The Restaurant Guys

Hospitality consultant Preston Lee explains how restaurants can build stronger teams, earn employee trust and create the kind of human connection that keeps guests coming back.
Why This Episode Matters
Why hospitality begins with genuine care, not a memorized script
What younger employees need from restaurant leaders today
How daily training creates consistency without overwhelming the staff
Why the employee experience directly shapes the guest experience
How AI may make real human hospitality even more valuable
Banter
Mark and Francis take aim at New York City’s new anti-alcohol campaign and its failure to acknowledge the social and cultural role of restaurants and bars. Francis proposes a protest involving drinks, campaign posters and social media…until Mark’s old college beer funnel makes an appearance and immediately weakens the case.
The Conversation
Preston Lee joins Mark and Francis to discuss why hospitality is ultimately a structured form of kindness and care. He explains how restaurants can motivate younger employees by providing purpose, clarity and consistent expectations rather than assuming earnings alone will create commitment. The conversation explores hands-on training, daily pre-shifts and Preston’s “drip training” approach, which introduces meaningful changes gradually and reinforces them through accountability. They also discuss creating hospitality between employees, recognizing when someone is not right for the organization and developing managers rather than simply promoting them. Finally, Preston considers how AI may support restaurant training while making authentic human interaction an increasingly valuable luxury.
Timestamps
0:00 New York City’s anti-alcohol campaign
6:35 Hospitality as kindness, care and purpose
17:00 What Gen Z needs from restaurant leaders
25:00 Drip training, accountability and earning trust
30:30 Building hospitality within the restaurant team
43:30 The 30% Rule, AI and the future of human connection
Bio
Preston Lee is a hospitality consultant, founder of The 30% Rule and author of The Hospitality Handbook: How Unconditional Hospitality Transforms Teams, Customers, and Companies. He works with restaurant operators to develop stronger leaders, more consistent teams and hospitality systems that can grow with the business.
Info
Preston’s book
 The Hospitality Handbook: How Unconditional Hospitality Transforms Teams, Customers, and Companies
Preston’s site 
https://30percentrule.com/
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Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

This is a Vintage episode from 2005.
William Walker of Jersey Fresh joins Mark Pascal and Francis Schott for a conversation about New Jersey agriculture, local produce, farmers markets, and why fresh food tastes different when it does not have to travel halfway across the country.
Why This Episode Matters
Jersey Fresh is more than a label. It is a long-running New Jersey Department of Agriculture program built to connect farmers, supermarkets, restaurants, and consumers.
William explains why “local” is not just feel-good marketing. Produce picked closer to ripeness often has better flavor, better texture, and a much shorter trip to the plate.
The conversation gets into the real economics of small farms: if New Jersey farmers cannot win on volume, they can win on quality.
Farmers markets, U-pick farms, and seasonal forecasts all become tools for helping families and restaurants eat better while keeping farmers on the land.
Mark and Francis make a strong case for treating Jersey tomatoes, strawberries, peaches, and farm stands like the seasonal treasures they are.

Banter
Mark and Francis cover stolen car seats in Jersey City, motorcycles with laptops in the saddlebags, and a glowing local newspaper article that names Francis “the mean one” and Mark “the rock.” The real question: after 70 hours a week together, who wouldn’t be?
The Conversation
William Walker explains how Jersey Fresh grew from a supermarket promotion into a broader effort to connect New Jersey farmers with restaurants, markets, and home cooks. The conversation covers farmers markets, U-pick farms, strawberries, tomatoes, peaches, and the simple reason local produce tastes better: it can be picked closer to ripe.
Mark and Francis also dig into the real challenge behind “buy local”: preserving farmland only matters if farmers can still make a living. Along the way, William offers practical advice on storing produce, including the all-important rule that tomatoes do not belong in the refrigerator.
Timestamps
0:00 – Jersey City car seats, motorcycle regret, and a local article about The Restaurant Guys
6:45 – Why local ingredients changed fine dining
8:30 – William Walker joins to explain Jersey Fresh
10:00 – Farmers markets, U-pick farms, and connecting people to local agriculture
15:00 – Why local strawberries, tomatoes, and peaches taste different
25:45 – Why tomatoes do not belong in the refrigerator
Guest Bio
William Walker was part of Jersey Fresh, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture program promoting New Jersey-grown fruits, vegetables, and farm products. In this episode, he discusses the program’s history, its work with supermarkets and restaurants, and its role in supporting local farmers.
Info
Jersey Fresh
New Jersey Department of Agriculture
https://www.findjerseyfresh.com/JerseyFresh

Link Home News article about RG from 2006
https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/md/prog/jerseyfresh.shtml
Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
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Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

The Ghost of Jerry Thomas Has Notes | AI, Dale DeGroff & the Future of Cocktails 
Mark and Francis attempt the impossible: an interview with Jerry Thomas, the 19th-century bartending legend who helped write the book on American cocktails. With help from AI and a performance by cocktail icon Dale DeGroff, Jerry returns to judge the modern bar, defend showmanship, and remind bartenders that the guest still comes first.

Why This Episode Matters
Jerry Thomas is one of the founding figures of American cocktail culture, and his influence still runs through modern bars.
This episode uses AI as a creative tool, not a shortcut, pairing the technology with Dale DeGroff’s voice and deep cocktail authority.
“Jerry” has strong opinions about today’s bar world: better ice, better vermouth, more care, but also too much ego, smoke, and overcomplication.
The conversation lands on a timeless hospitality truth: a great drink is not just what’s in the glass; it’s how the guest feels.
It is strange, funny, historically rooted, and exactly the kind of thing that could only happen on The Restaurant Guys.

