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Zack Oates sits down with Jeff Galletly of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop to unpack what it really takes to scale a brand across both restaurants and retail. Jeff shares how the company has grown rapidly while improving guest experience, and why everything starts with getting the food right before anything else.

Zack and Jeff discuss:

• Building Brooklyn Dumpling Shop across restaurants and CPG
• Why restaurants act as the “front porch” of the brand
• How improving food quality transformed guest ratings
• Balancing speed, accuracy, and consistency in operations
• Why great food is still the foundation of guest experience

Thanks, Jeff!

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-galletly-792b523/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/brooklyndumplingshop/about/

https://www.brooklyndumplingshop.com/

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David Youngberg, CEO of Stonefire Grill, and Matt Calabrese, CTO, join Zack Oates for a deep dive into what it actually takes to scale a restaurant brand without losing what makes it special. From feeding 5,500 guests in under an hour to building a business where catering drives over 20% of revenue, they share real operational insights from inside the brand.

Zack, David, and Matt discuss:

• How catering can become a powerful growth and acquisition channel
• Why meeting guests across every channel is no longer optional
• How fast feedback loops are reshaping decision making
• The role of technology in supporting, not replacing, hospitality
• Why consistency is the foundation of trust and long term loyalty
• How to grow a brand without drifting from its core identity

Thanks, David and Matt!

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dyoungberg/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-calabrese-5657252/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/stonefire-grill-inc/

https://www.stonefiregrill.com/

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Jessica Serrano, CMO of Bagel Brands, joins Zack Oates to share how marketers can better understand what makes a brand truly stand out. With experience across Burger King, Taco Bell, and Dig In, Jessica brings a sharp perspective on how guest insights shape strategy.

• Zack and Jessica discuss:
• Finding what makes your brand uniquely valuable
• Why scrappy guest research often beats big budgets
• How to balance data with real world observation
• The importance of timing and context in guest communication
• Why simple brand guidelines outperform complex ones
• How to improve guest experience by doing the next right thing

Thanks, Jessica!

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacausse/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/bagel-brands/