Restaurant Leadership Podcast: The Show for Multi-Unit Operators Ready to Scale
Welcome to the Restaurant Leadership Podcast...the show for independent restaurant owners who are done surviving and ready to scale.
Your host, Christin Marvin, founder of Columbine Hospitality and creator of the Independent Restaurant Framework (IRF), has spent over two decades in the industry...from line cook at 15 to managing partner by 30. She knows what it takes to build a restaurant group that runs without you in it.
Each week, Christin brings you real conversations and straight talk on the three things that actually move the needle in a multi-unit restaurant group: People, Process, and Profit.
This podcast is for you if you're ready to stop putting out fires and start building a business that scales with intention.
This podcast will help you answer:
- How do I build a leadership team I can actually trust?
- How do I create systems that run without me?
- How do I scale to multiple locations without burning out?
- How do I increase profitability as I grow?
- How do I go from operator to CEO?
Grab your copy of Multi-Unit Mastery at irfbook.com and follow Columbine Hospitality on LinkedIn.
Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:
L. Connor Voice - LConnorvoice@gmail.com
Artwork by Solstice Photography, Tucson, AZ.
https://solsticephotography70.pixieset.com/
Episodes
112 episodes
112: Turn Reactive Operators into Intentional CEOs
Most multi-unit restaurant operators don’t have a growth problem, they have a focus problem. When your leadership team doesn’t know what matters most for the next 90 days, everything turns into a fire, your ops meetings drift into venting, and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 112
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25:59
111: Danny Meyer
I walked into a talk with Danny Meyer expecting a few good notes on hospitality, and walked out with four leadership reminders I’m still thinking about as a restaurant coach. Hearing him reflect on the 20-year legacy of Setting the Table, along...
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Season 1
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Episode 111
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18:16
110: The $75,000 Mistake You’re Making
Ever wonder why “Everything’s fine” keeps blowing up into last-minute fires? We dig into the uncomfortable truth: avoiding one-on-ones quietly drains profit, trust, and talent—and we put a real number on it with a $75,000 turnover case. As rest...
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Season 1
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Episode 110
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30:50
109: Breaking The Bottleneck
Ever felt that uneasy pull that says there’s more growth on the table, but you don’t have the energy or structure to reach it? We’ve been there. This week we share a pivotal shift: Solutions by Christin is now Columbine Hospitality, and we’re p...
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Season 1
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Episode 109
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20:52
108: Turn No‑Shows Into Reliable Teams
Peak season is here and the schedule is bleeding. We sit down with leadership and customer service expert Michelle Pascoe to unpack why restaurants are seeing more call‑outs, how assumptions about today’s workforce backfire, and what owners can...
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42:40
107: Hire, Coach, and Keep the Right Leaders
Growth shouldn’t require living at the restaurant or gambling on every new hire. We dig into a clear, repeatable way to hire leaders who fit your multi‑unit reality, coach them with confidence, and keep them long enough to scale without burn...
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Season 1
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Episode 107
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18:47
106: Turn a Callout Crisis into a Profitable Operation
Here is my calendar link so you can book time with me: Book a Call with ChristinWe break down how fear of callouts can lead to cost...
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Season 1
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Episode 106
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20:44
105: From Chaos To Choice: Lead With Presence
We coach Brandon Sharp, owner of three restaurants in Chapel Hill, through the tension between being everywhere at once and showing up with presence that develops his leaders. He realizes he must let go of covering shifts, codify decision right...
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Season 1
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Episode 105
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47:14
104: Curiosity Creates Hospitality, Connection Beats Checklists
Guests don’t come to a full‑service restaurant for a transaction; they come hoping to feel something. We dig into how to deliver that feeling on purpose through connected hospitality, turning routine steps into genuine moments of care ...
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Season 1
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Episode 104
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50:46
103: From Scarcity To Service: Mindset Tools for Restaurant Leaders
A new executive chef gets thrown into the deep end: understaffed, undertrained, and staring down six tough weeks. We use that moment to unpack a bigger question every operator faces—how do you stay mentally strong and lead with purpose when the...
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Season 1
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Episode 103
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53:37
102: Scaling without Chaos: Grow Sustainably with People, Process, and Profit
Growth shouldn’t mean chaos. We lay out a practical roadmap for independent multi-unit restaurant owners who want scalable systems, stronger leaders, and healthier margins without losing the creativity that makes their concepts special. From th...
