show art 1196: Thom Crosby, CEO of Pal’s Sudden Service

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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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1195: Zane and Brandon Hunt, Co-Founders of VIA 313 show art 1195: Zane and Brandon Hunt, Co-Founders of VIA 313

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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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1194: The Game of Restaurant Growth with Matthew Mabel show art 1194: The Game of Restaurant Growth with Matthew Mabel

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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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1193: Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers show art 1193: Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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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1192: How to Secure Funding with Michael Praver show art 1192: How to Secure Funding with Michael Praver

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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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1191: Rachel Cope, Founder and CEO of 84 Hospitality show art 1191: Rachel Cope, Founder and CEO of 84 Hospitality

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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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1190: Workers’ Compensation Deep Dive with David DeLorenzo show art 1190: Workers’ Compensation Deep Dive with David DeLorenzo

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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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1189: Zack and Silvana Walters, Partners of Sedalia’s Oysters & Seafood show art 1189: Zack and Silvana Walters, Partners of Sedalia’s Oysters & Seafood

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

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 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!!!

Favorite success quote or mantra:

  • "The mind is like an umbrella; it works best when it's open."
In today's episode with Kelly Mullarney we will discuss: 
  • 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

  1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
    • Work ethic
  2. What is your biggest weakness?
    • Overthinking
  3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
    • It's about personality
  4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
    • Finding the right people
  5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
    • Lead by example
  6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
    • Exceed the guest's expectations
  7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
  8. What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
    • Listen
  9. 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?
    1. Be kind
    2. Be open-minded
    3. Don't be afraid to fail but learn from the failures and learn to adapt
    4. (Bonus!) Find what makes you happy and be passionate about it

Contact info:

Bruxie website

Franchising with Bruxie

Email: [email protected]

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!

 

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!