Why would a successful vegan restaurant avoid marketing itself as vegan?

Kristen Corral, co-founder of Tacotarian, joins Ty Wilson to explain why the brand focuses on serving great Mexican food first and plant-based food second. She shares why she believes the word "vegan" can turn customers away, how Tacotarian has grown to six locations with national franchising underway, and why building community is at the center of every business decision.

From choosing franchise partners who fit the brand's values to launching an e-commerce business built around Tacotarian's proprietary products, Corral explains how multiple revenue streams can strengthen a restaurant business. She also shares why local community partnerships have become one of the company's most effective marketing strategies.

Episode Links:

Kristen Corral LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-corral/

Kristen Corral: https://kristencorral.com/

Kristen Corral Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekristencorral

Tacotarian: https://eattacotarian.com/

What happens when losing your job leads to an entirely new career?

Jeff Perera, co-founder of Jeff's Bagel Run, joins Ty Wilson to share how a layoff in 2019 led him to learn how to make bagels from scratch, despite having no culinary background. What began as a challenge from his wife quickly turned into an obsession, then a Kickstarter campaign, the sale of their family home, and eventually one of the fastest-growing bagel brands in the country.

Jeff also shares what he's seeing across the restaurant industry after walking the floor at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. From AI and dirty sodas to protein-packed menus and beverage customization, he explains why successful brands never stop experimenting. He also discusses franchising, creating systems that scale, and the financial metrics every restaurant operator should be tracking to build a stronger business.

What You'll Learn

- Franchising Tips

- Resiliency tactics when moments get hard

- What makes Jeff's Bagel Run Special

Episode Links

- Jeff Perera LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyperera/

- Jeff's Bagel Run: https://jeffsbagelrun.com/

What if the best way to improve restaurant profitability isn't cutting costs, but making better decisions?

Yassine Lyoubi, partner at Barry's Downtown Prime inside Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, joins Ty Wilson to discuss how one of downtown Las Vegas' busiest independent steakhouses balances old-school hospitality with modern technology. Lyoubi shares how relationships with suppliers, forecasting around major conventions and events, and listening to frontline employees have helped Barry's grow to nearly $22 million in annual revenue.

From using year-over-year data to guide purchasing decisions to exploring AI tools that reduce stress for restaurant teams, this conversation highlights how operators can improve profitability without sacrificing the guest experience. Recorded live at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.

What You'll Learn:

- Why forecasting is critical in a city driven by conventions and events

- How strong supplier relationships can protect margins

- Why AI should support restaurant teams, not replace them

- How frontline employees can uncover your best operational ideas

- Where Barry's Downtown Prime sees its biggest growth opportunities over the next two years

Episode Links:

- Yassine Lyoubi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yassine.lyoubi/?hl=en

- Yassine Lyoubi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yassinelyoubi/

- Barry’s Downtown Prime: https://www.barrysdowntownprime.com/

- Barry’s Downtown Prime Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barrysprime/

What if the biggest obstacle to growth isn't money, competition, or real estate, but self-doubt?

Jason Ganahl, founder of GQue BBQ, joins Ty Wilson to discuss how a passion for competition barbecue turned into Colorado's only championship barbecue restaurant brand. Ganahl shares the lessons he's learned growing from a single location to nine units, why guest experience drives every growth decision, and how he financed the business without outside investors.

From overcoming self-doubt and finding the right real estate to building people and creating demand through hospitality, this conversation offers a candid look at what it takes to grow a restaurant brand one guest at a time. Recorded live at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Jason Ganahl believes growth starts with guest experience

• How GQue BBQ expanded without outside investors

• Why self-doubt never disappears, even after opening multiple locations

• How challenges create opportunities for growth

• Why building people is the most important job of a restaurant leader

Episode Links

• Jason Ganahl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-ganahl-3694044/

• GQue BBQ: https://gquebbq.com/

Duce Raymond joins Ty Wilson to discuss building the next chapter of one of barbecue's most recognizable family legacies. As the son of the chef behind Sweet Baby Ray’s, Raymond shares why he's transitioning to the Deuce’s Wild brand, how an $8 million catering business fuels growth, and what goes into launching a new technology-driven barbecue restaurant.

From family history and restaurant financing to AI, drive-thrus, and Amazon sales, this conversation explores the balance between honoring the past and building for the future. Recorded live at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Duce Raymond is transitioning from Sweet Baby Ray’s to Deuce’s Wild

• How catering became the primary growth engine for the business

• Why technology and AI are part of the future of barbecue

• How strategic partnerships help operators scale confidently

• How Duce is preserving a family legacy while building something new

Episode Links:

- Duce Raymond LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duceraymond/

- Duce Raymond YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEbFPZr-u8_zOKw6wMNZhUA

- Duce Raymond Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duceraymond/?hl=en

- Sweet Baby Ray’s: https://www.sweetbabyrays.com/

- True Cuisine: https://www.truecuisine.com/about/duce-raymond

- Duce’s Wild: https://www.truecuisine.com/about/duce-raymond

What happens when a restaurant operator walks away from a long-term partnership and decides to rebuild from the ground up?

