John Marino (RAK Porcelain USA) & Chef Thomas Mandzik — Leadership, Trust, and the Long Game in Hospitality

Summary

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Walk-In Talk Podcast: Leadership, Trust, and the Long Game in Hospitality

Episode Guests: John Marino (RAK Porcelain USA), Chef Thomas Mandzik

Host: Carl Fiadini

Date: April 10, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, host Carl Fiadini welcomes John Marino, President of RAK Porcelain USA, and Chef Thomas Mandzik for an in-depth and candid discussion on what honest leadership, trust, and the “long game” mean within the hospitality sector. The conversation goes beyond product talk, offering a rare look at how key decisions are made, what motivates teams, and how true partnerships and forward-thinking philosophies can shape both individual careers and entire organizations in the food industry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Celebrating Chef Thomas’ Culinary Journey & New Venture

• Chef Thomas’ Latest Dishes and Inspiration (02:07 – 08:06)
  • Describes a “fish mosaic” dish and a strawberry pavlova, both crafted as “artistry on a plate” and showcased for their seasonal freshness.
  • Quote: “With me, Rack Porcelain is definitely the canvas, and it was just my opportunity to bring the paints.” (Chef Thomas, 07:50)
• Announcement: Chef’s Move to Corpus Christi (03:24 – 05:26)
  • Chef Thomas will open "Black Lamb," a 20-seat chef’s table, aiming to bring fine dining and a Michelin star pursuit to a new region.
  • Quote: “I always kind of felt like I was the black sheep of the family...So I figured I’d call it Black Lamb because, you know, I need to stand out.” (Chef Thomas, 03:45)
  • Highlights the risk-taking spirit: pushing boundaries in an area unfamiliar with chef's tables.

Dedication, Accountability, and Team Trust

• Navigating Staff Challenges (08:42 – 09:48)
  • Chef Thomas openly discusses losing key team members but credits staff resilience and the importance of standards and trust.
  • Quote: “Holding them to a certain bit of standards and accountability has really helped.” (Chef Thomas, 08:42)
  • Quote: “You figured out the workaround, and you trust the people that are there, and you execute when you’re here.” (Carl, 09:01)

John Marino’s Leadership Philosophy & Career Path

• From Busboy to President: Lessons Learned (11:54 – 14:07)
  • Marino’s career arc: starting as a 13-year-old busboy, experiencing every role, and applying a hands-on approach to leadership.
  • Quote: “I wanted to understand how it all came together...so that I can go back to management ...and say, this is where we are stuck, and this is why.” (John Marino, 14:28)
• Problem-Solving and Eliminating Bottlenecks (14:28 – 16:09)
  • Advocates deeply understanding every department, from manufacturing to sales and operations, to create lasting solutions rather than just reporting issues.

Building & Sustaining Trust

• The Sales-to-President Transition: Changing Relationships (17:32 – 19:22)
  • On earning trust: “Everyone that knows who I am, what I’m trying to accomplish, who I’m trying to accomplish it with, knows I’m going to put the time in to outwork anyone I’m competing against.” (John Marino, 17:32)
  • Recognizes the collective effort behind success: “As much as they would run through a wall for me, I’d run through that same wall for them.” (John Marino, 19:59)

The “Clean, Simple, Sustainable, Scalable” Philosophy

• John Marino’s Leadership Model (20:57 – 23:29)
  • Drives home the importance of simplicity, sustainability, and scale—preferring slower, thorough processes that last over quick fixes.
  • Shares a pivotal leadership lesson: “Looking for short term gains...gives them long term losses. And that’s not our philosophy here. I want long term solutions.” (John Marino, 21:20)
  • Emphasizes tying solutions back to the entire organization, not just individuals—avoiding “silos.”

Culture, Happiness, and Staff Engagement

• The Ripple Effect of Good Culture (24:51 – 26:02)
  • Carl notes the visible happiness and engagement of RAK’s staff as a testament to top-down culture.
  • Quote: “The number one resource this organization has is its team...making sure that they’re enjoying their life, that things are working out well for them.” (John Marino, 24:51)

Vendor/Chef Relationships: Beyond Sales

• What Matters Most in B2B Hospitality Partnerships (26:02 – 30:27)
  • Genuine understanding and accessibility trump basic product knowledge; deep relationships are built on reliability and mutual support.
  • Quote: “If you’re accessible, if you make yourself available for your client at the off times…That is what drives relationships deep.” (Carl, 26:37)
  • Chef Thomas underscores the value of personal care: “It wasn’t the professional part of Carl. That was the personal part of Carl. I’m trying to make my life more happy.” (Chef Thomas, 29:27)

Sustainability vs. Scalability: Organizational Growth

• Evolving Strategic Focus (30:41 – 33:23)
  • John explains the dangers of spreading too thin (“mile wide, inch deep”) and why staying sustainable must precede scaling.
  • Quote: “Sometimes I’ve been challenged on that...Don’t you want to be scalable more than you want to be sustainable? The short answer is no...That’s the caveat most people miss in the industry.” (John Marino, 32:05)

Innovation, Transparency, and Operational Excellence

• RAK’s Technology Edge & Product Consistency (39:09 – 42:01)
  • Marino outlines how state-of-the-art facilities enable RAK to deliver consistency, reliability, and speed.
  • Quote: “We’re able to produce yields in the 97, 98%, which is, you know, well above standards of the industry… All new standards of the industry.” (John Marino, 39:09)
  • Chef Thomas frames this as a massive selling point for chefs, particularly for guaranteed uniform orders delivered quickly.

