How to Hire 196 People in One Week: Jason Dady's Playbook Ep. 207

Chef Jason Dady is one of San Antonio's most prolific restaurateurs, having opened 20 restaurants over 25 years through the Jason Dady Restaurant Group. A San Antonio UNESCO City of Gastronomy Chef Ambassador and Food Network veteran with appearances on Iron Chef Gauntlet, BBQ Brawl, and Beat Bobby Flay, Dady most recently opened Mexico Ceaty, a 25,000-square-foot food hall on San Antonio's River Walk at the Shops at Rivercenter. The concept opened April 20, 2026 and includes eight distinct dining and drinking venues celebrating Mexican and San Antonio food culture, with direct River Walk access.

This episode covers the full operational story behind Mexico Ceaty, from a decade-old idea to 196 employees hired in one week.

How an 18-month lease negotiation, financing setbacks, and a small Houston bank shaped the opening before a single taco was served

How targeted social media ads and structured onboarding placed 196 employees across nine concepts in a single week

Why SOPs and recipes calibrated to the gram are not micromanagement but the only way to maintain standards at scale.

André Natera and Jason Dady cover the Eataly-inspired origin of Mexico Ceaty, the nine concepts inside the space, the transition from chef-operator to CEO, profit margin realities across fine dining and fast casual formats, and the EOS Traction L10 meeting structure that creates leadership accountability without requiring the founder in every room. The episode closes with career advice, the importance of stages as learning rather than labor, and rapid fire chef questions.

Guest

• Jason Dady on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chefjasondady/
• Mexico Ceaty on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/mexicoceatysa/

Links

• Subscribe on Substack → https://chefspsa.substack.com/
• Shop Chef's PSA Merch → https://shop.chefspsa.com/
• Visit Chef's PSA Website → https://chefspsa.com/
• Lead Like a Chef App → https://studio.com/apps/andre/leadlikeachef