Restaurant Leadership Podcast: The Show for Multi-Unit Operators Ready to Scale
Welcome to the Restaurant Leadership Podcast...the show for independent restaurant owners who are done surviving and ready to scale.Your host, Christin Marvin, founder of Columbine Hospitality and creator of the Independent Restaurant Framework (IRF), has spent over two decades in the industry...from line cook at 15 to managing partner by 30. She knows what it takes to build a restaurant group that runs without you in it.Each week, Christin brings you real conversations and straight talk on the three things that actually move the needle in a multi-unit restaurant group: People, Process, and Profit.This podcast is for...
125: Build A Profitable Non-Alcoholic Beverage Program - with Dana Bonelli
Non-alcoholic drinks stopped being a “nice to have” and started becoming a measurable profit lever. We sit down again with Dana Bonelli to pressure-test what’s changed since 2024, what’s accelerating right now, and what restaurant operators should do next if they want their beverage program to keep up with how guests actually order.
Dana brings the hard numbers: adult non-alcoholic has crossed $1B in US revenue and forecasts are pointing toward $4B by the end of 2027. We unpack what that means for menu strategy, from the continued dominance of non-alcoholic beer to the surge in ready-to-drink non-alco...
124: Sober and Still in It - 5 Years Without a Drink in an Industry Built on One
I didn’t plan to get emotional talking about sobriety, but one question on a recent guest interview hit me right in the chest: what was the hardest part about deciding to stop drinking? Five years later, my answer is clear. It wasn’t the alcohol itself. It was grieving the life I’d built around it, the image of success I thought I wanted, and the community I assumed I couldn’t replace.
I walk through how alcohol becomes “normal” in restaurant life and hospitality culture, from wine education and cocktail training to happy hours, late-night decompressio...
123: What Behavior are You Tolerating, and at What Cost?
The quickest way to weaken a restaurant isn’t a bad week of sales, it’s the quiet decision to tolerate what you know needs to change. We start with a real quarterly planning story where an owner does something rare: he names the negativity; eye rolls, and the “why it won’t work” energy he’s been allowing on his leadership team. That moment opens up a bigger conversation about restaurant culture, accountability, and why “convenient” tolerance always comes with a cost.
From there, we break it down by role. For restaurant owners, we challenge the habits that set...
122: Hire, Coach, and Keep the Right Leaders
Turnover after the holidays can feel like a punch to the gut, especially when it hits key leaders and you’re already tired from the busiest shifts of the year. We step back and look at the real issue most restaurant operators miss: hiring without a clear, measurable definition of what “the right person” actually is. When your managers rely on instinct instead of standards, you get inconsistent execution, weak ownership, and a constant stream of questions that drag you back into day-to-day firefighting.
Then we get tactical: how to design values, test them against current operations, roll t...
121: From Chaos to Choice - Lead with Presence
Running multiple restaurants can turn you into a full-time decision machine, answering everyone’s questions while your own focus gets shattered into a hundred pieces. That’s exactly where Brandon Sharp finds himself as the owner of three Chapel Hill restaurants, and it’s why this coaching conversation gets so real so fast: he wants to stay present with his managers and guests, lead like a CEO, and still protect the parts of the work that bring him joy.
The biggest takeaway is a clear trade-off every multi-unit restaurant owner eventually faces: you cannot be responsible for key ki...
120: How to Negotiate Your Salary
What if you're leaving half a million dollars on the table over your career — and don't even realize it? Coach to CEOs and law firm leaders, Katy Goshtasbi reveals the hidden patterns keeping women from owning their value and teaches you exactly how to ask for what you're worth.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:
Why leading with gratitude instead of data costs you money — and the two-sentence formula for asking for a raise.How to negotiate an offer letter without letting your nervous system hijack the conversation.Why owning your feminine energy is a strategic advantage, not...119: How to Deliver an Exceptional Dining Experience in Today's Market
You can feel it when a restaurant cares, and you can feel it even sooner when it doesn’t. I took a trip to Santa Fe and had a dining experience that stopped me in my tracks, not because of flashy gimmicks, but because every touchpoint was intentional. From a single phone call that offered me options and made me feel welcome, to a dining room designed with purpose and comfort, the team proved that excellence is built long before the first bite.
If you want a clear, trainable playbook for guest experience and restaurant leadership, hit pl...
