The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts (formerly The Restaurant Growth Podcast) breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses.  Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Newton Hoang, Director of Marketing & IT at 7 Leaves Cafe. Here are some of the highlights:

• How your customers and employees are a reflection of one another
• 7 Leaves’ foray into mobile ordering
• Building a Culture of Care that keep employees engaged and boosts retention
• How technology can help make all of the above easier

Guest Bio
Newton Hoang is a: Marketing and IT unicorn. 25+ year food and beverage industry purist. Straight shooter with a side of empathy. Servant leader. Girl dad first, everything else second.

Additional Resources

• 7 Leaves Cafe
• Join Us - 7 Leaves Cafe
• Newton Hoang on LinkedIn
• AskNicely
• Grandma's House of Hope

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses.  Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Kelly Phillips, Founder of Destination Unknown Restaurants. Here are some of the highlights:

• How Kelly started her businesses
• The decision to put many of her staff on a salary
• The impact that salaries have had on the team dynamic
• Why salaried roles in restaurants aren’t all that radical
• And how you can explore new comp strategies at your restaurant

Guest Bio
Kelly is Founder and Partner in Destination Unknown Restaurants, which is known across DC for Ghostburger (2020, 2022), Taqueria Las Gemelas (2021), and Destino (2021). Recent career accomplishments for Kelly include welcoming President Biden into Taqueria Las Gemelas for Cinco de Mayo shortly after the concept's opening, being part of the 2021 RAMMY winning team for the restaurant group's nomination in multiple categories, and landing on Washington Business Journal's 40 Under 40 2022 list and FSR's 2022 "Rising Stars" list. Kelly was also an integral part of the leadership team that transformed Las Gemelas Cocina Mexicana into Destino in December 2021. It reopened to glowing feedback from guests for their ambitious rustic Mexican fare. Shortly thereafter, Destino landed on Washingtonian Magazine's competitive list of the top 25 Best New Restaurants that opened during the pandemic alongside sister restaurant, Las Gemelas. In late summer 2022, Kelly also transitioned her first restaurant, Espita, into Ghostburger's first standalone concept in a full circle moment for the award-winning pandemic pop-up that began in Espita's Mexican kitchen. Across all of these concepts, Kelly has implemented a living wage at all of her restaurants and eliminated tipping, which she hopes will show other restaurateurs that reevaluating your wage structure is possible, and may even make your restaurant more successful. 

Additional

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses.  Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Anthony Valletta, President of bartaco. Here are some of the highlights:

• How the restaurant industry has changed over Anthony’s decade-long career 
• Bartaco’s heavy lean-in on technology
• The unique approach to training and career development
• Bartaco’s radical wage structure
• And how all of those practices have bartaco poised for growth in 2023

About Anthony Valletta

Anthony Valletta is a restaurant and hospitality industry veteran with over 20 years of experience and deep knowledge in growing brands both big and small. Throughout his career, Valletta has opened two dozen restaurants with varying concepts. He currently serves as the President of bartaco, the upscale street food restaurant brand with a coastal vibe in a relaxed environment, and was previously the Company’s SVP of Operations. As President, Anthony is focused on helping bartaco grow while deepening its ties to local communities by creating jobs with growth opportunities. Prior to joining the bartaco team, Valletta served as Chief Operating Officer at restaurant tech concept, Birdcall. Other previous roles include Chief Operating Officer at fine dining concept Michael Mina in San Francisco, as well as Director of Operations at Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, where he oversaw locations in Chicago, Denver, New York City, Washington D.C., and Boston.

Anthony is passionate about humanitarianism and has been named Humanitarian of the Year twice, once in 2014 by the Greg Hill Foundation and again in 2018 by March of Dimes. He received his Bachelor of Hospitality Administration and Hospitality Administration/Management from Boston University.

Additional Resources

• bartaco careers
• GiA

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

How do you create a restaurant culture that attracts staff and retains them?

We asked someone who’s done it—the one and only Danny Meyer.

