What if the reason you can’t make payroll is that you’re still trying to compete on value?
Sava Farah fled communist Albania at five, landed in the Bronx, and opened her first Ann Arbor restaurant at 23 with no degree, no investors, and no plan beyond work ethic. Nearly twenty years later she runs The Pulpo Group, four restaurants and 400 employees, each one funded by the profits of the last.
In this conversation, we get into why she charges more and builds the value behind it, how she reads momentum instead of chasing problems, and why staying out of the investor game gave her the speed capital was supposed to buy.
If you’re working harder every year and keeping less of it, this one shows you where the leak is.
The Playbook Takeaways
- Charge more, then build the value behind it. Sava doesn’t compete on value pricing. She prices higher and makes the experience earn it. If you’re working harder every year and keeping less of it, that’s where the leak is.
- Read momentum instead of chasing problems. Sava watches what is gaining traction in each restaurant and leans into it, rather than spending her attention on whatever is broken that week.
- Stay out of the investor game. Each of her four restaurants was funded by the profits of the last. Skipping investors gave her the speed that capital was supposed to buy.
Want the systems behind ideas like these? Josh runs a free 5-day restaurant marketing masterclass at restaurantbusinessschool.com.
Keep going: how independent restaurants build real margins, restaurant funding options and what they cost you, and restaurant marketing that gets guests through the door.
To learn more about The Pulpo Group and their restaurants, visit thepulpogroup.com.
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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you’ll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com
This episode is brought to you by Guestologie. Guestologie helps multi-location restaurant groups recognize their highest-value guests the moment they walk in, so your team can deliver better hospitality and drive more visits. Built for groups running 10 or more locations. Full Comp listeners get a complimentary Invisible Guest Assessment at guestologie.com/fullcomp
About the Author: Josh Kopel is a Michelin-awarded restaurateur, host of the Full Comp podcast, and creator of the Restaurant Scaling System, which helps independent owners grow profitable restaurants through AI-powered marketing. More about Josh · Learn with Josh
