The Pre-Shift

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.

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 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

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 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

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 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 first started helping restaurants working for WGRR 103.5 with radio advertising. By 2008 I had become an accidental expert in digital marketing and turned my attention to consulting. Fast forward to 2015 and I’d created an online marketing strategy that helped restaurants FINALLY see results with their marketing and build their customer database like never before.

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 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.

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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
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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.

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.

Customer loyalty has come a long way from the paper punch card. Now it seems like every restaurant has their own app, their own loyalty programs, and their own way to reward customers and keep them coming back.

We’re joined on this episode by Phil Crawford, the chief technology officer of CKE brands, better known as the parent of Carl's Jr. & Hardees. And we’re talking all things customer loyalty tech. We get into:

• Why digital loyalty programs are so essential right now
• What type of rewards programs are driving guest satisfaction
• How to use tech to enhance the customer experience—without replacing the human element
• The tech that will be common for restaurants in 2032

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

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Restaurant Growth Podcast
00:48 Meet Phil Crawford: From Carl's Jr. to CTO
02:13 Phil's Journey into Restaurant Technology
04:00 Current Role and Responsibilities at CKE
07:10 The Evolution of Loyalty Programs
12:06 Benefits and Challenges of Loyalty Programs
17:28 Future of Technology in Restaurants
18:18 Embracing Technology in Restaurants
19:26 The Role of Loyalty Programs
21:40 AI and Robotics in Drive-Throughs
24:27 Future of Restaurant Technology
29:38 Global Perspectives on Tech Adoption
31:25 Exciting Innovations on the Horizon
37:35 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

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

How do you stay on the pulse of what customers want? By paying close attention. 

Mijo Alanis has found success in his career by staying ahead of the curve—opening a juice and smoothie shop long before they were as ubiquitous as they are now. Mijo tells the story of Beyond Juicery from the beginning of his career, how they’ve grown through franchising, and the “bus tub” moments that have helped him give people what they want.

In this episode, we cover:

• The moment that Mijo Alanis and his wife, Pam Vivio, decided to start a juice bar
• Beyond Juciery + Eatery’s early days
• Expansion through franchising
• How to step away from the day-to-day as you grow
• The “bus tub” moments that give you customer insights

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

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Restaurant Growth Podcast
00:14 Meet My Joe Atlantis: Founder of Beyond Juicery and Eatery
01:15 Early Career and Lessons Learned
07:53 The Birth of Beyond Juicery
15:10 Franchising and Expansion
23:02 Employee Engagement and Customer Experience
33:32 Future of Food Transparency
35:49 Conclusion and Contact Information

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More 7shifts
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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 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.

As editor at Food News Media, Danny Klein has a 30,000-foot view of everything that's going on in our industry. So from curbside pickup to QR codes, to the labor shortage to loyalty, Danny has a ton of thoughts to share. It's an episode that's just packed with breakdowns, some hot takes, and knowledge bombs that you can take back to your teams.

In this episode, we cover:

• The different challenges facing both major brands and independents after the pandemic
• What advantages that independents have right now
• Emerging trends like the “next-gen casual” restaurant 
• Pandemic trends that will last—and what won’t (hint: QR codes)

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

Meet Danny Klein

Danny Klein is the Editorial Director at Food News Media, publisher of QSR and FSR magazines. A graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, Danny spent more than a decade covering high school, college, and professional sports throughout Florida before joining Food News Media as the associate editor of FSR magazine in 2015. 

Big Ideas 

There is a ton of opportunity for independent diners to leverage loyalty programs

“How can you create a community of loyal diners, who you're giving them a reason to come back. And for independents, that opportunity is as big, or if not greater than it is for quick service, because you tend to have really loyal, guests, you have people who I've talked to, people who go to the same local place three or four times a week and have been doing it for years. It's generational and they've passed it down.

Maybe it's a texting program, maybe it's an email program, but just what are ways that you can offer that person something to join where you're constantly communicating with them, letting them know what's happening, giving them options to support you. And so I think there's a there's a lot of white space there.”

“Next-gen Casual” restaurants are an emerging trend

“So what this essentially is, is a combination of those two worlds, because you have a section of chains, basically in the full service space.

They operate in and live the world of being an independent restaurant and how they look inside the type of food that they offer yet. They are mid-size and they're growing. So they kind of are able to handle what's happening yet at the same time. Give the consumer what they want, and also deliver on some convenience and tech things that are out of reach for a lot of independence from a financial standpoint.”

Examples of next-gen casual restaurants mentioned are Walk-On’s Sports Bistreax and Agave & Rye.

The brands that make employee experience better will surge to the forefront

“If you could tell [employees], ‘you can work, pick your hours, you could be flexible. You have the ability to work whatever shifts you want to work around whatever you're doing outside of working here.’ [Or,] ‘we understand it's a one-stop for you,’ or, ‘Hey, look, if you work here for a year, we'll give you this, and then you can become a GM, and you'd be making six figures.’ All that kind of stuff, I think, is sort of surging to the forefront.”

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

Brandon Poole spent his career building national restaurant brands at restaurants like Pita Pit, and now he’s using what he’s learned to help businesses do this same with his new venture, BrandGabs. In this episode, Brandon and DJ discuss the value in creating a brand that drives decisions, how to use it to create competitive advantage, and how to foster what Brandon calls “grounded certainty” in your business.

Chapters
00:46 Introduction
03:15 Formative experiences
05:24 Building a national brand at Pita Pit
07:30 What is grounded certainty?
12:01 Grounded certainty in action
15:58 Expressing grounded certainty to staff vs guests
20:18 How to find grounded certainty

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More 7shifts
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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.