The Power of Trust & Creative Partnerships

• Enabling Innovation in Hospitality (42:54 – 44:02)
  • When trust exists between brands and chefs, “You’re able...to create the new standards that the market’s trying to achieve…We can create anything.” (John Marino, 42:54)
  • Summarized as the “crux of the entire podcast”—the necessity of mutual creativity and support.

What the Industry Needs for the Future (2026 and Beyond)

• More Independent Thinkers & True Originals (44:48 – 47:47)
  • John calls for independent thinkers and fresh leadership: “We need more independent thinkers...people that should be at the helm are not necessarily getting as much mainstream attention that we need.” (John Marino, 44:48)
  • Encourages breaking away from carbon-copy concepts and embracing genuine uniqueness and regional identities.
• Consistency, Genuineness, and Passion (47:47 – 48:14)
  • Chef Thomas closes with: “Consistency, being genuine, and passion...missing generally in this profession.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You care about all of the processes involved in creating a dish. That, to me, is why I think you probably have a shot [at a Michelin star].”
  (Carl to Chef Thomas, 05:26)
• "I know enough to know I don't know it all...I try to put the right people in that room with me."
  (John Marino, 17:32)
• "If you’re accessible...that is what drives relationships deep, far out into the future."
  (Carl, 26:37)
• "The number one resource this organization has is its team."
  (John Marino, 24:51)
• "If RAC’s successful, we in turn will all be successful. If RAC’s not here, none of us are here."
  (John Marino, 22:04)
• “We’re not trying to be anyone else. We’re trying to be Rack Porcelain USA.”
  (John Marino, 33:47)
• "We need more independent thinkers...express yourself and make sure that you’re putting yourself in a position that allows you to be an independent thinker.”
  (John Marino, 44:48)
• “Consistency, being genuine, and passion...you wouldn't be sitting here right now getting...episode 200.”
  (Chef Thomas, 47:47)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:07 | Chef Thomas discusses dishes and artistry | | 03:24 | Chef Thomas announces Texas move & new venture | | 08:42 | Discussion on staff changes and accountability | | 11:54 | Carl to John: What operations experience taught about leadership | | 14:28 | John on understanding the entire operation and solving bottlenecks | | 17:32 | Trust and relationship-building journey from sales to president | | 20:57 | John’s “clean, simple, sustainable, scalable” leadership philosophy | | 24:51 | On staff engagement and company culture | | 26:14 | Chef Thomas: importance of vendor understanding & accessibility | | 30:41 | John on avoiding unsustainable scale and focusing on sustainability | | 39:09 | RAK’s technology, quality, and industry-leading yields | | 42:54 | What’s possible when chef and brand truly trust each other | | 44:48 | John on the need for independent thinkers in hospitality | | 47:47 | Chef Thomas on consistency, genuineness, and passion |

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Tone & Takeaways

• The conversation is candid, approachable, and deeply passionate—reflecting the authenticity and grit of both the culinary and manufacturing sides.
• Listeners are offered rare, practical insight into what makes hospitality leaders and businesses truly successful: trust, accessibility, genuine relationships, and a constant drive to improve while playing "the long game."
• Both guest and host stress the value of empathy, operational understanding, and the importance of challenging the status quo to drive the entire industry forward.

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If you work in hospitality, or want to understand what real leadership, vision, and partnership look like in foodservice, this episode is required listening.

Transcript

[American Medical Association Narrator]

Your social media feed delivers plenty of advice, but it doesn't know you. It doesn't ask questions. It doesn't give physical exams or order tests doctors do. At the American Medical association, we believe the best care starts with a real conversation, with someone who understands the science and your unique health. So stay curious, ask questions. But when it's time to make decisions, make them with a doctor. Learn more at amahealth versus hype.org that's

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

amahealthvshipe.org Some of the most important conversations

[Narrator/Producer]

in this business don't happen in the

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

kitchen, not in the dining room.

[Narrator/Producer]

They don't happen when the plate lands. They don't happen when the check gets signed, and they don't happen when everything is going right. They happen behind the scenes, in the decisions, in the pressure, in the way people choose to build something or cut corners trying. Today is one of those conversations. John Marino, president of Rack Porcelain usa, is with us in the studio. His story is built from the ground up. Operations, manufacturing, sales, leadership, and a very clear philosophy that runs through all of it. Solve real problems, build real relationships, and

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

play the long game.

[Narrator/Producer]

That's not theory. That's lived. And sitting across from him is Chef Thomas Manzik. Thomas understands what that actually looks like. On the other side, he's operating inside a larger organization. He understands standards, volume, consistency, cost, expectation, and the reality of delivering every single day. He also understands the play, how chefs, brands, and partners align when it's real

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

and when it's not.

[Narrator/Producer]

And that's why this conversation matters, because this is not about product. It's not about promotion. This is about how the machine actually works, how trust gets built, how decisions get made, and what happens when the right people are in the room for the right reasons.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Chef Thomas, welcome back again.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Yes, I'm right back.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Man. We did cool stuff today. We have a super awesome guest in house, which we're going to get to shortly with John Marino. Before we do, let's. Let's talk about these dishes.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

I'm gonna go right into it. First, I did a fish mosaic with an infusion of King Oro salmon. Got some big eye tuna loin, and I got some squid ink and brushed it some sebring on a nori wrap, and then I put it in a pool of apple yuzu vinaigrette and smoked olive oil. That was the first dish.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

We're well into spring. We're coming into summer, and this is a perfect dish for this time of the year.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Well, it's, it's bikini season, so you Gotta, you know.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Yeah. You know, I mean, I'm gonna get there. I mean, by the way, I lost £15.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Well, congrats to that.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm just saying, how is there shots involved?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Maybe.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

