432: Pushing through it with Brian Pekarcik

432: Pushing through it with Brian Pekarcik

Author: Inspiring interviews with todays most successful restaurateurs 2-days a wee January 29, 2018 Duration: 1:07:12

 

In this episode with Chef Brian Pekarcik, we discuss:

  • How the team dynamic of a kitchen filled the void after Pekarcik's baseball dreams ended.
  • Making your employees feel valued.
  • If you want to be the best you need to work for the best.
  • Taking a step back in position, if it means being on a better team.
  • Planning each day out to increase productivity.
  • Being the standard you want your team to live up to.
  • How working under a corporate umbrella can limit the creative freedom of a chef.
  • Using your experience, knowledge, and expertise as leverage when finding partners.
  • Taking time to get to know your partners and to create the SAME visions.
  • The dynamics of Chef Pekarcik and Rick Stern partnership.
  • Pushing through your fear.
  • Building a team of strong mangers around you by teaching them how to think.
  • Why now it is more important than every to not burn bridges in this industry.
  • Dialing back scheduled hours to 50-55 a week.

Raised in Pittsburgh, Chef Brian Pekarcik is a graduate of John Carroll University in 1997. Pekarcik then moved out to, CA to fine tune his craft while working in some of the most well know kitchen at the time. In 2007 he moved back to PA and would eventually team up with Rick Stern in 2009 to open S + P Restaurant Group. To S+P restaurant Group consist of Spoon, Brgr, G&G Noodle Bar and Willow.


Eric Cacciatore sits down with the people who actually run the show in the world of food service. Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore is built on conversations with established restaurateurs and seasoned professionals who have navigated the intense realities of the industry. Twice a week, these interviews dig past the surface, focusing on the tangible details of leadership, team management, and effective marketing that separate a thriving venue from a struggling one. You’ll hear firsthand accounts of what worked, what didn’t, and the often-overlooked decisions that shape a restaurant's path. This podcast serves as a direct line to collective experience, whether you're dreaming of your first opening or steering a multi-location group. The dialogue is practical, centered on the daily grind and long-term strategy needed to build something lasting. For anyone invested in the business of hospitality, these regular episodes compile a vital resource, turning shared insights into actionable knowledge for your own journey.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 1000

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Podcast Episodes
1088: Mat Snapp, Executive VP of Operations at Barter & Shake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:19:33
Mat Snapp is the Executive VP of Operations at Barter & Shake in Phoenix. Mat began his career in the restaurant industry as a teenager delivering pizzas. Later, Mat went to school for writing and became a professional w…
1087: David DeLorenzo, CEO and Owner of Bar and Restaurant Insurance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01:37
David DeLorenzo is the CEO and Owner of Bar and Restaurant Insurance. David DeLorenzo specializes in bar and restaurant insurance, but he is also a speaker, author, coach, as well as host of a mastermind and more than on…
1083: Nathan Ares Owner of Ares Collective Restaurant Group [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:02:32
Nathan Ares is the Owner of Ares Collective Restaurant Group based in Tucson, AZ. Nathan Ares was featured on Restaurant Unstoppable episode 681, mostly for his work with his restaurant, Prep and Pastry, in Tucson, AZ. T…
1080: David Conn Partner 4Top Hospitality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38:01
David Conn is a Partner at 4Top Hospitality. David Conn began working FOH in restaurants during college to earn good, quick money. David truly grew as a restaurant professional, though, while working with Amerigo, an Ita…
1079: John Currence Chef/Owner City Grocery Restaurant Group [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:58:44
John Currence is the Executive Chef and Owner of City Grocery Restaurant Group, HQ'd in Oxford, MS. John opened his first restaurant, City Grocery, at 26 in 1992. John later opened Big Bad Breakfast which has scaled to 2…