Podcast
FULL COMP: Restaurant Tactics, Tools, & Strategies
Hosted by Josh Kopel · EN
What if I told you that the difference between struggling and thriving in the restaurant industry is just one conversation away?
I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur who’s spent decades building blockbuster brands across every tier of dining. I know the challenges you’re facing—because I’ve been there. That’s why I created FULL COMP.
Every week, I go one-on-one with the smartest minds in the game: restaurateurs, chefs, and industry insiders who’ve cracked the code. Together, we unpack their biggest wins, hardest lessons, and the strategies that changed everything.
No fluff, no filler—just actionable insights to help you boost profits, build your brand, and create the kind of restaurant you’ve always dreamed of.
So, if you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels and start seeing results, hit subscribe.
64episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Experience Is the Product: Scott Lawton on Creating Lifestyle Through Hospitality
Mar 2000:35:47Tap to summarizeYou walk into a restaurant and it just makes sense.It all feels right…the decor, the menus, the music and you know that they’re selling more than a meal, it’s a lifestyle. Today we sit down with Scott Lawton, the co-founder of bartaco, to discuss the foundational elements of the bartaco brand and how those elements come together to make the guest feel like they’re a part of something special.For more information on Scott and bartaco, visit https://bartaco.com/._________________________________________________________Today’s episode was brought to you by Loop AI. If you want better visibility and control over your delivery business while protecting your margins, find out how Loop AI can help at loopai.com.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Rethinking the Restaurant Model: Angell Tsang’s First-Principles Playbook for Profitable Delivery
Mar 1700:37:47Tap to summarizeWhat if the reason your restaurant feels complicated… is because you never questioned the system you inherited?Angell Tsang didn’t come up in restaurants, he came up in tech. So when he got pulled into launching a Chinese takeout concept in Austin, he didn’t start with a POS, a lobby, or third-party apps. He started with a browser and a blank page.In this conversation, we get into how Angell built a cloud-based restaurant before “ghost kitchens” were a trend, why rejecting cash and eliminating legacy hardware gave him control, and how borrowing D2C marketing strategies from e-commerce unlocked predictable, data-driven growth.This is a masterclass in first principles; proof that when you stop copying the industry and start interrogating it, you can build something simpler, smarter, and far more profitable.To see how Tso Chinese Takeout built a browser-first, delivery-driven restaurant model, visit tsochinese.com_________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Loyalty Is a Growth Weapon: David Zhao on Scaling Restaurants Through Fan Ownership
Mar 1300:39:17Tap to summarizeIt’s my pleasure to interview the industry leaders of today and ask the questions we’re all thinking of. But it’s my privilege to present to you the industry thought leaders of tomorrow. Today we sit down with David Zhao, co-founder of the Chubby Group, to discuss how they’re rapidly scaling their restaurant concepts globally through innovative joint ventures and growing their fanbase by the tens of thousands using an innovative approach to loyalty programs. Buckle up because this conversation is going to leave you questioning everything you believed about how to grow a successful restaurant group. For more information on his restaurant group, visit https://chubbygroup.com/._________________________________________________________Today’s episode was brought to you by Loop AI. If you want better visibility and control over your delivery business while protecting your margins, find out how Loop AI can help at loopai.com.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Dashboards Don’t Fix Restaurants: Saleem Khatri on Turning AI Into Daily Profit
Mar 1000:40:30Tap to summarizeWhat if the reason you’re not more profitable isn’t effort, but clarity on what to fix next?As CEO of Lavu and the force behind Marty, an AI layer built for operators, Saleem isn’t interested in prettier dashboards or yesterday’s reports. He’s focused on something far more dangerous—and far more valuable: telling you exactly what to fix today to put more cash in your bank account tomorrow.In this conversation, we get into why POS is already commoditized, why most data tools create the illusion of control, and how AI can surface the three decisions that actually move the needle. If you’re tired of tracking problems instead of solving them, this conversation is your wake-up call.To learn more about Lavu, visit lavu.com._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Scale Without Standardizing Everything: Barry McGowan on Protecting Culture During Global Expansion
Mar 600:39:25Tap to summarizeRunning a successful restaurant is one thing; scaling that success globally while maintaining exceptional quality and culture is another. Today, I’m sitting down with Barry McGowan, CEO of Fogo de Chão, to discuss how this iconic brand continues to redefine the dining experience. From bringing a centuries-old culinary art to the forefront, to innovating service models that delight guests and empower employees, Barry shares the blueprint for building a thriving restaurant group. If you’re ready to rethink how to grow your business without losing its soul, this conversation is a must. For more information on Fogo de Chão and their unique dining experiences, visit https://fogodechao.com._________________________________________________________Today’s episode was brought to you by Loop AI. If you want better visibility and control over your delivery business while protecting your margins, find out how Loop AI can help at loopai.com.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Art, Escapism, and the Cult of Community: Brandon Hoy on Building Roberta’s Into a Movement
