Restaurant Influencers

Farah Shirzadi helps restaurant brands grow through YouTube and digital content. Working at the intersection of hospitality and media, she focuses on turning storytelling into discovery, engagement, and real-world traffic. Watch now to learn how restaurants can win on YouTube, why content drives discovery, and what most operators still get wrong. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Holly Smith, Chief Marketing Officer of P.F. Chang’s, is focused on reconnecting one of the restaurant industry’s most recognizable brands with modern diners. As a marketing leader, she blends storytelling, digital engagement, and data-driven strategy to keep the brand culturally relevant. Watch now to learn how Holly Smith is rethinking restaurant marketing, why engagement matters more than followers, and how P.F. Chang’s plans to stay relevant with modern diners. Sponsored by:  • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Kim, co-founder of Softies Burger in Los Angeles, is building a restaurant brand in public. A former OpenTable employee, Kim shares the real process of opening and running a restaurant through storytelling and social media. Watch now to learn how a burger popup took off, why Josh Kim chose to build in public, and the reality of opening a restaurant. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restaurants are built on food and operations, but they are remembered because of the stories that come out of them.  During his tenure as Global CEO of José Andrés Group, Sam Bakhshandehpour saw how one unexpected moment can travel far beyond the dining room when it captures something real. Note: This interview was originally recorded on October 14th, 2025 when Sam Bakhshandehpour was Global CEO  of the José Andrés Group. He recently took a position at Bilt as President of Local Merchants.  Watch now to learn about fighting food waste, building meaningful partnerships, and growing a purpose-driven company with José Andrés. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pamela Weekes and Connie McDonald, co-founders of Levain Bakery, built one of America’s most iconic bakeries by choosing community over scale. As longtime partners and operators, they’ve spent three decades proving that patience and care can turn a neighborhood shop into a national brand. Watch now to learn how a batch of cookies became a national brand, how community fueled their growth, and why slow expansion built something that lasts. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa Phillips, co-founder and CEO of Feel Good Foods, grew up in the restaurant industry before turning a personal health challenge into a national frozen food brand. After being diagnosed with celiac disease, she set out to recreate the foods she loved, building a career that blends hospitality roots with consumer packaged goods innovation. Watch now to learn how a lie at a family reunion became a national brand, the Whole Foods moment that changed everything, and why belief beats credentials. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Helen Wechsler, Senior Director, Food Program CoE at Google, leads one of the world’s largest food at work programs. With a career rooted in hospitality, she oversees how food supports culture, wellbeing, and belonging across Google offices, blending intentional experiences with technology to feed people thoughtfully at global scale. Watch now to learn how food, culture, and technology come together inside Google’s offices. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Petrakis, co-founder of The Ravenous Pig and a James Beard Award semifinalist, helped shape Orlando’s modern food scene by building restaurants rooted in craft, community, and endurance. As a chef, operator, and mentor, he’s built a career defined less by hype and more by staying power. Watch now to learn how survival shaped his growth, how one airport deal changed everything, and why community and craft still come first. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Palmer, CEO of McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, oversees the evolution of a historic California brand. As a brand builder and operator, he’s focused on alignment, patience, and protecting what made the product special.  Watch now to learn about taking over a legacy ice cream brand, building partnerships rooted in shared values, and growing nationally without sacrificing quality. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brooks Schaden, co-CEO and co-founder of Tom’s Watch Bar, is building a new kind of sports bar designed around how fans actually watch games today. Through thoughtful design, operations, and partnerships, he’s turning live sports into a scalable hospitality experience. Watch now to learn how a sports bar built around fandom grew fast, formed strategic partnerships, and turned games into shared moments. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices