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Episode #43: Stella Dennig, Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip

31m · The Pre-Shift Podcast · 04 Apr 12:00

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams.

Host D.J. Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.

On this episode, we’re joined by Stella Dennig, Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip in Oakland, California.

Stella Dennig (she/her) is the Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip, a fermentation-driven party of a restaurant in Oakland, CA. Core to Daytrip’s mission is to push toward a more equitable future for this industry and at the center of that, its workforce. Daytrip has been written up for its employment practices by publications like Bon Appetit, The New York Times, and the SF Chronicle. Daytrip was a Bon Appetit top 10 Best New Restaurant in America in 2023 and Co-Owner/Chef Finn Stern was a James Beard Semifinalist in 2024.

Topics Covered:

  • Exploring Daytrip's Business Model: Equal entry-level wages and a shared service charge benefiting all staff challenge industry norms.
  • Cultivating a culture of fairness through democratic management and transparent hiring practices.
  • How regular team dialogues foster a supportive and inclusive work environment.

Resources

  • Daytrip
  • RAISE
  • 10 Best New Restaurants in America 2022 | Bon Appetit

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Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

The episode Episode #43: Stella Dennig, Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip from the podcast The Pre-Shift Podcast has a duration of 31:44. It was first published 04 Apr 12:00. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.

More episodes from The Pre-Shift Podcast

Episode #43: Stella Dennig, Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams.

Host D.J. Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.

On this episode, we’re joined by Stella Dennig, Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip in Oakland, California.

Stella Dennig (she/her) is the Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip, a fermentation-driven party of a restaurant in Oakland, CA. Core to Daytrip’s mission is to push toward a more equitable future for this industry and at the center of that, its workforce. Daytrip has been written up for its employment practices by publications like Bon Appetit, The New York Times, and the SF Chronicle. Daytrip was a Bon Appetit top 10 Best New Restaurant in America in 2023 and Co-Owner/Chef Finn Stern was a James Beard Semifinalist in 2024.

Topics Covered:

  • Exploring Daytrip's Business Model: Equal entry-level wages and a shared service charge benefiting all staff challenge industry norms.
  • Cultivating a culture of fairness through democratic management and transparent hiring practices.
  • How regular team dialogues foster a supportive and inclusive work environment.

Resources

  • Daytrip
  • RAISE
  • 10 Best New Restaurants in America 2022 | Bon Appetit

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

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

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The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams.

Host DJ Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.

On this episode, we’re joined by Chad Mackay, CEO of Fire & Vine Hospitality in Seattle, WA.

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Links
Fire & Vine Hospitality
Brigado

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

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

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The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams.

Host DJ Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.

On this episode, we’re joined by Irene Shiang Li, Cofounder of Prepshift & Mei Mei Dumplings in Boston, Mass.

Irene Shiang Li co-founded Mei Mei in Boston in 2013 and built the brand around ethical, sustainable sourcing and fair and transparent employment practices, including open book management. Mei Mei is now a dumpling company and Irene is now building Prepshift, a tech-enabled coaching and workforce training firm. Prepshift focuses on aligning food business teams around their common goals and empowering them with education and transparency. Irene believes that in restaurants, everyone can win. She is a Zagat and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, six-time James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef nominee, and 2022 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award winner. In 2023, Irene and her sister co-authored Perfectly Good Food: a totally achievable zero-waste approach to home cooking with W.W. Norton.

Additional Resources

  • Mei Mei Dumplings
  • Prepshift
  • One Fair Wage
  • Follow Irene Li
  • Get Irene’s Book

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Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

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The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams.

Host D.J. Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.

On this episode, we’re joined by Ji Hye Kim, Chef/Owner of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor.

Ji Hye was awarded one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2021 and a multi-time James Beard Award semifinalist. She also advocates for fair wages in the hospitality industry, working with organizations like One Fair Wage to enact change. We get into how staff are paid above the industry average at Miss Kim, the tools Kim uses to get her teams engaged, and more.

Additional Resources

  • Miss Kim
  • Zingerman’s
  • Zingerman’s Community of Businesses
  • One Fair Wage
  • RAISE: High Road Restaurants

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

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

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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 Jason Hammel, Chef and Owner of Lula Cafe

Guest Bio
Chef and owner Jason Hammel grew up in New Haven, CT and is the product of a tight Italian family. He studied writing at Brown University and then traveled in Italy where an accidental stay in an apartment above a produce market left a lasting impact and presaged his career as a chef. Upon returning to the U.S., he received his M.A. in English and moved to Chicago where he met his wife, musician and Lula co-founder, Amalea Tshilds. They live in Logan Square with their two children, Ismene and Cass.   

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Additional Resources

  • Lula Cafe
  • Marisol
  • Pilot Light
  • Lula Cafe Cookbook

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

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

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