The Grit Behind the Kitchen Door — Chef Chris Brandl of Brandl. | Chef Series

Season 2 of Grit Won't Quit is back, and we're kicking things off with the Chef Series — a recurring segment where host Tom Mirabella and Chef Mike Jurusz bring a fellow culinary pro to the table for real, unfiltered conversations about the restaurant industry. First up is Chef Chris Brandl, owner of the acclaimed Brandl. restaurant on the Jersey Shore. Chris pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to run a successful restaurant — from how he found his way into the kitchen to the story behind Brandl. and what the "." actually means. Chris also gets into the hard realities of the industry: how skyrocketing food, labor, and utility costs are squeezing restaurants and forcing them to pass those prices on to customers, the challenges of dealing with difficult guests, why people often forget that restaurants are a business, and the importance of mutual respect between diners and the people serving them. Plus, the chefs who inspired him and shaped the chef he is today.