100: Unlock Thriving Restaurant Excellence

Milestones matter when they sharpen your focus. As we hit 100 episodes, Christin welcomes chef Britt Rescigno of Fiama in Sun Valley, a TV chef turned mountain-town restaurateur who pairs sexy, high-end Italian with a culture built on respect. The conversation cuts through hype and gets tactical about what it takes to open strong, stay open through off-season, and keep a team engaged when the crowds thin.Britt shares the boundary that makes running a restaurant with her spouse work: leave home emotions at home and speak with intention on the line. That standard lifted the whole crew, turning high-heat moments into calm, decisive service. We talk brand and guest experience that feel elegant yet approachable, the pricing confidence that comes from making everything in-house, and why clear storytelling on your website and socials sets expectations before guests ever sit down.If you’ve wondered how to pick the right city, Britt’s year of pop-ups becomes a blueprint for market research. She and Kinsey cooked 50 dinners across the country, read demand signals, and chose Sun Valley because the niche fit the people, not just the postcard views. We unpack PR as an upfront investment that compounds early, how to measure its real-world impact, and why cutting it first can stall momentum. Then we face Slack season head on: holding firm on hours, launching a true apertivo hour to seed early covers, and keeping staff employed so you don’t pay the tax of retraining when the snow hits.Britt also opens up about her TV path from a liquid-courage Chopped application to national competitions, and how that platform feeds the restaurant with credibility and fresh ideas. Finally, we look forward: more Fiama locations, possibly in other mountain towns, and a commitment to mentoring young cooks so they see culinary as a craft worth chasing.If you lead in restaurants, you’ll walk away with a playbook: respect as policy, consistency as strategy, pop-ups as research, PR as acceleration, and offers that protect brand while driving covers. Enjoy the conversation, share it with someone who needs a lift, and tell us your best tactic for staying busy through the off-season. Resources:Britt RescignoFiammaChristin MarvinMulti Unit MasteryP.S. Ready to take your restaurant to the next level? Get the Independent Restaurant Framework that's helped countless owners build thriving multi-location brands. Grab your copy at https://www.IRFbook.comHere is my calendar link so you can book time with me: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/christin-marvin-personal-calendar-r1jjarmnwPodcast Production: https://www.lconnorvoice.com/