Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast Ep. 1244: Philip Bollhoefer, VP of Food & Beverage, Parks Hospitality Group

Date: January 12, 2026
Host: Eric Cacciatore
Guest: Philip Bollhoefer

Episode Overview

In this engaging and insightful episode, Eric sits down with Philip Bollhoefer, Vice President of Food and Beverage at Parks Hospitality Group, for a deep dive into the unique world of hotel-based restaurants. Philip brings a rare perspective—having climbed the hospitality ladder from line cook to executive leadership across major branded hotels—blending corporate discipline with a passion for creativity and locality. The conversation is rich with management wisdom, industry truths, and practical advice for current and aspiring restaurateurs.

Main Theme:

Bridging Corporate Structure and Local Flavor – Succeeding as an Independent Mindset within Branded Hospitality

Philip shares his journey through the hospitality industry, emphasizing the importance of people, process, and finding balance between brand standards and creative, chef-driven concepts. The discussion explores big-picture strategy, evolving restaurant culture, lessons learned from corporate giants, and how community and conscious capitalism play crucial roles in the future of hospitality.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hospitality vs. Service

• Quote: "Service is a monologue and hospitality is a dialogue. That goes for your guests, that goes for your team." (Philip, 04:17)
• Philip credits Danny Meyer and stresses that true hospitality is constant conversation—with both guests and staff—which builds loyalty and success beyond just meeting brand standards.

2. Hotel Restaurant Operations Demystified

• Ownership Structure: Parks Hospitality is a family-owned company that operates branded hotels (Hilton, Embassy Suites, etc.) but also develops independent restaurant concepts within hotels.
• Franchise Dynamics: The hotel company owns the building and licenses the "flag"—the brand, e.g., Embassy Suites—from corporate, operating both required and independently conceived restaurants.
• Brand vs. Independent: Soprano Rooftop Cucina is a fully independent concept—demonstrating how hotel settings can foster chef-driven, local-driven restaurants apart from brand requirements.
  • “Eatery is Hilton-branded. Soprano is entirely ours—no brand standards, just Hilton’s quality assurance for basics. The creativity is all us.” (Philip, 10:04)

3. Building Loyalty—From Guests & Teams

• National hotel brands provide built-in customer bases and brand standards to start from; success is built by exceeding those standards.
• Employee Investment: Long-term staff retention (Philip has been with only 3 companies over his career) is an example of what results when companies “show up” for employees.
  • “Their success is our success as a company.” (Philip, 04:42)

4. Mentorship and Leadership Lessons

• Crucial Leadership Advice:
  • "Don’t eat your young. You have to let people fail in a supported way so they learn and grow.” (Philip, 21:27)
  • Learn to let staff find their own boundaries, strengths, and weaknesses by allowing them to approach (but not cross) their limits.
• Celebrating Growth: Good leaders celebrate when their staff are ready to move on to new opportunities—even if it’s outside the organization.

5. Career Trajectory—Hotel Life vs. Independent Restaurants

• Philip’s biography:
  • Started as a pantry cook, advanced through Hyatt and Omni hotels, accumulating wide exposure to varied concepts within one corporate structure.
• Major Lesson:
  • Large hotels force chefs to master systems, relationships, and process—allowing more focus on food and guest experience, and preparing them to lead and eventually run more agile, smaller operations.
  • "You can't do it by yourself… it takes a village. You have to lean on process." (Philip, 39:16)

6. Finding Work-Life Balance

• Burnout is Real: Large resort and hotel operations demand intense hours and personal sacrifice. Philip’s decision to join Parks Hospitality was rooted in personal well-being and a desire for healthier work-life balance.
  • “I realized my identity couldn’t just be being a chef. I needed balance.” (Philip, 46:51)

7. The Business of Hotel Restaurants: Profit, Quality, and Community

• Hotel restaurants rarely depend solely on F&B to carry the business—room revenue is central—but a great restaurant is essential for talent retention and guest satisfaction.
• Staffing Struggles: With rising costs and labor shortages post-pandemic, restaurants need to find ways to deliver high-quality, approachable food at fair prices.

Notable Business Strategies:

• Invest in people before anything else—community, mentorship, and opportunity drive sustainable growth.
• Maintain emergency financial reserves for resilience during crises (e.g., Hurricane Helene).
  • “If we hadn’t had cash reserves, we’d have had nothing to come back to after the storm.” (Philip, 67:32)

8. Community, Sustainability, and Responsible Growth

• Local Synergy: Asheville’s restaurant scene is characterized by collaboration, not competition—chefs and operators routinely help each other, “a rising tide lifts all ships.”

• Conscious Capitalism: Prioritize responsible profitability—balancing margins, quality, and team welfare.

  • "You should be able to explain all your decisions. You need to have reserves and support your team, especially after disasters." (Philip, 66:58)

• Affordable Excellence:

  • “How do we bring a quality meal and experience at an affordable price? We have to check our egos—bring approachable, wholesome food to everyone.” (Philip, 103:36)

9. Industry Trends & Technology

• Outsourcing as Leverage: Use specialized external partners for branding, PR, and fractional C-suite support to let operational leaders focus where they excel.
• Tech Stack: In hotels, options are limited by brand requirements; favorable shoutout to Agilisys POS for service and reinvestment.
  • “For hotel groups, POS choices are limited by integration needs—but service and support are what matter.” (Philip, 90:43)
• PR over Social Media: The noise of social makes authentic, local PR more impactful for community-based restaurants.

10. Rethinking Tipping & Compensation

• Advocates for pricing food appropriately and fairly compensating staff, rather than relying on tip models and kitchen tip-outs.
• Quote:
  • "Just charge what it costs to run your business. No one needs a line item for kitchen appreciation." (Eric & Philip, 88:03)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Success Mantra:
  • "Service is a monologue, hospitality is a dialogue." (Danny Meyer, quoted by Philip, 04:17)
• Leadership Wisdom:
  • "Don't eat your young... You don't need to shout. Show your team a way through." (John Brand, as cited by Philip, 21:27)
• On Staff Growth:
  • "If someone wants to grow and leave, celebrate it. That means you've prepared them for the next thing." (Philip, 27:19)
• On Community:
  • "After Hurricane Helene, the community is closer. We help each other more than ever." (Philip, 98:30)
• Defining Personal Growth:
  • "I define my success by other people’s success." (Philip, 108:34)

Suggested Listening/Timestamps

• Opening Mantra & Hotel Structure: 04:17–10:30
• Career Journey & Corporate vs. Independent: 15:03–30:35
• Leadership & Letting People Fail: 21:25–25:26
• Burnout & Work-Life Balance: 43:21–48:05
• Branding, Community & Pandemic Adaptation: 62:52–73:32
• Value-Driven Hospitality & Collaborating Locally: 74:22–76:32
• Rethinking Tipping, Tech Stack & PR: 87:40–106:49
• Final Wisdom Nuggets: 108:56–109:06

Hosts’ Biggest Takeaways

• People Over Systems: Put staff first—support their ambitions, reward growth, and engage in genuine dialogue.
• Balance Brand and Local: Branded hotel concepts can successfully support independent, chef-driven restaurants—if leadership allows space for creativity and local roots.
• Community Resilience: The power of collaboration over competition accelerates recovery and growth.
• Conscious Capitalism: A successful operation must be both responsible to its staff/community and financially prudent to survive external shocks.
• Process Not Finish Line: Focus on making every day, every experience, better—not on awards or accolades.

Closing Note

Philip’s approach—balancing the discipline and resources of corporate hospitality with the soul and innovation of independent restaurants—offers a blueprint for sustainable, people-first growth in a rapidly evolving industry. Leaders at all levels will find actionable insights and inspiration here.

Final Wisdom from Philip Bollhoefer:

1. Lead with kindness.
2. Be relentless in the pursuit of your values.
3. Have fun.

(108:56–109:06)

For more info:

• Soprano Rooftop Cucina
• Parks Hospitality Group
• Branding by [Outline, Charleston SC]
• PR by [One For The Books, Asheville NC]

Other restaurants referenced: Tall Johns, Owl Bakery (Asheville, NC)

Listen, share, and get Unstoppable!