Matthew Vascellaro, founder of Matty Smokes BBQ & Catering, joins Ty Wilson to share why he recently exited a nine-year partnership to fully focus on the next evolution of his barbecue business. From live-fire catering experiences across Long Island to exploring franchising, food trailers, and scalable systems, Matty breaks down the realities of building a hospitality business that can grow beyond the founder. This conversation was recorded live at NRA in Chicago.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why Matty Smokes decided to leave a long-term partnership and start fresh

• How live-fire catering experiences create value beyond just the food

• Why building systems matters more than relying on individual talent

• How restaurant operators can use AI and technology to track profitability in real time

• Why understanding food cost, labor cost, and menu engineering is critical for growth

• How hospitality and consistency help brands scale beyond a single operator

Visit tabcommerce.com to learn how extended terms, higher limits, and smarter controls can power your growth.

Episode Links

- Matty Smokes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattycooks/

- Matty Smokes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattysmokes/

What does it take to grow a restaurant brand without outside funding, franchise shortcuts, or sacrificing quality along the way?

Joe Fontana, founder of Fry The Coop, sits down with Ty Wilson to break down how he built one of Chicago’s fastest-growing hot chicken brands from a single second-generation restaurant into a 10-unit operation doing $16 million annually, completely debt-free. Joe shares why he refuses to franchise, how store-level profitability drives every decision, and why growing a restaurant company should create more opportunity for the people inside it. The conversation also explores the realities of scaling through bank debt, private capital, operational systems, and brand differentiation, including Fry The Coop’s commitment to frying everything in 100% beef tallow.

This conversation was recorded live at NRA in Chicago.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why Joe Fontana believes store-level profitability is the foundation of scaling

• How Fry The Coop grew to 10 locations without outside investors or franchise deals

• Why debt, private equity, and family office capital all come with tradeoffs

• How operational systems and financial discipline impact restaurant growth

• Why differentiation matters in crowded restaurant categories

• How social media and community-building fuel long-term brand expansion

Visit tabcommerce.com to learn how extended terms, higher limits, and smarter controls can power your growth.

Episode Links

- Fry The Coop Online: https://www.frythecoop.com/

- Fry The Coop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frythecoop/?hl=en

- Fry The Coop TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frythecoop

- Fry The Coop Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frythecoop/

- Joe Fontana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfontana/

On this episode of The Restaurant Finance Podcast we flip the script.

Shawn Walchef (Cali BBQ Media) sits down with Ty Wilson, CEO & founder of Tab Commerce, to unpack how his team rebuilt the corporate card for restaurants.

Ty shares the origin story born in his family’s dining room during COVID, why DoorDash/Uber Eats rejections pushed him to build, and the now-famous King–Queen–Bishop framework for selling into restaurant organizations (owner, operator, controller/CFO).

They dive into relationship-first go-to-market, moving the team to Texas to partner deeply with the Texas Restaurant Association, and the product moves that matter: higher credit limits, real-time controls, automated receipt capture, and payment terms up to 60 days to smooth working capital. Expect candid talk on scaling hospitality, fixing back-office scar tissue, and why “pressure is a privilege.”

- Ty Wilson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyedwardwilson/

- James Tice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-tice-124911140/

- Tab Commerce Online: https://www.tabcommerce.com/

- Tab Commerce LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tabcommerce/

- Tab Commerce X/Twitter: https://x.com/tabcommercehq

The script is flipped! Join Ty Wilson and James Tice as they join Cali BBQ Media Founder Shawn Walchef on Digital Hospitality.

And this conversation goes deep on a topic most operators avoid: money.

Tab Commerce is building a modern financial platform for restaurants - offering corporate cards designed specifically for operators, better support, AP automation, higher limits, and financial tools built around real restaurant workflows.

But more importantly, this episode is about storytelling, vulnerability, and why restaurant finance doesn’t need to be scary. Ty and James share:

- How a cold call turned into a partnership

- Why restaurant operators need transparent financial conversations

- What big banks don’t understand about hospitality

- The power of podcasting for building trust

- Why finance is actually a human story, not a spreadsheet

What happens when a restaurant stops thinking like a traditional restaurant and starts thinking like a live event?

Brooks Schaden, Co-CEO of Tom’s Watch Bar, joins James Tice to talk about building restaurants around live sports, fan communities, and shared experiences. From playoff runs and opening day surges to alumni groups and watch parties, Schaden explains how Tom’s turns every game into an event. He also shares why sports-driven restaurants require a different operational mindset, where forecasting changes daily based on schedules, rivalries, and team performance. The conversation covers service speed, labor precision, kitchen design, mobile POS systems, and the small operational decisions that have a massive impact on profitability and guest experience.

What You’ll Learn:

• How Tom’s Watch Bar forecasts demand around sporting events and playoffs

• Why sports bars require a completely different operational model than traditional restaurants

• How fan clubs, alumni groups, and watch parties drive recurring traffic

• Why service speed, mobile POS, and menu engineering shape profitability

• How analytics and forecasting improve labor, inventory, and guest experience

• Why experiential hospitality is becoming one of the biggest opportunities in restaurants

Visit tabcommerce.com to learn how extended terms, higher limits, and smarter controls can power your growth.

Episode Links

- Tom’s Watch Bar: https://tomswatchbar.com/

- Brooks Schaden LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooks-schaden-35564a11/