Dimitri Syros, a Greek-American former teacher and law school graduate, launched The Breakfast Company with his mother in Sarasota, Florida, in October 2020 amid the COVID pandemic, transforming her dream of a small coffee shop-bakery into a full-service breakfast-and-lunch concept that exploded from day one. The family leveraged their multi-generational restaurant heritage, including translating his late grandfather's recipe book, to fuel rapid growth to five locations with two more opening in June 2025. Facing soaring labor costs (tipped wages rising from $6 to $15/hour), inflation, hurricanes, and immigration impacts on supply chains, Syros emphasizes preserving soulful, community-driven service over fast-casual efficiency while experimenting with drive-thrus, standardized builds, and potential franchising to scale responsibly without losing family involvement or local intimacy. He credits early closure at 2 PM, above-market pay, promoting internal managing partners, and a strong support system for staff retention and personal balance in an industry he views as society's vital gathering place despite its relentless challenges and imposter syndrome.

1. Family hospitality roots run deep, with Syros growing up busing tables and washing dishes from age 12 across 40 restaurants, but initially forbidden from pursuing it professionally.
2. Opened first location during COVID with masks and dividers, yet it was "gangbusters from day one," leading to unintended full-time involvement over law school.
3. Post-COVID years 2021–2022 were historically booming for restaurants, misleading Syros into aggressive scaling before 2023–2024 normalization hit.
4. Labor costs squeezing margins: Florida tipped minimum wage up $1/year, from $6 to $11 and heading to $15, forcing value focus without shrinkflation or $20 omelets.
5. Breakfast/lunch hours (7 AM–2 PM) enable better staff recruitment, including working parents and second-job holders, plus time for owner balance like gym and family.
6. Pay above market (e.g., $20/hour dishwashers) reduces turnover, training costs, and culture loss versus cycling through cheaper labor.
7. Immigration policies in Florida raising produce costs/quality and hurting morale, alongside hurricanes wiping out seasonal tourism revenue.
8. Scaling with family and promoted internal managing partners to maintain "family touch" while exploring drive-thrus (bakery/coffee focus) and prototype builds for franchising efficiency.
9. Finished law school on scholarship despite remote operations, pivoted to business/immigration franchising expertise, but chose restaurants after one month as attorney.
10. Restaurants as community bedrock post-malls/COVID, fostering real interactions amid declining social skills, with independents keeping money local through genuine hospitality.

Wil hosts Tyler Kotch, founder of PIE.ZAA (Asheville & Charlotte), for a candid chat about spotting late-night demand, building a hyper-focused high-margin pizza concept (five-item menu, 28" pies or 12" slices), surviving COVID, navigating a painful partner split, and scaling methodically toward franchising. Tyler shares lessons on location strategy, simplifying operations to reduce waste, ditching phones in favor of in-person/email and AI ordering, fixing third-party delivery headaches via Takeout Central, and the bigger mission: build a people-centric company, communicate face-to-face, and leave a legacy—possibly across 30–100 locations—using a mountains/city/beach testbed with the FDD in motion.

10 takeaways:

Simple wins: Five-item menu; whole 28" pies or 12" slices—less waste, faster training.

Late-night niche: PIE.ZAA launched to serve post-10pm demand; pizza delivers the margins.

Go big on product & packaging: 28" pies + distinctive black boxes = walking billboards.

Location is leverage: Foot traffic/tourism/density; first 60–90 days set the trajectory.

Market fit varies: Asheville skews to whole pies/families; Charlotte South End to slices/young pros.

Phone-free by design: No live phone lines; AI ordering + in-person/email encourage real communication.

Control the last mile: Shift to Takeout Central drivers reduced delivery damage/complaints.

Choose partners wisely: Misalignment is costly; Tyler rebuilt post-split in 2022.

Franchise runway: FDD/approval pending; “mountains/city/beach” proof points precede scale.

Culture over control: People-centric leadership, low micromanagement, purpose beyond money.

Episode Summary
In this heartfelt episode of Restaurant Owners Uncorked, host Wil chats with Heidi Whitcomb a passionate and deeply committed independent restaurant owner in Florida. With nearly 40 years in hospitality, Heidi embodies service, gratitude, and resilience. She shares her journey from early jobs at Subway and Kmart to bartending, truck driving, entrepreneurship, and ultimately founding Raise the Bar & Grill. Her approach to hospitality goes far beyond food and drinks. It's about people, community, empathy, and raising standards in an industry where service and heart are often lost. Through adversity, hard work, and unfiltered honesty, Heidi proves that leading with love and purpose creates meaningful impact in business and in life.

Key Takeaways

1. Hospitality Is About People First – Heidi believes the industry is about serving others with genuine love, not just making money.
   
   
2. Happy Teams = Happy Guests – Run your business by caring for your employees first; great service starts with a strong culture.
   
   
3. Lead From the Front – As an owner, Heidi jumps behind the bar, onto the line, or wherever needed—no task is beneath her.
   
   
4. Mental Health Matters – Her restaurant practices “Mental Health Mondays” to check in with both staff and guests.
   
   
5. Serving Others Is a Responsibility – Hospitality is a service profession that requires intention—details like garnishes and quality matter.
   
   
6. ADHD as a Superpower – Heidi credits her ADHD for her energy, multitasking ability, and relentless drive.
   
   
7. Resilience Through Adversity – From working 20-hour days to surviving a car accident that broke her neck, Heidi keeps moving forward.
   
   
8. Build Community Through Service – Her business prioritizes veterans, seniors, children, and local neighbors with loyalty and purpose.
   
   
9. Consistency Builds Trust – She refuses to cut quality even with rising costs—customers deserve value.
   
   
10. Gratitude Is Everything – Heidi tears up when talking about her customers—her success is built on human connection and thankfulness.