I'm not saying it's not, but whatever. I feel good about myself, and I don't care what you say. That is a perfect dish, you know, for. For this time of the year. It was indeed refreshing. Thank you. And it looked cool, man. There was the green, you had the salmon color, you had the tuna, and you brought Sebring.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

That's it.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

And then who's using Sebring out there?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Well, I was hoping a few other people, but know, we. We definitely had to bring it today with rack, porcelain. And don't forget to end with that smoke.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Good work. You had the dry ice. Quasi innovative, Thomas. I mean, you've really coming along. You know, it's almost like. I hate to see you go. You're leaving?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

I am.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Talk about that.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Well, I'm officially. It's official now. In the fall, going into 27, I'll be moving to Corpus Christi to start my own place. It's going to be called Black Lamb. It's gonna be a 20 seat chef's table, and I'm super, super excited.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Why black lamb?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

100% black lamb? Because the way it was brought up is I always kind of felt like I was the black sheep of the family. And then when I was doing some research and asking everybody in Corpus Christi, hey, are you guys ready for a chef's table? And they're like, no, what is that? And they had no idea what I was talking about. And they said, no, this isn't that type of town. So I figured I'd call it Black Liam because, you know, I need to

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

ask you a serious question. I mean, when they said, this is not that kind of town, and you said, yeah, it is. How. How did you. How did you arrive to say, I'm going to pull the trigger? How did you get there?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

In the end, I knew that they just didn't understand it. Well, then I'll be the first. And I met a really cool guy named David out there. He's been out there for quite a while. He owns quite a bit of property. He's a foodie by heart, and he's super excited to have me come out there. He gave me a good deal on one of his properties.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Let's talk about the cuisine.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

I've decided that it's my time. One thing that I've always wanted to chase was a Michelin star. This is my opportunity to do that, and I really feel amazing about it. I think the biggest thing for me is to cook with my passion and my artistry because, you know, first everything has to taste good, but from there, I love putting art on a plate.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

When you say chasing a star, what does that mean to you?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

You know, it's not just an ego move or anything like that. It's for the last four years, having the opportunity to be the executive of the Tampa club. We have an amazing clientele, and the members have always told me and said, man, if we could just let the inspectors come in here, you'd have one. And it's always just kind of drove me, and at this point in my life, I'm ready to go do it.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

I think we've known each other now for a good eight years. Eight, 10 years, something like that. And I remember when we met at the hotel out in St. Pete, and you had a good attitude, right? And obviously, we're all a little bit younger, and you had full head of hair. Yeah, you had hair, you had fire, but you still have the fire. And what's interesting about you is, and I'm not here to toot your horn, especially, you know, as you're on your way out or whatever, but to Texas. But you care about all of the processes involved in creating a dish. And for me, I think that's the first step in your adventure. That's your starting point. It isn't like. Well, it's an area that might be primed to learn something new. It's not that. It's the fact that every time you clean a plate, polish a plate, use a utensil, whatever ingredient that you're preparing to create a dish, you're part of every movement. That, to me, is. Is why I think you probably have a shot. Because your food is awesome and it looks stupid beautiful. Like, you put out really great plates. I am going to be sad to see you go in one respect, on the other respect. On the other side of that, you're going to become more powerful, Right? So there's going to be a lot of stuff that happens between Walk and Talk Media and Blacklam.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

You better believe it. You know, I really appreciate everything that you've done for me and this company and, you know, walk and Talk Media, but this isn't the end of me. And then we're just going to be out there in Texas.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

You like Obi Wan Kenobi? That's what I'm saying here, you know? You know if you strike me down, I'll. Whatever. What did he say?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

No, John's not talking.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Ch's not talking. God. Dish number two. What was it?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

So dish number two, I was super excited to unveil this. It was a strawberry pavlova with strawberry panna cotta, strawberry balsamic gel, and finished with some basil gelato.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

I smelled the basil, and again, like, this is the time of the year for this refreshing, easy eats dishes. What makes it special is that you bring in all the colors, you bring out all the flavors naturally. They're on, you know, rack porcelain, so, you know, it looks good. Oh, yeah, that goes without saying. Staring at you, John, the other John, John Marino.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Well, ultimately, in the end, when you told me that John Marino's coming and, you know, we're going to be doing the rack porcelain, I had to bring my A game, because with me, rack porcelain is the definitely the canvas, and it was just my opportunity to bring the paints.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

It's all about the artistry, and that's what I'm saying. I think that you fit this awarded chef category. That's you. I don't want to say Michelin or beard, because I think you possess all of those skills. Obviously, you run a tight ship. It's not just about your food production or food quality or even your conceptual approach to the dish. You have to run your kitchen correct, and you have to run the front of the house and the whole house. Everything has to be in sync in order to. To kind of get to that level. But I feel like you have that you have all the experiences in the world to. To pull that off a little bit.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Transparency is. This week, I lost my cdc and I lost my garment chef, and it's a little tough right now, but, you know, I had an obligation to come here. I wasn't going to miss out on being here with rack porcelain. But at the same time, the rest of my staff just stepped up and, you know, holding them to a certain bit of standards and accountability has really helped.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

And for me, that's what matters most. But I didn't know. You didn't tell me you didn't. I had no idea that you were in that kind of tight spot. You could have very easily been like, Carl, man, I wanted to be there. This would have been great. I can't. You didn't do that. No, no. You figured out the workaround, and you trust the people that are there, and you're here, and you exit when you're here. You execute.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Thank you. You know, I think in the End, it's mainly because, you know, again, it's the staff, but it's also the obligation and the, the respect that I have for you, the respect I have for John. And ultimately, in the end, if I got to get up at 5am True story. Then I'm gonna give at 5am for the next couple days and make it happen.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

I think this is a terrific segue. John Marino, welcome to the program.