Mar 300:40:10Tap to summarizeWhat if your restaurant wasn’t just a place to eat, but a world people stepped into to feel something?Brandon Hoy didn’t set out to build a pizza place, he set out to create a party, a refuge, a piece of living art in a neighborhood hungry for connection. As co-founder of Roberta’s, he tapped into timing, tribe, and a radical commitment to craft to turn a scrappy Bushwick pizzeria into a cultural institution.In this conversation, we get into why community beats marketing, how mythology makes brands magnetic, and why defining what your restaurant means matters more than what it serves. Brandon breaks down the tension between consistency and evolution, and why the brands that survive are the ones willing to move with the wind.If you’re building more than a menu—if you’re building a movement—this conversation is for you.To learn more about Roberta’s and explore what they’re building next, visit robertaspizza.com._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Leadership Means Letting Go: Justin Cucci on Distributing Power Across the Organization
Feb 2700:35:28Tap to summarizeMost restaurateurs build concepts around a menu or a chef. Justin Cucci built Edible Beats around a philosophy—one that’s challenged conventional wisdom and redefined what restaurant success looks like. From turning historic spaces into thriving concepts to pioneering an employee-owned business model, Justin has proven that restaurants can be both financially sustainable and deeply meaningful. In this episode, we dig into why he bet on an ESOP model, how he scaled without losing soul, and what the next decade of restaurant leadership should look like. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow without compromising your values, this conversation is for you.To learn more about Edible Beats and how they’re reshaping restaurant culture, visit https://www.ediblebeats.com._________________________________________________________Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Office Hours: The 1-3-1 Rule: Stop Answering Every Question
Feb 2600:05:53Tap to summarizeI’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses.In this episode, I talk about one of the biggest bottlenecks in restaurant leadership. When your team constantly comes to you with problems but no solutions, you become the ceiling of your business. If everything runs through you, growth slows down fast.I break down what I call the 1-3-1 rule, a simple framework that trains your team to think critically instead of outsourcing decisions upward. When someone brings a problem, they also bring one clear issue, three possible solutions, and one recommendation. This shifts your culture from dependency to ownership.We also dig into how better communication and operational discipline create faster decision making and stronger leaders inside your restaurant. If you want a team that solves problems without waiting on you, this is where you start. TakeawaysDid the year actually pay you or just add stress?January sets the pattern for the year ahead.The 1-3-1 rule encourages independent problem-solving.Train your team to think critically about solutions.Empower staff to present problems with solutions.Effective communication reduces management burden.Operational efficiency is key to restaurant success.Utilize free resources for restaurant growth.Engage with the audience for feedback and questions.Building a sustainable restaurant requires strategic thinking.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Restaurant Challenges02:33 The 1-3-1 Rule for Problem Solving05:23 Empowering Your Team to Think IndependentlyIf you’ve got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at josh@joshkopel.com and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.
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Lightning in a Bottle Isn’t a Strategy: Alex Pfaffenbach on Marrying Magic and Margins
Feb 2400:40:43Tap to summarizeWhat if the restaurants you admire most were never meant to be copied?Alex Pfaffenbach came up inside some of the most celebrated dining rooms in the world—Eleven Madison Park, The NoMad, Quality Branded—where ambition was massive and the standards were unforgiving. He saw what happens when lightning strikes. He also learned that lightning isn’t a business model.In this conversation, we break down the difference between managing a restaurant and owning one, why being busy doesn’t mean being profitable, and how timing, capital, and emotional resilience shape long-term success. Alex shares how he blended world-class hospitality with commercial discipline to build Marquette and Argyle without chasing anomalies.If you’re building something that has to last, and not just impress, this episode will recalibrate how you think about growth.To learn more about Marquette and Argyle and follow Alex’s journey as an independent operator, visit marketterestaurant.com._________________________________________________________Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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Leading with Focus: Peter Newlin on Revolutionizing Suburban Dining
Feb 2000:38:00Tap to summarizeSuccess in the restaurant industry is as much about grit as it is about vision, and few people embody both quite like Peter Newlin. As Chief Vision Officer of the Gastamo Group, Peter has transformed small neighborhood restaurants into a multi-concept hospitality group, all while championing the power of focus and community-driven dining. In today’s conversation, we explore Peter’s journey from outdoor enthusiast to restaurant innovator, his vision for disrupting suburban dining, and the critical role of AI and intentionality in shaping the future of hospitality. If you’ve ever wondered how to build a thriving business while staying grounded, this episode is for you. For more information on the Gastamo Group and their innovative concepts, visit https://www.gastamogroup.com._________________________________________________________Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
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