Claim OwnershipRestaurant Leadership Podcast: The Show for Multi-Unit Operators Ready to Scale
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© 2026 Restaurant Leadership Podcast: The Show for Multi-Unit Operators Ready to Scale
Description
Welcome to the Restaurant Leadership Podcast...the show for independent restaurant owners who are done surviving and ready to scale.
Your host, Christin Marvin, founder of Columbine Hospitality and creator of the Independent Restaurant Framework (IRF), has spent over two decades in the industry...from line cook at 15 to managing partner by 30. She knows what it takes to build a restaurant group that runs without you in it.
Each week, Christin brings you real conversations and straight talk on the three things that actually move the needle in a multi-unit restaurant group: People, Process, and Profit.
This podcast is for you if you're ready to stop putting out fires and start building a business that scales with intention.
This podcast will help you answer:
- How do I build a leadership team I can actually trust?
- How do I create systems that run without me?
- How do I scale to multiple locations without burning out?
- How do I increase profitability as I grow?
- How do I go from operator to CEO?
Grab your copy of Multi-Unit Mastery at irfbook.com and follow Columbine Hospitality on LinkedIn.
Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:
L. Connor Voice - LConnorvoice@gmail.com
Artwork by Solstice Photography, Tucson, AZ.
https://solsticephotography70.pixieset.com/
111 Episodes
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I walked into a talk with Danny Meyer expecting a few good notes on hospitality, and walked out with four leadership reminders I’m still thinking about as a restaurant coach. Hearing him reflect on the 20-year legacy of Setting the Table, alongside Bobby Stuckey in Denver, made the ideas feel even more relevant for independent restaurant owners trying to scale without losing their standards or their sanity. We dig into why scaling restaurants only works long term when the motive is bigger th...
Ever wonder why “Everything’s fine” keeps blowing up into last-minute fires? We dig into the uncomfortable truth: avoiding one-on-ones quietly drains profit, trust, and talent—and we put a real number on it with a $75,000 turnover case. As restaurant operators scale, hallway chats and line-side banter feel productive, but they miss the root causes. We walk through a simple, repeatable one-on-one system that reveals what’s actually happening across locations, builds psychological safety, and k...
Ever felt that uneasy pull that says there’s more growth on the table, but you don’t have the energy or structure to reach it? We’ve been there. This week we share a pivotal shift: Solutions by Christin is now Columbine Hospitality, and we’re pairing a clear visionary role with a proven integrator to scale the impact of our coaching for independent multi-unit restaurant operators. We break down what actually changes when a founder stops being the bottleneck. That starts with the visionary–in...
Peak season is here and the schedule is bleeding. We sit down with leadership and customer service expert Michelle Pascoe to unpack why restaurants are seeing more call‑outs, how assumptions about today’s workforce backfire, and what owners can do right now to stabilize staffing without burning out their best people. From hiring scripts that set crystal‑clear expectations to team norms that harness Gen Z’s group mindset, this conversation is a playbook for calmer Saturday nights and happier c...
Growth shouldn’t require living at the restaurant or gambling on every new hire. We dig into a clear, repeatable way to hire leaders who fit your multi‑unit reality, coach them with confidence, and keep them long enough to scale without burning out your best people. In this episode, Christin discusses: • how to define core values with observable behaviors • coaching leaders through personal challenges while holding standards • designing 30‑60‑90 onboarding tied to values • building sustaina...
Here is my calendar link so you can book time with me: Book a Call with Christin We break down how fear of callouts can lead to costly overstaffing and how chronic callouts can wreck service, burn out managers, and drain profit. Two real cases show how cross-training, intentional scheduling, and a clear callout protocol restore accountability and margin. • Cross-training servers and bartenders to de-risk shifts • Publishing schedules early and honoring aces in places • Tying roles to guest i...
We coach Brandon Sharp, owner of three restaurants in Chapel Hill, through the tension between being everywhere at once and showing up with presence that develops his leaders. He realizes he must let go of covering shifts, codify decision rights, and model vulnerability to retain and grow his managers. • using presence as respect and a path to flow • inverted pyramid leadership and decision rights • outsourcing low-leverage tasks to regain focus • vulnerability that invites ownership and hon...
Guests don’t come to a full‑service restaurant for a transaction; they come hoping to feel something. We dig into how to deliver that feeling on purpose through connected hospitality, turning routine steps into genuine moments of care that guests remember long after the check drops. We start by grounding everything in food, then layer in the human element that differentiates you in a crowded market. You’ll hear how: We reframed performance reviews into get‑to‑know‑you conversations.Why...
A new executive chef gets thrown into the deep end: understaffed, undertrained, and staring down six tough weeks. We use that moment to unpack a bigger question every operator faces—how do you stay mentally strong and lead with purpose when the room is half full and the pressure won’t let up? We dig into: The gap vs. gain framework from Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy Eight simple questions that snap you out of scarcity and into progress.Eric Cacciatore opens up about imposter syndr...
