Most people think opening a restaurant is about passion and food. But the truth is, the ones who survive—and thrive—are master operators, leaders, and builders of unstoppable teams.

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Rosen, longtime Seattle restaurant owner and founder of concept restaurants like Blue C Sushi, Rocket Taco, and Elemental Pizza, to talk about how to actually make a restaurant succeed in today’s wild economy—and why leading a frontline team well might be the single greatest advantage you have.

Steve didn’t plan on being a restaurateur. In fact, he started in tech and filmmaking. But a spur-of-the-moment decision led him into the restaurant world, where he learned firsthand how to balance creativity with execution—and how to stay resilient through boom times, recessions, and now, a post-COVID landscape.

We dive into:

🔹 How customer habits have changed forever after COVID—and what it means for operators

🔹 Why staffing challenges aren’t just a labor problem (they’re a leadership problem)

🔹 What restaurant teams really need to stay loyal (hint: it’s not just money)

🔹 How rising costs are pushing operators to rethink pricing, service, and value

🔹 The hidden cost of broken culture—and how the best teams are built

🔹 How tech and AI might reshape hospitality (but people still win hearts)

🔹 What smart owners are doing now to prep for the next economic shift

From pineapple-on-pizza debates to surviving your first cash till panic, this episode gets real about the highs and lows of hospitality—and why restaurants, when done right, still have the power to change lives.

🛠️ Whether you're running your first location, expanding your brand, or dreaming of opening your own place, this conversation is packed with tangible takeaways you can use right now.

🎙️ Brought to you by

TANDA – Empowering frontline teams through better scheduling, onboarding, and performance tools.www.tanda.io

🔗 Where to find Steve

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-rosen-9079163/

Rocket Taco: https://rocket-taco.com/

Elemental Pizza: https://elementalpizza.com/

BittyFish Sushi: https://www.bittyfishsushi.com/

🔗 Where to find Jesse

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessechor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessechor/

X: https://x.com/jessechor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesse.chor

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jessechor

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jessechor

🎉 Shoutout of the Week

Rockin’ the Marshawn Lynch jersey today — because if you’re gonna talk leadership, execution, and owning your lane, you might as well channel Beast Mode. Appreciate you, Marshawn — for showing everybody how to move different and stay true. 🏈

#RestaurantLeadership #HospitalityOperators #TeamCulture #RetentionStrategy #RestaurantStaffing #FutureofDining #RestaurantResilience #Tanda #UnlockedPotentialPodcast #RestaurantLife #OwnerOperator