579: Horst Schulze on The 3 Fundamental Gust Expectations
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 01/10/2019
1075: Faras Kargar Owner Delbar Restaurant and Bar
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Fares Kargar is the Owner of and in Atlanta, Georgia. Fares was born in Iran and grew up there until he was 18 when he moved to the US. Once in Atlanta, he went to school for hospitality management and while in school, he began working in restaurants. Once he graduated, he moved on to work in many restaurants, including Waffle House, until he landed at Rumi's Kitchen where he quickly became a GM. Finally, in 2020, he opened his first restaurant, Delbar. Today, there are 4 Delbar locations. Favorite success quote/mantra: "This too shall pass." In this episode we will discuss: ...
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1074: Doug Turbush Chef & Owner Seed Kitchen and Bar
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Doug Turbush is the Chef & Owner of in Atlanta, GA. Doug started in the business as a 15 year old washing dishes. He went to school for hotel managment and went to the C.I.A. after that. His goal was to open his own restaurant by his early 30s. He lived and cooked in Thailand and lived and cooked in Atlanta until at 39 he opened Seed Kitchen and Bar in Atlanta in 2011. In 2013 he opened Stem Wine Bar next to Seed, and in 2016 he opened another restaurant which then closed in 2024. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Make it nice or make it twice." In this episode we will discuss: ...
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1073: Jen Hidinger-Kendrick Founder of Giving Kitchen
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Jen Hidinger-Kendrick is the Founder of . Jen and her late husband, Ryan, started a supper club in Atlanta around 2012. The supper club was incredibly successful and finally, four years later, they opened Staplehouse together. Staplehouse was also a great success. However, before the restaurant opened, Ryan was disgnosed with cancer and passed away in 2014. Jen sold her share of the restaurant to her partners and started Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit with this mission: "to provide emergency assitance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources."...
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1072: Damian Otero and Miguel Hernandez, CEO and COO at Rreal Tacos
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Damian Otero is the CEO of Rreal Tacos and Miguel Hernandez is the company's COO. Damian and Rreal Tacos were previously on the show for episode 945 back in 2022. At that time, Rreal Tacos was opening their third location. Today there are 8 locations with more on the way. They are based in Atlanta, GA. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Create an opportunity biug enough for everybody to get a piece of the action." In this episode we will discuss: Negotiating leases Real estate and restaurants Growth/expansion Sharing equity with employees Marketing Today's sponsor: : Are you a chef, owner,...
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1071: Shuai & Corrie Wang Co-Owners of Super Happy Fun Time Group
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Corrie and Shuai Wang are the co-owners of Super Happy Fun Time Group which operates and in Charleston, SC. Shuai is a Chinese immigrant who grew up in NYC. There he met Corrie while working in restaurants. Corrie is from upstate NY and is also an author. They moved to Charleston together in 2014 and soon after started a foodtruck and popups to test their culinary concepts. Jackrabbirt Filly opened in 2019 with King BBQ opening in November of 2023. Favorite success quote/mantra: Shuai: "You have yet to experience your best days." Corrie: "Like attracts like." In this episode we...
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1070: Bret Oliverio Owner of Sup Dogs
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Bret Oliverio is the Owner of Sup Dogs, based in Greenville, NC. Bret began his post-school career as a radio broadcaster. His brother started Sup Dogs back in 2008 but tragically passed away a few years later. That's when, in 2012, Bret took over the restaurant and continues to own it today. Now, there are two Sup Dogs locations, plus a distillery and a cocktail bar. Favorite success quote/mantra: "If you let up, you lose." In this episode we will discuss: Marketing Leaving another industry for restaurants Get an accountant Profit-first Menu engineering Verticle integration...
