In this straight-shot episode, Trent Fresina breaks down how he went from flipping dirt bikes and selling candles to opening a restaurant at 21—including the day he had to pick a name on the spot to file a liquor license (“Your Mom’s”) and just sent it. We get into the moves that actually matter: putting a deposit on the lease before anyone believed it, building a line so long the city forced a move, and why he and his partner didn’t take a paycheck for three years so they could reinvest and stay alive. Trent doesn’t romanticize it—he maps the grind, the systems, and the family-first rules that keep him grounded while he builds across restaurants, construction, and real estate.
What you’ll learn
How to open without overplanning (name it, file it, ship it)
Cash discipline: why not paying yourself early can save the business
How to handle “good problems” (lines, capacity, city pressure)
Simple hiring/ops rules that keep service tight as you grow
How wrestling losses built the grit he uses as an operator
A practical framework for measuring success by family first
About Trent FresinaBaton Rouge native; co-founder of Your Mom’s/Our Mom’s Restaurant & Bar, LeBlanc & Fresina Builders; operator with plays in food, construction, and real estate.
Who this episode is forFirst-time restaurateurs, young operators, and builders who want a real playbook—no fluff, just moves.
Follow The Keep Chasing Podcast on Spotify, drop a 5-star rating, and share it with one person who needs this.
Keywords: restaurant opening, liquor license, brand naming, cash discipline, reinvestment, Baton Rouge, Hammond, operations, wrestling grit, family first, entrepreneurship, Trent Fresina, Your Mom’s, Our Mom’s