718:Kristina Zhao on The Pivot to 3rd-party-less pickup/delivery
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 05/28/2020
1256: Kim Beechner, CEO of Embark Marketing
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Kim Beechner joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on March 30th, 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! Kim Beechner is the CEO and founder of Embark Marketing, a boutique digital agency specializing in the food and beverage and hospitality industries. Drawing on more than a decade in marketing and many years in the restaurant and bar world, she helps...
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1255: Skeeter Miller, Owner and President of The County Line Bar-B-Q Restaurant Group
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Skeeter Miller joins 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! Don “Skeeter” Miller is the longtime owner and president of The County Line, the iconic Texas barbecue institution he helped launch in Austin in 1975. Starting as the restaurant’s first dishwasher, he worked every job in the house before being invited into...
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1254: Sarah Heard, Chef/Co-Owner of Foreign & Domestic
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Sarah Heard joins 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! Chef Sarah Heard is the co-owner and co-chef of Austin’s acclaimed , where she’s known for boldly flavored, from-scratch cooking and a deep respect for every ingredient. Raised in Conroe, Texas, she learned early from her mother and grandmother to use every part...
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1253: Taylor Swenning, Owner of Darlin's Diner
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Taylor Swenning joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on March 16th, 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! Taylor Swenning is the creative force and owner behind , a modern small-town spot known for its nostalgic charm and scratch-made comfort food. A Texas A&M graduate who studied Construction Science, Taylor first tested her entrepreneurial chops with a food...
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1252: Jody Fiess, COO at Cerboni Services
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Jody Fiess is the COO of , HQ'd in Houston, Texas. Cerboni is an all-in-one financial solution for restaurants. Cerboni Services was formed in 2017 to help independent restaurants manage their financials and lower costs through performance based metrics. Today, Cerboni helps around 800 restaurants nationwide. 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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1251: Pete Mora, Founder of Fajita Pete’s
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Pete Mora joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on March 16th, 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! Pedro “Pete” Mora is the founder and CEO of Fajita Pete’s, a Houston-based Tex-Mex concept built around catering, delivery, and a streamlined fajita-focused menu. Born in Colombia and raised with an entrepreneurial push from his family, he opened his first...
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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,...
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!