118: Stop Saying Yes, Start Leading
The people pleaser saboteur is one of the most common — and most costly — patterns in hospitality leadership. In this episode, we break down why saying yes to everything is burning you out, what boundaries actually look like at every level of your organization, and how to start protecting your time and your team today.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:
The people pleaser saboteur thrives in hospitality — and it's costing you in burnout, turnover, and inconsistent culture. Boundaries start with clarity: schedules built in advance, expectations in writing, and a culture where "no" is respected. You can't expect...117: Succession Planning
Guests:Â Jeff Keesel (Outgoing CEO, Restaurant Technologies) & Alyssa Partee (Incoming CEO, Restaurant Technologies)
Episode Summary
This episode tackles one of the most requested topics from restaurant operators: succession planning. Not the glossy version, but the real one where founders have to look in the mirror and ask, "Am I still the right person to lead this business?" Jeff Keesel shares his 21-year journey building Restaurant Technologies and the intentional process of transitioning leadership to Alyssa Partee, who spent four years building the people and culture infrastructure before stepping into the CEO role.
Key T...
116: How to Grow a Successful Consulting Business
Here's a punchy episode summary:
Episode Summary: The Blueprint for Restaurant Operators Ready to Build Something New
Ever hit that five-year itch wondering what's next after restaurants? You're not alone.
In this episode, I sit down with Jim Taylor, founder of Benchmark 60 and creator of the Blueprint program—a framework designed specifically for restaurant professionals who want to transition out of operations and into consulting, coaching, or advisory work.
We get real about:
Why your experience alone won't generate business (and what actually does) The mindset shift from "hire me ba...116: How to Grow a Successful Consulting Business
Ever hit that five-year itch wondering what's next after restaurants? You're not alone.
In this episode, I sit down with Jim Taylor, founder of Benchmark 60 and creator of the Blueprint program—a framework designed specifically for restaurant professionals who want to transition out of operations and into consulting, coaching, or advisory work.
We get real about:
Why your experience alone won't generate business (and what actually does)The mindset shift from "hire me based on my resume" to "here's the result I can get you"How Blueprint members collectively signed over $1 million in co...115: What's Next - Columbine Hospitality is Taking Over the Blueprint
Episode Summary
Christin Marvin announces that Columbine Hospitality is officially taking over The Blueprint — a coaching program originally built by Jim Taylor of Benchmark 60. This program helps hospitality professionals turn their operator experience into a consulting or coaching business. Christin shares her personal journey from terrified first-time entrepreneur to successful business owner, crediting The Blueprint for giving her the roadmap, community, and mindset shifts she needed. This episode is a call to action for former operators wondering "what's next" and current operators who know someone ready for a new chapter.
Key TakeawaysThe Blueprint is now part of...
115: What's Next - Columbine Hospitality is Taking Over the Blueprint
Christin Marvin announces that Columbine Hospitality is officially taking over The Blueprint — a coaching program originally built by Jim Taylor of Benchmark 60. This program helps hospitality professionals turn their operator experience into a consulting or coaching business. Christin shares her personal journey from terrified first-time entrepreneur to successful business owner, crediting The Blueprint for giving her the roadmap, community, and mindset shifts she needed. This episode is a call to action for former operators wondering "what's next" and current operators who know someone ready for a new chapter.
Key Takeaways
114: Stop Repeating the Same Meeting
Your manager meeting keeps circling the same issues because nobody leaves with a real commitment that can be measured, owned, and finished. We tackle one of the most expensive leadership gaps in restaurants: goal setting that actually gets executed, not just discussed. We walk through the SMART goals framework, where it came from, and why it matters so much in high-pressure restaurant operations where urgent tasks crowd out important work. You will hear exactly how vague statements like “improve communication,” “reduce turnover,” or “work on training” quietly kill momentum, waste meeting time, and chip away at manager credibility.Â
Then we reb...
113: How Leadership Alignment Makes Scaling Possible
If you co-own a restaurant group, try one question today: “What does success look like in three years?” If you’re not 100% sure your partner would answer the same way, you’re not alone and you’re not stuck, but you are exposed.
I share two real scenarios I see constantly in the independent restaurant world: a fast-growing family business held back by an unspoken succession plan and murky owner roles, and a 15-year partnership that realizes they’ve been building the same company toward two different destinations. When owners aren’t aligned, everyone feels it. Leaders get mixed sign...
112: Turn Reactive Operators into Intentional CEOs
Most multi-unit restaurant operators don’t have a growth problem, they have a focus problem. When your leadership team doesn’t know what matters most for the next 90 days, everything turns into a fire, your ops meetings drift into venting, and you become the decision bottleneck for every location. We walk through the most underused tool in a multi-unit operator’s arsenal: the quarterly planning meeting, and why it’s often the difference between a restaurant group that scales and one that stalls.
