Office Hours: How to Build an Unforgettable Brand

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, more successful businesses.In this episode, I get into something most restaurant owners overlook — branding. Look, great food is the baseline. It gets you in the game, but it’s not what keeps the dining room full. What really moves the needle is a compelling brand story — something that makes people feel seen, understood, and part of something bigger than just a meal. I walk through how to build that kind of connection with your guests. From shaping your brand identity to refining your marketing efforts, I lay out the strategies that drive traffic and build loyalty. If you’re ready to stop being “just another restaurant” and start standing out in a crowded market, this one’s for you.TakeawaysMoney is the primary problem for restaurants.Great food is expected; branding is essential.Diners need a reason to care beyond the plate.A restaurant's brand should evoke feelings of belonging.Compliments do not equate to customer conversions.Stories about the restaurant are crucial for marketing.Reframe your restaurant's concept to attract the right audience.Audit your brand from a stranger's perspective.Identify ways your brand can stand out beyond food.Building a memorable experience is key to success.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Restaurant Profitability02:06 The Importance of Branding in Restaurants06:00 Building a Memorable Restaurant ExperienceIf you’ve got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at [email protected] and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.

Great food gets guests in the door, but a great team keeps them coming back. Shawn Gawle, the awarded chef behind Camaraderie, has mastered the art of creating exceptional dining experiences by prioritizing mentorship, culture, and intentional leadership. In this episode, we explore Shawn’s journey from celebrated chef to chef-owner, how his philosophy of shared success shapes his restaurant, and the innovative ways he’s redefining hospitality. If you’re looking for practical insights on building a thriving team and unforgettable guest experiences, this episode is for you. Be sure to check out Camaraderie.____________________________________________________________Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:Yelp for Restaurants PodcastsRestaurant expert videos & webinars

The fires have dramatically altered LA’s real estate market, creating both challenges and opportunities for restaurant owners. Real estate expert Dan Fagan shares insider knowledge on where the best opportunities are now, how to negotiate stronger lease terms, and how consumer behavior is reshaping restaurant site selection. Whether you're looking to relocate, expand, or secure better lease terms, this episode provides the playbook for making smarter real estate moves.This series was created in collaboration with Michael Benson of Southern California Restaurant Design Group. When the fires devastated LA’s restaurant community, Michael saw an opportunity to bring together experts who could provide real strategies and solutions for operators facing the challenge of rebuilding. Each conversation in this series is designed to deliver practical insights, industry trends, and actionable steps to help restaurant owners in LA—and beyond—come back stronger. ____________________________________________________________Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:Yelp for Restaurants PodcastsRestaurant expert videos & webinars

Most restaurants accept drama and dysfunction as part of the business—but what if eliminating them was the key to higher profits and better retention? Lisa Schultz, Managing Partner of Zingerman’s Roadhouse, has spent the last 20 years proving that culture is the real secret to success. By implementing no-drama leadership, open-book finance, and employee empowerment, she’s built a restaurant where people don’t just show up for a paycheck—they show up to be part of something bigger. In this episode, we explore how to build a drama-free workplace, get employees to think like owners, and create a sustainable, profitable restaurant culture. If you’ve ever struggled with turnover, toxic teams, or disengaged staff, this conversation is for you. To learn more about Zingerman’s Roadhouse and their culture-first approach to hospitality, visit https://www.zingermansroadhouse.com. ____________________________________________________________Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:Yelp for Restaurants PodcastsRestaurant expert videos & webinars

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, more successful businesses.In this episode, I dig into the importance of identifying and solving the recurring problems we face in restaurant operations. I talk about the need to move away from constant firefighting and start getting to the root causes of our issues. I also share how we can leverage AI to document our processes and build systems that prevent these problems from popping up again. This conversation is packed with actionable strategies to help restaurateurs boost efficiency, drive profitability, and ultimately create a more sustainable business model. Takeaways:Money makes every other problem a minor inconvenience.If your to-do list looks the same week after week, you have a pattern.Most restaurants fail due to a thousand tiny cuts, not one big issue.Track the top five recurring frustrations weekly to identify patterns.Use AI to catalog breakdowns and cluster them into themes.Document solutions to problems to create self-correcting systems.Leadership involves delegating playbooks, not problems.Regularly review and improve your systems to avoid being trapped in them.Solving patterns leads to freedom in restaurant management.Engage in a weekly sync to log recurring issues and solutions.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Restaurant Profitability02:06 Identifying and Solving Recurring Problems06:02 Leveraging AI for Operational Efficiency07:01 Building Sustainable Systems for GrowthIf you’ve got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at [email protected] and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.