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1069: Sother Teague Creative Drunk and Founder of Sother Hospitality
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Sother Teague is the "Creative Drunk." He is the Founder of Sother Hospitality, Beverage Director at Amor y Amargo, Cohost of the Speakeasy Podcast, author of "I'm Just Here For The Drinks", and most importantly, a bar tender. Favorite success quote/mantra: "If you're the smartest guy in the room, you're in the wrong room." In this episode we will discuss: Partnerships Theater of hospitality Lawyers Popups Bars/bartending Today's sponsor: : Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is built just for you. Organize, share, prep, and scale recipes...
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1068: Kate Holowchik Chef/Owner of Lionheart Confections
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Kate Holowchik is the chef/owner of Lionheart Confections. Kate grew up baking with her family and began baking in corporate kitchens, such as Panera Bread, during college. After going from kitchen to kitchen, from FOH to baking in BOH, she eventually started Lionheart Confections, a baking popup based in New Hampshire, in 2020. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Lead with a kind heart and live unapologetically." In this episode we will discuss: Mentors Popups Toxic kitchens Today's sponsor: : Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is built just for...
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1067: Matt Berry & Vinny and Dante Marino Co-Owners of DeadProof Pizza Co
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Matt Berry, Vinny Marino, and Dante Marino are the Co-Owners of in New Hampshire. DeadProof Pizza Co is a mobile pizza vendor based in Manchester, NH. Chef Matt Berry created the concept and sought Dante and Vinny for help with marketing. They are all now co-owners of the wildely popular concept. Favorite success quote/mantra: "If you're scared, do it scared." In this episode we will discuss: Pop-ups Marketing Pizza Finding the balance Today's sponsor: : Boost your efficiency and profitability without adding labor costs. MarginEdge is a complete restaurant management software that...
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1066: Irene Li Co-Owner of Mei Mei Dumplings
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Irene Li is the co-owner of in Boston, MA. Irene grew up in Boston in a Chinese-American family where food was always paramount. She realized her love for cooking while attending Cornell. She and her brother and sister opened Mei Mei Street Kitchen, a food truck, in 2012. In 2018, Irene bought out her co-owner siblings in order to take full control of the business and take it in a new direction, a direction dedicated to identifying and addressing food injustice. She soon realized that dumplings were the most popular item on the menu, and doubled down on that item. Today she sells dumplings...
info_outlineHailing from a small German town, Horst Schulze knew from the age of 5 that he wanted to work in the hotel industry. So he got his start, like most of do, as a dish washer. From the bottom rung he climbed his way to the top, traveling the world and working in 5 star hotels along the way. In 1983 he cofounded the Ritz Carlton and set the standards for the service industry going forward.
Schulze joins me to dive into how he got his start and the mentors who influenced him along the way. Then we dive into his newly published book, Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide To Becoming The Best In a World of Compromise.
This is one you surely won't want to miss!
Show Notes
Success quote or mantra
"Whatever it is you want to do in life... Do it with excellence."
In this episode with Horst Schulze, we discuss:
- How Schulze got into the hotel industry, like many of use, on the bottom rung.
- How he learned from his mentor, Karl Zeitler, if you approach everything you do with excellence, no matter what is, you can be important.
- The impact one person can have on another on their career path. Be mindful of your influence on others. You could change someones life.
- How excellence starts with a decision.
- Using constant reminders, like messages on a mirror, to remind you to be excellent.
- How you need to be able to lead yourself before you can lead others.
- Where Horst Schulze got his inspiration to write, Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide To Becoming The Best In a World of Compromise
- How creating an environment where people WANT to do the work, comes from great leadership; not great management.
- How great customer service starts with identifying guest needs then creating processes to meet those needs.
- How to handle guest complaints; with the objective to never lose a guest.
- The 3 fundamental expectations a customer has.
- How to get your people to care for your guest.
- While process is important, it can't shadow a clearly defined vision and mission.
- How too many systems can stunt the human element of creativity and soul.
- Whats most important to your employees.
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Thanks for listening!
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Huge thanks to Horst Schulze for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!