The Conversation
Jerry Thomas, imagined through AI and voiced by Dale DeGroff, returns from the great beyond to take a look at the modern cocktail world. He is pleased to see bartenders caring again about ice, vermouth, technique, and classic recipes. He is less impressed by drinks built for cameras, fog machines, and bartender ego. His verdict is sharp: effort is not the same as excellence.
The conversation moves through showmanship, simplicity, cocktail books, bottled cocktails, with Jerry drawing a clear line between theater that serves the guest and performance that gets in the way. For all the novelty of the premise, the message is pure hospitality. It’s not just about the drink, but about how someone feels at your bar. 
Timestamps
0:00 The Restaurant Guys bring Jerry Thomas back from the great beyond
2:15 Ego, excess, and why “arrogance is not flavor”
3:30 Showmanship, simplicity, and drinks made for the camera
5:00 Bottled cocktails, zero-proof drinks and Jerry’s final word on hospitality

Featured Guest
Jerry Thomas was one of the most influential figures in American bartending, remembered for his theatrical presence behind the bar and his landmark cocktail books. In this special episode, he is imagined through AI and voiced by Dale DeGroff, one of the modern cocktail world’s most important figures.

Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

This is a Vintage episode from 2006.
Julie Powell joins Mark Pascal and Francis Schott to talk about Julie & Julia, her year cooking 524 Julia Child recipes, and how a personal blog became a book before food blogging was a career path.
Why This Episode Matters
Julie Powell captured an early moment in food blogging, before the form became mainstream.
The interview took place before Julie & Julia became a movie, so the conversation is rooted in the original book and blog.
Julie explains why Julia Child’s ambition, late start, and seriousness about cooking spoke to her.
Mark and Francis challenge Julie on her controversial New York Times op-ed about greenmarkets, organic food, and privilege.
The episode connects cooking to reinvention, marriage, class, and the messy business of trying to change your life.
The Conversation
Julie Powell explains that the project began as a response to turning 30 and feeling stuck in her job and life. Mark and Francis connect immediately with the vivid, slightly dangerous pleasure in her food writing, especially her description of beef marrow as rich, intense, and “like eating life.” Julia Child appealed to Julie not because the recipes were easy, but because they were hard and worth doing. She also found inspiration in Julia’s own late start, since Child did not become “Julia Child” until well into adulthood.
The blog began in 2002 at her husband’s suggestion, when Julie says she barely knew what a blog was. What started as a personal challenge became a memoir about cooking, ambition, marriage, and reinvention. Julie is clear that Julie & Julia is not a cookbook; food is the route into a larger story about choosing something difficult and committing to it.
The conversation also digs into Julie’s New York Times op-ed on greenmarkets and organic food. Mark and Francis disagree with parts of her argument, but Julie explains that her real concern was judgment toward people who lack the money, time, or access to buy ideal ingredients. The debate lands on a shared point: good food should not be a privilege reserved for people who can afford it.
Timestamps
0:50 - Introducing Julie Powell and Julie & Julia
2:30 - Why she cooked 524 Julia Child recipes in one year
5:00 - Cooking after work, late dinners, and expensive ingredients
6:45 - From personal blog to published book
9:30 - he greenmarket debate and food privilege
16:00 - Marriage, chaos, and life after the project
18:00 - Mark and Francis reflect on Julie, Julia Child, and the op-ed debate 
Bio
Julie Powell was the author of Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, based on her blog about cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The book was later adapted into the film Julie & Julia.
Info
Book: Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
Original inspiration: Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
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Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com

This is a Vintage episode from 2006
George Motz joins The Restaurant Guys to talk about Hamburger America, his documentary celebrating eight beloved burger institutions and the regional traditions, family pride, old grease, beef, and stubborn conviction that make them more than just places to eat. 
Why This Episode Matters
Before smashburgers became trendy and before Hamburger America became a restaurant, George Motz was documenting regional burger culture across the United States
This episode captures an early moment in America’s burger renaissance, when great roadside burger stands still felt local, handmade, and deeply tied to place
George explains why the hamburger is both a food story and an American story
The conversation explores butter burgers, steamed cheeseburgers, old grease, grass-fed beef, and the fierce convictions of great burger makers
The Guys debate what makes a real hamburger…and why foie gras burgers might actually be meatloaf
The Banter
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott discuss New York City’s crackdown on sous vide cooking and debate whether the health department should regulate emerging cooking techniques before banning them outright. On advice of imaginary counsel, Mark will not be offering any home sous vide instructions. 
The Conversation
George Motz joins The Restaurant Guys to discuss his documentary Hamburger America, a film exploring eight legendary burger restaurants across the United States.
What begins as a conversation about hamburgers quickly becomes a broader discussion about regional identity, family businesses, roadside Americana, and the passionate people preserving classic burger traditions. George explains the strict criteria he used to select restaurants for the film, including fresh beef, decades of continuous operation, and a story worth telling. Along the way, the conversation moves through Oklahoma longhorn burgers, Wisconsin butter burgers, steamed cheeseburgers, the legendary grease at Dyer’s in Memphis, Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, which claims to have invented the hamburger sandwich, and Chicago’s Billy Goat Tavern, where burger lore became part of American pop culture. 
More than a discussion about hamburgers, the episode becomes a celebration of old-school American food culture and the fiercely independent restaurants that helped define it.
Bio
George Motz is a filmmaker, burger historian, author, and television personality best known for his documentary Hamburger America. He later became one of the country’s leading authorities on regional American hamburgers and opened the restaurant Hamburger America in New York City.
Info
Hamburger America documentary
George Motz https://www.hamburgeramerica.com/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/
Magyar Bank
https://www.magbank.com/
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com