Kevin Boehm on Scaling Big: Key Lessons from Opening 40+ Restaurants

Kevin Boehm has spent his career building iconic restaurants. But after co-founding Boka Restaurant Group and opening over 40 establishments, the James Beard Award–winning restaurateur found himself battling burnout, loss, and collapse at the height of the pandemic. Boehm shares how therapy, systems, and human-centered leadership helped him come back stronger, with a new lens on wellness, hiring, and scaling sustainably.In this episode, Boehm opens up about the personal struggles behind his professional pivot, what it takes to turn a good restaurant into a great one, and how he has systematized success across dozens of venues without losing soul.Takeaways:Build culture through holistic onboarding and role rotationsEmbrace hypercritical feedback to grow from good to greatUse SOPs to scale without losing touchAdapt operations post-crisis with evolving playbooksTrain leadership to think financially and act like ownersTechnology should empower, not replace, hospitalitySustainable growth requires slowing down to align the teamPersonal transformation strengthens professional leadershipWant to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest?MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.