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 tackle the current state of SEO and why traditional strategies can be both expensive and ineffective. Instead, I share a smarter approach I call “SEO jacking”—a method that boosts visibility by partnering with established local media and influencers. It’s all about giving restaurant owners practical, actionable ways to build their online presence without relying on costly SEO tactics. 

Takeaways:

• Most restaurant owners think they need more guests.
• Profit isn't random, it's engineered.
• SEO is often seen as too expensive or exhausting.
• Traditional SEO is slow, expensive, and unreliable.
• Partnering with top-ranking sites is more effective than outranking them.
• SEO jacking boosts credibility and visibility quickly.
• Media folks are more likely to write about you after a great experience.
• Crafting win-win pitches is essential for collaboration.
• Google wants trusted sources, so borrow their credibility.
• Visibility can be achieved faster than traditional blogging methods.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Full Comp and Profitability Masterclass
01:48 The Relevance of SEO in the Restaurant Industry
05:36 SEO Jacking: A New Approach to Visibility

If 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.