Best Improving Restaurant Operations Podcasts (2025)

1
Relationship First Marketing The Blueprint for Agency Growth Francis Volpe 40:00

2h ago40:00

40:00

✅ Relationship First Marketing: The Blueprint for Agency Growth | Francis Volpe 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 Meet Francis Volpe, head of content creation at Why Not You Media, whose journey from professional stuntman to social media strategist reveals the power of purpose over mot…

1
A 6-Step Leadership Framework with Coach Sal Rotolo 42:06

4h ago42:06

42:06

#485 - A 6-Step Leadership Framework with Coach Sal Rotolo ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: DAVO Automate your sales taxes using DAVO BY AVALARA. The software integrates with most POS systems. It sets aside your sales taxes, files on time, and submits payments before the deadline. VISIT: https://davosalestax.com/RestaurantStrategy **…

1
Perfect Meals Don’t Matter: Sara Fay Egan on Experiences That Scale 37:16

3d ago37:16

37:16

If your guests remember the night but forget the meal, did you succeed? Sara Fay Egan never planned to run restaurants—she built experiences. After a career in high-end event planning, she was thrust into leadership at Beale Street Blues Company after the sudden passing of her father. But instead of mimicking traditional models, she brought an outs…

1
Meet Kaizen the 1% agency that's changing how businesses approach digital marketing. 13:47

3d ago13:47

13:47

✅ Meet Kaizen—the 1% agency that's changing how businesses approach digital marketing. 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 We're not your typical marketing agency. We're business owners, data scientists, creators, and copywriters united by one mission: growing revenue for every business …

1
Marketing is About Standing Out in a Noisy Marketplace 22:34

4d ago22:34

22:34

#484 - Marketing is About Standing Out in a Noisy Marketplace ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: MARQII MARQII is your one-stop-shop for listings management and reputation management. Collect reviews in one place to make responding easy and effortless and win the SEO game to land at the top of more search results. Win back guests and p…

1
Community Over Camera The Key to Video Marketing 28:32

5d ago28:32

28:32

✅ Community Over Camera The Key to Video Marketing 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 What happens when you realize that staying "out of sight" means being "out of referrals"? Vikram Rajan built VideoSocial after discovering that even confident public speakers struggle with the consiste…

1
Competition Isn’t Your Biggest Threat: Jean-Pierre Lacroix on the Power of Relevance 39:12

6d ago39:12

39:12

What if your restaurant’s biggest threat isn’t your competition—it’s your own irrelevance? Jean-Pierre Lacroix has spent decades helping brands regain their footing after losing touch with what made them matter. In today’s conversation, we unpack what’s killing restaurant loyalty—and it’s not what you think. Jean-Pierre argues that operators are ov…

1
From 3 Books to Bestseller: The Marketing Strategist Behind 350 Book Launches | Keren Camou 36:57

7d ago36:57

36:57

✅From 3 Books to Bestseller: The Marketing Strategist Behind 350+ Book Launches | Keren Camou 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 Meet Keren Camus, the serial entrepreneur and neurolinguistics expert who has launched over 350 books and transforms authors from "real-life influencers" into…

1
Popmenu Co-Founders, Brendan Sweeney and Tony Roy 27:13

7d ago27:13

27:13

#483 - Popmenu Co-Founders, Brendan Sweeney and Tony Roy ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: DAVO Automate your sales taxes using DAVO BY AVALARA. The software integrates with most POS systems. It sets aside your sales taxes, files on time, and submits payments before the deadline. VISIT: https://davosalestax.com/RestaurantStrategy ****…

1
Quality is Overrated: Allan Dib on Scaling Sales the Smart Way 39:20

10d ago39:20

39:20

Most restaurant owners think better food or better service will win the game. But Allan Dib has a different take: your product is not your problem—your marketing is. Allan is the best-selling author of The 1-Page Marketing Plan, and in this conversation, he dismantles the myths that keep restaurants stuck. We get into the high cost of bad positioni…

1
Office Hours: Enrollment Beats Training 7:23

11d ago7:23

7:23

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…

1
How to Get More 5-Star Reviews on Google and Yelp (ENCORE) 26:03

11d ago26:03

26:03

#482 - How to Get More 5-Star Reviews on Google and Yelp (ENCORE) ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: MARGIN EDGE Take control of your costs with using MarginEdge. Best of all? No contract. No setup fee. Free and unlimited training and support. VISIT: marginedge.com/chip ***** Reputation Management was once a fringe area of digital mark…

