Opening Soon Presents: "The Build"
125 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 months ago - ★★★★★ - 88 ratingsFollow the journey of opening a restaurant through conversations with some of the world’s greatest chefs, restaurateurs and the vendors that help take their business from an idea to opening soon. Opening Soon is hosted by the founders of Tilit NYC, Jenny Goodman and Alex McCrery, who bring their unique perspective as hospitality industry insiders and many questions as the former proprietors of a now shuttered restaurant.
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Episodes
Moving Markets to build your dream restaurant with Gavin Kaysen
November 19, 2019 19:23 - 46 minutes - 42.1 MBSometimes the city where you cut your teeth and completed your training may not be the best place to start your business. Either for personal or financial reasons. When and how do you decide to move to a new market? What are the challenges and some of the benefits of going from a city like NYC to a smaller city with a burgeoning food scene in the midwest? Our guest today is Gavin Kaysen Chef/Owner of Spoon & Stable, Demi, and Bellecourt. Gavin has worked at fining dining restaurants across ...
How to open a neighborhood restaurant with Gabriel Stulman
November 12, 2019 18:45 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBThere are lots of ways to define the type of restaurant you will open, one of the more inviting ideas is that of a neighborhood restaurant. A neighborhood restaurant helps foster community, transcends trendiness and carries with it the potential to be around for a very long time. Obviously that takes understanding the location of your business and the patrons that will populate it. A feat Happy Cooking Hospitality has achieved very successfully. At the helm and our guest is founder and CEO...
Common Mistakes plaguing Restaurateurs & Ways to Avoid Them
November 05, 2019 22:43 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBOne of the most common resources we hear guests shout out time and time again on the show is simply other people: friends, coworkers, superiors, mentors, vendors, the list goes on. Our guest today has been mentioned on many occasions for their guidance helping to avoid costly and time consuming mistakes through proper planning. Super excited to welcome David Helbraun of Helbraun & Levy. David Helbraun is the Founding Partner and Chairman of Helbraun Levey, New York City's preeminent hospita...
Creating a Unique Experience With Simon Kim
October 29, 2019 18:00 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBFood is sustenance, when brought to another level it can be much more. Great food can wow diners, but what about the experience of dining from walking in the door and being greeted by the team to finishing off your meal and walking away from the table. How can the owner/restaurateur impact each component of the journey to create a memorable personal experience. Simon Kim is the owner of Cote, a modern Korean steakhouse in Manhattan’s Flatiron district and Undercote, its subterranean bar and...
Breaking the Mold with Mason Hereford
October 23, 2019 03:55 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBToday we’re talking about breaking the mold, the risks and the advantages of going against the norms in your market. Our guest today is Mason Hereford, Chef/Owner of Turkey & The Wolf & Molly’s Rise & Shine. Mason opened Turkey, which has been dubbed a quirky sandwich shop in New Orleans LA. Turkey was named the best new restaurant in the country by Bon App mag and in 2017. Mason injects his personality and passion into everything he does and its paid off in spades. Join Heritage Radio Net...
Rethinking Wellness and Restaurant Culture wih Chef Sean Brock
October 16, 2019 03:55 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBOne of the topics that keeps coming to us is wellness, life-work balance and the betterment of restaurant culture. As the industry continues to evolve and improve, some restaurateurs are making strides to introduce practices that create balance and enhance mental and physical health into their establishments. Our guest today knows a lot about the stresses of restaurants as well as new beginnings. We are very excited to have Chef Sean Brock here today. For the past 12 years Sean was the chef...
Connecting Brand with Good Food & Good Design
October 09, 2019 03:50 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBWe started the season talking about finding financing and taking the jump into ownership. So now you have finances in place, time to start thinking about nailing down your brand and design. Today we are joined by James Beard award winning designer Amy Morris of The Morris Project. And Camille Becerra a chef, food stylist and recipe developer in New York City. With close to 20 years of restaurant experience, Becerra’s menus showcase her commitment to healthful, seasonal and local ingredients ...
Mentoring the Next Generation of Leaders with Chef Ed Lee & The LEE Initiative
October 02, 2019 12:24 - 44 minutes - 40.3 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all about mentorship, fostering it as a business owner and finding it as a cook. We are joined today by Chef Ed Lee and Lindsey Ofcacek, co-Founders of the LEE Initiative, which stands for Lets Empower Employment, the initiative which works to bring more diversity and equality to the restaurant industry through their 6 month mentorship program. Opening Soon is powered by Simplecast.
The Journey from Chef to Owner with Angie Mar
September 25, 2019 12:33 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBMost of the guests on the show work for various chefs and restaurateurs before striking out on their own. But our guest today doesn't do things like most people. Angie Mar took the helm of the storied Beatrice Inn and then negotiated to purchase it from the owners a few years later. Angie is a lover of all things meat. She was a Food & Wine BNW in 2017, the year after she purchased the Beatrice Inn, which is still one of the hardest reservations to get in NYC. Photo Courtesy of Eric Vitale ...
Can you Crowdfund a Restaurant? Lessons in Alternative Financing options with Chef Maya Lovelace
September 17, 2019 18:03 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBOur first episode of the season focused on a more traditional route of funding through investor relations with Camilla Marcus. Today we’re going in a different direction of raising funds by exploring the path to opening Mae and Yonder here in PDX with Chef/Owner Maya Lovelace. Maya successfully crowdfunded her restaurant and we sat down to chat in special live episode of Opening Soon. Maya was an Eater Young Gun and Eater Portland Chef of the Year in 2016, a Zagat National 30 under 30 in 20...
Real talk about Money and Capturing Investment
September 10, 2019 22:16 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBLet's talk about money honey. One of the most requested topics following last season was to talk more about financing options for new restaurateurs. Restaurants have notoriously slim margins and chefs aren’t known to have huge salaries. So how do you fund your project and what are potential investors looking for in your business plan? Our guest today is Camilla Marcus, Founder and Owner/Operator of West-Bourne, an accidentally vegetarian and decidedly mindful eatery in SoHo with a triple b...
Decoding the P&L
July 30, 2019 19:29 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBRestaurants live and die by the margins. This week’s episode is all about knowing your P&L and and what your margins should be to achieve profitability. Information we could have used during our foray into opening a restaurant. Nate Adler, Owner of Gertie, is here to help us know the numbers and where to dial in to maximize the business. It's HRN's annual summer fund drive, this is when we turn to our listeners and ask that you make a donation to help ensure a bright future for food radio. ...
Getting Butts in Seats!
July 23, 2019 20:46 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all about how to maximize your digital presence, basically how you can fuel the buzz of your shop in the opening days through social presence including optimizing your interiors for share worthy moments, building your website and creating an easy and efficient reservations platform. What are some best tactics to create buzz to drive revenue and visitors to your restaurant outside of PR. We are joined by Kystle Mobayeni, Co-Founder and CEO of BentoBox ...
Creating buzz and growing your audience with Jordana Rothman & Sue Chan
July 16, 2019 19:37 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBThis episode of Opening Soon is all about communicating your brand to gain traction in the media to drive awareness and attract customers. In the changing media and food landscape, how do you get noticed and connect with diners? We sat down to pick the brains of Sue Chan, Founder of Care of Chan a food culture agency that specializes in brand management, talent representation, event production and communications for the hospitality industry. And Jordana Rothman, Restaurant Editor at Large...
Designing a Beverage program to Drive Revenue with Ariel Arce and Jordan Salcito
July 09, 2019 18:36 - 53 minutes - 49 MBThis episode of Opening Soon is all about building out a beverage program to drive sales. Your beverage program is just as important to the bottom line as your food and service. Whether you are a natural wines or intricate cocktails the right program can drive revenue. We are joined by 2 amazing beverage professionals who sincerely believe that wine should be fun and are taking strides to make it that way. Arielle Arce is the owner of Tokyo Record Bar, Airs Champagne Lounge, Niche Niche and...
Creating a Brand that lasts a Century and Beyond with Russ & Daughters
July 02, 2019 18:37 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all about Creating a lasting brand. What better guests then Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, 4th generation owners of 105 year old famed Appetizing shop Russ & Daughters. We discuss how to make a lasting impression on your customers and make sure that your brand is echoed across every part of your business to create a unified and memorable guest experience that keep guests coming back for decades. It's HRN's annual summer fund drive, this is wh...
