Restaurant Leadership Podcast: The Show for Multi-Unit Operators Ready to Scale
Aug 17, 2026 · 47 min · 10 segments
Running multiple restaurants can turn you into a full-time decision machine, answering everyone’s questions while your own focus gets shattered into a hundred pieces. That’s exactly where Brandon…
Brandon SharpGuest
Kristen MarvinHost
I, I don't think of it as, I don't think of that in, it's hard to find a place for the word freedom within the business world or within the company or within, you know, the restaurant itself.
creative people who are in the restaurant industry do best if they have some structure.
I know that I will write a better menu if you say, okay, you're going to come over and cook for 10 people at my house.
I would like seven courses in the style of Southwest France, rather than, hey, I want you to come over and cook for a dinner party.
And so And maybe there's an analog there to the way that I, so the way that we think of the organizational pyramid at our restaurants is inverted.
So I see myself at the bottom, and then if I can keep the lights on, pay the bills, make sure paychecks don't bounce, hire the right managers, sign, sign good leases, you know, put together strong companies, find good investors.
Then I have done my part to support the general managers and executive chefs.
And so therefore, if someone has the right, all the right resource to be held accountable for their position and there is a opportunity for new ideas, creative input and, And those sorts of things within their job framework, that's where I think freedom is a great thing.
And I also think that freedom in a lot of these positions is earned through showing that you know the rules and can live by them and teach them to others, model them for others before you are going to improve on them or bend them or go above and beyond them.
I've tried an executive assistant and that just added a task to my day because all of a sudden there was an 805 call that I had to take every day, whether I needed to or wanted to or not.
I, I don't think of it as, I don't think of that in, it's hard to find a place for the word freedom within the business world or within the company or within, you know, the restaurant itself.
creative people who are in the restaurant industry do best if they have some structure.
I know that I will write a better menu if you say, okay, you're going to come over and cook for 10 people at my house.
I would like seven courses in the style of Southwest France, rather than, hey, I want you to come over and cook for a dinner party.
And so And maybe there's an analog there to the way that I, so the way that we think of the organizational pyramid at our restaurants is inverted.
So I see myself at the bottom, and then if I can keep the lights on, pay the bills, make sure paychecks don't bounce, hire the right managers, sign, sign good leases, you know, put together strong companies, find good investors.
Then I have done my part to support the general managers and executive chefs.
And so therefore, if someone has the right, all the right resource to be held accountable for their position and there is a opportunity for new ideas, creative input and, And those sorts of things within their job framework, that's where I think freedom is a great thing.
And I also think that freedom in a lot of these positions is earned through showing that you know the rules and can live by them and teach them to others, model them for others before you are going to improve on them or bend them or go above and beyond them.
I've tried an executive assistant and that just added a task to my day because all of a sudden there was an 805 call that I had to take every day, whether I needed to or wanted to or not.
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