1
Burnout Isn’t a Badge: Ahu Hettema on Risk, Reinvention, and Building Restaurants That Work 35:19

13d ago35:19

35:19

Ahu Hettema didn’t hedge her bets—she burned the boats. No Plan B. No safety net. Just a belief that betting everything on one restaurant could rewrite her life. And it did. But not through stubbornness. Through adaptation. In this episode, Ahu breaks down how listening—really listening—to her guests saved her concept, why comfort matters more than…

1
Tech Integration That Actually Pays Off 18:29

14d ago18:29

18:29

#481 - Tech Integration That Actually Pays Off ***** If you've been listening for a while you know I am NOT anti-tech. But I do think we have to be more intentional with the tolls we choose to bring on. Today's episode is all about that! ***** Are you ready to generate consistent, predictable 20% profit in your restaurant? Let's talk about the powe…

1
This Is What Luxury Actually Feels Like: Chris Adams on Culture, Tech, and the Soul of Service 36:59

17d ago36:59

36:59

Chris Adams does. He’s built a business on showing some of the biggest brands in the world how to make guests feel something—without faking it. In this episode, we dig into what defines modern luxury and why it has less to do with money and more to do with culture, people, and emotional precision. Chris shares how AI and tech can enhance—not replac…

1
Office Hours: Acquire Talent, Don’t Nurture It 9:00

18d ago9:00

9:00

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…

1
Talking AI with Inc Tank GTM Co-Founders 37:55

18d ago37:55

37:55

#480 - Talking AI with Inc Tank GTM Co-Founders ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: MARGIN EDGE Take control of your costs with using MarginEdge. Best of all? No contract. No setup fee. Free and unlimited training and support. VISIT: marginedge.com/chip ***** Inc Tank GTM was founded by Michael Beck and Chad Horn, who have learned a thi…

1
From Maxed-Out Credit Cards to 41 Locations: John Gelastopoulos on Building Broken Yolk’s Lasting Momentum 35:49

20d ago35:49

35:49

Most people buy a restaurant and inherit someone else’s problems. John Gelastopoulos bought a closed breakfast spot, maxed out his credit cards to keep it alive—and turned it into a 41-location powerhouse. The secret? Relentless persistence and an obsession with people. In this conversation, John shares how he went from washing dishes to franchisin…

1
A-Players and SOPs: The Foundation of Agency Growth | Alec Winter 48:34

21d ago48:34

48:34

✅ A-Players and SOPs: The Foundation of Agency Growth | Alec Winter 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 Meet Alec Winter, founder of Creators Collective, who went from living in his mom's basement after a failed VR startup to building a 45-person marketing agency dominating niches like a…

1
Kitchen Efficiency and Waste Reduction Systems 21:41

21d ago21:41

21:41

#479 - Kitchen Efficiency and Waste Reduction Systems ***** Food waste represents as much as 5% points on your P&L. Do some quick math and you'll realize that for a $2MM restaurant, that's as much as an extra $100,000 that drops to the bottom line. It's a meaningful amount, and so that's why we're going to dig deep on today's episode. ***** Are you…

1
Geoff Alexander on Leveling Up Leadership Skills 37:57

24d ago37:57

37:57

After 30 years with restaurant conglomerate Lettuce Entertain You, Geoff Alexander could teach a masterclass on building and scaling a restaurant brand. And that’s exactly what he’s done for us today. In this far reaching conversation we discuss the essential elements of leadership, how to build a brand from the ground up, turnaround strategies for…

1
The Revenue Flywheel: From Operations to Retention | Italo Leiva 51:47

24d ago51:47

51:47

✅ The Revenue Flywheel: From Operations to Retention | Italo Leiva 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 "Failure isn't failure unless you quit." In this episode, we sit down with Italo, founder of Pedal, who transformed early business disappointments into a revolutionary approach to reven…

1
Office Hours: Sell the Thing People Dream About 7:42

25d ago7:42

7:42

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…

1
Three Simple Frameworks to Level Up Your Marketing (ENCORE) 28:52

25d ago28:52

28:52

#478 - Three Simple Frameworks to Level Up Your Marketing (ENCORE) ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: MARQII MARQII is your one-stop-shop for listings management and reputation management. Collect reviews in one place to make responding easy and effortless and win the SEO game to land at the top of more search results. Win back guests …

