Quickfire with Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group. His Hazelwood go-to, why Chicago is one of his favorite food cities, and the most practical last Google search possible. #HospitalityHangout #BruceNelson #TempoHospitalityGroup #Hazelwood
Bruce Nelson, founder of Tempo Hospitality Group and author of Restaurant Management: The Myth, the Magic, the Math, explains why busy restaurants can still fail if the math does not work. From menu pricing and cash flow to POS data, AI analytics, fractional CFO services, and restaurant profitability, this episode…
Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group learned restaurant math the hard way. At 22, he copied a competitor’s menu, priced everything a dollar cheaper, and found out why menu pricing can make or break a restaurant. #HospitalityHangout #TempoHospitalityGroup #RestaurantFinance #MenuPricing
Bruce Nelson of Tempo Hospitality Group says AI is brilliant for restaurant analytics, reporting, and auditing between systems. But the line is clear: AI should never get between the restaurant and the customer. #HospitalityHangout #TempoHospitalityGroup #RestaurantAI #Hospitality
Scott Lawton started as a 16-year-old busboy, worked 70-hour restaurant weeks, helped build bartaco, and lived the full hospitality hustle. #HospitalityHangout #bartaco #ScottLawton #HospitalityHustler
Hot or Not with Khara from Kalei’s Kitchenette. Spam? Hot. Spam hot dogs? Hot. Spam milkshakes? That’s where we draw the line. #HospitalityHangout #KaleisKitchenette #Spam #HotOrNot
Before bartaco, Scott Lawton joined the Barcelona Wine Bar team to help professionalize and scale the business. He came through Tribeca Grill and Big Time Restaurants, then worked with Andy Pforzheimer as Barcelona grew from a handful of locations into the Barteca story.
Khara’s go-to order at Kalei’s Kitchenette: half garlic chicken, half Kalua pork, mac salad and rice. And Spam on a bagel? #HospitalityHangout #KaleisKitchenette #KaluaPork #HawaiianFood
Scott Lawton shares the origin story behind bartaco. Born from the Barcelona Wine Bar world, bartaco started as a “crazy” idea: a full-service taco restaurant with a simpler menu, a lifestyle brand feel, and a model built to scale. #HospitalityHangout #bartaco #ScottLawton #RestaurantGrowth
Some people think they don’t like Spam. Then they try Spam musubi from Kalei’s Kitchenette and start asking why they waited so long. #HospitalityHangout #KaleisKitchenette #SpamMusubi #HawaiianFood
Kalei’s Kitchenette grew from a farmers market table into a San Diego Hawaiian food and catering brand rooted in Maui flavors, Filipino hospitality, and family-owned grit. Co-founder Khara Mangiduyos shares how she and Chef Andy built Kalei’s around Huli Huli chicken, Spam musubi, Kalua pork, catering, community, and the aloha…
Huli Huli chicken. Spam musubi. Maybe even a hot dog musubi? Khara from Kalei’s Kitchenette talks last-minute catering favorites and the menu items people keep coming back for. #HospitalityHangout #KaleisKitchenette #SpamMusubi #HuliHuliChicken
Khara Mangiduyos of Kalei’s Kitchenette explains how marketing is really about connecting a problem to a solution. In this case: a company needs 750 people fed in two hours, and Kalei’s has to show up like a big business while staying true to its mom-and-pop roots. #HospitalityHangout #KaleisKitchenette #HawaiianFood #Catering
Hot or Not with Amir Harpaz of The Mudpuppy. Mocktails? Not in Tennessee. Protein everything? Hot. Fries in a Frosty? He has questions. #HospitalityHangout #TheMudpuppy #HotOrNot #foodtrends2026
Hospitality Headlines: Real or Fake? Khara from Kalei’s Kitchenette has to guess which food headline is fake: Pizza Hut fresh dough perfume, edible butter candles, or Heinz x Absolut vodka pasta sauce. #HospitalityHangout #KaleisKitchenette #PizzaHut #Heinz
Chicago says no ketchup on hot dogs. Jimmy hears a business opportunity!? Alleyway ketchup deals. #HospitalityHangout #ChicagoHotDog #KetchupDebate #TheMudpuppy
Amir Harpaz of The Mudpuppy explains how they used menu psychology and AI to rethink their restaurant menu. The result? Same guest count, but sales jumping over 100% year over year on comparable days. #HospitalityHangout #TheMudpuppy #RestaurantAI #MenuPsychology
Hospitality Headlines: Real or Fake? Amir Harpaz of The Mudpuppy has to guess which food headline is fake: a Taco Bell wedding chapel, a restaurant banning ketchup for customers over 12, or an Oscar Mayer bologna-inspired face mask. #HospitalityHangout #TheMudpuppy #TacoBell #OscarMayer