[John Marino]

Thank you for having me.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

I think it's been a long time

[John Marino]

coming that it truly has.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

For those in the audience that don't know, Rack Porcelain USA and Walk and Talk Media are partners. So if you watch our film work weekly and you see the photography that we put out weekly, there really isn't a shoot that goes through that doesn't have their product in it, which is amazing. It's a workhorse, but beautiful.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Support for Walk and Talk Media comes from Metro Food Service Solutions, trusted by kitchens that need storage and workflow that actually does the job. Learn [e-mail] I have to tell you,

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

John, sincerely appreciate you making the trip here to Florida from up north. It means a lot. It really does. Sincerely, thank you.

[John Marino]

Yeah, definitely. Most welcome. Doesn't hurt to get out of Ohio and come down to Florida. It's been a rough four or five months between the snow, the rain, some nice weather and then back to the snow. So thank you for having me again.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Pleasure's ours. I have to tell you, it's been rough here too. You know, the 50 degree nights here have been brutal. Brutal on us. You know, Floridians, I have to tell

[John Marino]

you, I think that next podcast is going to have to be in Ohio.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

What for? To make me suffer? Exactly. Okay, all right, all right, look, so you're here and you are the president of Rack Porcelain usa. And John, we left off just now with, with Chef Thomas. The guy's an animal and he's accountable, he's accessible. He's all these things that make somebody like, sought after. Like this is. This is the kind of guy you'd want working in your company. He shows up regardless. You came up through operations, long hours, pressure, real environments. What does that experience teach you about this business that still drives you and how you lead today?

[John Marino]

Definitely a loaded question. It's one that it's taken me years to kind of unfold, build back the way it need to be built for Iraq. The simple answer is it's not an easy industry. And when you start to unravel it, you realize how many layers there are to it and unfortunately, how Many organizations have gaps in what their offense and defense are as they go to market. And being able to grow up in this industry, when I was 13 years old, I was, in essence, a busboy and worked in the dish tank. I worked on the line, I worked on front of the house. Being able to understand how it all kind of came together. I was able to make assessments, understand what was working, what wasn't working, and be able to identify that for that specific organization. And it allowed me to kind of grow in the industry in a way that many weren't able to do that. I think a lot of. A lot of the people in this industry, they find a foothold, they get themselves established, and then they realize it's. It's still a lot of hard work to understand how it all kind of comes together. And they. They unfortunately leave the industry where I actually kind of rolled up my sleeves. I got more engaged because I wanted to understand how it all kind of came together. And from, you know, a operational standpoint, one of the hardest things on that side is just the staff. Chuck was just talking about the same where it's hard to find good people, it's hard to maintain those people and build those relationships and continue to elevate them within those organizations. And at one point, I was doing the exact same thing for other organizations as I was coming up in the industry. And thankfully, I was being noticed, I was being kind of sought out to be more engaged in different roles in the companies that I was associated with. And one thing led to another, and eventually I was able to be in a position where I work for regional chains, I work for fine dining, I work for casual dining. And in the end, I was able to understand and be relatable from a lot of different standpoints.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Channel John. It makes sense. Not only did you learn the restaurant side, you have that experience to pull from, but even within your own industry, you made a point to learn every part of the system. Manufacturing, design, shipping. And it wasn't just sales. Even though that was like, that was your baby for a while. Why was it important for you to understand the entire operation?

[John Marino]

Yeah, I mean, it came from the operational side of the same equation. I was trying to solve problems, so I would have an account that I would work with. And whether it be something from a design flaw or a manufacturing defect or a time frame to be able to hold ourselves to those standards, I wasn't getting the answers that I wanted to. And so I would go to those different departments and say, why is this not working? Or what can we do different to make this work better for these accounts? And I, in essence, became kind of a sponge, and I wanted to kind of dig in and understand. So thankfully, at the time, I was working with another manufacturer that was based in the United States. And I had different department heads that knew if John Marino was working on a project that they. They would stop what they were doing and support me because they knew I was. I was running hard. And so that. That way, you know, they wanted to run hard with me. And so I would go out to the factory. I would spend time with, with the manufacturing team, I'd spend time with the operational team, I'd spend time with the production team, the design team, the lab team, and shipping departments. Every single department. There was bottlenecks. And what I wanted to do was un. Bottlenecked. In order to do that, I needed to understand that so that I can go back to the management that were still above me at the time and say, this is where we are stuck, and this is why we are still stuck. And here's my answer. I never wanted to be a guy that just compl about why something wasn't working. I wanted to be able to understand why it wasn't working and then be able to present a solution for how it could work better.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Not everybody is built to figure things out, to identify what the challenges are and then create the workaround. Not everybody's going to be the leader. It doesn't exist. You have to have the guy or galaxy that understands that in each sector of business that you're in, you're going to have your specific challenges that need addressing. Every division of business has that, whether it's on the shipping side, the pullers, pickers, you know, customer service, data entry, sales team, marketing, all of it. And that travels up to the C suite. It's. Everybody has their set of problems, but when you go from busboy when you're a kid, and then you work your way through all the ranks and you become president of a fairly large operation, and you're connected to the mothership all the way out to Ras Al Khaimah in the uae, that's a big deal. And not everybody can do that. You spent a lot of time in sales, okay? And not every salesperson has the capacity to lead. They can take their orders, they can manage their accounts. They could talk about the business. But to make the jump from sales to president, how did that change the relationships and the level of trust that you have with your clients and even the team that you were still working with?

[John Marino]

That is a great question. Simply answers trust. I think that everyone that I, that knows who I am, what I'm trying to accomplish, who I'm trying to accomplish it with with, knows I'm going to put the time in to outwork anyone I'm competing against. Simple answers trust. But I, I think to go in a little bit more depth for you on that. I, I know enough to know I don't know it all. And more importantly, I try to put the right people in that room with me and our mothership. As you mentioned, the, the team that I have at the corporate office, the people that I've worked with throughout my entire career. You know, I've had some very influential organizations that I've had the pleasure of working with, and each and every one of them have helped define who I am in this, this industry and what I'm able to accomplish collectively with the people that, that I work with. And they believed in me. Even probably times I didn't necessarily believe in myself. You know, you have to remember I'm a kid from Youngstown, Ohio, you know, that that was trying to find a way in life. Got hooked into some really cool organizations and just kept working and one thing led to another and, you know, my dream was I've exceeded it. You know, to me, for me to be in this role, to do what I'm doing right now is absolutely incredible. It's fun. I enjoy every day the people that I get to work with and the things that we get to develop and design. It's. And, you know, chefs get to work with, with what we're producing and they. It blows my mind that we get to do what we do and play the way we play and work with the people we get to work with throughout this industry. And it just keeps driving me to try harder.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

John, I think you're selling yourself a little short because the conversation that we had earlier and then even what I'm listening to now, I've kind of realized that you were the first person in the room, and you're probably one of the last people out of the room in every situation. And I think that's really where your success came from. Being, you know, the busboy all the way up to the president in your situation, because you were the person that came and grind every single day. Like you're the one that we talk about in the movies and the, and the tales. You actually did it in life. So don't sell yourself so short.

[John Marino]

No, thank you. Yeah, it, it's not short. It's. I'M I'm definitely always trying to be respectful to the people that helped me get here because I wouldn't be what I am without the people that have helped me accomplish these tasks. And it's a collective of us and even my team that works for me. They know that as much as they would run through a ball for me, I'd run through that same wall for them.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Support for Walk and Talk Media comes from Metro Food Service Solutions, trusted by kitchens that need storage and workflow that actually does the job. Learn [e-mail] youm don't get there by chance.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

You get there by trial, error, falling on your face, picking yourself up, staying committed, dedicated. All of those things that sound so cliche, but the truth is they're not like you have to, you have to crawl through the coals in order to learn, in order to grow. Well, you have a philosophy that you, you operate by.

[John Marino]

Yeah, you're absolutely right. There's been times in my career that there's been one moment that's changed everything and that's kind of where this philosophy comes from. It's simple. Keep it clean and simple, sustainable and scalable. And my position in this company at the head of the Rack Porcelain USA division, the staff needs to come to me when they figured out how to make it clean and simple. And it sounds cliche ish to say clean and simple, but there's a lot of work that has to go into something before you can make it clean and simple. And to me that's where a lot of organizations go wrong. They're looking for short term gains which gives them long term losses. And that's not our philosophy here. I want long term solutions. I'd rather it take longer to get it right than find a quick, quick solution. And being able to make that that clean and simple, yet you have to be able to replicate that and that's how you get it to be sustainable. So I can make a bunch of silos and solve problems for independent individuals, but that's not making it clean, simple for the organization. So one of the key philosophies starts that if RAC's successful, we in turn will all be successful. If Rack's not here, none of us are here. So we have to make sure that RAC is first successful. And in order to do that, I can't just make it clean and simple for you, it has to be clean and simple for the organization. So when I was in my first year as president, I got very excited. How do you not? And so I wanted to go out and tackle all these different projects. And independently, I was having conversations with all the key members of our staff, and I was solving those problems, saying, great, run after this. Here's something that's clean and simple for you. Then there was another one. Clean and simple for another person. Another one for clean and simple for another person. All I did was make silos. There was no pull through. So what we needed to do was have connectivity in order for D to make that clean and simple for you. Can you tie that back into the company? And that was kind of year two. John Marino was president, so year one, Marino was fired. Year two, Marino came at the helm and realized that this was not sustainable. And that's why it was no longer plain simple. It was no longer sustainable. It was definitely not scalable. So year two, Marino said, okay, we need to be able to have this all tied together. In order to be able to do that, I need you to find a way to bring that back to the company, not just for yourself. And that was when we really started to make headway.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

You talk about staff. We work hand in hand with the Tanyas and the Tinas and the Kylie's, and they're all terrific. You have a solid staff. I don't typically say this lightly. Everybody has their work stresses and stuff, all of us. And I think your people seem genuinely like happy people in life. That's a big deal. And that's a big statement. Whenever I go to a manufacturer or a distribution house or whenever I go on site somewhere, one of the first things I look at is who's working the front desk and what's their personality type, how do they look, their appearance, are they happy? That tells me almost everything I need to know about the establishment. When we met Tina and Franz at the FNB at C show a few years back, that was a happy booth. If you remember, earlier, we were talking about sad booths, right? At trade shows. Yep, they were a happy booth. And they were inviting, you know, they didn't know who we were. They were just representing the brand. And I was like, I can talk with these people. These are good people. And then it just opened up the doors and the communication lines and, you know, here we are today, right? Fast forward. Kudos to you on the team, man. I just. I wanted to take a second to kind of point that out because it's a testament to what it is that you're doing up top. It has to trickle down. Culture trickles down from up top. It doesn't start at the bottom and trickle up it comes down.

