One of the best things about being in this business is that we get to hear incredible stories every day from owners and operators, from chefs and entrepreneurs. We get to talk to people running food trucks, breweries, and oyster pubs. We get to find out what it takes to succeed in this challenging business of ours.
Even better, we get to share these stories with you on our podcast, So You Want To Run a Restaurant. Every week, co-hosts Spencer Michiel and Claudia Saric bring you a new guest and another success story.
“This season, we had a chef who was ranked in the New York Times, a James Beard Award winner, and all kinds of talented folks with Michelin stars on their resume,” Spencer observed. “But some of the coolest stories also came from guests running pizza shops, vegan cookie bakeries, and donut trucks.”
As we wrap up our Spring 2026 season, we are once again reminded that there isn’t just one blueprint for running a successful restaurant. Before we roll out a new season of colorful guests and one-of-a-kind stories, let’s take a look back at some of our favorite moments from Season 5.
Chef Alam Mendez Florian grew up in his mother Celia’s celebrated Oaxaca-based restaurant, La Quince Letras. Today, he shares the ingredients, recipes, and traditions he learned there through Apapacho Taqueria in Washington DC’s La Cosecha Food Hall. But the secret to his success, Alam said, is his equal curiosity about other culinary traditions.
Alam honed his craft in Mexico City before venturing to a Michelin-star restaurant in St. Sebastian, Spain. The menu at Apapacho features what he calls Mexican street food, but Alam also incorporates everything he learned in fine dining.
He explained, “We are not one of these big restaurants. We don't have a Michelin star, but we do care about our food. We care about our ingredients as well.”
Chef Andy Elliot is the owner of Modern Bird, an acclaimed restaurant in Michigan’s Great Lakes region. Andy and his wife Emily went from selling pastries at their local farmer’s market to the New York Times’ list of Best Restaurants in America. Andy was already a veteran of Chicago’s competitive fine-dining scene when he launched his own spot in the vibrant Traverse City area.
The secret to his success, Andy told us, is his willingness to challenge himself. At every stop on his journey, Andy pushed himself to learn new skills, experience new foods, and experiment with new dishes.
Andy explained, “I tried to be really conscious about where I was working. I tried to put myself in a position to be uncomfortable so that I could learn how to level up.”
Valerie Mnuchin opened Léon 1909 on New York’s Shelter Island in 2022. She described the island as extremely seasonal, hosting 25,000 people during the summer and a tenth that many the rest of the year. Remarkably, Valerie’s restaurant stays open all year long.
The secret to pulling it off, Valerie explained, is creating a restaurant that’s about more than food. She explained, “I felt like it was an extension of creating a home, of serving people, having people. Hospitality just comes naturally to me, so I wanted to create a hub where I could do this, not just once a week with friends, but to entertain people every night.”
David Standridge is a James Beard Award winner and executive chef at the acclaimed Shipwright's Daughter in Mystic, Connecticut. He is recognized for his ecologically conscientious approach to seafood in a town where fishing is a way of life.
David honed his skills in fine dining, and explained that some of the top kitchens in the industry are also brutal, toxic working environments. When David became the executive chef of his own restaurant, he vowed to run a harmonious kitchen.
To David, the secret to success is helping others succeed. He explained, “What I really love about restaurants is watching people grow into bigger roles. We have such a talented team. It's a lot about what they want to do moving forward, because your team is your whole thing.”
Kizzy Patel and Jesse Smith are among the co-founders of Kimball House, a beloved Decatur, Georgia oyster pub operating in a beautifully-restored, historical train depot. The food, vibe and location have earned the pub national recognition. But as our guests noted, transforming an old depot into a brand new pub is a huge job.
Jesse told us that the real secret to their success was their willingness to roll up their sleeves and do a lot of that work themselves. He explained that “We built the bar. We had to reposition where the bathrooms were. We added all the hardwood flooring and all the tile. There was a ton of work that went into it.”
Hengam Stanfield and her husband own Mattengas Pizzeria, with seven locations across San Antonio. When they purchased the restaurant from its previous owner, it was buried in debt. On top of that, Hengam and her husband were both career engineers with no prior restaurant experience.
The secret to transforming a failing restaurant into the fastest-growing pizza chain in the region, Hengam explained, was her willingness to go out and find customers instead of waiting for them to come to her.
In the early days, Hengam said, she spent every spare moment working to improve her restaurant’s visibility. Hengam told us, “We did parades. We would go to schools. I would even wear a pizza costume outside the store to get exposure.”
Maya Madsen is the founder and CEO of Maya's Cookies, a vegan bakery that grew from a homemade cookie hustle into a nationwide company practically overnight. Maya credits her early regulars for some of her success.
At the beginning, Maya wore all the hats — “the maker, the baker, and the seller,” she told us. It allowed her to develop strong bonds with her customers, trust their feedback, and lean on them in trying times.
Maya explained, “Your regulars are your biggest critics and your biggest champions. That came back twofold for me, because that same customer support created an avalanche of online orders for me during the pandemic.”
Alfredo Arcobelli is a private chef and sole proprietor of the Chicago-based Dinner With Alfredo. When Alfredo arrived in the U.S. from Italy, he wanted to share the “clean, organic, non-processed, non-salty, natural” food he grew up with. But he also found that running his own business required a very specific kind of discipline.
Alfredo doesn’t do “friends and family” pricing. This is because, as a private chef who spends so much time in other people’s homes, it’s important to differentiate between business and friendship.
As Alfredo told us, “There's always a line. You may be a friend and I can have drinks with you. Not a problem. But when we’re talking business, we're talking about how I pay my bills. We're talking about how I work and how I have to live.”
Teenage sisters Zoey and Lydia Heyn launched their food truck business in 2023. Today, Zo’s Mini Donuts operates five trucks across three different Michigan beach towns. They credit their ability to scale so quickly to an important principle.
With just three classic donuts on the menu, Zoey explained, “We believe in simplicity. We always say, K.I.S.S. Keep it simple, stupid. We see introducing coffee, maybe. And we always say that once our millionth donut is sold, then we'll start selling chocolate.”
Chef Natalia Lepore Hagan is the visionary behind Philadelphia-based Midnight Pasta, an immersive pasta-making class that includes music, dancing, and a world-class Italian dinner. Natalia explained that the key to her success is her focus on providing her guests with something they can’t experience anywhere else.
Natalia told us, “When customers walk in the door, they forget about what's going on outside. They get to come in and experience joy and have a moment where they don't have to think about the challenges in their lives.”
Whether you’re just starting out or you're looking for ways to grow your business, the right tech can help you on your journey. Schedule your free, personalized consultation with Spencer or another of our in-house restaurant technology experts and we’ll help you figure out exactly what you need.
Image: Lydia Heyn of Zo's Mini Donuts