The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses. Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. On this episode,...
Mar 29, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 34
The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses. Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. On this episode,...
Mar 10, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 33
The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts ( formerly The Restaurant Growth Podcast ) breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses. Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons t...
Feb 24, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 32
The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses. Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. On this episode,...
Feb 08, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 31
The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses. Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. On this episode,...
Jan 25, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 30
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. How do you create a restaurant culture that attracts staff and retains them? We asked someone who’s done it—the one and only Danny Meyer. Danny Meyer is the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group a...
Aug 30, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 29
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. The restaurant business is notorious for being a tough one to work in. And for decades, it has been. But we’re at an inflection point—and restaurant leaders are rethinking what it means to be a part o...
Aug 16, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 28
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. Zunzi’s has one promise: to make everyone walk away saying “Shit Yeah!” Chris Smith, alongside his role as CEO, is the protector of that promise. In this episode, we chat with Chris about the culture ...
Aug 02, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 27
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. On the latest episode of the show, we are joined by Amelie Kang, the owner of MáLà Project in New York City. Amelie opened the first location of her restaurant at the young age of 23—and has learned a...
Jul 20, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 26
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. Matt Plapp and his team have been to more restaurants than anyone. Since 2021, they’ve taken cross country to visit and document America’s best independent restaurants. And they’ve learned what separa...
Jul 05, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 25
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. Customer loyalty has come a long way from the paper punch card. Now it seems like every restaurant has their own app, their own loyalty programs, and their own way to reward customers and keep them co...
Jun 06, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 22
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. As of January 2023, it has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights on The Pre-Shift Podcast. How do you stay on the pulse of what customers want? By paying close attention. Mijo Alanis has found success in his career by staying ahead of the curve—opening a juice and smoothie shop long before they were as ubi...
May 24, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 21
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. As editor at Food News Media , Danny Klein has a 30,000-foot view of everything that's going on in our industry. So from curbside pickup to QR codes, to the labor shortage to loyalty, Danny has a ton ...
May 10, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Brandon Poole spent his career building national restaurant brands at restaurants like Pita Pit, and now he’s using what he’s learned to help businesses do this same with his new venture, BrandGabs. In this episode, Brandon and DJ discuss the value in creating a brand that drives decisions, how to use it to create competitive advantage, and how to foster what Brandon calls “grounded certainty” in your business. Chapters 00:46 Introduction 03:15 Formative experiences 05:24 Building a national bra...
May 03, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 19
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. The hospitality industry doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to work-life balance. Monte Silva wants to change that. After a successful run as GM from Wolfgang Puck led to burnout, Silva is...
Apr 19, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 18
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. This episode of the Restaurant Growth Podcast features David Scott Peters. He's a restaurant coach and speaker who teaches restaurant operators how to cut costs and increase profits with his restauran...
Apr 05, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 17
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. The conventional methods of measuring restaurant labor cost—as a percentage of sales—are no longer enough to ensure success. One way to find success is to start measuring labor productivity— the numbe...
Mar 28, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 16
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. Restaurant growth is the sum of getting a lot of things right: company culture, real estate, SOPs, and more. Lauren Fernandez has done it as a franchisee at Chicken Salad Chick, and now at Full Course...
Mar 14, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 15
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. ClusterTruck is not your average restaurant. They have no front of house staff, no dining rooms, and a menu with 80+ items, delivered within 10 minutes of being boxed up. How do they do it? With a com...
Mar 07, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 14
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. What helps set your restaurant apart as an employer? Is it wages, benefits, or how you treat your team? At &pizza , it’s all of it, and they’re growing at a rapid pace despite what many are callin...
Feb 23, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 13
The Restaurant Growth Podcast by 7shifts brings together restaurant leaders from all corners of our industry: full-service, quick-service, tech, and everyone who helps push hospitality forward. In short, 15- to 20-minute episodes, you’ll come away with practical tips, new insight, and tactics to help your restaurant grow. Send us a text 📲 Connect with D.J. DJ's Email Follow on LinkedIn More 7shifts Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts Subscribe to Food Runner , our Monthly Restaurant News...
Feb 17, 2022•38 sec0
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. How do you beat the restaurant industry labor shortage? By focusing on the people already working for you. In this employment landscape, team member retention is more important than ever before. We ch...
Dec 15, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 12
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. Restaurant Marketing doesn’t begin and end—it’s ever moving. We sit down with Chip Klose, founder of Restaurant Strategy to chat though the restaurant marketing flywheel of attract, retain, evangelize...
Nov 29, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 11
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. Are you meeting the demand of local diners? Are you leveraging social media properly? Are you leaving money on the table? These are all questions that you should ask as you lay the foundations for a $...
Oct 25, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 10
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. For our tenth episode, we welcome the authors of Delivering the Digital Restaurant, Carl Osbourn and Meredith Sandland. Delivering The Digital Restaurant explores the world of off premise food and the...
Sep 17, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. How do you train a deskless workforce with modern technology? Through our great uniter—the text message. We welcome Rachael Nemeth, Co-founder and CEO of Opus Training on the show to discuss Opus' tex...
Aug 06, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. We have a very special episode to share with you all, featuring the one and only Danny Meyer. We had the pleasure of hosting Danny (virtually) in our offices for a fireside chat with our CEO, Jordan B...
Jul 15, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast. What are your restaurant's core values? If you're not sure, this episode of the podcast will help you figure that out. We sit down with Kelly McCutcheon, VP of People at Hopdoddy Burger Bar, to chat a...
Jul 09, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Now that guests are coming back into your restaurant, it means there are more tables to clean, more guests to attend to, and more side work to complete. The problem of restaurant task management is not a new one. Restaurateurs named employee engagement their third-biggest challenge going into 2020, meaning that figuring out how to keep your staff productive and motivated has been (and continues to be) a top priority in the restaurant industry. In this episode, we’ll help you answer that question...
Jun 28, 2021•12 min•Ep. 8
Opening a restaurant is a big challenge that requires a huge investment of time and money. But the challenges don’t stop there—once open you have to focus on improving processes, managing labor schedules, and controlling restaurant costs. Whether it’s food cost increases due to inflation or a labor cost rise due to rising minimum wage, cost increases, like taxes, are pretty much a guarantee in the restaurant industry. This episode answers these questions and more. You’ll learn almost everything ...
Jun 28, 2021•14 min•Ep. 7