Danny Meyer is the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack, one of the most prolific restaurateurs of our time. Danny is also a founder of Enlightened Hospitality Investments, which invests in companies that serve the hospitality space.

Danny joined 7shifts CEO, Jordan Boesch, for a talk hosted by Danny Klein of Food News Media. From what culture is, to how it’s built, and how to use servant leadership, a lot of ground was covered. 

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is presented by 7shifts and hosted by DJ Costantino.

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

The restaurant business is notorious for being a tough one to work in. And for decades, it has been. But we’re at an inflection point—and restaurant leaders are rethinking what it means to be a part of this industry right now. A better work environment is here, and for guys like Adam Lamb, it’s a long time coming.

Adam and I sat down to discuss his career as a chef, when he realized that things needed to change, and how he’s begun to do just that from his position as a leader. We also chat about what the new kitchen culture looks like, and how we can achieve it.

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is presented by 7shifts and hosted by DJ Costantino.

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

Zunzi’s has one promise: to make everyone walk away saying “Shit Yeah!” Chris Smith, alongside his role as CEO, is the protector of that promise. 

In this episode, we chat with Chris about the culture at Zunzi’s and Zunzibar: the why behind it, how they maintain it, and what they hope it will do for their guests, community, and most importantly, their team. 

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is presented by 7shifts and hosted by DJ Costantino.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
09:05 Zunzi's "Shit Yeah!" Culture
13:35 The purpose behind the culture
18:28 Maintaining the culture
26:24 Setting Culture KPIs
33:39 Finding your own culture + purpose

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

On the latest episode of the show, we are joined by Amelie Kang, the owner of MáLà Project in New York City.

Amelie opened the first location of her restaurant at the young age of 23—and has learned a lot of lessons along the way. Amelie takes us through: 

• How her role (and team!) has changed as they've expanded to three locations
• Her team’s people-first approach to employee management
• Hopes for the future of the restaurant business
• What to order in your Szechuan dry pot
• And more!

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is presented by 7shifts and hosted by DJ Costantino.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Restaurant Growth Podcast
00:13 Meet Amie Kang: From Culinary School to Restaurant Owner
02:12 The Concept of Dry Pot Cuisine
05:03 Challenges and Learnings from Opening the First Restaurant
06:45 Scaling Up: From One Location to Multiple
08:27 Adapting to the Pandemic and Evolving Operations
10:49 Leadership and Team Development
17:13 Addressing the Labor Shortage and Employee Retention
22:59 Future Plans and Exciting Developments
25:19 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

Matt Plapp and his team have been to more restaurants than anyone. Since 2021, they’ve taken cross country to visit and document America’s best independent restaurants. And they’ve learned what separates successful restaurants from struggling ones. 

Matt joins us on the Restaurant Growth Podcast to chat about:

• His career in radio advertising to restaurant marketing
• What 90 to 95% or restaurant are not doing—but should be
• A ton of creative ways to collect customer data 
• The importance of storytelling
• Whether or not Matt has taken his van to Hawaii
• And more!

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is presented by 7shifts and hosted by DJ Costantino.

Meet Matt Plapp
First, I’m a husband to Christy for the past 20 years, then a father to Paige & Cole. Next I’m an AVID marketer, CrossFitter, Author, Speaker, Consultant & Business Coach. I’ve owned my marketing firm since 2008 and since then we’ve helped hundreds of companies market with a purpose, that purpose is ROI! Since 2016 our main focus has been to help independent restaurants and today we help restaurants all over the country.

I commonly get asked, “Matt what do you do”?

#1 I’m the CEO of America’s Best Restaurants. We help independent restaurants tell their stories, acquire customers and build sales momentum.

#2 I’ve written 3 books on restaurant marketing and my 4th is coming out late 2023

#3 I’ve personally traveled to over 1,000 restaurants to understand what works and what doesn’t, when it comes to restaurant marketing. CLICK HERE to see what I learned on that path.

#4 I’m the host of two podcasts. MPTV is my podcast talking to restaurant owners and fellow entrepreneurs. Restaurant Expert Roundup is the 2nd podcast where I interview authors and influencers in the restaurant business.

At the end of the day, I exist to help independent restaurant owners WIN! And this didn’t start yesterday. It started in 1999 when I

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

Send us a Text Message.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

Alex Canter is a fourth generation restaurateur at Canter’s, the famous Los Angeles deli. And he was very early on the delivery and virtual restaurant game. Now, he’s a leader in the space at Nextbite, creating virtual brands with celebrities and helping small restaurants maximize revenue in the process. We chat about:

• The early days of food delivery in LA
• The growing pains of adding delivery to a decades-old brand
• Alex’s first virtual brand, Grilled Cheese Heaven
• The creation of Ordermark, and later Nextbite
• How to build a brand from nothing
• Fax machines
• And more!

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is presented by 7shifts and hosted by DJ Costantino.

Meet Alex Canter

Alex is a restaurant industry innovator, in-demand speaker, and passionate advocate for restaurant operators and workers. He was raised in the kitchen of the world-famous Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles, where he and his team started work on what would become Nextbite. A fourth-generation restaurateur, the restaurant business has been in Alex’s blood for over 90 years. In addition to being the visionary and leader of Nextbite, Alex is active with the Techstars network and enjoys mentoring other restaurant technology entrepreneurs and occasional angel investing. He is a 2019 recipient of the Forbes 30 Under 30, Fast Casual Executive’s Top 25 and a recipient of Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2022 Top 50 Power List. Alex previously led several technology ventures and most recently, Nextbite announced the close of its $120M Series C funding round led by Softbank.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
YouTube
TikTok
7shifts Blog

Credits
Host & Producer: D. J. Costantino
Producer: Samantha Fung
Editor: Fina Charleston

About 7shifts
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

Send us a Text Message.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

Ghost kitchens are hot. But that doesn’t mean they’re for every operator.

Kristen Barnett joins us on this episode of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. Kristen knows ghost kitchens well—and after a stint at Zuul, she went to found her own ghost kitchen, Hungry House. We get into:

• Ghost kitchen myths
• When the ghost kitchen model is a good idea for an operator
• What you need to know to be successful with this restaurant model
• Why Hungry House is called an “anti” ghost kitchen
• And more!

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is presented by 7shifts and hosted by DJ Costantino.

Meet Kristen Barnett
Kristen Barnett is the founder & CEO of Hungry House, a NYC-based startup that partners with digitally-native chefs to bring their culinary ideas into reality through the Hungry House platform. 

Kristen started her career in the New York City office of The Boston Consulting Group. She unfortunately soon began to struggle with her health after contracting Chronic Lyme disease and she became seriously ill. Desperate to feel better, she turned to dietary change to feel better and she had miraculous results. Determined to make a bigger impact, she left consulting to pursue a career in the food industry. Since then, she’s worked at DIG (formerly Dig Inn) where she was Director of Strategic Operations and led supply chain strategy, menu development and their food delivery and ghost kitchen business. Kristen then went on to join Zuul, a ghost kitchen tech startup where she served as Chief Operating Officer and led product strategy to develop a proprietary tech platform and multiple virtual brands. After Zuul was acquired by ghost kitchen competitor, Kitchen United in summer 2021, she went on to found Hungry House. Having borne witness to the explosive growth in the ghost kitchen industry, mainly with a commoditized and unhealthy product offering, she decided to found Hungry House in summer 2021 to create the first direct-to-consumer ghost kitchen company focusing on sustainability, diversity, quality & transparency.

Kristen graduated from Cornell University magna cum laude and is passionate about plant-based eating and supporting other women in the f

Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
YouTube
TikTok
7shifts Blog

Credits
Host & Producer: D. J. Costantino
Producer: Samantha Fung
Editor: Fina Charleston

About 7shifts
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.