Dave Query started Big Red F Restaurant Group in 1993 and has turned it into a highly successful business with five concepts and soon-to-be thirteen total locations. In the five years I’ve been interviewing restaurant owners, Dave has always been one of my favorites. He’s transparent, honest, wise, and able to articulate his beliefs and […]
Read MoreRayme Rossello is a very positive and inspiring person, who first co-owned a restaurant in 1999. That restaurant was very successful and grew to five locations over seven years, but Rayme sold her share of the business to her partner to try something different. After an unsuccessful partnership in a french bistro, she questioned herself […]
Read MoreVan Nolintha began applying for jobs at the height of the recession after finishing both undergraduate school and graduate school. He was turned down nearly 300 times, so he and his younger sister, Vanvisa, returned to his home country, Laos, to reconnect with their roots. Returning home reminded him that much of his early life […]
Read MoreSeth Gross has been in the restaurant business for 27 years. He currently owns Bull City Burgers & Brewery as well as Pompieri Pizza, both in Durham, NC. One thing that’s clear when you speak to Seth: he believes in standing for something. For instance, he only uses grass-fed beef for his burgers, and has […]
Read MoreSean Degnan co-owns the very popular restaurant bu•ku in Raleigh, N.C. Five years into it, Sean and his team are still paying close attention to their customers and flexibly making changes as they go. We discussed a wide variety of topics from finding the right business partner to finding the right landlord, but what really […]
Read MoreKristian Cosentino is opening Dirty Water, a highly anticipated restaurant in San Francisco. For the first time in the Restaurant Owners Uncorked podcast series, we spoke to an owner who hasn’t opened his doors yet. But if you are interested in what it takes to start a restaurant, don’t miss this conversation. Kristian has been […]
Read MoreSean Scott owns Subculture Coffee, with locations in West Palm Beach and Delray Beach in Florida. Sean and I spoke about everything from the trust and relationships formed between coffee buyers and the farmers they source their beans from, to the risks of bad weather harming coffee bean crops, to the trial and error of […]
Read MoreBret Oliverio took over Sup Dogs in Greenville, NC in 2011 after his brother, who started the restaurant, tragically passed away in a house fire. Bret had no restaurant experience and had to learn everything from how to tap a keg, how to manage his staff, how to implement portion controls, how to generate consistent […]
Read MoreKeith Santangelo moved to NYC when he was 18 years old and started waiting tables. He had worked his way up to being a very successful GM at Bourbon Street Bar & Grill starting in 2009, and last year his owners called to see if he’d like to buy the restaurant. His dream came true, […]
Read MoreJake Wolf and his wife Shannon own Capital Club 16, one of the best and most respected restaurants in Raleigh, N.C. I think of words like “inviting,” “warm,” “friendly,” and “exceptional food” when I think of Capital Club 16. When I think about Jake and Shannon, I think of words like “humble,” “extremely friendly,” “welcoming,” […]
Read More