We share what a great quarterly planning meeting looks like in the real world, includin...
111: Danny Meyer
I walked into a talk with Danny Meyer expecting a few good notes on hospitality, and walked out with four leadership reminders I’m still thinking about as a restaurant coach. Hearing him reflect on the 20-year legacy of Setting the Table, alongside Bobby Stuckey in Denver, made the ideas feel even more relevant for independent restaurant owners trying to scale without losing their standards or their sanity.
We dig into why scaling restaurants only works long term when the motive is bigger than ego. Danny shared how long it took him to expand from Union Square Ca...
110: The $75,000 Mistake You’re Making
Ever wonder why “Everything’s fine” keeps blowing up into last-minute fires? We dig into the uncomfortable truth: avoiding one-on-ones quietly drains profit, trust, and talent—and we put a real number on it with a $75,000 turnover case. As restaurant operators scale, hallway chats and line-side banter feel productive, but they miss the root causes. We walk through a simple, repeatable one-on-one system that reveals what’s actually happening across locations, builds psychological safety, and keeps your best people from walking when the kitchen gets hot.
You’ll also hear a client case study: six months after adopting thi...
109: Breaking The Bottleneck
Ever felt that uneasy pull that says there’s more growth on the table, but you don’t have the energy or structure to reach it? We’ve been there. This week we share a pivotal shift: Solutions by Christin is now Columbine Hospitality, and we’re pairing a clear visionary role with a proven integrator to scale the impact of our coaching for independent multi-unit restaurant operators.
We break down what actually changes when a founder stops being the bottleneck. That starts with the visionary–integrator model: Christin owns relationships, content, and long-term direction while Andrew, our new CO...
108: Turn No‑Shows Into Reliable Teams
Peak season is here and the schedule is bleeding. We sit down with leadership and customer service expert Michelle Pascoe to unpack why restaurants are seeing more call‑outs, how assumptions about today’s workforce backfire, and what owners can do right now to stabilize staffing without burning out their best people. From hiring scripts that set crystal‑clear expectations to team norms that harness Gen Z’s group mindset, this conversation is a playbook for calmer Saturday nights and happier crews.
107: Hire, Coach, and Keep the Right Leaders
Growth shouldn’t require living at the restaurant or gambling on every new hire. We dig into a clear, repeatable way to hire leaders who fit your multi‑unit reality, coach them with confidence, and keep them long enough to scale without burning out your best people.
In this episode, Christin discusses:
• how to define core values with observable behaviors
• coaching leaders through personal challenges while holding standards
• designing 30‑60‑90 onboarding tied to values
• building sustainable leadership so owners can step away
• reviewing and refi...
106: Turn a Callout Crisis into a Profitable Operation
Here is my calendar link so you can book time with me: Book a Call with Christin
We break down how fear of callouts can lead to costly overstaffing and how chronic callouts can wreck service, burn out managers, and drain profit. Two real cases show how cross-training, intentional scheduling, and a clear callout protocol restore accountability and margin.
• Cross-training servers and bartenders to de-risk shifts
• Publishing schedules early and honoring aces in places
• Tying roles to guest impact to build buy-in
• Reducing burnout by protecting the plan
If you've been lov...
105: From Chaos To Choice: Lead With Presence
We coach Brandon Sharp, owner of three restaurants in Chapel Hill, through the tension between being everywhere at once and showing up with presence that develops his leaders. He realizes he must let go of covering shifts, codify decision rights, and model vulnerability to retain and grow his managers.
• using presence as respect and a path to flow
• inverted pyramid leadership and decision rights
• outsourcing low-leverage tasks to regain focus
• vulnerability that invites ownership and honesty
• raising standards for long-tenured managers
Go to irfbook.com within 24 hours to get the entire book absol...
104: Curiosity Creates Hospitality, Connection Beats Checklists
Guests don’t come to a full‑service restaurant for a transaction; they come hoping to feel something. We dig into how to deliver that feeling on purpose through connected hospitality, turning routine steps into genuine moments of care that guests remember long after the check drops.
We start by grounding everything in food, then layer in the human element that differentiates you in a crowded market.Â
You’ll hear how:
We reframed performance reviews into get‑to‑know‑you conversations.Why curiosity is a trained skill not a personality trait, “Ping pong” questions replace scripts to...103: From Scarcity To Service: Mindset Tools for Restaurant Leaders
A new executive chef gets thrown into the deep end: understaffed, undertrained, and staring down six tough weeks. We use that moment to unpack a bigger question every operator faces—how do you stay mentally strong and lead with purpose when the room is half full and the pressure won’t let up?