[John Marino]

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. The number one resource this organization has is its team. And you have to have a balance. Work, personal life and to me, taking a specific approach to have a connection with each and every staff member within our organization, understand what's driving them on a personal level and making sure that they're, they're enjoying their life, that things are working out well for them, that we are dedicated to them both professionally and personally. They are definitely dedicated to us to make sure that this organization is working well. And you know, that, that I think is at the helm of everything and my personal life. I love, I love my, my family. I would do anything for them. Most families would, Most individuals do that are associated with their organizations and they want to make sure that the organization they're working for helps them do what they're trying to do from their personal life. So what I do is try to make sure that I'm engaged on those levels to understand what it is that they're trying to accomplish and make sure that or our organization as a whole helps them accomplish those tasks at hand.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Chef, from your side of this, how important is it that the companies that you work with actually understand your world? Hospitality versus just trying to sell into it?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

You know, I think the biggest thing with that that you're talking about is the fact that, you know, if they're going to come in and they don't really know what we're doing or what our vision is, then it's kind of a waste of time on both sides of it. And you know, I love a well prepared representative, but I also love somebody that has the same type of passion for what we're producing. You know, there has to be a mindset.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Let me offer some insight there. So if it's me, I'm coming from the distribution lane. For me, it's more important that the salesperson is accessible. John, were talking about this earlier. You can say, yeah, I want to be accountable. Well, that's cool. What does that mean? If you're accessible, if you make yourself available for your client at the off times, five o' clock in the morning, midnight, whatever it takes. That's accessibility. That is what drives relationships deep, far out into the future. And those are the ones that when Chef leaves location A to location B, they take you along. Correct. They never, you never leave. It's a relationship that never breaks.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

No, you definitely nailed it. Because in the end, Carl, I think that's one of the biggest reasons that we've spent so much time together. Over the years, because, you know, I always knew that I could call you. I always knew that I could say, hey, look, I need a box of hair corvairs, or I need, you know, a case of this or that. And I knew at least I was going to get an answer.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

You know, that's funny thing. When I would hire salespeople, support for

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[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

I wouldn't. I would do interviews off, off site. I didn't want to do it in the warehouse. I didn't want it being stuffy. It was always like a coffee shop somewhere. And I would dart questions and let them talk. It would go for like an hour just, you know, just speaking. I want to hear how you're going to talk. What are you going to say, right? And when it comes down to one of those darts and you know, how do you feel about answering your phone? I am absolutely scoping body language, like on fire, you know, in an on fire way. Like, I knew at that point if this person was getting hired or not. Because in a sales role, especially in the food industry, where all the hours are, you know, a mess for everybody, if you're not willing to participate in the communication process with your clients, there's no place for you here. That is the single. That is my pet peeve. The single most important thing to do is answer your phone. You don't even your product knowledge from. In my opinion, I know a lot of people will, you know, fight me on this, whatever, but knowing your product is great, but that's not the most important thing. You need to back up your. You need to back up your clients. That's the most important thing. You can find out an answer on your phone now. You know, you speak it into your phone and you get an answer. All that stuff, it comes. But if you're actually going to be there to support you when you're up against the wall, that's the thumbs up.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

That's what counts 100%. You know, chefs, these chefs naturally don't want to call you anyways, but believe me, if they're calling, it's a, it's for a lifeline. And the other part, too, you know, don't, don't forget this part. You know, you were able to really read people and you also could kind of understand. A couple times I wasn't happy and where I was at. And he said, let me Let me call a couple people and see what I got for you. You know, and that, that meant a lot to me too, because that wasn't the, that wasn't the professional part of Carl. That was the personal part of Carl. I'm trying to make my life more happy.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

So you can't offer that to everybody. And that's the truth. That was part of my personality, but it was also, it's also part of the relationship build. If I thought you were a clown, if I thought that you weren't a performing chef, because I'm not going to put my reputation out to try to get you a job that I look bad with. Right. But it is part of the relationship build for the right people.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Yes, sir.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

You know what I mean? And I appreciate you saying that. You didn't have to bring that up. John, you talked about solving problems for individuals versus solving for the team and realizing one doesn't scale. What triggered that shift for you?

[John Marino]

So when we're in a growth phase and you don't see a lot of overlap, generally that's when you're trying to fill those holes. In the end, what we were actually doing was just creating too many silos. And so that's where we needed to have different accountability and kind of pull back in, kind of refocus the team. So there's times that you can run hard and there's times you have to kind of pull back. And that's a hard mix to, you know, when you're always telling your team, run as hard as you can, you know, chase as much as you can chase. Go after every opportunity that relevant to what our brand is strong at, and then telling them to kind of pull back, to refocus, to take another run at it. When you're a mile wide and an inch deep, it's hard to really have any sustainable growth. And that kind of goes back to my original philosophy. Clean, simple, sustainable and scalable. And that's when it kind of occurred to me that we were having certain successes in certain categories of our business performance. We were growing in, say, National Council, or we'd be growing in hotel and gaming or cruise line or street sales, but they weren't running at all the same pace. And so what I'd have to do was kind of pull back, reorganize what, what we were trying to focus on, and then go back at that. And that's when we started to finally realize that it was more important to be sustainable than necessarily scalable. And that's why there's some times that I've been challenged on that. Don't you want to be scalable more than you want to be sustainable? And the short answer is no, because you need to be sustainable before you can start going after it in more depth. That's the caveat I think, that most people miss in the industry is maybe they do figure out how to get it clean, simple, so that it is replicatable, so that when that messaging is getting out to the field, we do work with our reps. We work through the reps that go through the distributors. Distributors are generally the ones working, working with the, the end user, this, the national accounts, and that messaging from, in essence, my voice all the way out to the independent operator in, you know, Tampa. I got to be able to have that message get to them clean and simple. And if it doesn't, we have no chance of having a reputation that we're trying to accomplish as, as Rack Porcelain usa. And that's where that sustainability really kind of amps up. And we're now to the phase that we're pretty sustainable in most markets now we're starting to scale that approach.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

If it isn't sustainable, it creates burnout. And if you create burnout, you stymie the whole operation. Without question, RAC is on a terrific pace and it feels solid how we work together. To me, it's very organized and you guys have targets and you have goals and you're doing it in a smart way.

