The Pre-Shift Podcast

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 Katie Button, CEO / Co-Founder of Katie Button Restaurants:  Cúrate, La Bodega by Cúrate, Cúrate Trips, curateathome.com

Guest Bio
Asheville, North Carolina's beloved Cúrate, a collection of restaurants, online marketplace, wine club and culinary journeys designed to create exceptional and experiential access to Spanish culture. A Southern chef with a scientific mind, Button honed her craft in the kitchens of some of the world's best chefs, most notably Ferran Adrià and José Andrés, before venturing out to open Cúrate Bar de Tapas with husband Felix Meana and her family. Since, they have grown the Cúrate brand to include Cúrate Trips, Cúrate Spanish Wine Club, Cúrate at Home and most recently, La Bodega by Cúrate. Cúrate is part of the Katie Button Restaurants family, which includes Katie Button Media and Magnolia Network’s From The Source, a series exploring the origins and stories behind different ingredients.

Among her many accolades, chef Katie Button was featured as one of Food & Wine's 2015 Best New Chefs. Cúrate was named as one of the "40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years" by Food & Wine and one of the "Most Important Restaurants of the Decade" by Esquire. In 2016, Button released her first cookbook, Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen.

In 2022, the James Beard Foundation nominated Katie for a 2022 Best Chefs in America: Southeast award and Cúrate Bar de Tapas won the Outstanding Hospitality award. Throughout it all, Katie continues to challenge the industry standard, steadily building comprehensive benefits to create a sustainable work environment for her living wage-certified restaurant group. She also is an active participant in the James Beard Foundation's Impact programs and is currently serving on the Independent Restaurant Coalition's leadership team.   

Additional Resources

• Cúrate
• La Bodega by Cúrate
• Cúrate Trips
• Just Economics

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

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 Eric Scheffer, Founder and CEO of Scheffer Group.

Here are some of the highlights:

• How to treat your team like family and do it with sincerity
• How Scheffer has kept staff around for years
• What goes into the group's $1620 average annual spend on health and mental wellness benefits per staff member 
• Why Eric's restaurants have a 3% kitchen appreciation fee
• Leading with relentless generosity 

Guest Bio

Eric Scheffer has been a pioneer and key member of the Asheville food scene for over 20 years.

Originally from Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Mr. Scheffer left behind a successful television and advertising career in L.A. to chase his true passions: food, wine, and people. After completely revamping The Savoy in 2000 to become one of the country’s preeminent fine dining restaurants—as well as put Asheville on the map as a restaurant destination—he went on to co-found AIR, the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association.

Among Mr. Scheffer’s numerous hospitality ventures are the creation of Dining Innovations, Asheville’s premiere catering & corporate events company, Bodega Gratia, a boutique Argentinian winery, and Victus World Imports, where he imported wines from Argentina, Spain, and France. He currently owns Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian (voted best Italian restaurant in Asheville for 10 years in a row) and Jettie Rae’s Oyster House, which sit at number 2 and 3 on TripAdvisor’s best Asheville restaurants, respectively. With a slew of other concepts in the works, Mr. Scheffer is only just getting started.

With the Scheffer Group, he’s proud to showcase the culmination of his hospitality experience. “Relentless generosity brings us closer together,” he often says, and the spirit of that sentiment is easy to see in every project he tackles.

Additional Resources

• The Scheffer Group
• Vinnie's Italian
• Jettie Rae's Oyster House
• Cielo Catering Asheville
• Lantern Health

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7shifts Blog

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

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts (formerly The Restaurant Growth Podcast) 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 Newton Hoang, Director of Marketing & IT at 7 Leaves Cafe. Here are some of the highlights:

• How your customers and employees are a reflection of one another
• 7 Leaves’ foray into mobile ordering
• Building a Culture of Care that keep employees engaged and boosts retention
• How technology can help make all of the above easier

Guest Bio
Newton Hoang is a: Marketing and IT unicorn. 25+ year food and beverage industry purist. Straight shooter with a side of empathy. Servant leader. Girl dad first, everything else second.

