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
600: Chad Houser on Setting Tangible Goals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:40
Dallas native and Graduate of El Centro College, Chad Houser has over 20 years of experience in hospitality. After 17 years as a chef, Chad sold his partnership of Parigi Restaurant to devote his full attention to Café M…
599: Nikky Phinyawatana on Making It Fun [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:25
Nikky grew up in Bangkok, Thailand and ventured to Dallas, Texas. She received her Bachelors in Business Administration majoring in Entrepreneur Studies and Marketing from Babson College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She…
598: Kyle Noonan on Creating Remarkable Memories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:41
College friends and FreeRange Concepts' founders, Kyle Noonan and Josh Sepkowitz, have a combined 20 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, including hospitality management, operations, acquisiti…
597: Kyle Hilla on Working For Your Dream [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:44
Kyle Hilla hails form Misquite, TX and has over 12 years of experience bar tendering. Hilla has been recognized as Bartender of the Year in 2016 and 2017 by both D Magazine and CultureMap Taste Makers Awards. Having craf…
[not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
Kyle Hilla hails form Misquite, TX and has over 12 years of experience bar tendering. Hilla has been recognized as Bartender of the Year in 2016 and 2017 by both D Magazine and CultureMap Taste Makers Awards. Having craf…
596: Sharon Van Meter on The Best Possible Team [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:40
A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, World Master Chef Sharon Van Meter brings more than 40 years of award-winning and acclaimed culinary experience to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Chef Van Meter has served the…
595: Roger Kaplan on The Desire to Learn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:13
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Roger Kaplan has over 40 years experience in the hospitality industry as a nationally acclaimed chef, owner, operator, entrepreneur, concept developer, manufacturing liais…
594: Scott Gottlich on Leaving Emotion Out of Business Decisions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:05
Originating from Dallas TX, Chef Scott Gottlich studied at Oklahoma University and Johnson and Wales University. After graduating, Gottlich jumped between the East and West coast working for some great mentors, including…
593: Jack Gilmore & Tom Kamm on Server Logs & Motivating Your Staff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:20
After a 20 year run as Executive Chef and Director of Operations at Z'Tejas restaurant chain, Jack Gilmore and Tom Kamm , decided to strike out on their own, opening Jack Allen's Kitchen in late 2009. 10 years later they…