It’s Not You—It’s Your Hospitality

What does it take to build a world-class restaurant team?Well...in this video, award-winning chef Philip Tessier shares why the future of hospitality isn't just about creating great food, it's about developing great people.Chef Tessier discusses leadership, ownership mentality, innovation, Michelin-star standards, training systems, guest experience, and why the best restaurant cultures are built by investing in people rather than simply managing them. He also explains how top-performing organizations create environments where team members can thrive, grow, and eventually become leaders themselves.From developing future chefs to creating a culture that attracts exceptional talent, this conversation is packed with lessons for restaurant owners, operators, managers, and hospitality professionals looking to build stronger teams and better businesses.Philip Tessier is one of the most accomplished chefs in America. He made history in 2015 as the first American chef to stand on the podium at the prestigious Bocuse d'Or in Lyon, France, often referred to as the "Olympics of Cooking", earning a Silver Medal for Team USA. He later coached Team USA to its first-ever Gold Medal victory at the Bocuse d'Or in 2017. Tessier previously served as Executive Sous Chef at the three-Michelin-starred The French Laundry and has worked at some of the world's most celebrated restaurants, including Per Se and Le Bernardin. He is also the author of *Chasing Bocuse*, which chronicles Team USA's historic journey to international culinary success.In this interview, we discuss:• Building a culture people want to be part of• Why ownership mindset starts with leadership• Developing future restaurant leaders• Michelin-star standards vs. real-world hospitality• Training systems that create consistency• Innovation and adapting to changing guest expectations• Creating memorable guest experiences• Why the best restaurants focus on people firstWhether you're a restaurant owner, manager, chef, or aspiring leader, this conversation offers practical insights on building teams that perform at the highest level.🔥 Learn how to GROW & Scale Your Restaurant like the top 10% ... 👉  https://www.30percentrule.com/

Most restaurants don’t fail because of bad food, they fail because of bad leadership, weak training, and inconsistent hospitality.So in this exclusive interview, Restauranteur and Top Chef judge Janet Zuccarini sits down with Preston Lee to break down the secrets to leadership, hospitality, and training systems that helped her build one of the most respected restaurant groups.From opening her very first restaurant with zero restaurant experience to building a 30+ year hospitality empire with packed restaurants across Toronto and Los Angeles, Janet shares the real reason great restaurants succeed: culture, systems, consistency, communication, and people. This conversation is packed with practical strategies and tactics for restaurant owners, managers, servers, and hospitality leaders who want to build stronger teams and create successful restaurants.You'll learn how top hospitality brands create loyal employees and loyal customers. Janet also shares how her company built long-term retention, ongoing training systems, leadership pathways, and a hospitality culture that keeps staff for decades.We dive deep into:• How elite restaurants train staff for long-term success• Why most restaurant training programs fail• How to build stronger restaurant culture and staff buy-in• The secret to creating loyal guests and repeat business• How great restaurants handle mistakes and recover service• How to develop leaders, trainers, and managers internally• How top restaurants create memorable guest experiences• The systems successful restaurant operators use every dayThis episode is a masterclass for restaurant owners, hospitality professionals, managers, servers, bartenders, and entrepreneurs looking to level up their leadership, training, and customer experience.

Restaurant culture is broken… and nobody wants to talk about it.In this server training I break down the detrimental mindset that is destroying hospitality and restaurant culture and instead show how to thrive in the industry. In this powerful training, we dive deep into what real hospitality actually means and why the best servers, bartenders, managers, and restaurant leaders don’t operate from entitlement, they operate from service, consistency, and care.This video covers restaurant leadership, teamwork, mental health in hospitality, guest experience, server training, and examples of how top-performing restaurants build loyal guests that keep coming back. We talk about why toxic attitudes around tips, sections, and coworkers create miserable work environments, and how the best hospitality brands focus on culture, guest retention, and creating unforgettable experiences instead.Christy and I go through her journey from server to manager to shift lead, along with the lessons she’s learned about leadership, communication, emotional control, and leading by example in a fast-paced restaurant environment. I break down how she and restaurants in general can improve training systems, create stronger team culture, and help employees develop a winning mindset without burning out.So If you work in restaurants, whether you’re a server, bartender, manager, or owner, this 1 on 1 training will challenge the way you think about hospitality, teamwork, and leadership and give you the server success secrets to advance your career.🔥 Reserve your seat at our free training built for the 2026 workforce. Learn how to build simple, repeatable systems that run even when you’re off-site:👉 https://join.30percentrule.com/training 

