Invest Like the Best — Sean Feeney: Reinventing the Restaurant Business

Classic Episode, September 5, 2025
Host: Patrick O’Shaughnessy
Guest: Sean Feeney (Co-founder, Grove House Hospitality Group; Owner, Lilia & Misi)

Overview

This episode features Sean Feeney, a former finance professional turned hospitality entrepreneur and co-founder of one of New York City’s most acclaimed restaurant groups. Patrick O’Shaughnessy explores Sean’s remarkable journey from Wall Street to serving thousands on restaurant waitlists, how Sean upended traditional restaurant operating wisdoms, the power of community and brand, and how hospitality can become a model for business and personal fulfillment. The conversation is rich with practical reinventions, emotional leadership, and inspiring creative thinking.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sean’s Transition: Finance to Hospitality

Timestamps: [04:02]–[12:54]

• Sean began his finance career in 2003, ultimately becoming a high-yield bond trader at Anchorage Capital.
• Developed a friendship with renowned chef Missy Robbins, initially as neighbors, sharing a passion for food.
• Witnessed Missy’s burnout after decades in high-stakes kitchens despite exceptional acclaim (two Michelin stars).
• Inspired by Missy’s determination to rebuild her life, Sean decided to support her dream of restaurant ownership.
• Despite Missy’s initial doubts about partnering with a finance outsider, Sean’s persistence and faith led him to write a business plan and advocate nightly, “For four months, every single night, I came home from Anchorage with something to talk to Missy about on why we should be partners.” [11:10]
• Emphasized his belief in people—in Missy’s genius and the power of committed relationships.

2. Genius & Embracing Individual Strengths

Timestamps: [12:54]–[16:34]

• Sean was deeply influenced by a Jay Z concert (“Everybody has a genius” [13:36]).
• Asserts that “what you do is not who you are. Who you are is understanding your greatest strengths ... I believe that every single human is a genius, and there is one inside of them.”
• True success is found in fulfillment and joy, not just titles or compensation.

3. First Principles in Restaurant Business

Timestamps: [17:09]–[24:57]

• Questioned industry norms—“Why does everyone say you can't make money in restaurants?”
• Applied finance discipline: set ambitious profitability targets (20% EBITDA vs. 8% industry average).
• Advocated treating expenses as a strict formula (“Keep it simple”—a recurring theme).
• Revolutionized traditional rent structure by proposing percentage-of-sales leases rather than fixed rent.
  • “I thought it was crazy ... can’t we say this is what I think we’re going to do in sales, and then we could pay a percentage of it?" [20:32]
• Found this model fostered healthier, more aligned landlord relationships, especially visible during the COVID-19 pandemic [23:10].

4. Building Magnetic Demand and Authentic Brands

Timestamps: [24:57]–[34:25]

• Restaurants became “brands customers chase” instead of the other way around, with legendary waitlists (5,000+ nightly).
• Used “drop” models for pasta products, emulating streetwear brands (Kith, Supreme) to channel community excitement [25:27].
• Partnership lessons from Kith’s Ronnie Fieg and rapper Action Bronson on storytelling, collaboration, and making everyone feel included (“The way he tells the story about what he’s doing, the collaborations ... are long standing. He never does something for one time.” [32:13])

5. Hospitality as Everyday Magic: The Guest Experience

Timestamps: [34:25]–[37:41]

• Hospitality defined as “creativity plus compassion” [34:29]; treating each guest uniquely according to their needs.
• The metric for success: “It's if you are proud to be a part of this, you have to feel safe when you enter our doors ... So that when you do leave, you're excited to come back.” [35:16]
• Obsessive focus on driving repeat visits—guests booking reservations for their next meal while at the restaurant.

6. Power of Caring Deeply: Connections & Social Media

Timestamps: [37:41]–[44:23]

• “It’s the way you make someone feel every day.” [62:44]
• Story of meeting Chef’s Table creator Brian McGinn via Instagram, which energized Sean’s approach to media and genuine customer interaction.
• Origin story of the now-iconic mafaldini with pink peppercorn and parmesan, a testament to serendipity and creative iteration in the kitchen [41:11].

