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802: WORKSHOP Ramp Up to Financial Sustainability w/ Ken Schwartz

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Release Date: 05/27/2021

1263: Eric Reed, Chief Development Officer at Layne’s Chicken Fingers show art 1263: Eric Reed, Chief Development Officer at Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Eric Reed and Natalie Hurley (also of Layne's) join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 20th, 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! Eric Reed is the Chief Development Officer at Layne’s Chicken Fingers, where he leads the brand’s aggressive growth and real estate strategy as the company scales its footprint across existing and new markets. With more than two...

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1262: Natalie Hurley, VP of Marketing at Layne’s Chicken Fingers show art 1262: Natalie Hurley, VP of Marketing at Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Natalie Hurley and Eric Reed (also of Layne's) join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 20th, 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! Natalie Hurley is the Vice President of Marketing at Layne’s Chicken Fingers, where she leads brand strategy and growth for the “Soon to be Famous” chicken finger franchise as it expands nationwide. With nearly 20 years of...

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1261: Alex Camp & Cuyler Esposito, VP of Operations Services, VP of Culture Operations at Layne's Chicken Fingers show art 1261: Alex Camp & Cuyler Esposito, VP of Operations Services, VP of Culture Operations at Layne's Chicken Fingers

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Alex Camp and Cuyler Esposito join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 13th, 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! Alex Camp is the vice president of operations services at Layne’s Chicken Fingers, where he serves as the “central nervous system” of the brand’s rapidly growing franchise system. After joining Layne’s in 2024 as senior director of...

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1260: Albert Sanchez, Co-Founder of Beto’s Mexican Restaurant show art 1260: Albert Sanchez, Co-Founder of Beto’s Mexican Restaurant

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Albert Sanchez and Chris Schultz join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 6th, 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! Albert Sanchez is the co‑founder and owner of Beto’s Mexican Restaurant, a family‑owned Mexican restaurant based in Grand Prairie, Texas, that has been serving the community since 1993. A lifelong Grand Prairie resident and graduate of South...

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1259: Chris Schultz, CEO of Velvet Taco show art 1259: Chris Schultz, CEO of Velvet Taco

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Chris Schultz joins the Restaurant Unstoppable Network for a live Q+A on April 6th, 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! Chris Schultz is the CEO of , a fast-casual taco brand known for its globally inspired, chef-driven tacos and cult-favorite Weekly Taco Feature program. He brings more than 30 years of restaurant leadership experience to the role and is focused on leading Velvet...

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1258: Jo Irizarry, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor at Barbs-B-Q and Thorn & Bred show art 1258: Jo Irizarry, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor at Barbs-B-Q and Thorn & Bred

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Jo Irizarry and Skeeter Miller join 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! Jo Irizarry is an investor and mentor in the modern Texas barbecue scene, best known for backing nationally acclaimed concepts like Barbs-B-Q and butcher shop and restaurant Thorn & Bred. As an early believer in Barbs-B-Q, Jo helped support...

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1257: John Russ, Chef/Owner of Clementine show art 1257: John Russ, Chef/Owner of Clementine

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

John Russ and Kim Beechner join 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! Chef John Russ is the chef-owner of , a celebrated neighborhood restaurant in San Antonio known for its seasonally driven menus and warm, family-centered hospitality. A New Orleans native and 2023 James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Texas,...

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1256: Kim Beechner, CEO of Embark Marketing show art 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 show art 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 show art 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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Ken Schwartz Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast

With Excitement allow me to introduce to you today's guest, President & CEO SSA Foodservice Design + Consulting, Ken Schwartz. SSA Foodservice Design + Consulting is a global hospitality design and consulting firm established in Tampa by Ken Schwartz in 1987. SSA specializes in food and beverage service design and is known for their Bespoke design solutions. Schwartz has been selected as one of the top 12 design consultants in the world and the SSA team has grown from a single office to multiple locations in the US and Europe. SSA project engagements range from small boutique coffee establishments to $2.6 billion resorts. Brands, architects, and interior designers within all sectors of foodservice design (ie restaurants, casino, hotels, resorts, healthcare, workplace dining, sports venues, airports and college/universities) engage SSA for its extensive knowledge, creativity, and collaborative approach.

 

Show notes…

Calls to ACTION!!!

Favorite success quote or mantra:

  • "There is no substitute for great planning."

In today's workshop with Ken Schwartz we will discuss:

  • Startup capital needed
  • Design team
  • Consulting fees
  • Water, sewer, transportation fees
  • Closing costs
  • Insurance deposits
  • Tech: POS/software
  • Interest on money borrowed
  • Opening labor
  • Change-of-use costs
  • Insurance

Today's sponsor:

7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free.

Meez One platform to organize, cost, scale, and share your recipes. With a built in database of thousands of ingredient yields and unit conversions for laser accurate costs.  Train your teams with step by step video and image slideshows that live right alongside the recipe.  Build ops guides and SOPs, create and upload content in seconds.  Never let anyone make the wrong outdated recipe again, all the while keeping your IP safe and secure.

Meez

Contact info:

Email: ken@studiofs.com

Website

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 Ken Schwartz 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!