Restaurant Unstoppable

11 episodes scanned. 15% of ad slots promote the show's own products.

Recent Episodes

1. 1295: Ed Doherty, Founder of One Degree Coaching

   Nov 2, 2026

   Ed Doherty, founder of One Degree Coaching and a certified Predictive Index partner, discusses how restaurant owners can build people-first cultures through clear values, manager training, and paths to ownership. The conversation covers his experience in restaurant management, his view that purpose and engagement are central to retention, and the economics of independent restaurants. He also describes Restaurant Unstoppable's planned marketplace and membership model for connecting operators with specialists.

2. 1294: Geoffrey Lanez, Executive Chef, The Patterson Club

   Oct 26, 2026

   Executive Chef Geoffrey Lanez of The Patterson Club in Fairfield, Connecticut, discusses his path from a reluctant culinary-school student to a certified American Master Chef and competitive chef on Culinary Team USA. The conversation covers his mindset of "make it work, make it happen," the mentorship and competition experiences that shaped his career, and his interest in helping chefs through partnerships, affiliate work, and access to wellness and healthcare resources.

3. 1293: Alexis Guttridge, Founder of Anchor Consulting

   Oct 5, 2026

   Alexis Guttridge, founder of Anchor Consulting, returns to Restaurant Unstoppable for the second time in over a decade. She reflects on her journey from co-founding the acclaimed French-influenced restaurant West Bridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts (which she sold in 2016) to her current work as a hospitality consultant specializing in guest experience, staff development, and operational optimization for restaurants, hotels, and venues. The conversation explores the emotional toll of building a restaurant, the importance of community and people-first leadership, and how successful restaurateurs like Danny Meyer and Garrett Harker prioritize staff investment and genuine connection over vanity metrics.

4. 1292: Matt Wampler, co-founder and CEO of ClearCOGs

   Sep 28, 2026

   Matt Wampler, co-founder and CEO of ClearCOGs, discusses his journey from taking over a struggling Jimmy John's franchise at age 21 to building a decision intelligence platform using AI and predictive analytics. He shares how he turned around his first location from $400K to $1.2M in revenue within 18 months through disciplined execution, delivery innovation, and team culture, then scaled to five locations before exiting in 2018. ClearCOGs now helps restaurant operators forecast demand, optimize prep, purchasing, and labor decisions by analyzing POS data, back-of-house systems, and external data sources to reduce waste and improve profitability.

5. 1291: Adam Weisblatt, co-founder of Last Word Hospitality

   Sep 21, 2026

   Adam Weisblatt, co-founder of Last Word Hospitality, discusses building a portfolio of seven independently-owned restaurants across Los Angeles and the desert, including Found Oyster, Red Dog Saloon, Barra Santos, and others. The conversation centers on his philosophy of people-driven, neighborhood-focused hospitality, the importance of partnerships, and treating restaurant ownership as a calculated investment rather than chasing arbitrary profit margins. Weisblatt shares insights from his book 'For the Love of Restaurants' about the creative and collaborative nature of restaurant work, the skills required to open versus operate, and the need for restaurant owners to advocate for themselves against consolidating tech platforms.

6. 1290: Danny Azzarello & Alan Frati, co-founders of CRACK'D Kitchen & Coffee

   Sep 14, 2026

   Danny Azzarello and Alan Frati, co-founders of CRACK'D Kitchen & Coffee, discuss their evolution from aggressive growth ambitions to a focused, quality-first regional expansion strategy. Since their last appearance 2.5 years ago, they've grown from 4 locations doing $7M in revenue to 5 locations generating $11.7M, while strategically exiting franchise and secondary concepts (CRACK'D Express, counter coffee) to concentrate on their core 2,000-2,500 sq ft corporate model. They share lessons on prioritizing brand integrity, people, and profitability over vanity metrics like unit count.

7. 1289: Jeremy Fitzgerald, founder and CEO of 86DeadStock

   Sep 7, 2026

   Jeremy Fitzgerald is the founder and CEO of 86DeadStock, a peer-to-peer marketplace for hospitality businesses to buy, sell, and trade surplus inventory. A serial entrepreneur with 20+ years in restaurant operations—including Subway franchises, Bar 145 (8 locations), and multiple hospitality concepts—Fitzgerald discusses his journey from franchisee to founder, his philosophy on restaurant ownership, and the problem 86DeadStock solves: helping restaurants eliminate waste and reduce costs by connecting them to a trusted community instead of fragmented marketplaces like Facebook and eBay.

8. 1288: Jesse Stein, founder and CEO of Hermetic AI

   Aug 31, 2026

   Jesse Stein, founder and CEO of Hermetic AI, discusses how his company uses AI agents to convert private event inquiries into bookings for restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues. Drawing from nearly 30 years of entrepreneurial experience across e-commerce, digital marketing, skincare, and affiliate marketing, Stein explains how Mia—Hermetic's AI agent—responds to event leads within seconds, increases private event revenue by 54% on average, and reduces operational burden on event coordinators by handling repetitive tasks while freeing them to focus on hospitality and closing deals.

9. 1287: Meredith Tipping, General Manager and Head of Marketing at The Boston Sail Loft

   Aug 24, 2026

   Meredith Tipping is the General Manager and Head of Marketing at The Boston Sail Loft, a historic waterfront seafood restaurant in Boston's North End that opened in 1984. She discusses the restaurant's 40+ year legacy, operational model serving ~1,300 guests daily at peak season across 126 seats, revenue benchmarks ($5-10M annually), and the philosophy of owner-operator presence, relationship-driven vendor partnerships, and employee-first culture. Tipping reflects on family business succession, the role of sincerity and integrity in hospitality, and how the service industry transformed her from a shy person into a confident leader and parent.

10. 1286: Jason Santos, Chef/owner of Buttermilk & Bourbon Group

    Aug 17, 2026

    Chef and owner Jason Santos discusses his evolution from award-chasing hotshot chef to humble restaurant group leader. He shares his journey through Boston kitchens, his runner-up finish on Hell's Kitchen Season 7, the failure of his first 35-seat restaurant, and how that loss became his greatest teacher. Santos reflects on balancing television appearances with building the Buttermilk & Bourbon Group, learning to trust his team, and shifting his priorities toward family and community impact over fame and accolades.