[John Marino]

The one thing that really kind of stands out to me, we're not trying to be anyone else. We're trying to be Rack Porcelain usa. And in my opinion, if you're chasing your competition, all you're doing is reinforcing. They have the right strategy, and I disagree with that completely. We're not chasing anyone. We are doing it the Rack way. And, you know, in my opinion, that allows us to create the new standards that the market's looking for. And we're trying to find the right partners that want to stand up and stand out and not do things that were done just because it was advised to them that this made sense.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

And I have to say I'm going to say something that I don't know. I'm willing to concede. I don't think I see anything. I'm willing to have debate on what I'm going to say, and that is companies that spend too much time in KPI meetings are the ones that have a hard time acquiescing to their market. Obviously, KPI meetings are important. You have to have them. But if that is the main driver for every single thing that the business does. You lose the soul or heart or life of the business. And your salespeople, those who are actually out with your clients, they lose the humanity side of what they're trying to do. And I feel like that's where a lot of companies end up landing. I could be wrong and I know I'm going to get flack for that. But at the end of it, what say you?

[John Marino]

Yes, I agree with that answer. But I also think that you need to have balance. I think that if you start pushing too hard on any one thing, it's never a good thing. So what we try to do is have meetings that allow us to have longevity. So one of my favorite books is Traction was written by Geno Wickman.

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[John Marino]

for say a 10 year plan. And so that that 10 year plan you have to have a three year plan that helps you get to that 10 year plan and then you have a one year plan that helps you get to the three year and then you have latent 90 day rocks that help you get to the one year plan. And and if you're not working towards those goals, you're not working towards anything. And so you need to understand what you're trying to accomplish in order to be able to accomplish it. Most people don't set clear sustainable goals. I remember when I was in my very first class in college, I had a professor that said if you remember this one thing, you'll have a pretty successful career. And in essence goes like this that if you have company A, company B, both are digging ditches. The most ditches you could ever dig was say 6 and the goal was 7. In order to hit your bonus, you know that the company that set the goal at 5, the other one company set the goal at 7. The one that set the goal achievable goals was the one that was obviously successful. The one that set the goals at seven was never successful. And being able to put rocks in the place so that you can actually have achievable goals because everyone wants to feel good about themselves. Everyone wants to feel like they're accomplishing the task at hand. And when you don't feel like you're you're making those accomplishable tasks, that's definitely the best way to burn out your entire team.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

You want to be proud to work at the company that you're at 100% and you can only be proud, number one, if you're successful at that company. You get successful because of the tools provided to you by the company. Part of the tools package is how they build out the. The target structures and the goals and planning and whatnot. If it's done properly. Man, you wake up every day and you say, you know what? I enjoy what I'm doing. You know why? Because I can do it. It's a philosophy that, you know, I know from my own experiences that doesn't exist everywhere. Thomas, you've worked in larger operations, and in doing that, you have to balance individuality as a chef with systems that have to work every single time. That's an important thing. We talk about that a lot. Earlier we had a discussion, and it was about how Rack has specific operations that do the same thing. Do you remember what that was?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

I do. And I think that what impressed me most when I was kind of eavesdropping as I was setting up is the fact that with the tools that you were talking about, you know, Rec Porcelain is we're seeing it in the business now that they're starting to separate themselves from the other competition, the production line and the plants that you guys have. And then the interesting education that you gave me about the fact that, you know, sometimes my plates don't match and there's off color or something like that. And I realized from what you told me is everything you guys can tell me exactly where and when those. Those products were produced from Rack Porcelain, when I've never heard of that before.

[John Marino]

With us being, in essence, the newest dinnerware manufacturer on the planet. Our division as a whole is only 20 years old. So when we came online, we had the newest, coolest, state of the art equipment that any money could buy on the planet. It's like having a brand new test kitchen that you get to work with all the newest, coolest equipment that's out there, or you can go to another restaurant and be working with equipment that's, you know, 30, 40, 50 years old, and that could be, for some of these facilities, even newer equipment. When I was with another company in the United States, they had a piece of equipment that was still working from 1902. So. And the amount of effort that has to go into manufacturing on a piece of equipment that was, you know, that old, really cool to see, but it's not anywhere near as efficient as what we're doing in today's environment. And being able to say that we are a Single source dinnerware manufacturer. That every single piece of production comes off of our lines is quite remarkable. It's unbelievable. Knowing what we have, over 10,000 SKUs, not counting all the different decorations and patterns that we're making out of that in one facility, is quite remarkable. And the technology that that's advanced over the last 20, 30, 40 years is remarkable. We're able to produce yields, you know, in the 97, 98%, which is, you know, well above standards of the industry right now. Same thing with our dinnerware manufacturing. The, the cycles for us, the fire, our product are under, you know, three hours. Most are at minimum, double that, if not more. So, you know, being able to say that we are at 97% yield, that we're able to produce a fire product, you know, twice as fast as the industry standard, and then also the actual production, instead of it being, you know, 30, 40, 50 seconds apiece, we're able to actually produce pieces of product on our isostatic machines in under three seconds is quite remarkable. All new standards of the industry.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Thomas, if I were in sales for rag porcelain, I would lead with that every single time when I'm talking to a chef. Every single time. And you know, why? How come?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Well, mainly because, you know, when we need something, like, we need it today's Friday and we need it on Tuesday. And I think, you know, also understanding that we can trust in the fact that when these plates come in, when these deliveries come, you know, just from what John was saying, is that it's all going to be the same. It's all coming from one area and one place and fast. And fast.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

