The Pre-Shift Podcast 7shifts

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams. 


Host DJ Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.


In this episode, Chris Britt, Chief Operating Officer of Epic Restaurants, joins us.


For nearly five years, Chris has served in a leadership capacity at Agave & Rye, one of the fastest-growing restaurant concepts in the U.S. He has accumulated a diverse array of experiences since joining the Agave & Rye team in 2018, and through his expertise, Chris has helped continually grow the company into a now multi-brand restaurant group, touting such revered concepts as Agave & Rye, S.O.B. Steakhouse, Shindig Park—and the soon-to-be-unveiled, Trashy Dawg. Chris started as the GM of the original location in Covington, Kentucky, before taking the same position at Agave & Rye’s flagship location in Liberty Township, Ohio. Soon after, he was promoted to Regional Director, followed by a promotion to the Director of Operations role. Chris has been in his Chief Operating Officer role for more than a year, right in time for expansion plans in 2023.

Resources




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Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams. 
Host D.J. Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.


On this episode, we’re joined by Stella Dennig, Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip in Oakland, California.


Stella Dennig (she/her) is the Co-Owner/GM of Daytrip, a fermentation-driven party of a restaurant in Oakland, CA. Core to Daytrip’s mission is to push toward a more equitable future for this industry and at the center of that, its workforce. Daytrip has been written up for its employment practices by publications like Bon Appetit, The New York Times, and the SF Chronicle. Daytrip was a Bon Appetit top 10 Best New Restaurant in America in 2023 and Co-Owner/Chef Finn Stern was a James Beard Semifinalist in 2024.
Topics Covered:
Exploring Daytrip's Business Model: Equal entry-level wages and a shared service charge benefiting all staff challenge industry norms.Cultivating a culture of fairness through democratic management and transparent hiring practices.How regular team dialogues foster a supportive and inclusive work environment.Resources
DaytripRAISE10 Best New Restaurants in America 2022 | Bon AppetitListen, rate, and subscribe!
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
YouTube
TikTok
7shifts Blog

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams. 
Host DJ Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.
On this episode, we’re joined by Chad Mackay, CEO of Fire & Vine Hospitality in Seattle, WA.
Chad Mackay, CEO of Fire & Vine Hospitality, leads a multi-concept operator of full-service restaurants and oversees the successful Revelers Club loyalty program, boasting 80K members and contributing 30% to the company’s revenue since its 2011 inception. El Gaucho, the flagship concept founded in 1996, spans five locations, while Fire & Vine owns AQUA by El Gaucho, Aerlume, and the Witness Tree lounge. The Revelers Club extends to independently owned properties like Walla Walla Steak Co., Crossbuck Brewing, and Yellowhawk Resort in Walla Walla, WA. Drawing from two decades of hospitality expertise, Chad founded Brigado, a consulting and technology firm. He actively serves on Oracle's Customer Advisory Board for the Global Food and Beverage Industry Group and has held leadership roles in associations like the Washington Hospitality Association and Visit Seattle. Chad is a sought-after speaker on adapting compensation models for full-service restaurants in response to the $15 minimum wage.
Links
Fire & Vine Hospitality
Brigado


Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
YouTube
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7shifts Blog

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams. 

Host DJ Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.
On this episode, we’re joined by Irene Shiang Li, Cofounder of Prepshift & Mei Mei Dumplings in Boston, Mass.
Irene Shiang Li co-founded Mei Mei in Boston in 2013 and built the brand around ethical, sustainable sourcing and fair and transparent employment practices, including open book management. Mei Mei is now a dumpling company and Irene is now building Prepshift, a tech-enabled coaching and workforce training firm. Prepshift focuses on aligning food business teams around their common goals and empowering them with education and transparency. Irene believes that in restaurants, everyone can win. She is a Zagat and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, six-time James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef nominee, and 2022 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award winner. In 2023, Irene and her sister co-authored Perfectly Good Food: a totally achievable zero-waste approach to home cooking with W.W. Norton.
Additional Resources
Mei Mei DumplingsPrepshiftOne Fair WageFollow Irene LiGet Irene’s BookListen, rate, and subscribe!
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
YouTube
TikTok
7shifts Blog

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts is a deep dive into what it takes to run great restaurant teams. 

Host D.J. Costantino covers the restaurant industry with conversations featuring industry leaders and innovators sharing their business growth insights, backgrounds, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams.
On this episode, we’re joined by Ji Hye Kim, Chef/Owner of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor.
Ji Hye was awarded one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 2021 and a multi-time James Beard Award semifinalist. She also advocates for fair wages in the hospitality industry, working with organizations like One Fair Wage to enact change. We get into how staff are paid above the industry average at Miss Kim, the tools Kim uses to get her teams engaged, and more.
Additional Resources
Miss KimZingerman’sZingerman’s Community of BusinessesOne Fair WageRAISE: High Road RestaurantsListen, rate, and subscribe!
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
YouTube
TikTok
7shifts Blog

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses.  Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. 
On this episode, we’re joined by Jason Hammel, Chef and Owner of Lula Cafe
Guest Bio
Chef and owner Jason Hammel grew up in New Haven, CT and is the product of a tight Italian family. He studied writing at Brown University and then traveled in Italy where an accidental stay in an apartment above a produce market left a lasting impact and presaged his career as a chef. Upon returning to the U.S., he received his M.A. in English and moved to Chicago where he met his wife, musician and Lula co-founder, Amalea Tshilds. They live in Logan Square with their two children, Ismene and Cass.   
Hammel’s writing has appeared in Bon Appetit and Lucky Peach/MAD feed. He is currently working on a cookbook to be released by Phaidon.  

Additional Resources


Lula CafeMarisolPilot LightLula Cafe CookbookListen, rate, and subscribe!
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
YouTube
TikTok
7shifts Blog

Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair