Science of Service

Marketing is essential to any successful hospitality business—but for many operators, it can feel like a constant cycle of activity without clear results.

In this episode of Science of Service, Rachel is joined by Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur turned marketing strategist, who now works with operators around the world to help them drive more profitable, predictable growth.

Josh’s approach challenges some of the most common assumptions in restaurant marketing. Instead of doing more—more posts, more campaigns, more channels—he focuses on doing less, but with greater precision and intent.

Together, Rachel and Josh explore what actually drives results in hospitality marketing: why most operators are investing time in the wrong places, how to optimize the digital touchpoints where decisions are really made, and how improving conversion can unlock significant growth without increasing spend.

The conversation dives into practical strategies for increasing customer frequency, creating high-value offers without relying on discounts, and building direct relationships through simple, consistent communication.

If you’re doing all the marketing… and still waiting for the bookings to catch up, this episode is well worth a listen.

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Learn more about Josh Kopel

For many hospitality operators, the numbers are something you check at the end of the day—or the end of the month—and trust they’re telling the full story. But that snapshot can be misleading.

In this episode of Science of Service, Rachel is joined by Trish Fields, owner of Bookkeeping Solutions & Consulting. With years of experience working alongside hospitality operators, Trish specialises in helping businesses get closer to their numbers—uncovering hidden issues, tightening processes, and turning financial data into something genuinely useful.

Trish and Rachel explore the areas operators most commonly overlook—from the true cost of third-party delivery and sales tax miscalculations to the risks of relying on surface-level reporting. They dig into why deposits don’t always tell the full story, and how small gaps in visibility can quietly erode margins over time.

The conversation also looks at the evolving role of technology and AI in hospitality finance. From speeding up routine tasks to identifying patterns in data, these tools are opening up new opportunities—but its real value takes a little know-how and a lot of human experience.

If you’re relying on end-of-month reports, unsure what’s really driving your margins, or simply want to feel more in control of your numbers, this episode offers practical insight into building stronger financial foundations—and making better decisions, faster.

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Learn more about Bookkeeping Solutions & Consulting

Running a hospitality business is about far more than great food, service, or atmosphere. Behind every busy dining room sits a financial engine that determines whether the operation thrives—or slowly drifts off course.

In this episode of Science of Service, Rachel speaks with Raffi Yousefian, founder of The Fork CPAs, an accounting and controllership firm dedicated entirely to restaurants and bars. Raffi works with operators across the industry, helping them turn financial data into meaningful insight and practical decisions.

Together, Rachel and Raffi explore how hospitality operators can choose the right financial support for their business—whether that’s simple bookkeeping, an outsourced accounting firm, or building an in-house team. 

The conversation dives into the real value of meaningful financial data: how weekly visibility into prime costs can improve profitability, why industry-specific accounting expertise matters, and how the wrong information can sometimes be worse than having no information at all.

From choosing the right accounting structure to understanding the metrics that truly drive performance, this episode offers practical guidance for operators looking to move beyond basic bookkeeping and gain real control over the financial side of their business.

If you’re juggling remittances, tax submissions, and the financial mechanics behind your operation, this episode offers a clear perspective on building financial clarity—and using it to move your business forward.

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The Fork CPAs

Growth doesn’t just test your ambition. It tests your systems.

In this episode of Science of Service, we sit down with Michael Sanfilippo—MarginEdge’s Chef in Residence and former Brand Chef and Head of Innovation at Cava—to explore what scaling really looks like through a culinary lens.

Michael’s career spans hotel kitchens, fine dining, and high-growth fast casual brands. And while the environments changed, one principle stayed constant: consistency is built, not hoped for. From notebooks and muscle memory to recipe cards and gold standards, Michael shares how instinct evolves into infrastructure when brands begin to grow.

Together, Rachel and Michael unpack what it actually takes to establish a strong brand foundation and expand with discipline. They explore why “simplify before you scale” isn’t just a catchy phrase, but a survival strategy—especially in fast casual models where guests assemble their own meals and margins depend on every individual component performing as intended.

From blue-sky ideation to structured testing — and the operational blind spots that surface as brands grow — this episode is a great guide for discipline, clarity and the systems required to scale without losing your edge.

If you’re expanding, rationalizing your menu, or simply trying to tighten up operations without losing what made you great in the first place, this episode offers grounded insight into growing with discipline.

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Before you can grow your business, you first have to understand the ins and outs of your operation, and who you are as a leader. 

In this episode of Science of Service, we bring you the second part of our conversation with Gina Cavendish, MarginEdge’s CFO in Residence and a hospitality finance expert. In Part one (which you should go back and listen to if you haven't already), Gina talked at length about the importance of timing while trying to grow a business. In this episode, she takes a step back, and discusses all of the different elements of their business and growth strategy you should consider before you begin scouting new locations.

Gina introduces us to the concept of 'The Four F's': Founder, Funding, Franchise and Fast. These represent your leadership style, source of capital, interest in a franchising strategy, and the pace at which you'd like to expand. She explains that having a strong understanding of these four elements will allow you to formulate a growth strategy that's optimal for your business. 

Rachel and Gina discuss the comparative strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles, the obligations that come with different sources of funding, the complexities of franchising, and how all of these factors work together to impact the direction and pace of expansion.

Whether you're early in the growth process, or well into it but feeling lost, this episode is a reminder that it's important to first understand where you are, before charting a course to where you want to be. 

Science of Service Blog

Growth rarely fails because the opportunity wasn’t there. More often, it falters because the groundwork wasn’t done in time.

In this episode of Science of Service, we welcome back Gina Cavendish—MarginEdge’s CFO in Residence and a hospitality finance expert—to unpack why planning for growth can’t be something operators put off until conditions feel perfect.

Gina breaks down the real cost of waiting: lost momentum, missed opportunities, and small inefficiencies that quietly scale into expensive problems. From the scrappy startup phase to the complexity of enterprise-level operations, she walks us through the predictable stages of hospitality growth—and what operators need to put in place at each one.

Rachel and Gina discuss the discipline behind expansion: how to think about capital, why systems matter earlier than you think, and how a 5% margin gap can translate into a million-dollar decision. Gina shares practical insight on choosing the right tech stack, investing in finance leadership sooner rather than later, and maintaining culture as complexity increases.

From mapping out your growth runway to knowing when to pivot, this episode offers a grounded framework for operators navigating good times, tough times, or something in between.

If you’re opening your second location, tightening up operations at ten units, or preparing for your next stage of scale, this episode is a reminder that growth isn’t about speed—it’s about discipline.

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What actually drives growth in hospitality—systems, strategy, or something deeper? In this episode of Science of Service, we speak with Juanny Romero, founder of Mothership Coffee, about why purpose isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a serious business advantage.

Juanny shares her journey from hands-on founder to people-first CEO, and the leadership shifts required to scale without losing what made the brand special in the first place. She opens up about the discipline behind building strong teams, why culture must be intentional, and how values only matter if they show up in daily decisions.

The conversation unpacks Juanny’s framework around the six essential roles of a CEO, revealing what leaders need to focus on as their business grows—from setting vision and coaching teams to building systems that empower, not control. Along the way, she challenges the idea that purpose slows growth, showing how it can actually accelerate performance when done right.

From developing future leaders to creating teams that stay, Juanny offers a practical roadmap for operators who want to build businesses that are both profitable and principled. If you’re looking to grow with intention, lead more effectively, and turn your values into a competitive edge, this episode is for you.

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Learn more about Mothership Coffee Roasters

Staffing challenges are nothing new in hospitality—but what if the solution isn’t hiring faster, but partnering smarter? In this episode of Science of Service, we speak with Kerry Brodie, founder of Emma’s Torch, and Abe Monzon of Union Square Hospitality Group to explore how purpose-driven partnerships can strengthen teams and deliver real business results.

Kerry shares how Emma’s Torch trains and places refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking into meaningful culinary careers—and why retention, not just recruitment, is the true measure of success. Abe brings the operator perspective, explaining how these partnerships have improved team stability, culture, and long-term performance across USHG’s restaurants.

The conversation unpacks what it really takes to build loyal teams: thoughtful onboarding, ongoing support, empathetic leadership, and a hiring approach that values people as much as performance. Together, they show why “doing good” doesn’t have to come at the expense of doing well.

From reducing churn to creating a stronger guest experience, Kerry and Abe offer a practical roadmap for operators looking to rethink their hiring strategy and build teams that actually stay. If you’re tired of the revolving door and ready to invest in smarter, more sustainable staffing, this episode shows what’s possible when purpose and profit work hand in hand.

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Get involved with Emma’s Torch

You made it to the end of the year—and that alone is worth celebrating!

In this special holiday episode of Science of Service, we invite a few familiar voices from the season to a not-so-formal holiday “party” to talk honestly about what the holidays really look like in hospitality.

Joining the conversation are Omar Kasim of Plomo Quesadillas, Crafted Ledgers founder Doug Cunningham, Kerry Brodie of Emma’s Torch, Abe Monzon from USHG, and Mothership Coffee CEO Juanny Romero—each bringing their own perspective on what it takes to lead, support teams, and stay grounded during one of the most demanding times of year.

Together, they reflect on the push and pull of the holiday season—from finding meaning in the work when things get hectic, to setting clear expectations with teams and managing cash flow when business is either booming or painfully slow.

There’s practical advice throughout, alongside a clear message: being honest about the strain and leading with empathy isn’t a weakness, it’s part of the job. The conversation reinforces that putting people first often means making thoughtful, sometimes difficult decisions, but care and clarity are what carry operators through the holidays and into the new year.

So grab a drink, take a breath, and consider this your invitation to the Science of Service holiday party—no clean-up required.

Growth doesn’t always fail because the concept is broken—sometimes it stalls because the partnership is. In this episode of Science of Service, we sit down with Omar Kasim—entrepreneur, operator, and founder of Plomo Quesadillas—to unpack the hard truths behind partnerships, pivots, and the unexpected insights hidden in your own sales data.

Omar shares the whirlwind behind his first concept, the rapid rise that followed, and the moment everything turned sideways—when a remote partner tried to take over the business overnight. He walks us through rebuilding from the ground up, turning around a failing restaurant by focusing on the fundamentals, and why “no deal is better than a bad deal” might be the savviest advice an operator can keep in their back pocket.

The conversation digs into the habits that keep a business resilient: clear contracts, trust-based relationships, thoughtful financial data, and the kind of customer experience that does its own marketing.

From choosing the right collaborators to spotting opportunities hiding in plain sight, Omar offers a grounded roadmap for operators navigating growth, setbacks, or the pressure to scale. If you’re steering a young concept, rethinking a partnership, or searching for your next breakthrough, this episode shows what can happen when you bet on yourself—and listen closely when your customers vote with their orders.

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Plomo Quesadillas: Omar’s Story