Restaurant Influencers

By Entrepreneur MediaBusiness Entrepreneurship

Restaurant Influencers episodes

December 30, 2025 He Builds Events Like the National Restaurant Show. This Is the Strategy
Marcus Viscidi, Vice President of Sales for Informa, oversees industry gatherings like Create and the National Restaurant Association Show. By bringing the right operators and partners together, he helps restaurant brands connect, learn, and grow.
Listen now to learn how emerging brands grow outside their four walls, why connection beats convenience, and how the right event can change a business.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 min
December 23, 2025 She Believed Digital Could Feel Human — Now Shake Shack Proves It Daily
Steph So, Chief Growth Officer at Shake Shack, blends technology, creativity, and hospitality to shape how guests experience one of America’s most beloved fast casual brands. Through digital innovation and menu development, she has become a key leader driving Shake Shack’s modern growth.
Listen now to learn how Steph So blends hospitality with technology, why curiosity drives her decisions, and how Shake Shack keeps innovating without losing its soul.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
41 min
December 16, 2025 Super Bowl Champion Ndamukong Suh Chose This Emerging Franchise Company To Create Impact Far Beyond Restaurants
Super Bowl Champion Ndamukong Suh has partnered with Craveworthy Brands founder Gregg Majewski to invest in people through hospitality. Together, they combine Suh’s leadership mindset with Majewski’s restaurant expertise to create opportunity across emerging concepts and growing franchise teams.
Listen now to learn about Suh’s belief in opportunity, his partnership with Craveworthy, and how he is shifting his impact from the field to the hospitality world.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 min
December 09, 2025 She Realized CEOs Can’t Stay Quiet. Now Her Voice Is Helping Shape the Next Era of OpenTable
Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, uses social media to stay close to the restaurants and diners who rely on the platform every day. As a leader who believes in openness, she treats online feedback as essential fuel for shaping the company’s future.
Listen now to learn about the value of showing up online, the feedback that reshaped OpenTable, and why Debby Soo believes restaurants will always survive and evolve.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 1 min
December 02, 2025 He Trained in Michelin-Starred Kitchens — Now He Brings Market-Fresh Cooking to One of California’s Fastest-Growing Restaurant Brands
Chef Bert Bonnarens, a Belgian-trained chef who cooked in Michelin-starred kitchens, now leads culinary development for Wild Thyme Restaurant Group. At Shorebird, Wild Thyme’s flagship brand, he blends global technique with fresh, market-driven cooking.
Listen now to learn about his Michelin-trained beginnings, the lessons he carried across continents, and why guests follow him to the dock for fresh-caught seafood.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
32 min
November 25, 2025 He Turned One Small Store Into One of America’s Fastest-Growing Salad Chains
Nick Kenner, Founder and CEO of Just Salad, is reshaping fast casual dining with a focus on sustainability and smart growth. His mission-driven approach has taken the brand from one Manhattan shop to more than 100 locations nationwide.
Listen now to learn about scaling Just Salad from one small Manhattan shop to 100 locations, the lessons behind sustainable operations, and what it takes to build a brand with purpose.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
40 min
November 18, 2025 His Restaurants Won Awards. His Shoes Changed the Industry. Here’s How He Did Both
Daniel Shemtob, winner of Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race and founder of The Lime Truck and Snibbs, has built a career that bridges hospitality and innovation. From food trucks to footwear, he’s turned real kitchen experience into products and businesses that serve the people behind the line.
Listen now to learn about building The Lime Truck from the ground up, turning a kitchen injury into innovation, and finding purpose in helping others rebuild.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
41 min
November 11, 2025 What Happens When AI Thinks Like a Restaurant Operator? Toast IQ Is Showing Us.
Jehad Affoneh, Chief Design Officer at Toast, is one of the creative minds behind Toast IQ, the company’s new conversational AI assistant that helps restaurants turn data into action. From identifying top-performing menu items to providing insights across sales and labor, Toast IQ helps give operators the clarity to run smarter, more efficient businesses.
Listen now to learn about turning data into decisions, designing technology that feels human, and the future of restaurant intelligence.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
44 min
November 04, 2025 He Signed the First Business Deal on His Honeymoon. Now, His Coffee Brand Has 15 Locations
Darren Spicer, co-founder and CEO of Clutch Coffee Bar, built his company on the belief that great branding wins loyalty. Every part of the Clutch experience, from the drive-thru to the community events, is designed to make people feel connected.
Listen now to learn about scaling without franchising, creating unforgettable brand experiences, and the mindset that turned risk into reward.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
32 min
October 28, 2025 She Dropped a Sharpie in the Fryer on Opening Night — and Her Restaurant Became One of New York City’s Best.
Yara Herrera, chef and partner at Hellbender in Queens in NYC, has earned acclaim from The New York Times, Esquire, and StarChefs. Drawing from her Mexican-American roots and years in some of the country’s toughest kitchens, she’s created a restaurant that celebrates confidence and creativity.
Listen now to learn about surviving opening night disasters, finding identity through food, and turning pressure into privilege.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc

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

About Restaurant Influencers

From the publisher's feed

Are you SICK and TIRED of scrolling through your social media feeds and not seeing your business anywhere? On the new Restaurant Influencers podcast, top leaders in the restaurant and hospitality…