The Restaurant Finance Podcast

Building a Modern BBQ Brand. Convo with Duce Raymond

Duce Raymond joins Ty Wilson to discuss building the next chapter of one of barbecue's most recognizable family legacies. As the son of the chef behind Sweet Baby Ray’s, Raymond shares why he's transitioning to the Deuce’s Wild brand, how an $8 million catering business fuels growth, and what goes into launching a new technology-driven barbecue restaurant. From family history and restaurant financing to AI, drive-thrus, and Amazon sales, this conversation explores the balance between honoring the past and building for the future. Recorded live at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. What You'll Learn: • Why Duce Raymond is transitioning from Sweet Baby Ray’s to Deuce’s Wild • How catering became the primary growth engine for the business • Why technology and AI are part of the future of barbecue • How strategic partnerships help operators scale confidently • How Duce is preserving a family legacy while building something new Episode Links: - Duce Raymond LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duceraymond/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/duceraymond/] - Duce Raymond YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEbFPZr-u8_zOKw6wMNZhUA [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEbFPZr-u8_zOKw6wMNZhUA] - Duce Raymond Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duceraymond/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/duceraymond/?hl=en] - Sweet Baby Ray’s: https://www.sweetbabyrays.com/ [https://www.sweetbabyrays.com/] - True Cuisine: https://www.truecuisine.com/about/duce-raymond [https://www.truecuisine.com/about/duce-raymond] - Duce’s Wild: https://www.truecuisine.com/about/duce-raymond [https://www.truecuisine.com/about/duce-raymond]

Building the Next Chapter. Convo w/ Matty Smokes of Matty Smokes BBQ & Catering

What happens when a restaurant operator walks away from a long-term partnership and decides to rebuild from the ground up? Matthew Vascellaro, founder of Matty Smokes BBQ & Catering, joins Ty Wilson to share why he recently exited a nine-year partnership to fully focus on the next evolution of his barbecue business. From live-fire catering experiences across Long Island to exploring franchising, food trailers, and scalable systems, Matty breaks down the realities of building a hospitality business that can grow beyond the founder. This conversation was recorded live at NRA in Chicago. What You’ll Learn: • Why Matty Smokes decided to leave a long-term partnership and start fresh • How live-fire catering experiences create value beyond just the food • Why building systems matters more than relying on individual talent • How restaurant operators can use AI and technology to track profitability in real time • Why understanding food cost, labor cost, and menu engineering is critical for growth • How hospitality and consistency help brands scale beyond a single operator Visit tabcommerce.com to learn how extended terms, higher limits, and smarter controls can power your growth. Episode Links - Matty Smokes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattycooks/ - Matty Smokes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattysmokes/

Why Most Restaurant Growth Fails. Convo w/ Joe Fontana of Fry The Coop

What does it take to grow a restaurant brand without outside funding, franchise shortcuts, or sacrificing quality along the way? Joe Fontana, founder of Fry The Coop, sits down with Ty Wilson to break down how he built one of Chicago’s fastest-growing hot chicken brands from a single second-generation restaurant into a 10-unit operation doing $16 million annually, completely debt-free. Joe shares why he refuses to franchise, how store-level profitability drives every decision, and why growing a restaurant company should create more opportunity for the people inside it. The conversation also explores the realities of scaling through bank debt, private capital, operational systems, and brand differentiation, including Fry The Coop’s commitment to frying everything in 100% beef tallow. This conversation was recorded live at NRA in Chicago. What You’ll Learn: • Why Joe Fontana believes store-level profitability is the foundation of scaling • How Fry The Coop grew to 10 locations without outside investors or franchise deals • Why debt, private equity, and family office capital all come with tradeoffs • How operational systems and financial discipline impact restaurant growth • Why differentiation matters in crowded restaurant categories • How social media and community-building fuel long-term brand expansion Visit tabcommerce.com to learn how extended terms, higher limits, and smarter controls can power your growth. Episode Links - Fry The Coop Online: https://www.frythecoop.com/ - Fry The Coop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frythecoop/?hl=en - Fry The Coop TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frythecoop - Fry The Coop Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frythecoop/ - Joe Fontana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfontana/

How Tab Commerce Fixes Restaurant Cash Flow / Interview with Ty Wilson

On this episode of The Restaurant Finance Podcast we flip the script. Shawn Walchef (Cali BBQ Media) sits down with Ty Wilson, CEO & founder of Tab Commerce, to unpack how his team rebuilt the corporate card for restaurants. Ty shares the origin story born in his family’s dining room during COVID, why DoorDash/Uber Eats rejections pushed him to build, and the now-famous King–Queen–Bishop framework for selling into restaurant organizations (owner, operator, controller/CFO). They dive into relationship-first go-to-market, moving the team to Texas to partner deeply with the Texas Restaurant Association, and the product moves that matter: higher credit limits, real-time controls, automated receipt capture, and payment terms up to 60 days to smooth working capital. Expect candid talk on scaling hospitality, fixing back-office scar tissue, and why “pressure is a privilege.” - Ty Wilson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyedwardwilson/ - James Tice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-tice-124911140/ - Tab Commerce Online: https://www.tabcommerce.com/ - Tab Commerce LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tabcommerce/ - Tab Commerce X/Twitter: https://x.com/tabcommercehq

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