Growth shouldn’t mean chaos. We lay out a practical roadmap for independent multi-unit restaurant owners who want scalable systems, stronger leaders, and healthier margins without losing the creativity that makes their concepts special. From the early cracks that show up at three and seven units to the org design that prevents constant firefighting, this conversation blends hard-won lessons with a clear framework you can apply right away. We start with people: defining leadership roles, hir...
Want fewer fires, stronger managers, and a calmer shift without losing speed? We dig into the simple coaching moves that turn constant problem-solving into shared ownership. Hospitality leader and author Jason E. Brooks joins us to unpack three deceptively small skills—asking better questions, listening with intent, and giving feedback that actually lands in a roaring kitchen—and shows how they scale across multiple locations. We explore: • choosing to coach instead of fix • building ...
Milestones matter when they sharpen your focus. As we hit 100 episodes, Christin welcomes chef Britt Rescigno of Fiama in Sun Valley, a TV chef turned mountain-town restaurateur who pairs sexy, high-end Italian with a culture built on respect. The conversation cuts through hype and gets tactical about what it takes to open strong, stay open through off-season, and keep a team engaged when the crowds thin. Britt shares the boundary that makes running a restaurant with her spouse w...
Growth shouldn’t feel like white-knuckling your way to the next lease. We break down a simple, durable framework—people, process, and profit—that helps restaurant owners scale without losing control. Together with Eric Cacciatore of Restaurant Unstoppable, we get specific about how to turn values into hiring standards, promotions into planned development, and check-ins into one-on-ones that actually change the business. If “slow down to speed up” sounds nice but hard, you’ll...
A revolution is brewing in hospitality leadership, and it begins with a radical notion: your most sacred guest is you. This powerful conversation with transformational coach Mike Messeroff introduces the concept of "self-hospitality" - the practice of extending the same care to yourself that you offer guests and customers. For an industry characterized by burnout and depletion, this perspective shift provides a practical pathway to sustainable leadership. "You cannot give away what you don...
Finding the right technology partner for your restaurant shouldn't feel like a blind date gone wrong, yet for many operators, that's exactly what it becomes. Seth Rankin, with 20 years of experience at OpenTable and a passion for growing people and companies, pulls back the curtain on what truly matters when selecting restaurant technology. The conversation dives deep into why most restaurants struggle with their tech partnerships. Seth explains that the disconnect often begins when te...
What happens when food becomes more than sustenance—when it transforms into a vehicle for social change? In Denver's vibrant culinary landscape, two organizations have been quietly revolutionizing how we think about restaurants, community, and access for nearly two decades. Kristen Rauch, Executive Director of Eat Denver, and Carrie Shores, owner of Same Cafe, join us to discuss their groundbreaking work and their upcoming collaboration: Savor the Season. Since 2006, both organiz...
Imagine having the power to reclaim your time in the chaotic world of professional kitchens. That's exactly what Chef Adam Lamb offers in this illuminating conversation about his new book, "The Successful Chef: Time Strategies That Actually Work." Chef Lamb doesn't just theorize about productivity—he delivers battle-tested strategies born from years in the trenches of high-pressure kitchens and his subsequent journey as a coach to culinary professionals. His approach centers around "th...
Restaurant owners, are you struggling to maintain steady growth despite your marketing efforts? The answer might be simpler than you think. In this eye-opening episode, Ewan Thompson, Chief Performance Optimizer for Hospitality Benchmark Services, reveals the startling truth about guest retention that could be costing you six figures in revenue. Did you know that returning restaurant guests spend 20% more per visit than first-timers and bring in 10-15% more people with them? Yet the ha...
Are you struggling to balance technology and hospitality in your restaurant? You're not alone. This eye-opening speech from this year's EdTalks reveals how the right mindset toward restaurant technology can transform your operations without sacrificing the human touch that makes your establishment special. Through the compelling story of Tim, a restaurant owner drowning in operational tasks and burning out while trying to preserve his legacy, we see the familiar struggle many operators...
Joe Fontana, founder of Fry the Coop, is redefining what it means to build a fast-casual chicken empire with heart. From his Chicago-based restaurants, Joe shares the unexpected journey that took him from a failed meatball concept to creating what he proudly calls "the number one chicken sandwich in Chicago" – double-fried in beef tallow for that perfect crunch. What makes this conversation particularly fascinating is Joe's candid discussion of his viral moment. When thieves broke into one o...
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Very interesting interview of a local culinary legend and his son. I've only heard of Janos (never met him), so it was cool to hear his story! Marvin and Spinelli (2 other local legends) did an awesome job of hosting, of course!