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The Pre-Shift

7shifts

Great teams make great restaurants. On The Pre-Shift, restaurant operators and industry experts dive into what it takes to build great restaurant teams. We explore their stories, the strategies they use, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams. Hosted by D. J. Costantino. Presented by 7shifts.

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Episodes

84 episodes

  1. Put down the ramekins: How Joe Fontana built Fry the Coop to 10 locations | 077 49:24
  2. The pitfalls of restaurant scaling with Andrew Scott of OwnerShift | 076 45:55
  3. The compliance rules that multi-units get wrong with Felice Ekelman, JD | 075 40:11
  4. Scaling self-pour tap walls: Inside Oak & Stone's expansion | 074 41:55
  5. Letting go of the day-to-day: Tom Schmidt's journey from busser to leader | 073 28:00
  6. The QUESO Framework: how Condado Tacos built a culture-first restaurant empire | 072 24:54
  7. How to get your team to actually care about the numbers with Ji Hye Kim | 071 23:07
  8. Anthony Valletta on tech, training, and tearing up the traditional pay model | 070 20:04
  9. Where are you on the restaurant tech journey? | 069 5:57
  10. The WOWorks growth playbook for repeatable systems and unified tech | 068 29:27
  11. Franchising isn't an exit strategy—it's a full-time job with Shawn Saraga | 067 25:17
  12. What do restaurant investors really want? unlocking the financial trifecta with Garrett Mills | 066 31:00
  13. The franchise playbook: A CEO’s guide to restaurant expansion with Troy Hooper | 065 43:56
  14. AI is here, but your story is your superpower | Shawn Walchef, Cali BBQ | 064 33:10
  15. Can restaurants survive without traditional tipping? | Katie Button (Reupload) | 063 24:33
  16. The people-first culture that drives just 17% turnover at Brasa with Michel Falcon (Reupload) | 062 38:26
  17. Winning the restaurant hiring game in 2025 with Alice Cheng | 061 41:15
  18. Building skills beyond the kitchen with Justin Khanna | 060 39:50
  19. AI marketing strategies that boost restaurant revenue with Josh Kopel | 059 31:54
  20. Stop fixing light bulbs and start delegating with Avery Ward | 058 45:19
  21. Navigating Tariff Uncertainty for Canadian Restaurants with Jay Ashton | 057 38:02
  22. Growing careers (and franchises) at Jeremiah's Italian Ice | 056 33:21
  23. The end of boring training for restaurants with Arrow Up | 055 42:44
  24. Insights for serving up restaurant excellence with Square | James Schonzeit, Square, Eric Cacciatore, Restaurant Unstoppable | 054 57:02
  25. Building an a kitchen OS | Josh Sharkey, CEO of meez | 053 40:38
  26. The small town soul behind Pizza Ranch | Ross Groeneweg, Pizza Ranch | 052 22:43
  27. Mastering the art of pizza and business | Mike Bausch, Andolini's | 051 33:02
  28. Building Chicago's Thattu | Margaret Pak, Chef/Owner | 050 38:54
  29. Fostering community and belonging in the restaurant biz | Ellen Yin, Founder of High Street Hospitality | 049 30:36
  30. Rethinking Server Pay: The Commission Model Revolution with Zach Feinstein 28:28
  31. Leadership lessons from Felipe's Taqueria | Pike Howard, CEO | 047 43:04
  32. The fight for psychological safety in food service | Hassel Aviles, Director of Not 9 to 5 | 046 30:25
  33. Tacos, tequila, and teamwork at Agave & Rye | Chris Britt, COO of Epic Brands | 045 42:36
  34. Making pay transparency work in restaurants | Stella Dennig, Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip | 044 31:44
  35. How commission-based pay for servers transformed this restaurant | Chad Mackay, CEO of Fire and Vine Hospitality | 043 24:02
  36. How restaurants exist beyond four walls | Irene Shiang Li, Cofounder of Prepshift & Mei Mei Dumplings | 042 24:04
  37. Can open-book finance work for restaurants? | Ji Hye Kim, Chef/Owner at Miss Kim | 041 25:15
  38. How Lula Cafe stays ahead, 25 years in | Jason Hammel, Chef and Owner of Lula Cafe | 040 18:57
  39. Practical steps for a better staff experience | Kwini Reed, Poppy & Seed | 039 32:18
  40. The QUESO code at Condado Tacos | Joe Kahn and Chris Artinian | 038 25:55
  41. How Brasa redefines employee experience | Michel Falcon, Founder & CEO of Brasa Peruvian Kitchen | 037 38:05
  42. Managing Michelin-star restaurant teams | Ron Hsu, Owner of Lazy Betty, Humble Pie, and Juniper Cafe 24:57
  43. Fine dining to fried chicken success | Eric Huang, Chef/Owner of Peking House | 035 19:08
  44. Conquering the front and back of house divide with equal pay scales | Katie Button, CEO / Co-Founder of KB Restaurants | 034 24:13
  45. Family matters in the restaurant business | Eric Scheffer, Scheffer Group | 033 12:12
  46. The dynamic culture of care that drives 7leaves | Newton Hoang, 7leaves | 032 23:18
  47. Crafting careers in restaurants | Kelly Phillips, Destination Unknown Restaurants | 031 16:34
  48. Inside Bartaco's game-changing growth strategies | Anthony Valletta, President of bartaco | 030 20:58
  49. Creating culture that attracts and retains | Danny Meyer + Jordan Boesch | 029 56:25
  50. How do you know when things need to change? | Adam Lamb, Chef Life | 028 46:03