Corner Booth Podcast

Bob Yacone won first place in the nation for traditional pizza at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada the same year he won first place at the National Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York. But his life hasn't always been a series of impressive awards. In this episode, we learn how he went from a difficult life in Brooklyn, New York to a successful restaurant operator in the Southwest. "My adopted grandmother got me interested in food. She raised me and was wonderful in the kitchen," he says, adding, "I enjoyed it immediately." Bob launched full-service Italian restaurant Forghedaboudit! in Deming, New Mexico, home to his wife Kim’s family. He explains how he successfully developed a large loyal guest following in a challenging secondary market and - in spite of the pandemic - launched a smaller-footprint counter-service and take-out version of the concept in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Bob plans to expand Forghedaboudit! via franchising, with the next location to be slated for opening in El Paso, Texas sometime next year.

Tune in to this episode to learn how to go from good to excellent. An engineer by training, David Jones applied his analytical and business expertise to restaurant management education. He is the founder of The Excellence Advisory, a premier hospitality leadership development group. His approach has helped many independent restaurant operators increase their effectiveness, improve staff retention, and turn their managers into better leaders. David spent seven years on the Pal’s Business Excellence Institute, the Tennessee-based management development arm of Pal’s Sudden Service restaurant group, the only quick-service restaurant chain restaurant to earn a Malcolm Baldrige award. “The more we think like our customers, the more we realize the importance of quality and value,” says David, adding, “when we think like our staff we realize the importance of a quality work environment and being valued!” In the wake of the pandemic, David believes operators have a “second chance to make a first impression on returning guests and staff.” The winners will be concepts that engage their staff and empower their management team.

David Tripoli has 40 years of experience in the restaurant industry as a manager, multiunit supervisor, concept developer, and operations executive. He most recently directed independent restaurant company Truluck’s Ocean's Finest Seafood & Crab with its expansion to 12 units in five states with annual revenue exceeding 80 million. "Successful expansion is found within your concepts bench strength," David tells us, "because it’s a people business after all." In this episode, David shares his philosophy on management leadership development and his proven steps to follow from management selection, initial training and supervision, to ongoing development. "Management is about managing situations, but leadership is motivational and creates the positive culture today's staff members look for and deserve," says David. "Restaurants perform so much better when staff is inspired and not simply overseen." David’s successful experience with developing good managers into great leaders has helped many others grow and exceed their expectations. "Positive character development and personal growth is another result of successful leadership," says David. Considering today’s competitive labor market, it has never been more important to maintain a positive work environment where managers properly lead and staff excel and grow. This is a must-listen.

Alex Canter is CEO of Nextbite, which states as its goal "to ensure every kitchen with extra capacity is not only surviving, but thriving" with off-premises virtual brand sales. Alex is not just a young tech entrepreneur. He is a savvy and seasoned restaurateur, who at age 12 started working in his family's business - the landmark Canter's Deli, an iconic Los Angeles dining destination serving locals, tourists, and celebrities. Alex successfully preserved the time-honored traditions of a fourth-generation family-owned restaurant while modernizing it with cutting-edge technology to streamline operations and online ordering. In the process. Alex discovered his passion for restaurant industry innovation. "If you aren't thinking about the next generation of your restaurant, there may not be one," he says. In this episode we learn how Alex conceived and developed Nextbite to help independent operators maximize revenue with very little additional operating costs. "Fitting the right virtual brand into an independently owned restaurant operation helps raise revenue from currently underutilized kitchens," he explains. Nextbite's successful virtual brands include George Lopez Tacos, Wichcraft, Crave Burger, Wild Wild Wings, Grilled Cheese Society, Lucky Dragon, and many more. Nextbite also provides menu execution and operations assistance, and an ordering platform that simplifies third-party delivery orders and transactions. Alex also explains the company's unique revenue-sharing program with partner restaurant operators. Considering takeout and third-party delivery sales comprise as much as half the revenue for many independent operators, that alone is good reason to tune in and learn Alex's bold vision of the future of off-premises dining.