Restaurant Influencers

Mike Bausch, founder of Andolini’s Pizza and Andolini’s Worldwide, uses storytelling and social media to help restaurants build stronger brands and customer loyalty. As a restaurateur, speaker, and content creator, he blends hospitality with media and restaurant education.

Watch now to learn how Mike Bausch built his personal brand, why he believes storytelling beats discounts, and the operator mindset behind the growth of Andolini’s Worldwide.

Sponsored by: 
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

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Steven Droulis, co-owner of Vivaldi Restaurant in Montreal, has grown a YouTube audience of 1 million subscribers by documenting life in his kitchen. As a chef, operator, and content creator, he’s turned a neighborhood restaurant into a destination.

Watch now to learn how a restaurant owner built 1 million YouTube subscribers, turned content into real customers, and transformed a local spot into a global destination.

Sponsored by: 

• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

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Andrew Zimmern, a four-time James Beard Award-winning chef and host of Bizarre Foods, built a career through curiosity. As a chef, storyteller, and TV personality, he turned adventurous travel, an exorcism in Ecuador, and a call from Jay Leno’s team into one of food media’s most recognizable brands.

Watch now to learn about the wild moment that helped Bizarre Foods break through, the surprise call from Jay Leno’s team, and how Andrew Zimmern built a global brand.

Sponsored by: 
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

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Kerry Leo, Vice President of Technology at Shipley Do-Nuts, is helping modernize one of America’s most established donut brands. By blending frontline listening with smart technology, he’s helping turn a nearly 90-year-old company into a scalable business built for growth.

Watch now to learn how a 90-year-old brand is scaling fast, why listening in the shops drives better tech decisions, and how Shipley is building for its next era of growth.

Sponsored by: 
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

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Ryan Feghali, known as “QSR Guy” on X, is a multi-unit franchisee of Little Caesars and Jersey Mike’s and co-founder of CoCo Playa. He uses honest posts to share the realities of operating restaurants at scale and turn insights into real business opportunities.

Watch now to learn how Ryan Feghali uses X to build real relationships, why telling the truth creates leverage, and how anonymous posts turned into business growth.

Sponsored by: 
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eddie Flores Jr., co-founder of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, built a 235-location restaurant brand by staying rooted in Hawaiian culture. As an entrepreneur and franchise pioneer, he turned one restaurant into a national concept through authenticity and community.

Watch now to learn about the power of Hawaiian identity, creating opportunity through franchising, and leading through family.

Sponsored by: 

• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

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Farah Shirzadi helps restaurant brands grow through YouTube and digital content. Working at the intersection of hospitality and media, she focuses on turning storytelling into discovery, engagement, and real-world traffic.

Watch now to learn how restaurants can win on YouTube, why content drives discovery, and what most operators still get wrong.

Sponsored by: 
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Holly Smith, Chief Marketing Officer of P.F. Chang’s, is focused on reconnecting one of the restaurant industry’s most recognizable brands with modern diners. As a marketing leader, she blends storytelling, digital engagement, and data-driven strategy to keep the brand culturally relevant.

Watch now to learn how Holly Smith is rethinking restaurant marketing, why engagement matters more than followers, and how P.F. Chang’s plans to stay relevant with modern diners.

Sponsored by: 

• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Kim, co-founder of Softies Burger in Los Angeles, is building a restaurant brand in public. A former OpenTable employee, Kim shares the real process of opening and running a restaurant through storytelling and social media.

Watch now to learn how a burger popup took off, why Josh Kim chose to build in public, and the reality of opening a restaurant.

Sponsored by: 
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restaurants are built on food and operations, but they are remembered because of the stories that come out of them. 

During his tenure as Global CEO of José Andrés Group, Sam Bakhshandehpour saw how one unexpected moment can travel far beyond the dining room when it captures something real.

Note: This interview was originally recorded on October 14th, 2025 when Sam Bakhshandehpour was Global CEO  of the José Andrés Group. He recently took a position at Bilt as President of Local Merchants. 

Watch now to learn about fighting food waste, building meaningful partnerships, and growing a purpose-driven company with José Andrés.

Sponsored by: 
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices