The New Jersey Wine & Food Festival and Destination Hospitality | Robby Younes

Why This Episode MattersRobby Younes explains how Crystal Springs Resort and the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival helped New Jersey recognized as a serious food-and-wine destination.Mark Pascal and Francis Schott connect the conversation to a bigger restaurant truth: in a tougher market, people are choosing fewer but better experiences and rewarding restaurants that feel human, memorable, and genuinely hospitable.Robby’s rise from frontline hospitality work to running a major resort makes this a strong conversation about leadership, mentorship, and restaurant careers as a path upward.It’s also a smart New Jersey episode: a conversation about regional pride, and building something ambitious outside New York City’s shadow.The ConversationRobby Younes, COO of Crystal Springs Resort, joins Mark and Francis to talk about building the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival into a serious showcase for the state’s chefs, restaurants, and wine culture. Along the way, he discusses developing Crystal Springs into a broader hospitality destination, building one of the country’s standout wine programs, and creating an event designed to prove that New Jersey can provide a food-and-wine experience on a national level. The conversation also becomes a thoughtful look at leadership, and the limitless potential of the hospitality business.Timestamps00:00 – The Guys on restaurant polarization, hospitality, and why mediocre restaurants are losing ground04:25 – What restaurants need to survive now10:50 – Robby Younes and the vision behind the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival 16:00 – Crystal Springs, building a destination resort around food and wine20:00 – Reason for the festival: showcase New Jersey's culinary talent26:20 – Robby’s path from busboy to leading Crystal Springs Resort30:40 – The incident that pushed Robby to learn the wine business34:30 – Why restaurants still offer opportunities for learning and growthBioRobby Younes is the COO of Crystal Springs Resort in New Jersey, where he helped expand the property’s food, wine, and hospitality programs and played a central role in creating the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival. He has built a reputation for elevating hospitality experiences while championing New Jersey’s culinary talent.InfoNew Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort May 1-3, 2026 https://njwinefoodfest.com/Restaurant Guys podcast live May 2, 2026Crystal Springs Resort https://www.crystalgolfresort.com/ Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The [email protected]