The Restaurant Finance Podcast

How To Fix Restaurant Cashflow Problems

The script is flipped! Join Ty Wilson and James Tice as they join Cali BBQ Media Founder Shawn Walchef on Digital Hospitality. And this conversation goes deep on a topic most operators avoid: money. Tab Commerce is building a modern financial platform for restaurants - offering corporate cards designed specifically for operators, better support, AP automation, higher limits, and financial tools built around real restaurant workflows. But more importantly, this episode is about storytelling, vulnerability, and why restaurant finance doesn’t need to be scary. Ty and James share: - How a cold call turned into a partnership - Why restaurant operators need transparent financial conversations - What big banks don’t understand about hospitality - The power of podcasting for building trust - Why finance is actually a human story, not a spreadsheet

The Sports Bar Reinvented. Convo w/ Brooks Schaden of Tom’s Watch Bar

What happens when a restaurant stops thinking like a traditional restaurant and starts thinking like a live event? Brooks Schaden, Co-CEO of Tom’s Watch Bar, joins James Tice to talk about building restaurants around live sports, fan communities, and shared experiences. From playoff runs and opening day surges to alumni groups and watch parties, Schaden explains how Tom’s turns every game into an event. He also shares why sports-driven restaurants require a different operational mindset, where forecasting changes daily based on schedules, rivalries, and team performance. The conversation covers service speed, labor precision, kitchen design, mobile POS systems, and the small operational decisions that have a massive impact on profitability and guest experience. What You’ll Learn: • How Tom’s Watch Bar forecasts demand around sporting events and playoffs • Why sports bars require a completely different operational model than traditional restaurants • How fan clubs, alumni groups, and watch parties drive recurring traffic • Why service speed, mobile POS, and menu engineering shape profitability • How analytics and forecasting improve labor, inventory, and guest experience • Why experiential hospitality is becoming one of the biggest opportunities in restaurants Visit tabcommerce.com to learn how extended terms, higher limits, and smarter controls can power your growth. Episode Links - Tom’s Watch Bar: https://tomswatchbar.com/ - Brooks Schaden LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooks-schaden-35564a11/

Creating Restaurant Experiences People Remember. Convo w/ Ford Fry

What makes someone choose your restaurant over every other option around them? For Ford Fry, it starts long before the food hits the table. Ford Fry, chef and founder of Rocket Farm Restaurants, joins James Tice to break down how hospitality, atmosphere, and operational thinking shape modern restaurant growth. Fry explains how his team adapts service across different formats while still protecting the experience that keeps guests coming back. The conversation explores how thoughtful details increase guest satisfaction, why “soul” matters in restaurant design, and how technology and AI can help operators spend less time in the back office and more time with guests. What You’ll Learn: • Why service matters at every level of the restaurant industry • How small operational details shape guest experience and revenue • Why atmosphere and “soul” influence whether guests return • How AI and automation can give operators more time on the floor • How Ford Fry approaches expansion across multiple restaurant concepts Visit TabCommerce.com to learn how extended terms, higher limits, and smarter controls can power your growth. Episode Links • Ford Fry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fordfry/ • Rocket Farm Restaurants: https://rocketfarmrestaurants.com/ • Little Rey: https://littlerey.com/ • Superica: https://superica.com

Building Culture That Scales. Convo w/ Kay Young of Squeeze In

What if the key to scaling a restaurant brand wasn’t just systems or capital, but how you treat your people every single day? Kay Young, Co-Owner and VP of Sales and Marketing at Squeeze In, joins James Tice to share how a family-run breakfast concept grew into a multi-unit brand without losing the feeling that made it special in the first place. From growing up inside the restaurant to now helping lead its expansion, Kay breaks down how values-driven leadership, thoughtful hiring, and simple operational decisions create lasting impact. The conversation explores how investing in employees leads to better guest experiences, how technology and AI are changing decision making, and why entertaining content is driving real traffic in today’s restaurant landscape. What You’ll Learn: • Why hiring for personality and empathy leads to stronger teams • How small operational changes can dramatically reduce turnover • How values-driven culture creates consistency across multiple locations • How AI and tools like Toast IQ help operators make faster decisions • Why entertaining content is outperforming traditional food marketing Visit tabcommerce.com to learn how extended terms, higher limits, and smarter controls can power your growth. Episode Links Kay Young LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-young-158473114/ Squeeze In Online: https://sqvueezein.com/ Squeeze In Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squeezein/ Squeeze In Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squeezein/ Squeeze In YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/squeezein

Building Smarter Restaurant Growth. Convo w/ Amanda Kahalehoe of Vicious Biscuit

What does it take to grow a restaurant brand quickly while building the systems, people, and discipline needed to sustain that growth? Great restaurant operators do not just react to what is happening today. They build systems, develop people, and use data to make smarter decisions before problems ever appear. Amanda Kahalehoe, Chief Operating Officer of Vicious Biscuit, sits down with James Tice to share how her background in finance, operations, and the military shaped her leadership style in restaurants. She explains why teaching operators the “why” behind the numbers creates stronger accountability and better performance at the store level. From scaling an emerging brand from two units to eleven and beyond, to evaluating technology through ROI and long-term fit, Kahalehoe breaks down how modern restaurant brands can grow with structure, trust, and smarter decision-making. She also shares why AI and data may be the biggest opportunity in hospitality’s future. What You’ll Learn: - Why teaching operators the why behind the numbers creates stronger performance - How trust and responsiveness build buy-in across restaurant teams - Why structure and repeatable systems are essential for scaling growth How to evaluate restaurant technology based on ROI, simplicity, and long-term fit - Why operationalized data will separate winning brands over the next five years - How AI can help restaurants anticipate guest behavior and make smarter decisions faster Episode Links: - Amanda Kahalehoe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-kahalehoe/ - Vicious Biscuit: https://www.viciousbiscuit.com/