Additional Resources

• 7 Leaves Cafe
• Join Us - 7 Leaves Cafe
• Newton Hoang on LinkedIn
• AskNicely
• Grandma's House of Hope

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

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

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 Kelly Phillips, Founder of Destination Unknown Restaurants. Here are some of the highlights:

• How Kelly started her businesses
• The decision to put many of her staff on a salary
• The impact that salaries have had on the team dynamic
• Why salaried roles in restaurants aren’t all that radical
• And how you can explore new comp strategies at your restaurant

Guest Bio
Kelly is Founder and Partner in Destination Unknown Restaurants, which is known across DC for Ghostburger (2020, 2022), Taqueria Las Gemelas (2021), and Destino (2021). Recent career accomplishments for Kelly include welcoming President Biden into Taqueria Las Gemelas for Cinco de Mayo shortly after the concept's opening, being part of the 2021 RAMMY winning team for the restaurant group's nomination in multiple categories, and landing on Washington Business Journal's 40 Under 40 2022 list and FSR's 2022 "Rising Stars" list. Kelly was also an integral part of the leadership team that transformed Las Gemelas Cocina Mexicana into Destino in December 2021. It reopened to glowing feedback from guests for their ambitious rustic Mexican fare. Shortly thereafter, Destino landed on Washingtonian Magazine's competitive list of the top 25 Best New Restaurants that opened during the pandemic alongside sister restaurant, Las Gemelas. In late summer 2022, Kelly also transitioned her first restaurant, Espita, into Ghostburger's first standalone concept in a full circle moment for the award-winning pandemic pop-up that began in Espita's Mexican kitchen. Across all of these concepts, Kelly has implemented a living wage at all of her restaurants and eliminated tipping, which she hopes will show other restaurateurs that reevaluating your wage structure is possible, and may even make your restaurant more successful. 

Additional Resources

• Destination Unknown Restaurants
• Destino
• Taqueria Las Gemelas
• Ghostburger
• Biden calls in Ghostburger takeout order, leaves employee speechless - The Washington Post
• President Biden Surprises a DC Taqueria Owner by Dropping by on Cinco De Mayo - Washingtonian
• Virtual Restaurant Roundtable on Tip Management and Stra

Listen, rate, and subscribe!
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7shifts Blog

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

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 Anthony Valletta, President of bartaco. Here are some of the highlights:

• How the restaurant industry has changed over Anthony’s decade-long career 
• Bartaco’s heavy lean-in on technology
• The unique approach to training and career development
• Bartaco’s radical wage structure
• And how all of those practices have bartaco poised for growth in 2023

About Anthony Valletta

Anthony Valletta is a restaurant and hospitality industry veteran with over 20 years of experience and deep knowledge in growing brands both big and small. Throughout his career, Valletta has opened two dozen restaurants with varying concepts. He currently serves as the President of bartaco, the upscale street food restaurant brand with a coastal vibe in a relaxed environment, and was previously the Company’s SVP of Operations. As President, Anthony is focused on helping bartaco grow while deepening its ties to local communities by creating jobs with growth opportunities. Prior to joining the bartaco team, Valletta served as Chief Operating Officer at restaurant tech concept, Birdcall. Other previous roles include Chief Operating Officer at fine dining concept Michael Mina in San Francisco, as well as Director of Operations at Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, where he oversaw locations in Chicago, Denver, New York City, Washington D.C., and Boston.

Anthony is passionate about humanitarianism and has been named Humanitarian of the Year twice, once in 2014 by the Greg Hill Foundation and again in 2018 by March of Dimes. He received his Bachelor of Hospitality Administration and Hospitality Administration/Management from Boston University.

Additional Resources

• bartaco careers
• GiANT Worldwide
• 1Huddle
• OneDine
• Anthony Valletta on LinkedIn
• Scott Lawton on LinkedIn

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7shifts Blog

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

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.

How do you create a restaurant culture that attracts staff and retains them?

We asked someone who’s done it—the one and only Danny Meyer.

Danny Meyer is the founder of Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack, one of the most prolific restaurateurs of our time. Danny is also a founder of Enlightened Hospitality Investments, which invests in companies that serve the hospitality space.

Danny joined 7shifts CEO, Jordan Boesch, for a talk hosted by Danny Klein of Food News Media. From what culture is, to how it’s built, and how to use servant leadership, a lot of ground was covered. 

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

Listen, rate, and subscribe!
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7shifts Blog

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

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.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!
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7shifts Blog

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

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.

About 7shifts
Since 2014, 7shifts has helped restaurant managers schedule, evaluate, and communicate with their workforce. Our team is comprised of people who live and breathe restaurant culture and strive to help our customers simplify team management, every single day.

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

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

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.

About 7shifts
Since 2014, 7shifts has helped restaurant managers schedule, evaluate, and communicate with their workforce. Our team is comprised of people who live and breathe restaurant culture and strive to help our customers simplify team management, every single day.

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

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.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!
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7shifts Blog

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