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PODCAST

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast

Savor Podcast Network

Are you a restaurant owner or operator looking to navigate the chaos of the ever-changing hospitality industry? Look no further than the Restaurant Masterminds Podcast - "Journey Of Success"Hosted by industry experts with decades of combined experience in leadership, marketing, technology, and operations, this podcast is your ultimate guide to overcoming challenges and achieving success in the restaurant business.HostsRudy Miick - Culture GuruPaul Barron - Futurist and Tech Fortune TellerAnna Tauzin

business food

All Episodes

44:24

Fast Casual Trends for 2026

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/11/17

Join Paul Barron and the Restaurant Masterminds team—Paul Molinari, Anna Tauzin, and Rudy Miick—as they dive deep into fast casual trends shaping 2026. From Dave's Hot Chicken's billion-dollar valuation to Cava's impressive 28% growth, discover why only some of the 3,500+ fast casual brands will survive the coming consolidation. The team explores the chicken wars, international expansion strategies, AI integration, rising labor costs, and the critical "fourth dimension" of experiential dining that's

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26:29

Boutique Hospitality Meets Restaurant Innovation

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/10/16

Restaurant Masterminds hosts Paul Barron, Stacey Kane, and Rudy Miick dive into what restaurants can learn from boutique hotels in today's challenging economy. From membership models and personalization strategies to navigating the growing divide between luxury and value experiences, this conversation explores how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are reshaping hospitality expectations. Discover actionable insights on remembering your guests, leveraging technology for meaningful connections, and implementing

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43:31

Building Community Through Hospitality: Jeff...

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/09/04

Jeff Gigante, founder of Next Level Brands, joins Restaurant Masterminds to share how his Tampa-based restaurant group generates nearly $40 million with just three locations through "laid-back luxury" hospitality. Learn his strategies for employee retention (4.5 weeks vacation for all leaders), community integration, technology adoption challenges, and expansion plans for 20+ restaurants. Discover how treating culture as CapEx investment and authentic community engagement drives exceptional

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37:50

Paris Baguette: Scaling A Bakery Empire

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/08/21

Join Restaurant Masterminds hosts Paul Molinari and Anna Tauzin as they dive deep with Paris Baguette's Chief Development Officer Nick Scaccio about the brand's audacious plan to reach 1,000 North American locations by 2030. From their current 253 units to nearly $3M average unit volumes, discover the franchise strategies, operational excellence, and experiential design driving this Korean-French bakery café's explosive growth through economic uncertainty and intense competition.~This episode is

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49:02

Greenlane: Healthy Drive-Thru Is The Future

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/08/14

Restaurant Masterminds hosts Paul Barron, Rudy Miick, and Stacey Kane dive deep with Greenlane co-founders Erica Spector Wishnow and Chris Kern to explore their game-changing approach to fast-casual dining. Discover how this Tampa-based concept delivers made-from-scratch salads in just 15 seconds, their mission to bring healthy options to food deserts at $6.99 price points, and the critical challenge of scaling company culture while maintaining staff engagement. Industry veterans discuss why

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39:27

The Future of Fast Food and Drive-Thru

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/07/24

In this episode of Restaurant Masterminds, Oliver Barwin, CEO of Bushfire Kitchen, shares his remarkable journey from Wall Street to running a fast-growing healthy fast-casual chain. Barwin discusses taking over the family business during the pandemic, completely rebuilding their tech stack, and scaling from a small California concept to nine locations with ambitious expansion plans. Learn about their "elevated fast-casual" approach, protein-focused menu strategy, AI-powered forecasting, and how

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51:51

Building an AI Integrated Workforce

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/07/10

Join Restaurant Masterminds hosts Paul Barron, Paul Molinari, and Stacey Kane as they dive deep into the future of restaurant workforce management with Legion Technologies CEO Sanish Mondkar. Discover how AI is revolutionizing employee scheduling, reducing turnover by 79%, and solving the restaurant industry's biggest challenge - balancing business needs with employee satisfaction. Learn about demand forecasting, instant pay solutions, and why AI-powered workforce management is becoming essential

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44:45

Family Owned Business Make or Break

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/07/03

Join Restaurant Masterminds hosts Stacey Kane and Robin Blanchette as they sit down with Frank Carpenteri, CEO of Garden Catering, to explore how this Connecticut-based chicken concept has maintained its cult-like following while preparing for aggressive expansion. From switching to premium chicken despite the cost impact to building a community-driven brand that makes college students' first stop home, Frank shares invaluable insights on scaling without losing your soul. Learn about their recent

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58:47

Technology Disruption With Catering

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/06/26

Restaurant industry legend Earl Dardick joins Paul Barron and Anna Tauzin on Restaurant Masterminds to reveal how catering can transform your restaurant's profitability. From his experience with Off Premises Growth Academy, Earl shares why CEO buy-in is non-negotiable, how catering can represent 20% of business while delivering 50% of profits, and why successful operators treat catering as a separate business rather than a menu add-on. Learn about the technology challenges plaguing the industry, the

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39:46

How Houston Hot Chicken Conquered the Fast-Casual Space

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/06/05

Serial entrepreneur Edmond Barseghian shares how he built Houston Hot Chicken from a pandemic recipe with his sister into one of America's fastest-growing restaurant brands, selling 100 franchises in just 5 months and becoming Las Vegas's #1 restaurant. Learn his unconventional strategies including monthly car shows, premium customer experiences, and how he applied lessons from 12 previous businesses to revolutionize the hot chicken space with 26 locations, 300+ franchise commitments, and plans to

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20:54

Dave's Hot Chicken Takes Home Fast Casual Top 100...

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/05/27

Dave's Hot Chicken takes home their second Fast Casual Top 100 award in three years! Join hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler as they sit down with Jim Bitticks, President & COO of Dave's Hot Chicken, to discuss the brand's explosive growth from 4 to 312+ locations in just five years. Discover how they built 3.6 million TikTok followers through authentic user-generated content, innovated with viral products like top-loaded shakes and cauliflower tenders, and maintained startup agility while

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38:01

How AI Voice Orders Will Make or Break Your...

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/05/22

The restaurant industry is about to experience a massive technological transformation, and Oracle's Senior Director of Strategy, Amber Trendell, reveals it's happening faster than anyone expected. In this deep dive, we explore how voice AI is revolutionizing drive-thru operations, why 70% of Gen Z customers actually want to be upsold, and how agentic AI systems will soon run restaurants autonomously without human intervention. From license plate recognition triggering personalized offers to AI

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40:37

Brand Series: How Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is...

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/05/16

Join Restaurant Masterminds hosts Paul Barron and Rudy Miick as they sit down with Patrick Fore, CEO of Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, to explore how this 21-year-old brand is revolutionizing the fresh-mex space. Discover how Lime Fresh 2.0 is blending fast casual convenience with full-service hospitality through their innovative "flex casual" model featuring a full bar program contributing over 20% to revenue. Fore shares insights on creating "Lime Moments" for exceptional hospitality, revitalizing

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42:26

BRAND SERIES: Casual Dining's Fight for Survival |...

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/05/08

In this eye-opening episode of our Brand Series, restaurant industry experts Paul Barron and Paul Molinari dissect the current crisis in casual dining and reveal why some chains are thriving while others file for bankruptcy. Discover how Chili's achieved a remarkable 31% sales increase through strategic social media targeting and menu innovation, while TGI Fridays and Hooters struggle to connect with millennial consumers. The hosts analyze Red Lobster's repositioning strategy, debate the

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0:51

Gen Z Corner: Kids Weigh In on the Best Brands

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/05/01

In this eye-opening Gen Z Corner segment of Restaurant Masterminds, host Paul Barron sits down with 8-year-old Colette and 9-year-old Graham to uncover what truly attracts the youngest consumers to restaurant brands. Colette reveals why texture, temperature, and customization at Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack, and Chipotle win her loyalty, while Graham offers groundbreaking insights on how gaming integration and themed environments could revolutionize restaurant experiences for young guests. These

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34:54

Balancing Price vs. Value: Insights from Dickey's...

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/04/24

In this insightful episode of Restaurant Masterminds, host Paul Barron and co-hosts Robin Blanchette and Rudy Miick welcome Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue, to discuss the critical balance between price and value in today's challenging restaurant economy. Dickey shares how her 866-location barbecue chain is navigating shifting consumer behavior by expanding value options while maintaining profitability without significant price increases. The conversation explores data-driven decision

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48:45

Loyalty Programs Connecting With Gen-Z

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/04/17

In this thought-provoking episode of Restaurant Masterminds, host Paul Barron and fractional CMO Stacy Kane challenge traditional loyalty programs, revealing why Gen Z's $12 trillion spending power demands a fresh approach. The duo dissects Starbucks' controversial rewards devaluation, explores gamification alternatives, and introduces blockchain solutions like Blackbird that could eliminate costly third-party intermediaries. Their bold prediction? The entire loyalty tech stack may disappear within

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48:27

Culture Do's and Don'ts: 3 Steps to Building A Great...

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/04/03

In this episode of the Restaurant Masterminds podcast, host Paul Baron and culture expert Rudy Miick explore how to build a "badass brand" through strong company culture. They discuss the difference between "win-lose" versus inspirational leadership approaches, highlighting that while aggressive culture models can work, their sustainability is questionable. The conversation examines how explicit cultural values drive brand performance, especially in uncertain economic times, with only 23% of

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34:58

Mastering Social Media for Restaurants (PT 2) Content...

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/03/27

Paul Barron and Paul Molinari discuss the transformative power of content marketing for restaurants. They explore key strategies to enhance both local and national branding, including:Local Marketing: Building community ties through partnerships with local influencers and highlighting locally sourced products.Visual Content: Leveraging high-quality images and videos to showcase brand identity and engage customers.Social Media Strategies: Utilizing platforms like Instagram and TikTok for consistent

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50:13

Mastering Social Media for Restaurants (PT 1)

Restaurant Masterminds Podcast ·

2025/03/20

In this episode of Restaurant Masterminds, host Paul Barron and co-hosts Paul Molinari and Anna Tauzin explore effective social media strategies for restaurant brands. Anna Tauzin, CMO of MAC Corporation, shares insights from managing nine diverse brands across Texas, covering platform selection, content creation, measurement tactics, and tech tools. The discussion includes practical tips on Instagram vs. TikTok usage, visual content development, engaging community events, and how independent

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108 results

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