We dig into:
102: Scaling without Chaos: Grow Sustainably with People, Process, and Profit
Growth shouldn’t mean chaos. We lay out a practical roadmap for independent multi-unit restaurant owners who want scalable systems, stronger leaders, and healthier margins without losing the creativity that makes their concepts special. From the early cracks that show up at three and seven units to the org design that prevents constant firefighting, this conversation blends hard-won lessons with a clear framework you can apply right away.
101: Coach More, Fix Less: How Restaurant Leaders Build Strong Teams
Want fewer fires, stronger managers, and a calmer shift without losing speed? We dig into the simple coaching moves that turn constant problem-solving into shared ownership. Hospitality leader and author Jason E. Brooks joins us to unpack three deceptively small skills—asking better questions, listening with intent, and giving feedback that actually lands in a roaring kitchen—and shows how they scale across multiple locations.
We explore: Â
• choosing to coach instead of fix
• building trust to stop 2 a.m. calls
• listening that lowers defenses and reveals context
• giving feedback that lands in...
100: Unlock Thriving Restaurant Excellence
Milestones matter when they sharpen your focus.Â
As we hit 100 episodes, Christin welcomes chef Britt Rescigno of Fiama in Sun Valley, a TV chef turned mountain-town restaurateur who pairs sexy, high-end Italian with a culture built on respect.Â
The conversation cuts through hype and gets tactical about what it takes to open strong, stay open through off-season, and keep a team engaged when the crowds thin.
Britt shares the boundary that makes running a restaurant with her spouse work: leave home emotions at home and speak with intention on the line.Â
Tha...
99: The Secret to Scaling Successfully
Growth shouldn’t feel like white-knuckling your way to the next lease.Â
We break down a simple, durable framework—people, process, and profit—that helps restaurant owners scale without losing control.Â
Together with Eric Cacciatore of Restaurant Unstoppable, we get specific about how to turn values into hiring standards, promotions into planned development, and check-ins into one-on-ones that actually change the business.Â
If “slow down to speed up” sounds nice but hard, you’ll leave with cadence, structure, and examples that make it real.
We start with people, because nothing scales without aligned...
98: From Burnout to Abundance: How Self-Hospitality Transforms Restaurant Leadership
A revolution is brewing in hospitality leadership, and it begins with a radical notion: your most sacred guest is you.
This powerful conversation with transformational coach Mike Messeroff introduces the concept of "self-hospitality" - the practice of extending the same care to yourself that you offer guests and customers. For an industry characterized by burnout and depletion, this perspective shift provides a practical pathway to sustainable leadership.
"You cannot give away what you don't have," Messeroff emphasizes, challenging the common industry belief that selfless service means emptying yourself. Instead, he reveals how hospitality professionals who...
97: Unlock Tech Success Now: Seth Rankin's Playbook
Finding the right technology partner for your restaurant shouldn't feel like a blind date gone wrong, yet for many operators, that's exactly what it becomes.Â
Seth Rankin, with 20 years of experience at OpenTable and a passion for growing people and companies, pulls back the curtain on what truly matters when selecting restaurant technology.
The conversation dives deep into why most restaurants struggle with their tech partnerships. Seth explains that the disconnect often begins when technology companies focus on their features rather than understanding the restaurant's specific challenges.Â
With the average restaurant juggling 15 different te...
96: From Pay-What-You-Can to Farm-to-Table: How Two Denver Organizations Are Using Food as a Force for Social Change
What happens when food becomes more than sustenance—when it transforms into a vehicle for social change?Â
In Denver's vibrant culinary landscape, two organizations have been quietly revolutionizing how we think about restaurants, community, and access for nearly two decades.
Kristen Rauch, Executive Director of Eat Denver, and Carrie Shores, owner of Same Cafe, join us to discuss their groundbreaking work and their upcoming collaboration: Savor the Season.Â
Since 2006, both organizations have approached food justice from different angles—Eat Denver by supporting the independent restaurant community as they navigate challenges and opportunities, and Same C...
95: Master Culinary Success Now: Top Time-Saving Tips
Imagine having the power to reclaim your time in the chaotic world of professional kitchens.Â
That's exactly what Chef Adam Lamb offers in this illuminating conversation about his new book, "The Successful Chef: Time Strategies That Actually Work."