Most restaurants don’t make money. The ones that do, typically make very little. This is our reality and many of us have embraced it. But what about the group no one talks about: the restaurants that are making a killing, quietly and consistently. They all seem to be following the same formula and today we sit down with restaurant expert, David Scott Peters, to distill out the essential elements of that formula. Believe it or not, it has as much to do with people as it does process. To learn more about David and his programs, visit https://www.davidscottpeters.com/.____________________________________________________________Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:Yelp for Restaurants PodcastsRestaurant expert videos & webinars

With the fires wiping out entire restaurant districts, what does the future of restaurant design in LA look like? Renowned architect John Hamilton shares with Josh Kopel and Michael Benson what restaurant operators should be thinking about when rebuilding—from fire-resistant materials to more flexible layouts, outdoor dining strategies, and cost-effective redesigns. Whether you’re rebuilding from scratch or planning a renovation, this episode delivers practical design solutions that will shape the next generation of restaurants.This series was created in collaboration with Michael Benson of Southern California Restaurant Design Group. When the fires devastated LA’s restaurant community, Michael saw an opportunity to bring together experts who could provide real strategies and solutions for operators facing the challenge of rebuilding. Each conversation in this series is designed to deliver practical insights, industry trends, and actionable steps to help restaurant owners in LA—and beyond—come back stronger.____________________________________________________________Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:Yelp for Restaurants PodcastsRestaurant expert videos & webinars

Most restaurateurs build concepts around a menu or a chef. Justin Cucci built Edible Beats around a philosophy—one that’s challenged conventional wisdom and redefined what restaurant success looks like. From turning historic spaces into thriving concepts to pioneering an employee-owned business model, Justin has proven that restaurants can be both financially sustainable and deeply meaningful. In this episode, we dig into why he bet on an ESOP model, how he scaled without losing soul, and what the next decade of restaurant leadership should look like. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow without compromising your values, this conversation is for you.To learn more about Edible Beats and how they’re reshaping restaurant culture, visit https://www.ediblebeats.com.____________________________________________________________Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:Yelp for Restaurants PodcastsRestaurant expert videos & webinars

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, more successful businesses.In this episode, I dive into why profitability has to be the North Star for every restaurant owner — because without profit, nothing else is sustainable. I also break down one of the most underrated marketing tools in the game: the power of 'surprise and delight.' We’re talking about those unexpected moments that turn a first-time guest into a lifelong fan. I share practical ways to build those moments into your operations — from budgeting for them to training your team to execute with heart. Because when you systemize joy, you create loyalty. And that’s how you win. Takeaways:Money makes every other problem a minor inconvenience.Surprise and delight isn't just generosity; it's unexpected generosity.Creating unforgettable experiences turns guests into raving fans.A surprise and delight budget empowers staff to enhance customer experiences.It's about exceeding expectations in ways they couldn't even imagine.Transforming guests into ambassadors is key for marketing.Marketing through surprise and delight pays for itself.Training staff on surprise and delight strategies is essential.Focus on creating genuine moments of connection with guests.Implementing a structured approach to surprise and delight can lead to greater profitability.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Restaurant Profitability02:06 The Power of Surprise and Delight05:54 Creating Unforgettable Experiences09:47 Implementing Surprise and Delight StrategiesIf you’ve got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at [email protected] and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.

Kim Malek, founder of Salt and Straw, discussing her journey from working at Starbucks to creating a unique ice cream brand that emphasizes community, culture, and innovative marketing strategies. Kim explores the importance of guest experience, building a strong company culture, navigating challenges during the pandemic, and the significance of partnerships in business. Kim shares valuable insights on entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need for authenticity and trusting one's instincts. For more information on Salt and Straw visit https://saltandstraw.com/____________________________________________________________Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:Yelp for Restaurants PodcastsRestaurant expert videos & webinars