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Season 1
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Episode 102
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43:08
101: Coach More, Fix Less: How Restaurant Leaders Build Strong Teams
Want fewer fires, stronger managers, and a calmer shift without losing speed? We dig into the simple coaching moves that turn constant problem-solving into shared ownership. Hospitality leader and author Jason E. Brooks joins us to unpack three...
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Season 1
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Episode 101
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34:01
100: Unlock Thriving Restaurant Excellence
Milestones matter when they sharpen your focus. As we hit 100 episodes, Christin welcomes chef Britt Rescigno of Fiama in Sun Valley, a TV chef turned mountain-town restaurateur who pairs sexy, high-end Italian with a culture built ...
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40:55
99: The Secret to Scaling Successfully
Growth shouldn’t feel like white-knuckling your way to the next lease. We break down a simple, durable framework—people, process, and profit—that helps restaurant owners scale without losing control. Together with Eric C...
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1:16:26
98: From Burnout to Abundance: How Self-Hospitality Transforms Restaurant Leadership
A revolution is brewing in hospitality leadership, and it begins with a radical notion: your most sacred guest is you. This powerful conversation with transformational coach Mike Messeroff introduces the concept of "self-hospitality" - ...
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42:29
97: Unlock Tech Success Now: Seth Rankin's Playbook
Finding the right technology partner for your restaurant shouldn't feel like a blind date gone wrong, yet for many operators, that's exactly what it becomes. Seth Rankin, with 20 years of experience at OpenTable and a passion for gr...
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32:07
96: From Pay-What-You-Can to Farm-to-Table: How Two Denver Organizations Are Using Food as a Force for Social Change
What happens when food becomes more than sustenance—when it transforms into a vehicle for social change? In Denver's vibrant culinary landscape, two organizations have been quietly revolutionizing how we think about restaurants, com...
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21:05
95: Master Culinary Success Now: Top Time-Saving Tips
Imagine having the power to reclaim your time in the chaotic world of professional kitchens. That's exactly what Chef Adam Lamb offers in this illuminating conversation about his new book, "The Successful Chef: Time Strategies That ...
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39:12
94: How to Boost Guest Retention for Massive Growth
Restaurant owners, are you struggling to maintain steady growth despite your marketing efforts? The answer might be simpler than you think. In this eye-opening episode, Ewan Thompson, Chief Performance Optimizer for Hospitality Benc...
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43:24
93: The Smart Restaurant Playbook: Using Tech Without Losing Hospitality - EdTalks 2025
Are you struggling to balance technology and hospitality in your restaurant? You're not alone. This eye-opening speech from this year's EdTalks reveals how the right mindset toward restaurant technology can transform your operations...
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17:26
92: The Number One Chicken Sandwich in Chicago: Joe Fontana's Journey from Failed Meatball Concept to Fast-Casual Empire
Joe Fontana, founder of Fry the Coop, is redefining what it means to build a fast-casual chicken empire with heart. From his Chicago-based restaurants, Joe shares the unexpected journey that took him from a failed meatball concept to creating w...
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37:16
91: Restaurant Growth Strategy: Building a Multi-Unit Bakery Empire Through Self-Improvement and Smart Expansion
Ever wondered what happens when a corporate executive trades the boardroom for the bakery kitchen? Neman Popov's story of launching Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro & Cafe offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial perseverance an...
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33:42
90: Do You Know Your Business Well Enough to Change It? Leadership Lessons from Restaurant Technologies
"Do you know your business well enough to change it?" In an era of economic uncertainty, this thought-provoking inquiry challenges all leaders to deeply understand their operations before attempting transformation.Ever wondered what happ...
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46:57
89: The Retention Secret No One Talks About: A Restaurant Leadership Coaching Session
What if the secret to reducing restaurant employee turnover wasn't about higher wages or better perks, but instead about how you show up as a leader? In this compelling coaching session, I work with Emily, a restaurant COO navigatin...
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45:23
88: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Restaurant Leadership
Ever felt like you're faking it despite working incredibly hard to get where you are? This deeply personal coaching conversation with Nokkie Lipsey, Director of Operations at the Olive and Finch Collective, explores the challenging terrain of i...
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41:41