You can't beat fast. Fast wins in just about everything. Obviously, quality has to be there. If you don't have the quality, then you're out of. You're just out of the game. You know, you can talk about pricing, pricing is what it is. But if you don't have the quality or that depending on your brand or whatever that service value proposition, then you're out of luck. You lose. With everything being equal, let's say speed destroys everybody. If you can deliver before the other guy, you win, period. Which is the way it works. Even if you're a little bit more expensive, too, and if your quality matches that dollar, you blow everybody up. John, when a chef and a brand really, truly trust each other, what becomes possible, that normally doesn't happen in this food industry of ours,

[John Marino]

that, to me, is probably the crux of this entire podcast. You're able, in essence, to create the new standards that the market's trying to achieve when you can have a factory that is, I don't want to say unlimited resources, unlimited creativity. And you get that, that ability in front of the right, right chef, the right influencers, that we can create anything that is desired for them. But we need both. It goes hand in hand. If the right hand doesn't know what the left hand's doing, you're not in sync. If the left hand's not doing what the right hand's doing, it's not in sync. When, when they're working together in unison. That's where poetry come from. Comes from. And that's what rack stands for. Is trying to set the new standard in, in all tabletop things. And when we get to work and see what, what chefs can create, it's. It's absolutely remarkable that they take our canvas and, and apply that art to it.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Got me?

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

I mean, that's it right there. You nailed it. And, you know, let's take this even farther than just chefs. The entire organization and the entire, you know, hospitality is the fact that you can help us create that identity in what we're trying to produce and what we're trying to serve.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

So when I say this industry of ours, it's a giant, massive thing, and there's so many different layers to it, different people, responsibilities, companies, categories, whatever. From where you guys are sitting, what does this industry need more of right now to move forward the right way? This is 2026. We know what our challenges are. What do we do?

[John Marino]

We need more independent thinkers. What I see happening right now in the industry is the people that have been at the helm have been at the helm for a long time. And I think the people that should be at the helm are not necessarily getting as much mainstream attention that we need. And that's exactly where walk and talk comes in. I think people don't know the right questions to be asking to be getting the right solutions. And as more and more people are watching what we're doing here, watching what you guys are doing here, looking for solutions outside of the standards that works. Currently being said, I think that from a marketing standpoint, there are several phases of product introductions or brand introductions. And generally there's the early adopters, there's the mainstream, and then there's the late adopters. And it gets more complicated than that. But what generally happens for the, the mainstream is what's established, has typically been established, and they fight very hard to stay as that establishment. And generally the, the ones that are actually forward thinking, looking, that's where the new trends are set. That's where the new standards are set. And I think in order for things to move in those directions, I don't want to be the standard where 80% of the business is done on 20% of the product. I don't need to be in every market seeing the exact same thing. I've traveled almost every city in this country and they, a lot of them look alike. It's the same main players, the same restaurants, same, the same, the same. What we need to do is be able to be a little bit more unique, stand up, stand out, express yourself and make sure that you're putting yourself in a position that allows you to be an independent thinker. And I think that in the end, if you were opening up a steakhouse and you lived on the east coast, you're going to Manhattan to see what the coolest, newest steakhouse is and you're going to try to replicate that. If you're in the mid Midwest, you're going to go to Chicago. If you're on the west coast, you're going to go to la. You're going to try to replicate what those, those signature brands are doing in those, those signature markets and generally the flyover states, Middle America, which is where, you know, some people think that I live, Ohio is on the east coast. But that's a topic of another discussion. But nonetheless, it generally takes two, three years for those, those to be, you know, kind of ran through the, the entirety of the markets. And what happens is a lot of it kind of gets stale by the time it gets to a lot of the markets. And I think that if they could stand up and stand out and, and look to see what's actually available, I think there's be a lot more cool things running across this country.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

What I think is honestly, consistency being genuine and passion and you know, was this 192, the episode 192. You know, if you guys didn't bring those three things into the basket, you wouldn't be sitting here right now getting and setting ourselves up for episode 200. And I think it's missing generally in, in this profession.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Great experience today. And I mean that between everybody here, even you, John, John Hernandez. John, photographer. John, super excited about what's going on here. We got Testo their new segment coming up this month in April with Eric Moore. It's going to be about food safety, all things food safety. So everybody loves that. It's great thing. Super excited, John. Maria, you had fun today.

[John Marino]

Absolute. It was an absolute blast.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

It was a blast. I know you had a good time. I saw it on your face. I saw it. How do people, how do chefs follow you? What's the how? What's the best way?

[John Marino]

Easiest way to find us would be going on Instagram and just following us on rack.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

Porcelain USA Chef, as always. You, you brought the goods, man.

[Chef Thomas Manzik]

Thank you for having me.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

And they're gorgeous. This, this, this is Michelin level stuff. I'm just putting it out there like that. Michael Colantes, eat your heart out. Watch out, he's coming for you. John, baby, you are a genius.

[Narrator/Producer]

I appreciate you so much, guys. Thanks for everything.

[Carl (Host/Interviewer)]

We are out.

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