Will Guidara

Many restaurant owners — especially those opening their first concept — believe they can manage without a qualified consultant. What they often don’t see is how much money quietly slips away through inefficient systems, poor purchasing, pricing mistakes, and preventable waste. The financial impact of strong operational guidance can be significant, often uncovering revenue opportunities and cost savings far beyond expectations. The reality remains: the statistic about restaurants closing within the first two years isn’t a myth. It’s usually the result of weak planning, inconsistent execution, and a lack of structured oversight — not a lack of passion. A clear strategy, disciplined systems, and experienced guidance can be the difference between struggling to survive and building a business that grows with intention. #RestaurantConsultant #RestaurantSuccess #FoodserviceStrategy #HospitalityLeadership #RestaurantStartup #RestaurantOwners #HospitalityIndustry #Profitability #RestaurantOperations #FoodCostControl #LaborManagement #HospitalityConsulting #BusinessGrowth #ChefDriven #SustainableHospitality #RestaurantPlanning #KitchenEfficiency #MenuEngineering #HospitalityExperts #BuildBetterRestaurants

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In business, intention is everything. As chefs and restaurateurs, we’re often taught that luxury is defined by price point: white tablecloths, premium ingredients, elevated spaces. But the longer I’ve been in this industry, the more I’ve realized: the real luxury isn’t what something costs, it’s how it makes people feel. Luxury lives in the details. In every touchpoint, from the first impression to the last bite. Whether you’re running a fine dining restaurant or a neighborhood concept, the principle remains the same, people remember how you made them feel long after they’ve forgotten what they ordered. So the question becomes: Are you just serving a product… or are you creating a feeling? #Hospitality #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #CustomerExperience #RestaurantIndustry

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Feeling stuck or unsure about your next move? In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to find your purpose and why most people overcomplicate it. If you’ve been thinking about a career pivot or rediscovering your passion, this one’s for you. 🎥 Watch now and tell us: What’s your “why”?

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Why I Chose to Integrate AI Into My Culinary Career — And Why Chefs Shouldn’t Fear It Here’s your draft: ⸻ For nearly two decades, I worked in institutional culinary operations, including 18 years at MIT, private catering ownership, charitable corporate events, and executive culinary education leadership in Boston and New York. I have seen the evolution of kitchens. From handwritten prep lists to digital ordering systems. From manual inventory tracking to integrated POS analytics. Now we are entering the next phase: Artificial Intelligence. Many chefs fear AI. I do not. I use AI as a collaborative research partner — not as a replacement for craft. Every day through ChefCraft LLC, I develop “Ingredient of the Day” educational content in collaboration with AI-driven research tools. The technique, flavor development, and execution remain human. The research speed, historical data, and comparative analysis are enhanced. AI does not season food. AI does not understand texture. AI does not feel heat on the line. But AI accelerates knowledge. As a culinary educator, that matters. It allows me to: • Develop curriculum faster • Explore ingredient history deeper • Compare global techniques instantly • Model cost structures • Build structured educational materials The future of culinary education will not eliminate chefs. It will amplify the ones willing to evolve. ChefCraft is embracing that evolution. The kitchen is still human. But the research bench just got smarter. — Chef John PEREDINA Founder, ChefCraft LLC

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What’s one panel you will not miss at The Restaurant Leadership Conference hosted by Informa Connect Foodservice ? C-Suite in the Hot Seat- Inside the Nest This edition of C-Suite in the Hot Seat brings together top executives from The Nest - an exclusive group of industry leaders tackling the biggest challenges in restaurants today. Through a series of one-on-one interviews, hear candid stories, bold strategies, and forward-thinking insights on navigating evolving consumer demands while balancing speed and value. ➡️ Mark Hatch, Informa Connect Foodservice ➡️ Sam Oches, Nation's Restaurant News ➡️ Ronald Gonzales, Church's Texas Chicken ➡️ Justin Rosenberg, honeygrow ➡️ Donna Spangler-Varner Schlotzsky's ➡️ Beth (Starling) McCormick, CAVA ➡️ John Meyers, Marco's Pizza (Marco's Franchising, LLC) MONDAY | April 20, 2026 2:30 p.m. | Grand Saguaro Ballroom #RLC #RLC2026 #restaurantleadershipconference #restaurantbusiness #restauranttech #restaurantowners #restaurantmarketing #restaurantindustry #restaurantowner

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"In order to be successful, you need to find something you're good at and are passionate about" - Romaine Newell Romaine is a passionate and ambitious creator and creative that has been growing in culinary for over 16years. Hear his insights on passion and creativity in this engaging episode of The Career Currency podcast with Kareem Perez, founder of The Tech Effect: https://lnkd.in/gNdUCVDA #thetecheffect #careeradvice #podcast #foodbusiness #culinaryindustry #careerasachef

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Wine programs aren’t just bottles on a list anymore. They’re systems, they’re storytelling, they’re technology. 🍷⚙️ For the latest episode of the Restaurant Technology Substack series, we’re in Las Vegas at Barry’s Prime inside Circa with Zack Vasilev breaking down how a world-class wine program actually runs. Barry’s Prime is one of only 1,100 restaurants in the world to earn Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence, and Zack is building it by blending old-school discipline with modern tech. We get into: How he manages a $500,000 wine inventory Why Excel still matters How wearable tech is changing wine service and storytelling Why restaurant technology now includes content, culture, and moments This is the first time we’ve gone deep on wine technology in this series, and it’s proof that restaurant tech isn’t just POS systems, it’s how experiences scale beyond the dining room. Full breakdown now live on the Cali BBQ Media YouTube channel #RestaurantTechnology #DigitalHospitality #RestaurantOwners

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Too much margin enhancement? I had an interesting conversation with an industry friend over a Collina Viola Negroni.   We were talking about macro trends in the beverage alcohol industry, and whether we should be optimistic or pessimistic about the future of beverage alcohol in the United States (hint, I am an optimist, even with the recent Gallup report).  Lots of the topics have been discussed at length elsewhere, from the arrested development of Gen Z and their drinking habits, Social Media and the offline/ online socialization shift, cannabis, online gambling, inflation, and economic headwinds.   A hot take my friend had, though, which resonated with me, has been the big suppliers raising prices aggressively while cutting costs (and often quality) at the start of the pandemic.   While inflation for beverage alcohol has been slower than other consumables for the last 2 years,  the start of Covid saw aggressive price increases by big suppliers, compounded with cost-cutting (or just scrambling to keep up with soaring demand), which led to erosion in product integrity. A novel idea for big brands - focus on quality and delivering value to your customers, and your lunch will not get eaten by the small guys.    

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This root beer stand owner made the boldest bet in hospitality history. He started with one A&W franchise in Washington DC. 95 years later, his brand operates 7,800 properties across 138 countries. In 1927, J. Willard Marriott saw what nobody else did—a massive gap in the hospitality market. You could get fancy hotel service or basic roadside lodging. Nothing in between offered consistent quality with accessible pricing. So he asked one question: What if hospitality could deliver excellence without the luxury price tag? Marriott International was born. Most hotel executives would have been fired for what the Marriotts did next. They threw out the traditional hotel rulebook entirely. While competitors focused on either luxury exclusivity or budget basics, Industry experts called it hospitality suicide. Marriott called it revolutionary. His philosophy was radical: "Success isn't about luxury exclusivity. It's about making every guest feel valued." The validation came from business travelers who couldn't afford luxury hotels but demanded reliable quality. But here's where Marriott's vision paid off long-term. Instead of staying regional like every hotel chain, Bill Marriott Jr. made an even bolder decision. They would expand globally while maintaining American service standards. The strategy worked perfectly: - First to perfect the franchise model in hospitality - Global recognition through consistent brand experience - Word-of-mouth spreading across business communities - Service excellence resonating worldwide - Every guest became an ambassador for accessible hospitality. Marriott didn't stop at service. He built a movement. American hospitality wasn't just marketing—it was cultural values disguised as business strategy. Quality service with approachable pricing. Excellence with consistency. Business travelers finally had a brand that didn't compromise on standards. When expansion required scaling, Marriott turned consistency into creativity. Can't maintain personal service at global scale? Create systematic training programs that deliver uniform excellence. Result: Predictable quality plus authentic hospitality. The psychology was brilliant: Make your guests feel like they're part of the Marriott family, not just booking rooms. Today's numbers prove the vision worked: - 7,800 properties worldwide - Global hospitality leader status - Multi-generational customer loyalty - Legacy spanning nearly a century While competitors built walls around hospitality exclusivity... Marriott built bridges to accessible service excellence. The lesson? In a world of gatekeeping luxury, consistency wins. - At DGENZ, we've helped luxury brands like Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ferrari tell memorable stories with AI mini-movies that stop people mid-scroll. If you want to learn how to transform your brand -- send me a DM. Follow me at Alec CHAPADOS for more branding breakdowns.