Chef Lamb doesn't just theorize about productivity—he delivers battle-tested strategies born from years in the trenches of high-pressure kitchens and his subsequent journey as a coach to culinary professionals. His approach centers around "the 1% way," the transformative power of small, consistent improvements that compound over time, creating sustainable change without the crash-and-burn cycle of dramatic overhauls.
94: How to Boost Guest Retention for Massive Growth
Restaurant owners, are you struggling to maintain steady growth despite your marketing efforts?Â
The answer might be simpler than you think. In this eye-opening episode, Ewan Thompson, Chief Performance Optimizer for Hospitality Benchmark Services, reveals the startling truth about guest retention that could be costing you six figures in revenue.
Did you know that returning restaurant guests spend 20% more per visit than first-timers and bring in 10-15% more people with them? Yet the hard data shows that 90-95% of restaurant guests never return after their first visit. This isn't just a statistic—it's a massive gro...
93: The Smart Restaurant Playbook: Using Tech Without Losing Hospitality - EdTalks 2025
Are you struggling to balance technology and hospitality in your restaurant?
 You're not alone. This eye-opening speech from this year's EdTalks reveals how the right mindset toward restaurant technology can transform your operations without sacrificing the human touch that makes your establishment special.
Through the compelling story of Tim, a restaurant owner drowning in operational tasks and burning out while trying to preserve his legacy, we see the familiar struggle many operators face today. The industry has evolved dramatically from the days of binders and clipboards, yet many resist embracing technological solutions due to unfounded f...
92: The Number One Chicken Sandwich in Chicago: Joe Fontana's Journey from Failed Meatball Concept to Fast-Casual Empire
Joe Fontana, founder of Fry the Coop, is redefining what it means to build a fast-casual chicken empire with heart. From his Chicago-based restaurants, Joe shares the unexpected journey that took him from a failed meatball concept to creating what he proudly calls "the number one chicken sandwich in Chicago" – double-fried in beef tallow for that perfect crunch.
What makes this conversation particularly fascinating is Joe's candid discussion of his viral moment. When thieves broke into one of his restaurants causing $3,000 in damage for a mere $9 in change, Joe transformed potential disaster into marketing gold.Â
His...
91: Restaurant Growth Strategy: Building a Multi-Unit Bakery Empire Through Self-Improvement and Smart Expansion
Ever wondered what happens when a corporate executive trades the boardroom for the bakery kitchen?Â
Neman Popov's story of launching Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro & Cafe offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial perseverance and leadership growth.
From signing a bad lease in his first location to now operating 10 thriving stores across multiple markets, Neman's journey wasn't just about scaling a business—it was about discovering who he was as a leader.Â
"The trouble with trouble is that it starts as fun," he laughs, recalling how his restaurant "hobby" evolved into a full-time passion despite daily thou...
90: Do You Know Your Business Well Enough to Change It? Leadership Lessons from Restaurant Technologies
"Do you know your business well enough to change it?" In an era of economic uncertainty, this thought-provoking inquiry challenges all leaders to deeply understand their operations before attempting transformation.
Ever wondered what happens to all that used cooking oil from your favorite restaurants? Alissa Partee, COO of Restaurant Technologies, pulls back the curtain on an innovative solution that's transforming restaurant kitchens nationwide.
What began as a leap of faith joining a restaurant services company during COVID has evolved into a fascinating leadership journey. Alissa shares how Restaurant Technologies delivers fresh cooking oil while simultaneously...
89: The Retention Secret No One Talks About: A Restaurant Leadership Coaching Session
What if the secret to reducing restaurant employee turnover wasn't about higher wages or better perks, but instead about how you show up as a leader?Â
In this compelling coaching session, I work with Emily, a restaurant COO navigating a significant leadership transition as her business partner embarks on a sabbatical.
Together, we craft a leadership development plan that starts with self-awareness and builds toward team empowerment. Emily candidly shares her journey, identifying five essential leadership characteristics she wants to embody: being motivational, direct, approachable, empowering, and energetic. Through thoughtful self-assessment, she discovers that empowerment r...
88: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Restaurant Leadership
Ever felt like you're faking it despite working incredibly hard to get where you are? This deeply personal coaching conversation with Nokkie Lipsey, Director of Operations at the Olive and Finch Collective, explores the challenging terrain of imposter syndrome in leadership roles.
Nokkie candidly shares how she's spent years climbing her career mountain only to find herself questioning whether she deserves to be at the summit. Having recently taken over operations for five locations, she's grappling with fully embracing her accomplishments and celebrating her wins.
As restaurant leaders like Nokkie focus on their mental and...