Connecting The Kitchen & The Dining Room with Chef James Kent & Jeff Katz of Crown Shy
June 25, 2019 18:46 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all about ushering in a culture that supports collaboration between the kitchen and dining room to create a stellar guest experience. We are joined by James Kent and Jeff Katz of Crown Shy in NY’s downtown. James is the Executive Chef and has created the menu drawing inspiration from travels, the diversity of the city, and his childhood experiences. Jeff is his partner and translates that menu into the experience the guests receive each night. Crown Shy...
Efficiently navigating Hospitality Regulatory Agencies and hopefully saving some headaches and money!
June 18, 2019 19:20 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all about permitting, licensing and navigating regulatory hurdles in order to open. How did you get Con Ed to turn on the gas? And passing those Health Inspections? Liquor Licensing aah! A quick dip into expediting your way through the permitting of your city. We are joined by Robert S. Bookman is a recognized leader of the New York hospitality industry. He has worked with New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and since has specialized in repres...
Creating a Team & Fostering a strong Restaurant Culture
June 11, 2019 21:23 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all how to Hire & Train the best of the best and how to keep them from jumping ship amidst the chaos of opening. Once you have a team in place how do you instill and maintain a culture that keeps you and your employees happy and thriving? We are joined by award winning Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta, Ga. Miller Union is celebrating 10 years this November. As well as Chef/Owner Jon Sybert and Service Director/Owner Jill Tyler of Mich...
Designing and building your dream restaurant
June 04, 2019 14:59 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all about designing and building your dream restaurant with Chef Missy Robbins. You’ve chosen your partners, you’ve got a lease and your business plan is in full effect. Now for the design and construction phase. Where do you focus and what is essential. Who are the key people that will help design and execute your vision and what can you DIY? We are joined by celebrated chef Missy Robbins, JBF Best Chef NYC in 2018 and owner of Misi and Lilia restaura...
Sourcing while staying on brand and trying not breaking the bank!
May 28, 2019 15:13 - 50 minutes - 45.8 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all about sourcing. You’ve chosen your partners, you’ve got a lease and your business plan is in full effect. You’ve got a budget for equipment, tableware, interior furnishings, uniforms and more. Where/When do you start? Where can you save, where can you finance? Where should you splurge? We are joined by Morgan Tucker, director of business development at Singer Equipment where she oversees tabletop including her signature Little M Tucker line of cura...
Location, Location, Location! FInding the Perfect Place to Launch your Business with Erin & Agatha of Ovenly
May 21, 2019 16:04 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBThis week’s episode of Opening Soon is all about location, location location! How do you navigate the wild world of real estate and land the perfect spot? What are some pitfalls of lease negotiation and how do you maximize your location? We are joined by Erin Patinkin CEO and Agatha Kulaga COO, Co-Founders of Ovenly, a radically responsible bakery with 4 locations between Manhattan and Brooklyn to talk real estate. Both Erin and Agatha have been recognized for their leadership in social i...
Building a Partnership that Lasts Decades & Spans a Restaurant Empire
May 14, 2019 21:49 - 53 minutes - 49 MBHospitality professionals are historically under staffed, overworked and hyper focused on their tasks at hand inside their business. That doesn’t leave much time for mingling with or courting investors, business partners and the people you will need to start your journey from employee to ownership. How did you find your perfect match? We are so pleased and honored to have partners in the Bowery Restaurant Group here today: Vicki Freeman co-owner, Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja, chef/partner at Shuka,...
Building a restaurant business, but first: The Plan!
May 07, 2019 21:46 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBOpening Soon is a weekly show that will walk you through the steps of opening a restaurant through conversations with some of the world’s greatest chefs, restaurateurs and the vendors that help take their business from an idea to opening soon. Hosted by the founders of Tilit NYC, Jenny Goodman and Alex McCrery bring their unique perspective as hospitality industry insiders as well as lots of questions as the former proprietors of a now shuttered restaurant. On our first episode of Opening S...
Opening Soon Trailer
April 30, 2019 15:40 - 2 minutes - 2.31 MBOpening Soon is a weekly show about the journey of opening a restaurant featuring conversations with some of the world’s greatest chefs, restaurateurs and the vendors that help take their business from an idea to opening soon. Opening Soon is hosted by the founders of Tilit NYC, Jenny Goodman and Alex McCrery, who bring their unique perspective as hospitality industry insiders and many questions as the former proprietors of a now shuttered restaurant. Opening Soon is powered by Simplecast.