Andy Elliott: So You Want To Go From Farmer's Market to NYT Best Restaurants List?

This week’s guest is a big one. We’re heading to Traverse City, Michigan to sit down with Chef Andy Elliott of Modern Bird - fresh off being named one of the New York Times’ 50 Best Restaurants in America and now a nominee for the 2026 James Beard Awards.  Andy shares his full-circle journey from Chicago’s fine dining scene (Boka, GT Fish & Oyster, RIA) to building one of the most celebrated restaurants in a small but mighty food town. We talk about starting out selling hand pies at the farmers market, the power of local relationships, cooking within the seasons of northern Michigan, and what it really takes to grow a restaurant sustainably outside of a major metro.We also dig into the realities of running a business with your spouse, resisting expansion for the sake of growth, and Andy’s candid take on tipping culture in today’s restaurant industry. If you’re interested in thoughtful, ingredient-driven cooking, building community through food, or what it takes to create national buzz without losing your soul, this episode is for you.⭐ This show is brought to you by Back of House.io, the foodservice industry’s most trusted resource for restaurant tech.Learn more at: https://backofhouse.io/⭐ Season 5 of So You Want to Run A Restaurant is proudly sponsored by RestauRent, the no-fee booking platform helping restaurants book private and group events.Try it risk-free with 3 free months at: https://bit.ly/soyouwanttorestaurent⭐ Follow UsPodcast: https://linktr.ee/soyouwanttorunarestaurantClaudia: https://www.instagram.com/claudia.saric/Spencer: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantspenny/