616: Dan Simpson on Connectivity Through Food
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 05/20/2019
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Samir Watter is the COO at based in Dallas, TX. Samir joined Layne's in 2021 when there were only 7 total locations. Before that, he held impressive roles and big franchise companies like Denny's, where he worked for 10 years starting as AGM until heading the opening of 30 locations by the end of his tenure there. He also worked for La Salsa for 10 years as director of ops, where he opened 30 locations for that company as well. Today, Layne's has 25 locations and continues to grow. Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and...
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Thom Crosby is the CEO of , HQ'd in Kingstwon, TN. Pal's Sudden Service was first opened in 1956 in Kingstown, TN. Thom came on board in 1981 to help them grow. Thom's experience prior to Pal's was in corporate McDonald's and corporate Long John Silvers, as well as a franchisee with Wendy's. Today Thom is the CEO of Pal's and the company has 31 locations. All but 2 Pal's locations are drive-thru only. Thom is a true believer and member of . David McClaskey was featured on the podcast, episode 1182, and you can learn more about him and his company here:...
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Zane and Brandon Hunt are the co-founders of . VIA 313 is a Detroit-style pizza chain. This is The Hunt Bros. third time on the show. They first joined us for episode 560 in 2018 and again in 2021 for episode 826. In 2021, they had 5 locations and today they have 24! Interested in as recommended by the Hunt Bros.? Check it out here: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/mcclaskey-institute Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check...
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Matthew Mabel is a consultant, advisor, coach and President of . Surrender is a hospitality and management-consulting firm based in Dallas, TX. Matthew was last on the show for episode 518! For this in-person workshop, Matthew will take the listeners through growing restaurants in three different major and specific phases of growth. Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details:...
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Garrett Reed is the CEO of . Garrett got his start in the real estate business right out of college as a site selector for Radio Shack in he 90s. By the early 2000s he had moved on to Starbucks where he served as Real Estate Director for the east and west coasts. In 2005 he started his own real estate business and in the mid-2010s he began the search to own a restaurant brand and/or franchise. He bought Layne's Chicken Fingers in 2017 and became CEO and Partner. Layne's began in 1994. There are 25 locations as of this recording (April of 2025) with plans to open a new location every month for...
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Michael Praver is the founder of Michael's company specializes in helping businesses secure capital without the stress of traditional lending. Their mission is to help businesses secure fast, reliable, and customized funding solutions that empower businesses to thrive. This workshop covers How To Get Funding with expert Michael Praver. Workshops can be found every Thursday in the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast feed or on YouTube. Most have a visual component, so consider watching the video version . Join the RUNetwork to take part in workshops and ask the experts YOUR...
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Rachel Cope is the Founder and CEO of based in Oklahoma City, OK. 84 Hospitality consists of 4 concepts in 10+ locations in and around OKC. The brand started with and the newest restaurant is , a fine-dining restaurant in OKC. They also operate , , and . Rachel was previously on the show for episode 778 in 2021. Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's...
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David DeLorenzo is the CEO and Owner of . David DeLorenzo specializes in bar and restaurant insurance, but he is also a speaker, author, coach, as well as host of a mastermind and more than one charity organization. On top of all this, he has been an owner of 13 restaurants in his career. David was previously on the show for episode #1087 about a year ago! This workshop covers Workers' Compensation Deep Dive and Best Practices with expert David DeLorenzo. Workshops can be found every Thursday in the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast feed or on YouTube. Most have a visual component, so consider...
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Zack and Silvana Walters are the Owners/Partners at Sedalia's Oysters & Seafood located in Oklahoma City. Zack and Silvana are married and met in 2017. Prior to 2017, Zack went to culinary school and eventually opened his own butcher shop/deli in LA in 2010 with a partner which was very successful. He left that venture in 2016 to work in another restaurant where he met Silvana who worked FOH there. Silvana lived in NYC and worked FOH in various restaurants before loving to LA to work in an art museum and work restaurants. Silvana worked under Will Guidara before she met Zack. After...
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Jeremy Julian hosts the podcast and CRO at . With 20+ years in restaurant tech, he shares insights and interviews experts to help operators use digital tools to improve efficiency and guest experience. This workshop covers Jeremy's "3 Reasons Restaurants Fail with Technology Onboarding." Workshops can be found every Thursday in the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast feed or on YouTube. Most have a visual component, so consider watching the video version . Join the RUNetwork to take part in workshops and ask the experts YOUR questions! Join the TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - - Eric of...
info_outlineDan Simpson has been spearheading innovation and business development for startups, for-profit, and non-profit organizations for the past 20 years. Prior to joining Taziki's Family, Simpson was the founder and CEO of ToGoTechnologies. Simpson would go on to serve as a Taziki's franchisee and managing partner at Fresh Hospitality. Simpson became the CEO of Taziki's Mediterranean Café in 2018 and previously Simpson served as the restaurant's chief innovation officer.
We had Kieth Richards, founder of Taziki's, on the show (episode 511) so please reference that discussion for the come-up story and the core values of that organization.
Show notes…
Favorite success quote or mantra:
"Whatever business you're in, you're in the people business."
In this episode with Dan Simpson, we discuss:
- Becoming a person of value
- Restaurant technology
- The value of curiosity
- The importance of listening to people
- Learning from working for a non-profit
- The Art Of The Pivot
- Be able to shift at any moment/embrace change
- There is no ONE WAY to achieve goals/try different approaches/adapt
- Working for brand that you care about
- Understanding the "why" before changing direction
- Cash calls and when you need them
- The benefits of transformative relationships with your staff
- Refreshing your brand
- The importance of clarity
- Don't take short cuts
- Dealing with conflict properly
- Courage through selflessness
Today's sponsor:
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?
- Positive energy
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Setting pace
- What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
- What is your personal driving purpose? What percentage of that can be applied to your work?
- What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
- Finding enough great people for our team
- Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
- Clarity is bigger and more important than hyperbole
- What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
- Celebrating the ingredients, celebrating the farmers
- What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
- Conscious Capitalism
- The Advantage
- GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
- What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
- Prioritizing off-presence guests over on-presence guests
- 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?
- We are all in the people business
- Celebrate farmers
- Celebrate success stories
Contact info:
For franchising: growwithtazikis.com
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 Dan Simpson for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!