EP66
Troy Guard was born and raised in Hawaii. He eventually traded that surf and sun for the mile-high atmosphere of Denver when he opened his first restaurant. Today, he oversees 10 restaurants and four concepts under TAG Restaurant Group. In this episode of Forktales, Troy shares his thoughts on building strong restaurant culture, the importance of core values and how his first restaurant went from $40,000 in the hole to a $40,000 profit in just four months.
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Forktales is a podcast and video series that feeds the food, beverage, restaurant, and hospitality industries with insights, innovations, and incredibly entertaining stories. Each episode we interview the industry's leaders from veterans to the up and comers, to get a glimpse of trends, trials, tribulations, and more.
Ep 66: Troy Guard / Chef & Founder of TAG Restaurant Group
Troy Guard was born and raised in Hawaii. He eventually traded that surf and sun for the mile-high atmosphere of Denver when he opened his first restaurant. Today, he oversees 10 restaurants and four concepts under TAG Restaurant Group.
In this episode of Forktales, Troy shares his thoughts on building strong restaurant culture, the importance of core values and how his first restaurant went from $40,000 in the hole to a $40,000 profit in just four months.
Ep 65: Sterling Douglass / Co-founder and CEO of Chowly
Chowly’s mission is simple: To simplify technology for restaurants – particularly smaller chains that don’t have big chain IT support – and help restaurants evolve. That’s why Sterling Douglass created Chowly and it’s what drives the company today.
Today, Joseph and Sterling dive deep on the topic of tech and “co-opetition” in the restaurant technology industry. They also answer the questions, do you need another app on your phone, is on-premise dining going away and can you commoditize a really great burger?
Ep 64: David Jones / President of The Excellence Advisory & Coach of Winning Restaurants
David Jones is a performance excellence coach. In short, he helps brands – including many restaurants – get better at what they do and win new customers.
In this episode of Forktales, David shares his thoughts on how the pandemic gave restaurants a second chance to make a first impression, the incremental process of improvement, and how restaurants desperately need to stand out in a sea of sameness.
Ep 63: Meredith Sandland / CEO of Empower Delivery & Digital Restaurant Dynamo
The 2008 recession sped the disruption of the retail industry and the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in the digital disruption of restaurants. Meredith Sandland understands that disruption – and why it’s a good thing – better than anyone.
In this episode of Forktales, we chat with Meredith about the restaurant tech revolution, eliminating complexity in restaurant operations and how “Delivering the Digital Restaurant” is actually a whole lot easier than most people think.
Ep 62: Zach Anderson / Brand Partner at Seasoned & Restaurant Talent Rainmaker
Attracting and retaining high-quality talent is the single biggest challenge facing restaurants today. Zach Anderson and Seasoned – a social community often described as “Linkedin for restaurant workers” – makes that process easier.
On today’s Forktales menu, Zach and Joseph talk about the best qualities restaurants should look for in younger workers and which restaurants are doing a great job of attracting and retaining talent. Joseph also reveals why he has nightmares about half-eaten plates of dippy eggs.
Ep 61: Zach Goldstein / CEO of Thanx, loyalty leader and restaurant money-maker
Zach Goldstein’s goal? To help restaurants make more money. That’s why he founded Thanx, a leading loyalty and guest engagement platform for restaurants, and why he’s so passionate about helping restaurants build effective loyalty programs.
In this episode of Forktales, Joseph and Zach talk about apps (and why they’re not always the answer), the power of good data, the best way to get loyalty program sign-ups, and how a year-round McRib could be the most effective loyalty perk of all time.