In this podcast, I break down the 8 biggest restaurant leadership problems I’ve seen after working with over 350 restaurants worldwide and evaluating more than 1,000 restaurant operations, from small mom-and-pop shops to multi-million dollar hospitality groups. And here’s the truth: the problems are always the same. The only difference is scale.If you’re a restaurant owner, operator, or manager, this video will hit home. We cover real-world challenges around restaurant leadership, staff accountability, training systems, guest experience, and team culture and more importantly, how to actually fix them.You’ll learn how to handle difficult guest interactions without lowering your hospitality standards, why allowing “small” issues like lateness destroys your culture, and how to create clear systems that hold your team accountable without relying on personalities. We also dive into how to deal with “bad apple” employees, how to turn around team performance through structure and consistency, and the simple behaviors that dramatically improve the guest experience.This isn’t theory. These are proven strategies used across hundreds of successful restaurants to build high-performing teams, consistent service, and strong leadership cultures that drive revenue and retention.So, If you’ve ever struggled with:Inconsistent staff performanceWeak accountability systemsPoor guest experiencesHigh turnover or “bad apple” employeesLack of training or leadership structure…then this podcast will give you the clarity and direction you’ve been missing.

For this in depth restaurant management training...Preston sits down with rising restaurant leader Camille, to break down the real-world management training that transforms restaurant managers into true leaders.After leaving her photography business, Cammy started as a hostess in 2021 and quickly climbed the ranks into restaurant leadership. Now managing the floor at a busy Southern California Mexican restaurant, she shares the biggest challenges she and restaurant managers face today,  from guest recovery and hospitality consistency to leadership culture and team accountability.This conversation dives deep into:• Restaurant management training• How to become a better restaurant leader• Guest recovery systems that actually work• Hospitality vs. service• Building consistency in restaurant operations• Managing restaurant culture and employee productivity• Leadership mindset for restaurant managers• How top-performing restaurants create unforgettable guest experiences• The difference between “order takers” and “experience makers”• Restaurant systems, training, and accountabilityPreston shares his lessons from working with 350+ restaurants worldwide and explains why leadership, systems, and training are the foundation of every successful restaurant brand.🔥 Reserve your seat at our free training built for the 2026 workforce. Learn the 4-Domino Sequence Behind Every Restaurant Doing $7M+ With 15% Margins, The Proven System That's Scaled 350+ Restaurants By Weaponizing Hospitality and much more!Reserve Your Seat Here 👉 https://join.30percentrule.com/training

If you think restaurant marketing is just posting pretty food photos… you’re already losing.In this in depth interview, I sit down with Coffee Dose founder Jeni Castro, one of the most disruptive and effective marketers in the coffee and hospitality space, to break down what actually drives sales, brand loyalty, and real growth.From building a cult-like following with “Anti-B*tch Serum”… to creating lines out the door by going against the grain of traditional marketing plans… Jeni shares exactly how she turned bold, unapologetic branding into a multi-location powerhouse.  This is a masterclass in not just Coffee Shop Marketing and Branding, but can be applied to any business.In the podcast, we go deep into:✔️ Why most restaurant marketing is completely broken✔️ The biggest mistake owners make when hiring marketing agencies✔️ How to stand out in an oversaturated industry✔️ Why “playing it safe” is killing your brand✔️ The real relationship between marketing and revenue✔️ How hospitality (NOT marketing) is what actually brings guests back✔️ What it takes to scale without losing your identityJeni also shares her journey from burnout in another business… to building Coffee Dose into a brand people drive across counties for.Marketing gets people in the door.Hospitality is what makes them come back.If you’re a restaurant owner, operator, or entrepreneur trying to grow, this is truly a masterclass in cutting through the noise and building a brand that actually converts.🔥 Reserve your seat at our free training built for the 2026 workforce. Learn how to build simple, repeatable systems that run even when you’re off-site:👉 https://join.30percentrule.com/training --