718:Kristina Zhao on The Pivot to 3rd-party-less pickup/delivery
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 05/28/2020
726: Diego Galicia on Providing Insurance with only 6 Employees
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Originally from Toluca, Mexico, Diego Galicia moved to San Antonio in 2001. He studied at The University of Texas-San Antonio, and the Culinary Institute of America. As a student at the CIA he worked at John Besh's , a local french bakery, and Patty Lou's. Galicia also has served stints at , , and Moto. In 2013, along with co-chef partner Rico Torres, Galicia opened (mish-ly) located in San Antonio, TX. Mixtli has been regarded as one of Texas' most avant-garde restaurants. Every 45 dinner their 90-minute tasting menu changes-- spotlighting a piece Mexico's history with each rendition....
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725: Getting Personal (#2) with KC Hensley and Eric Cacciatore
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
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724: Jeremy Mandrell and Anne Ng on Clear Purpose, Direction, and Process
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Jeremy Mandrell and Anne Ng met while working for Thomas Keller at Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley, California. They have been baking together ever since. They honed their skills in different kitchens around the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to San Antonio in the summer of 2010. In 2011 they met entrepreneur Charlie Biedenharn who joined them in forming . Today, they've scaled Lorraine to 5 locations and they've also opened a Donut shop, Maybelle's Donuts. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to...
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REPEAT-701: Jae Kim On Food Trucks And Loyalty Programs
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Jae Kim got his start in the food and beverage industry as the owner of a coffee shop — while in college! Unfortunately, that business failed, but it left him with a burning desire to try again. In 2010 Chi’Lantro was founded. started as a food truck serving a fusion of Korean and Mexican cuisine. Today, there are eight restaurants, two food trucks, and two trailers under the Chi’Lantro brand in Austin, Texas. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Join the private Join the email list! (Scroll...
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723: Jason Dady on Scaling Organically & Opening a Restaurant With $50K
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Nebraska native and Texan raised, Jason Dady has deep roots in the restaurant industry. He studied Hospitality Management and culinary in Texas and California respectively. After graduating he sharpened his skills in Napa Valley before returning to TX where he opened his first restaurant, The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills in 2001. When one restaurant wasn’t enough to hold all of his ideas, Chef Dady opened a second in 2004. Today, Chef Dady's Restaurants include at the San Antonio Museum of Art, and sister restaurant, , , , and . Check out the book as mentioned in today's...
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722: Jeff Fenster on Vertical Integration and Relationship Capital
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
For 14 yours, serial entrepreneur, Jeff Fenster, has been creating companies in all kinds of spaces. These spaces included: a small payroll company, a digital marketing agency, a construction company. Obviously, there's got to be a restaurant thrown into the mix-- fast-casual Acai Bowl concept- - with its headquarters in San Diego, CA. In its first 3 years, has opened 19 locations in 2 states. He's also got "superfuel coffee" label, which they're selling at retail and on Amazon. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Check out as mentioned in today's episode. Show notes… Calls...
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721: Sam Glynn on Never Ending Improvements
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Originally for North Conway, NH Sam Glynn is a 3rd generation restaurateur. After some time in Florida, where Sam went to escape the snow, get an education in marketing, start (and end) his career in the professional baseball industry, Sam returned to New England. Before long Sam found himself in Rhode Island, and at the age of 27, he opened his first restaurant, , located in Warren, RI. This is Sam's second time on the show. His first recording was check out as mentioned in today's episode! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Join the private Join the email list!...
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720: Howard Behar on The One Reason for Our Existence
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
For 21 years Behar led ' domestic business as President of North America, and he became the founding President of Starbucks International opening the very first store outside of North America in Japan. During his tenure, he participated in the growth of the company from only 28 stores to over 15,000 stores spanning five continents. He served on the Starbucks Board of Directors for twelve years before retiring. Additionally, Howard is the author of . His second book is titled . Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Join the private Join the email list! (Scroll...
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719: Vaughan Dugan on Leading With Confidence and Integrity
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Vaughan Dugan has been an entrepreneur since his elementary school days cutting lawns in Newport, RI. By the 90's he was a millionaire with his business Stellar Concepts & Design Inc. In 2006, Vaughan entered the world of Food and Beverage with his first concept Pizza Fusion. The brand was a trailblazer in the food industry and set the standard for environmentally-friendly restaurants. After Pizza Fusion, he began working with Rodney mayo and Scott Freilich, two of the most well-known name in south Florida restaurant sense-- and longtime friends from Dugan's college years. Together, they...
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718:Kristina Zhao on The Pivot to 3rd-party-less pickup/delivery
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Kirstina Zhao calls San Antonio, TX home. Prior to taking over the family restaurant, Sichuan House, Kristina was being groomed for the medical field... that didn't happen. Zhao ended up at the University of Texas where she studied Communications and Public Relations. Next, she went into the wireless industry on the B2B side. In 2015, Kristina came back home to San Antonio to help her father with the family restaurant. It didn't take long for her to get her millennial hands knuckle deep into the day-to-day operations. 5 years later she runs the show. Kristina came on my radar by way of Anna...
info_outlineKirstina Zhao calls San Antonio, TX home. Prior to taking over the family restaurant, Sichuan House, Kristina was being groomed for the medical field... that didn't happen. Zhao ended up at the University of Texas where she studied Communications and Public Relations. Next, she went into the wireless industry on the B2B side. In 2015, Kristina came back home to San Antonio to help her father with the family restaurant. It didn't take long for her to get her millennial hands knuckle deep into the day-to-day operations. 5 years later she runs the show.
Kristina came on my radar by way of Anna Tauzin. Anna is my go-to authority for all things delivery and take-out. So, when she tells me I need to get someone on the show-- I listen. Today we're here to make an example of Zhao's solution for delivery and take out. We share how she came up with her idea and what tools she's using.
Show notes…
Check out Blinkist: Big Ideas in Small Packages as mentioned in today's episode!
Check out Toast POS as mentioned in today's episode!
Check out Summer Glen Creative as mentioned in today's episode!
Check out Re-turnz app as mentioned in today's episode!
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:
- "Rule your mind or it will rule you."
- "Happiness is a state of mind, a way of living; it is not a destination."
- " Don't take 'no' for an answer."
- Online ordering during COVID-19
- The pivot to online ordering - best practices
- The only person you can control is yourself
- Proving yourself to your parents/mentors
- Immigrating to the US (immigrant parents)
- Communication is key
- Empathy
- Food as medicine
- Mentors
- The benefit of having a little experience when entering the industry
- Why Kristina chose Toast POS
- Using built-in iOS technology to forward your telephone to your cell phone. This allows you to text your guest.
- How Kristina is using Summer Glen Creative for website hosting and web design. This is just for their landing page. Currently offering complimentary landing pages if you use their hosting***
- Using Re-turnz app as their delivery component
- Social media
- COVID-19 best practices
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.
Toast - A POS built for restaurants by restaurant people Adapt fast with Toast's cloud-based restaurant POS system that updates to evolve your POS along with changing industry trends and guest expectations. Toast is built exclusively for restaurants of all shapes and sizes, with over 2/3 of our employees having restaurant experience to serve you better. Online Ordering - Let guests easily order directly from your restaurant for pickup or contactless delivery to keep revenue flowing during these uncertain times. Toast Delivery Services Dispatch local drivers through an on-demand network to keep your community fed and revenue coming in.
Contact info:
The Sichuan House Instagram: @sichuaneats
Kristina's Instagram: @xtinazeeeee
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 Kristina Zhao for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!