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Behind the Scenes: Lessons from Ducasse, Gras, and Splichal. The newest Chef's PSA features Andrew Turner, whose journey runs through the world's most elite kitchens: Louis XV, Patina, and Fleur de Lis. This episode is a blueprint for high performance. We break down what it takes to perform at the highest level, precision, humility, and repetition. Critically, Andrew shares the hard transition from chef to ENTREPRENEUR, building a successful wine business, and the balance of creativity versus business management. Required listening for leaders planning their next career move. #ChefsPSA #AlainDucasse #ChefToCEO #CulinaryLeadership #Entrepreneurship #FineDining

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Cantaloupe Inc has been acquired by 365 Retail Markets for $848 million in an all-cash deal backed by Providence Equity Partners. This isn’t just another M&A headline — it’s a clear signal that the future of unattended retail, food service automation, and frictionless checkout is being written right now. Cantaloupe’s transformation over the past few years — from rebranding and leadership shifts to investments in restaurant, sports, and entertainment experiences — mirrors a trend we’re seeing across the industry: self-service is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s the playbook. So what does this mean for brands like Branded Hospitality portco - Bite, who are already innovating at the intersection of kiosks, guest experience, and data-driven hospitality? It means the appetite (pun intended) for smart, scalable tech in food service is massive — and growing. We’re watching a future where guests order, pay, and enjoy their meal on their terms — with fewer barriers, more personalization, and better insights for operators. Read More: https://lnkd.in/e_rVjneC Payments Dive #BreakingNews #FoodService #HospitalityInsiders #SelfServiceTech #Restaurants #FoodIndustry #Tech #Automation Branded Hospitality Hospitality Hangout Podcast Brandon Barton William Clem, Ph.D. Chris Meyer Jason Horine Caitlin Chang Joe Hessling Ed Chapel Melissa Westfall Jeff Dumbrell Ravi Venkatesan

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We Need to Find Better Cooks Wrong. I’ve worked with over 100 restaurant leaders. 3 out of 4 are solving kitchen performance backwards. Your food quality isn’t limited by talent. It’s limited by your lack of systems. Let me show you: Kitchen A: “Rockstar” exec chef No documented recipes Verbal-only training 65% shift consistency Kitchen B: Average kitchen manager Recipes + photos documented Structured training system 94% shift consistency Most owners choose A. Because they think talent is everything. But they’re setting themselves up to fail. Here’s why: 🔹 1. Systems > Skill Would you rather have: → A brilliant chef who takes the playbook when they leave? → Or systems that guarantee results, no matter who’s on the line? 🔹 2. Scalability = Survival Kitchen A can’t scale. Kitchen B is plug-and-play — and expansion-ready. 🔹 3. What actually matters: Consistency % across shifts Time to train new hires Can temps follow the system and win? Case Study: Two restaurants, chef on vacation. A: No systems → Quality drops 40% B: Systems in place → Quality holds at 95% B wins. Every time. Because: Systems beat talent when talent doesn’t have systems. Want the exact framework I use to build high-consistency kitchens? DM me “consistency” and I’ll send it your way. 👊🏻 #CulinaryMechanic #KitchenSystems #RestaurantOperations

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Most guests don’t resist spending more… they resist feeling like they’re overspending. In my latest Business of Wine column with The SOMM Journal , I break down one of the most effective tools in transactional psychology: affordability reframing. A $30 bottle isn’t “50% more” than a $20 bottle -it’s $2 more per glass. Same math, with a completely different perspective. It’s about giving guests the right context to confidently choose the experience they actually want. If you’re in hospitality or retail, this shift in thought changes everything. Check out this quick read and start reframing how you present value! 🥂 The SOMM Journal #somlyay #somlyaytoday #goodsomm #winebusiness #sommin60seconds

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This isn’t a quote wall for restaurants. It’s the job. None of what’s here is complicated. That’s the point. Great restaurant owners and operations aren’t built or successful through big speeches or endless meetings. They’re built on small, non-negotiable behaviors done consistently. Show up when you say you will. Do what you said you’d do. Respect the people next to you and the guests counting on you. Bring answers, not excuses. Stay curious. Think ahead. Control your energy when the pressure hits. Stay coachable. Lift your team. This is how trust is earned. This is how teams stay intact. This is how leaders are followed. Hospitality doesn’t reward ego. It rewards discipline, awareness, and people who understand that none of this works alone. That’s why restaurants and hospitality are a team sport — and always will be. Some restaurant and hotel leaders spend their days reacting instead of leading. Margins shrink — not because of one big mistake, but because discipline disappeared. Culture doesn’t collapse. It leaks And once trust is gone, no amount of training, perks, or motivational posters will replace it. These behaviors aren’t soft skills. They are the infrastructure. Ignore them long enough, and everything built on top eventually fails.

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✨ Unreasonable Hospitality ✨ Reading #UnreasonableHospitality by Will Guidara has been nothing short of transformative. Beyond being a benchmark in New York’s culinary scene, Guidara reminds us that hospitality is not just about service or luxury—it is about creating emotional connections, surprising people, and making them feel truly valued. For me, it has meant walking alongside one of the most iconic creators of New York’s top gastronomy, realizing that true excellence is not only about the product itself but about the intention behind every detail that turns an experience into a lasting memory. In marketing, communication, and public relations, this mindset becomes a powerful strategy: when hospitality is taken to its most generous extreme, it amplifies brands, differentiates them, and leaves a profound mark on every interaction. #UnreasonableHospitality #WillGuidara #HospitalityExcellence #PublicRelations #MarketingStrategy #LuxuryHospitality #CustomerExperience #BrandAmplification

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Consulting for hospitality, cruise, luxury, and retail brands has led to many great questions. Here’s one of them: Hospitality Question: How can cruise guest programs translate effectively to land-based hospitality? Answer - Cruise programs work because they’re designed for closed, high-frequency environments where guest behavior, timing, and emotion are tightly understood. Land-based hospitality often fails when it copies cruise tactics without adapting to a more fragmented guest journey. The transferable value isn’t the structure; it’s the principles, clear recognition, consistent delivery, and benefits that frontline teams can execute without friction. Cruise programs succeed by aligning guest expectations with operational reality. That same alignment is what land-based hospitality must design for, intentionally, not by imitation. More questions? - Click here - https://lnkd.in/g59hXXMP

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Philadelphia's dining scene is getting national recognition it has long deserved. The Washington Post recently published a weekend eating guide under a headline that felt overdue: "Philadelphia's dining scene is better than ever." Critic Elazar Sontag made his case through stops at Griddle & Rice, Kalaya, John's Roast Pork, La Jefa, Meetinghouse, and Sao. The New York Times updated its own Philadelphia restaurant list the same week. Taken together, these pieces amount to something more than a travel recommendation. They are a verdict. Philadelphia is not being framed as an offshoot of somewhere else. It is being recognized as a dining destination with a genuine point of view. That didn't happen by accident. It happened because of chefs who took risks when the city wasn't yet on anyone's radar. Because of immigrant communities who brought depth, perspective, and flavor that no trend could manufacture. Because of independent operators who prioritized experience and identity over approval from outside. Places like Kalaya, Meetinghouse, and John's Roast Pork are proof points. They demonstrate that Philadelphia does not need to imitate anyone to earn a seat at the national table. But the recognition prompts a harder question. If we are this effective at building food culture...are we being equally intentional about building the economic infrastructure around it? Research from the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia has long documented what remains true: a significant portion of food served in Philadelphia institutions, including schools, healthcare facilities, and city programs, is produced outside the region and trucked in daily. The opportunity to localize supply chains, support regional producers, and capture more of the economic value of our own food culture remains largely untapped. A city that can produce world-class dining culture can also produce a more equitable, more connected food economy. Those two goals are not in tension. They reinforce each other. The national attention Philadelphia is receiving right now is not just a marketing moment. It is an opening. An opportunity to build the food system infrastructure that matches the culture we have already built. Celebration is earned. The work is not done. https://lnkd.in/gU54pxaN #Philadelphia #FoodSystems #LocalEconomy #FoodEquity #PhillyFood #UrbanFood #AnchorInstitutions #FoodInfrastructure

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Just listened to Hospitality Technology's webinar featuring Josh Gurley The Coca-Cola Company and Nolan DeCoster Olo moderated by Robert Firpo-Cappiello, Editor-in-Chief. Here are my highlights: 🚀 #CocaCola is committed to empowering restaurant partners to thrive in an ever-evolving digital landscape. “We want to be best in class, not just for beverages, but for everything our restaurant partners are thinking about. Now more than ever, that’s an end-to-end technology resource as they navigate and accelerate #digitaltransformation.” Josh Gurley 🚀For 139 years, Coca-Cola has been rooted in hospitality. 3 of every 4 restaurants in North America pour Coke, so we have a huge opportunity to solve challenges at scale. Olo has 88K locations, 750 brands and 450 technology partners. "Together, it’s a match made in heaven.” Nolan DeCoster 🚀 We’re decoding consumer insights and adapting to a future where more than 2/3 of Americans are ordering a meal digitally today, which could skyrocket to 1 out of every 2 by 2035. Pair this with the idea that 1/3 of the workforce will be digitally native and they expect highly optimized digital experiences. 🥤 There’s a huge gap to fill in menu conditions ($1.4B!!! see image). Our research shows that when conditions right, consumers will buy. Yet 80% of menus we surveyed have less than 6 of our brands on the menu. Assortment is important in digital environments; if they don’t see it, they won’t order it + people eat with their eyes, yet images are missing. "With simple changes to these foundational elements, we’re seeing 10 points of beverage attachment lift – that’s significant. From assortment to bundles to capturing the upsell. We’ve tested it and we know it works." 📈 Partnering with Olo, we've enhanced menus for leading brands like GoTo Foods, Dave's Hot Chicken and PF Changs China Bistro's. Impressive results: Higher check averages + guest satisfaction. 💰 By collaborating on AI-driven solutions, we're transforming technology into a revenue engine. Tackling POS mismatches and refining beverage attachments are steps that are already making a tangible difference.  🌟 #Catering – attach beverages to supercharge the upsell opportunities. This is exciting because together we may enhance ordering experiences with package innovations for brands to meet that occasion. Data points + insights = automate, use #AI #ML to surface at the right time, operators don’t have to stay on top of it. 💡 “If I’m a restaurant operator this is an AH-HA moment. You are leaving money on the table if you’re not making beverages easy to buy what they love.” Robert Firpo-Cappiello Hospitality Technology Restaurant Technology Network Watch on-demand for yourself here: https://lnkd.in/eV5Prbc5 #restaurants #restauranttechnology #restauranttech #cocaolo Tom Finley Hannah Arner Eric Blumenthal Bailey Rogers Barbara Poremba Hillary Holmes Abigail Lorden Leonhard Tammy Hanson

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