1
Brad Wise on Transforming a Bad Launch Into an Epic Brand 31:30

27d ago31:30

31:30

Sometimes the only difference between those who succeed and those who fail is the decision to not give up. Today’s guest, Chef Brad Wise, is a testament to the grit required to build something prolific in our industry. In our conversation we discuss how to overcome a slow start and how he turned a failed bar into the hottest steakhouse concept on t…

1
Beyond Food: Creating Memorable Experiences for Restaurants | Shardul Kiri 25:20

28d ago25:20

25:20

✅ Beyond Food: Creating Memorable Experiences for Restaurants | Shardul Kiri 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 "You can have amazing food and a bad experience, and customers will never return." In this value-packed episode, Shardul Kiri, founder of Cultivate Hospitality, shares the cou…

1
Labor Cost Optimization Without Sacrificing Service 22:08

28d ago22:08

22:08

#477 - Labor Cost Optimization Without Sacrificing Service ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: TIME FORGE TIME FORGE provides labor management for efficient teams. Recruit, retain, and manage your talent with a powerful piece of software. VISIT: https://timeforge.com/RestaurantStrategy/ ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: PO…

1
Bruce Bromberg on the Fundamentals of Scaling 39:14

1M ago39:14

39:14

Chef Bruce Bromberg is not the typical restaurant magnate that comes to mind when you think of a national restaurant group. More than anything, he’s a chef, leveraging the universal truths he’s learned over the years in innovative ways. His ability to translate the fundamentals of cooking to the fundamentals of business has led to his meteoric succ…

1
Beyond Business Cards | Dustin Mack 38:31

1M ago38:31

38:31

✅ Beyond Business Cards | Dustin Mack 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 "I've never seen so many 6'4", 250-pound grown men crying on the curb than in door-to-door sales." In this compelling conversation, Dustin Mack reveals how the emotional resilience built through years of sales reje…

1
Office Hours: Stop Chasing Customers & Start Programming Behavior 7:21

1M ago7:21

7:21

I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter…

1
Direct-to-Consumer Revenue Streams 23:09

1M ago23:09

23:09

#476 - Direct-to-Consumer Revenue Streams ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: MARQII MARQII is your one-stop-shop for listings management and reputation management. Collect reviews in one place to make responding easy and effortless and win the SEO game to land at the top of more search results. Win back guests and put more butts in the…

1
Lisa Dahl on Building an Empire and a Legacy 32:07

1M ago32:07

32:07

I always looked at the big restaurant groups out there with envy. How amazing must it be to own 6, 8, or more locations? At what point do you get rich? At what point do you go from backup dishwasher to brand evangelist. Chef Lisa Dahl has grasped the brass ring. Over the last two decades, she’s built a restaurant empire. In today’s conversation, we…

1
Beyond Vanity Metrics: The Path to Social Media Success | Scott Eddy 35:42

1M ago35:42

35:42

✅ Beyond Vanity Metrics: The Path to Social Media Success | Scott Eddy 👇👇@kaizenmarketing8420 🙏🙏 Watch The Video & Don’t Forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe, & Share 🧡 💠 "People take time out of their day to comment on how beautiful your swimming pool is, how delicious that meal looks—and you don't have the audacity to say thank you? Weren't you tau…

1
Menu Engineering for Maximum Profit Margins 21:45

1M ago21:45

21:45

#475 - Menu Engineering for Maximum Profit Margins ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: TIME FORGE TIME FORGE provides labor management for efficient teams. Recruit, retain, and manage your talent with a powerful piece of software. VISIT: https://timeforge.com/RestaurantStrategy/ ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: POPMENU If…

1
Rebuilding Through Hospitality: Robért LeBlanc on Culture, Storytelling & Second Chances 41:03

1M ago41:03

41:03

What if a restaurant wasn’t a business—but a way to rebuild a broken city? That’s how Robért LeBlanc saw it after Hurricane Katrina. He didn’t just open a venue—he created a space to reconnect a fractured community. In this episode, we go deep on how Robért has used hospitality to heal, unite, and inspire. From the ethos behind his post-Katrina nig…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Improving Restaurant Operations Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide