Hengam Stanfield: So You Want to Fail, Learn From Mistakes, And Grow Your Restaurant?

If you’re a restaurant owner who wants to scale — this episode is a masterclass.Hengam Stanfield, co-founder of Matengas Pizzeria in San Antonio, shares exactly how she and her husband went from zero restaurant experience to building seven locations. They bought a failing pizzeria that was $200K in the red, and engineered it into San Antonio's number 1 pizza place. In this episode, we break down:• How to turn around a failing restaurant• Why obsessing over sales comes before building systems• The Ops Book framework that keeps multiple locations aligned• How to build restaurant systems that actually scale• The truth about hiring (and why you don’t “find” great people — you build them)• Protecting company culture as you grow• Restaurant marketing strategies that work in 2025• How to prepare for big PR moments (including a Dave Portnoy review)• What it really takes to grow to 10, 20, even 50 locationsThis conversation is packed with practical advice for restaurant owners and operators who want more than just survival — they want structure, profitability, and scale.Whether you’re running one unit or planning multi-unit expansion, this episode will challenge the way you think about operations, leadership, and growth.If you’re serious about building a scalable restaurant business, this is required listening.⭐ 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/