7. Owning the Customer Relationship, Data, and Experience

Timestamps: [44:23]–[53:37]

• Sean sees hospitality as an ongoing relationship, not just a transaction (“We are so fortunate that we have people who will spend months and years trying to get a reservation at our restaurants ... That is an enormous responsibility of ours.” [45:08])
• Uses pre- and post-visit communication, surveys, and operations data to tune every part of the guest experience—leading to the idea of the “Perfect Turn.”
• The “Perfect Turn” (optimal guest experience and operational efficiency) is a framework for continuous improvement (“The perfect turn was not getting people in and out as quickly as possible... It was getting people the perfect experience that they wanted and at the same time being operationally efficient as a restaurant business.” [51:17])

8. Integration, Fulfillment, and Branding Beyond Restaurants

Timestamps: [56:01]–[62:44]

• Influence of Italian luxury brand Brunello Cucinelli’s Solomeo—work/life integration and pride in craft.
• Ambitions to create community and a brand that is “about why it exists, not just what it is.”
• Realization that being in your zone of genius changes the meaning of success—shifting from financial milestones to a life of impact and creative fulfillment. (“I’ll never want to retire. I’ll never want to stop doing this thing...” [60:28])

9. Scaling Authentic, Neighborhood-Driven Concepts

Timestamps: [66:43]–[78:11]

• Story of founding Feeney, a neighborhood pizzeria, and intentionally embedding community support (cash and creative programs) into the business model.
• Initiatives for cleanliness and youth engagement (e.g., Clean Streets trash cans, pizza for kids who read, and local sporting events).
• “My hope, my dream was eight years have 10 really successful, consistent pizzerias that just made the neighborhoods better.” [70:08]
• “Never one time” concept: commitment to real, long-term relationships with customers, staff, and the community.

10. Team Building & Talent Nurturing

Timestamps: [78:11]–[96:38]

• Creating spaces (like Feeney’s back room) for creativity, experimentation, and private engagement.
• Role of intuition, creative response, and speed in launching new ideas (“I think it's been fun feeling what's working and not afraid to admit when something doesn't.” [85:17])
• Empowering team members to define and grow their roles (e.g., a host who becomes Director of Content).

11. Key Business Lessons

Timestamps: [96:21]–[103:34]

• Archaic restaurant back-office systems and disjointed industry practices provide opportunity for innovation.
• The transformative power of trusting, supporting, and inspiring people (“The best reward is watching people who start with us in a job that find their thing. And I'm able to say, like, yeah, we need that. We can support that now too.” [100:40])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Partnership & Belief:

“For four months, every single night, I came home from Anchorage with something to talk to Missy about on why we should be partners... It wasn't even like we were saving her. But I just believed so deeply in someone that I was willing to do something that I never thought I could do.”
[11:10, Sean]

On Operating from First Principles:

“To me, I loved hearing 'this is just the way it is' ... because to me, it was people stopped looking for better ideas.”
[18:00, Sean]

On Brand and Scarcity:

“There’s like incredible excess demand around these things. ... It’s about playing the long game and finding the right balance—so that people are chasing the brand versus the brand chasing the guests.”
[25:27, Sean]

On Community Impact:

“If we could do those two things really well...what I loved about pizzerias growing up ... if you read three books in a month, show us the titles, and write two sentences, you get a free pizza for your family. ... If you show us proof that you did a neighborhood volunteer project, you get a free pizza.”
[69:28, Sean]

On Creative Agency:

“It was knowing that I had someone who was extremely talented and feeling like he was in a zone of finding his true self and saying, we have an event in a couple days. I don’t think they’re going for pizza at 8:30 in the morning. What would you want to do?”
[85:17, Sean]

On the Kindest Thing:

“Her love has been relentless, and the belief ... the greatest gift is the courage she gave me. The courage to risk being my true self. And I'll be forever grateful.”
[104:09, Sean, about Maria]

Timestamps for Key Sections

| Topic | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------------|:--------------:| | Sean’s career transition & Missy partnership | 04:02–12:54 | | Genius and fulfillment | 12:54–16:34 | | First principles business approach | 17:09–24:57 | | Brand, demand, and customer chase | 24:57–34:25 | | Hospitality and experience design | 34:25–37:41 | | Social media, Mafaldini story, customer bonds | 37:41–44:23 | | Relationship-based hospitality, the perfect turn | 44:23–53:37 | | Branding deeper than product, inspiration | 56:01–62:44 | | Growth mindset, comparison to Jay-Z and DMX | 62:44–66:43 | | Feeney pizzeria: Model, community, scale | 66:43–78:11 | | Team building, innovation, “Friends of Feeney” | 78:11–90:33 | | Missy: Simplicity, menu focus, leadership lessons | 90:33–96:21 | | Business lessons & talent development | 96:21–103:34 | | Closing, the power of belief and kindness | 104:09–end |

Final Takeaways

• Sean Feeney’s story is about challenging conventions, thoughtfully questioning every “rule” of the industry, and leading by empowering others to discover their own genius.
• Success in hospitality—and arguably in any business—centers around relationships, authenticity, meticulous attention to experience, and finding joy in the long game.
• Brands break through not by chasing customers, but by creating experiences people want to be part of—again and again.
• The fusion of art and commerce is possible and beautiful when led by principle, care, and the courage to be yourself.

For more insights and resources, visit joincolossus.com.