So You Want to Run a Restaurant?

This week’s guest is a big one. We’re heading to Traverse City, Michigan to sit down with Chef Andy Elliott of Modern Bird - fresh off being named one of the New York Times’ 50 Best Restaurants in America and now a nominee for the 2026 James Beard Awards.
Andy shares his full-circle journey from Chicago’s fine dining scene (Boka, GT Fish & Oyster, RIA) to building one of the most celebrated restaurants in a small but mighty food town. We talk about starting out selling hand pies at the farmers market, the power of local relationships, cooking within the seasons of northern Michigan, and what it really takes to grow a restaurant sustainably outside of a major metro.
We also dig into the realities of running a business with your spouse, resisting expansion for the sake of growth, and Andy’s candid take on tipping culture in today’s restaurant industry.
If you’re interested in thoughtful, ingredient-driven cooking, building community through food, or what it takes to create national buzz without losing your soul, this episode is for you.
⭐ This show is brought to you by Back of House.io, the foodservice industry’s most trusted resource for restaurant tech.
Learn more at: https://backofhouse.io/
⭐ Season 5 of So You Want to Run A Restaurant is proudly sponsored by RestauRent, the no-fee booking platform helping restaurants book private and group events.
Try it risk-free with 3 free months at: https://bit.ly/soyouwanttorestaurent
⭐ Follow Us
Podcast: https://linktr.ee/soyouwanttorunarestaurant
Claudia: https://www.instagram.com/claudia.saric/
Spencer: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantspenny/

In this episode of So You Want to Run a Restaurant, we sit down with Natalia Lepore Hagan, founder of Midnight Pasta Philadelphia, an immersive, experience-driven pasta concept redefining what dining can be.
Midnight Pasta isn’t a traditional restaurant, it’s a ticketed pasta-making experience where guests arrive for cocktails, jump into a high-energy, hands-on pasta class, and then gather for a five-course, family-style dinner made from the pasta they create themselves. It’s part dinner, part performance, and part community event.
Natalia shares her journey from growing up in a big Italian-American family to performing on Broadway, and how theater, music, movement, and storytelling are intentionally built into every Midnight Pasta experience. She opens up about how the pandemic shutdown of Broadway led her back to pasta-making, enrolling in culinary school, and launching Midnight Pasta - not to fit into a traditional restaurant model, but to create something entirely new.
Natalia also shares her perspective on chefs, creators, and influencer partnerships, and why Midnight Pasta operates outside the traditional restaurant category.
In this episode, we cover:
Building an immersive dining experience outside the restaurant model
Pivoting careers and launching during the pandemic
Going viral without losing control of your brand
Scaling experiential hospitality without sacrificing authenticity

📍 Midnight Pasta - Philadelphia, PA
🍝 Immersive pasta-making experience
🎭 Broadway-inspired dining
🌱 Hyper-local, seasonal, community-driven

⭐ This show is brought to you by Back of House.io, the foodservice industry’s most trusted resource for restaurant technology. Learn more at https://backofhouse.io/
⭐ Season 5 is proudly sponsored by RestauRent, the no-fee booking platform helping restaurants book private and group events. Try it risk-free with 3 free months at https://bit.ly/soyouwanttorestaurent
⭐ Follow Us
Podcast: https://linktr.ee/soyouwanttorunarestaurant
Claudia: https://www.instagram.com/claudia.saric/
Spencer: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantspenny/

In this episode of So You Want to Run A Restaurant, we sit down with Executive Chef David Standridge - James Beard Award Winning Chef and Partner of The Shipwright’s Daughter and Mystic Fish Camp - to trace his journey from home cooking to Michelin-starred kitchens, and ultimately to leading one of the most forward-thinking seafood movements in the country in Mystic Connecticut.
Chef David opens up about the brutal reality of elite kitchens, the pressure behind accolades, and why chefs must move beyond prestige to drive real change in the food system. We dive deep into sustainability, community impact, and the unexpected star of this episode: the green crab 🦀 (his work around this was featured in the New York Times!)
This is a must-watch for chefs, foodservice industry professionals, and anyone who believes restaurants can be a force for environmental and community good.

✨This show is brought to you by Back of House.io, the foodservice industry's most trusted resource for restaurant tech. Learn more at: https://backofhouse.io/
⭐ Season 5 of So You Want to Run A Restaurant is proudly sponsored by RestauRent, the no-fee booking platform helping restaurants book private and group events. Try it risk-free with 3 free months at https://bit.ly/soyouwanttorestaurent.
⭐ Follow Us
Podcast: https://linktr.ee/soyouwanttorunarestaurant
Claudia: https://www.instagram.com/claudia.saric/
Spencer: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantspenny/
⭐ Learn more about The Shipwright's Daughter and Chef David Standridge: https://www.shipwrightsdaughter.com/

In this on-location episode of So You Want to Run a Restaurant, Claudia and Spencer sit down at the Gordon Food Service Food Show in Grand Rapids, MI with Gustavo Fuentes, owner of Dorados, and co-owner of multiple West Michigan restaurants.
Gustavo shares his incredible journey, from growing up in Guanajuato, Mexico, to washing dishes at 15, to building one of the highest-rated and reviewed Mexican restaurants in the region.
You’ll hear how Gustavo turned community love into real momentum, why his restaurants maintain thousands of reviews with near-perfect ratings, and how he approached opening a brand-new concept, Delicias, blending Mexican, Italian, and American flavors with help from the culinary team at GFS.
Whether you’re a restaurant operator, a food entrepreneur, or just someone who loves a great origin story, Gustavo’s blend of humility, grit, and innovation is guaranteed to inspire.
Highlights:
🍽️Growing up in Mexico and learning to cook from family
🍽️ Climbing from dishwasher to owner/operator
🍽️ The story behind the Dorados name
🍽️ Expanding to new concepts without cannibalizing the brand
🍽️ Partnering with GFS chefs to build a fusion menu
🍽️ Why consistency, authenticity, and community loyalty drive real success

🔗 Learn More
Back of House: www.backofhouse.io
🎧 Listen to more episodes of So You Want to Run a Restaurant, powered by Back ofHouse.io, a Gordon Food Service brand, wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow @wearebackofhouse for more insights and stories from restaurant founders, owners, and operators.
🔗 Sponsored by Localizer
Manage reviews, boost visibility, and get more guests in the door.
Listeners get 25% off the first 3 months: localyser.com/podcast
⭐ Follow Us
Podcast: https://linktr.ee/soyouwanttorunarestaurant
Claudia: https://www.instagram.com/claudia.saric/
Spencer: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantspenny/
🍸 Explore Dorados
Website: https://doradosmexicangrill.com/

In this episode, recorded live at the Gordon Food Service Food Show in Grand Rapids, Claudia and Spencer sit down with Jon O’Connor, the co-founder of Long Road Distillers - the first distillery in Grand Rapids built on a grain-to-glass, no-shortcuts philosophy.
Jon shares how a few late-night whiskey conversations turned into a full-scale distilling operation, built on Michigan agriculture, craftsmanship, and a commitment to transparency. He talks about the leap from real estate to spirits, partnering with friends, and transforming a rundown historic building into a cornerstone of a now-thriving neighborhood cluster of breweries, restaurants, and makers.
This episode dives into:
🍽️ The origin story of Long Road Distillers and why Grand Rapids needed a distillery
🍽️ Michigan’s unique agriculture and how it shaped their approach
🍽️ The realities of risk-taking, failing fast, and building something from scratch
🍽️ Community building, neighborhood investment, and civic involvement
🍽️ The early make-or-break moments they survived
🍽️ How the craft spirits industry is evolving and where Jon sees it headed
If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, hospitality, spirits, or the behind-the-scenes of building a beloved local brand, this one’s packed with insight and heart.
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🔗 Learn More
Back of House: www.backofhouse.io
🎧 Listen to more episodes of So You Want to Run a Restaurant, powered by Back ofHouse.io, a Gordon Food Service brand, wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow @wearebackofhouse for more insights and stories from restaurant founders, owners, and operators.
-------------------------
🔗 Sponsored by Localizer
Manage reviews, boost visibility, and get more guests in the door.
Listeners get 25% off the first 3 months: localyser.com/podcast
-------------------------
⭐ Follow Us
Podcast: https://linktr.ee/soyouwanttorunarestaurant
Claudia: https://www.instagram.com/claudia.saric/
Spencer: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantspenny/