Blog Posts
Lauren Fernandez on Perfecting Restaurant Profitability
Lauren Fernandez went from working in restaurants, to working on restaurants, to influencing the industry at scale. After cutting her teeth as a corporate executive
No Playbook, No Apologies: Alon Shaya on Leading with Story, Not Strategy
What if the most powerful thing you bring to your restaurant isn’t a recipe—but your story? Alon Shaya built Pomegranate Hospitality not on a model,
Office Hours: Why You Shouldn’t Reward Regulars
I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants
Stop Playing It Safe: Katherine Miller on the Real Risk of Staying Apolitical
What if staying quiet is the riskiest move you can make? Katherine Miller built her career where politics and policy collide—and she’s not afraid to
The Prince of Portland: Celebrity Chef Gregory Gourdet
When you open a restaurant you’ve investing in more than a business, you’re investing in a community. As we change and evolve as individuals so
Office Hours: Influence Fatigue — Why Your Customers Don’t Trust Your Marketing (and What to Do Instead)
I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants
Your Tech Is Costing You More Than Labor. Ankit Gupta on Building a System That Actually Makes You Money
What if the biggest threat to your restaurant isn’t bad food or poor service—but bad tech? That’s the bet Ankit Gupta is making. After shaping
Office Hours: Stop Fixing Symptoms — The Real Reason Restaurants Burn Out
I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants
Restaurants Aren’t About Food, They’re About People: David Youngberg’s Playbook for Longevity
What if the best leadership training didn’t come from business school, but from the brutal discipline of an Ironman? David Youngberg didn’t start triathlons until
Office Hours: Doing Less To Earn More
I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants
Invisible Work, Unshakable Standards: Wesley Sohn on Engineering Scalable Hospitality
What if the best hospitality isn’t taught – it’s demonstrated, brick by brick? Wesley Sohn didn’t just walk away from a promising finance career, he
When Staying Small Wins: Fred Piehl on Profit, Joy, and Running Restaurants That Don’t Own You
What if staying small was actually the boldest move you could make in restaurants? Fred Piehl didn’t come to San Diego chasing an empire; he
The Case for Bold Action: Johno Morisano on What It Took to Build the Country’s Best Restaurant
What if the best restaurant stories aren’t about food—they’re about identity, risk, and reinvention? Johno Morisano didn’t set out to open a restaurant—he set out