599: Nikky Phinyawatana on Making It Fun
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 03/21/2019
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...
info_outline 1068: Kate Holowchik Chef/Owner of Lionheart ConfectionsRestaurant 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...
info_outline 1067: Matt Berry & Vinny and Dante Marino Co-Owners of DeadProof Pizza CoRestaurant 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...
info_outline 1066: Irene Li Co-Owner of Mei Mei DumplingsRestaurant 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_outline 1065: Peter Minich CEO of Fresh City KitchenRestaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Peter Minich is the Owner/CEO of based in Boston, MA. Peter got his start in the industry at the age of 16 and eventually made his way to Vail, CO to ski and work in kitchens after school. He worked in restaurants there and soon found himself at the Culinary Institute of America. He worked in many fine establishments all over the country until he became the VP at Fresh City in 2010. He bought the company in 2014 and has been the CEO ever since. Today, Fresh City Kitchen is primarily an office catering company. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Mise en place." In this episode we will...
info_outline 1064: Edison Yee Principle Partner at Bean Restaurant GroupRestaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Edison Yee is the President/Partner of headquartered in Springfield, MA. Edison Yee's father opened a restaurant in Massachusetts 5 decades ago which operated until 2018. Edison started working in his dad's restaurant at the age of 10, back in the 1970s. In 1990, Edison took over the family business and today serves as President. In 2002, the family opened their second concept, and another followed in 2006. Today, Bean restaurant Group operates 16 restaurants. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Mise en place." In this episode we will discuss: Family business Putting on a show, an...
info_outline 1063: Dan Haggerty Co-Owner of Industry East and StashboxRestaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Dan Haggerty is the co-owner of and in Manchester, New Hampshire. Dan got his start in the industry as a dishwasher in an upscale Italian restaurant in Massachusetts. He moved up to prep cook and hated it. He asked if he could be put on FOH and that's when he fell in love with the restaurant industry. After taking many jobs both in the industry and outside of it, he eventually started a "traveling mixology" business which turned into a brick and mortar restaurant (Industry East) in 2020. Stashbox opened soon after that. The future is bright for this NH restaurateur! Favorite success...
info_outline 1062: Justin Alpert Restaurant Architect at 42 ArchitectureRestaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Justin Alpert is the owner of based in Boston, MA. Justin grew up just outside Boston and enjoyed going to restaurants as a kid with his family. He became an architect after school and designed spaces in the realms of medical and residential. He soon realized he did not enjoy the cut-throat, profit-driven mindset of the firms he worked for and decided to start his own firm focusing only on restaurants. 42 Architecture opened in 2020 and is growing today. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Support those that support others." In this episode we will discuss: The essential SEVEN things to...
info_outline 1061: Eric Cacciatore on What's Next for Restaurant Unstoppable!Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Eric Cacciatore, Founder and Host of Restaurant Unstoppable is joined by Jared Parisi, RU's editor, and Callen Meola, RU's Community Manager, to discuss the future of Restaurant Unstoppable and share some very exciting announcements! Join the NEW ! Show notes… Favorite success quote/mantra: Eric: "Ain't nothing to it but to do it." Callen: "Do the next right thing." Jared: "Darkness is difficult and pathfinders are few." In this episode we will discuss: The very exciting future of RU! Today's sponsor: : Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is...
info_outline 1060: David Lombardo President & CEO at Lombardo's Hospitality GroupRestaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
David Lombardo is co-owner, CEO, and president of . David is a fourth generation owner of the Lombardo's brand of restaurants and event spaces. His grandfather, Sal, turned the old Lombardo's into a supermarket and event space. Today, Lombardo's consists of several concepts, including catering, nightclubs, event spaces, restaurants, and wholesale. Before joining the family business officially, David attended UVM and worked at and became the Assistant General Manager at Legal Seafoods. Check out as mentioned in today's episode! Check out from Predictive Index as mentioned in today's episode!...
info_outlineNikky grew up in Bangkok, Thailand and ventured to Dallas, Texas. She received her Bachelors in Business Administration majoring in Entrepreneur Studies and Marketing from Babson College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She continued her studies at El Centro College Culinary School in Dallas, Texas. Since opening Asian Mint in 2004, Phinyawatan has received countless awards and accolades. Over the past 15 years Asian Mint has scaled to three locations within Dallas. In 2018, Nikky took a crack at the fast-casual world with Enjoy Mint, where they serve fast, fresh, Thai Bowls.
Show notes…
Favorite success quote or mantra:
Just go out and do it
In this episode with Nikky Phinyawatana, we discuss:
- Studying entrepreneurship
- Studying at Babson College
- Nikky's mentors
- Learning from observing
- Nikky's upbringing and how it influenced her entrepreneur mentality
- Her father as a mentor
- The importance of having a clear vision and a solid business plan
- Teach by showing not telling
- Failures and overcoming them
- The importance of getting legal paperwork correct prior to opening
- Doing it yourself
- Educating your guests/fans
- You must be authentic
- Have a marketing plan
- Social media marketing
- Kiosk ordering in fast casual
- You must be able to showcase what you sell
- Live and breathe your culture to pass it on to your staff
Today's sponsor:
Wisetail.com, A Premier Learning Management System, Wisetail Grew Up Alongside Some of the Most Recognizable Restaurants In the Industry. This Has Helped Shape Their Product and its Functionality Through Real-World Feedback and Rigorous Testing.
BentoBox helps restaurants grow their business through a connected suite of tools, offering them an integrated website to connect with their guests and drive revenue online. Restaurant owners and operators are able to easily update menus, promote specials, take catering and event inquiries, sell merchandise, gift cards and more.
Revel Systems integrates front of house and back of house operations into a single dashboard. Designed to increase security, stability, ease of use, and speed of service, Revel’s streamlined ecosystem provides businesses with the right tools to grow. Learn more at revelsystems.com/unstoppable.
Knowledge bombs
- Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
- Humbling, grateful, authentic
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Move to fast sometimes
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- Passion
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Keeping people motivated all the time. Stay motivated.
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team?
- Inspire yourself and others
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Do your best with the best intentions
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
- One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
- What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- Compliment your employees. Be specific in your compliments.
- What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
- 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?
- Do what you love, love what you do
- Make sure you put your family and friends first
- Know your priorities
Contact info:
Instagram: @nikkyfeedingsouls @asianmint @enjoymintkitchen
YouTube channel: Nikky Feeding Souls
Thanks for listening!
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Huge thanks to Nikky Phinyawatana for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!
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