My First Restaurant

“I work really hard, and my staff works really hard, so I have to be in love with that city and that community to do the work that I do.”
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Dominica Rice-Cisneros is the Chef & Owner of Bombera in Oakland, California.
During her long career as a line cook, Dominica worked her way up in fine dining establishments such as Chez Panisse and The Four Seasons, before opening her first restaurant Cosecha to showcase her take on California Mexican cuisine.
Forced to close Cosecha during the Covid-19 pandemic due to its downtown Oakland location, she reopened as Bombera in the Dimond neighborhood, where she is now thriving as a full service restaurant showcasing her Chicano cooking heritage using live fire techniques.
In this interview Dominica shares how she transitioned from career line cook to restaurant owner, including lessons learned along the way.
We discuss:

Why working as a “stage” was a blessing early in her career

What inspired her career in food and restaurants

The importance of connecting with mentors

Her biggest hurdles transitioning from line cook to restaurant owner

and much more.
Dominica provides a rare perspective from someone who truly workd her way up from the bottom, and provides practical insight for others looking to do the same.
Please enjoy my conversation with Dominica Rice-Cisneros of Bombera!
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Where to find Bombera:

• Website: https://www.bomberaoakland.com/
• IG: bomberaoakland
• FB: bomberaoakland

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Where to find Dominica:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominica-rice-1828ab2b/
• IG: dominicarice

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Where to find Bryan:

• Website: https://www.myfirstrestaurant.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tublin-03548910/
• Twitter: @btublin

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Where to find Kitava:

• Website: https://www.kitava.com/
• Instagram: @kitavakitchen

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Referenced:

• Vik’s Chaat
• Great China
• 504 Loans

In this episode, we cover:

• (01:50) Her journey in food, starting at 14 years old in LA
• (06:50) Why she views being a stage as “a blessing” for someone early in their career
• (09:10) What inspired her to get into food at a high level one day
• (10:05) “You get in through the back door”
• (11:40) Appreciating mentorship and being a student early in your career
• (15:40) Working with mentors
• (16:30) What went well for her when getting started
• (18:30) How she found her restaurant leases
• (19:20) Why she recommends staying away from buying a restaurant lease turn key
• (23:10) Her biggest hurdles on the business side as she transitioned from being a Line Cook
• (33:40) How Dominica funded Bombera
• (35:08) Bringing chips and guacamole to local permitting offices
• (38:00) Learning how to structure the business
• (38:58) Convincing the SBA she was worth giving a loan
• (43:00) Opening Bombera
• (45:48) The future for Bombera, and the importance of recognition from Michelin and James Beard

“Whatever you think it’s gonna cost double it, whatever you think you need for working capital triple”

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This week’s guest is Todd Parent, Co-Founder & CEO of Extreme Pizza, a Bay Area-born chain with over 30 locations from coast to coast.
Todd had a unique journey to restaurant ownership, starting in the dish pit of a friend’s restaurant in New Jersey, honing his management skills in Aspen, then eventually making his way to San Francisco, where he was encouraged to chase his entrepreneurial dreams by the founder of Noah’s Bagels.
After launching the first Extreme Pizza in 1994, Todd admits he made every mistake imaginable. He had the wrong business model, a poor location, was under capitalized, and had to navigate a nasty breakup with his original co-founder. We discuss how he overcame these challenges, what he learned from them, and how he would do things differently if he were starting Extreme Pizza in 2023.
Big props to Todd for being honest and vulnerable as he shared his journey, and not sugar coating anything for anyone looking to get into the restaurant industry.
Please enjoy my conversation with Todd Parent of Extreme Pizza!
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Where to find Extreme Pizza:

• Website: https://www.extremepizza.com/
• IG: @extreme.pizza
• FB: @ExtremePizza
• Twitter: @Extreme_Pizza

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Where to find Todd:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-parent-0875691/

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Where to find Bryan:

• Website: https://www.myfirstrestaurant.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tublin-03548910/
• Twitter: @btublin

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Where to find Kitava:

• Website: https://www.kitava.com/
• Instagram: @kitavakitchen

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In this episode, we cover:

• Life before Extreme Pizza
• Todd’s first restaurant job washing dishes, to managing 3 restaurants
• Gaining more restaurant chops in Aspen
• How working at Noah’s Bagels nudged him to start his own restaurant
• The genesis of Extreme Pizza as a concept
• The first steps Todd took to start Extreme Pizza
• Raising money through a private placement offering
• Everything that went wrong with his first location and early business plan
• Dealing with co-founder conflict and how he resolved it
• How location #2 got their name on the map
• Rebounding from a rocky start to opening up multiple units
• Why it took 4 locations before deciding how to grow
• The infrastructure needed to manage a multi-state franchise operation
• How Todd would start Extreme Pizza in 2023
• Keeping the business fun with “Customer Abuse Day”
• On The Fly Segment

“The least understood thing about opening a public facing business is the feeling of it, the emotional journey you have to go on”
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Manny Yekutiel is the owner of Manny’s, a civic and political event space with a bookshop, coffee shop, bar, and restaurant, located in San Francisco.
As you’ll quickly find out, Manny is not your traditional business owner, and this is far from a traditional interview. Having worked in the world of fundraising for political campaigns, Manny is charismatic and persuasive, with a knack for convincing people to go along with his ideas... like asking me to take my shirt off during the interview – you’ll have to listen on to find out what happens there.
After burning out from his career in politics, Manny set out to use his skills to create a gathering space for the civic-minded, using food and drink as the great equalizer to bring people together.
We discuss his journey to make a reality out of his vision, touching on topics like his unconventional approach to fundraising, the business’s four primary revenue streams, the pros and cons of partnering with a culinary nonprofit to run the kitchen early on, loneliness as the number one hurdle he had to overcome, and the least understood aspect of opening a brick-and-mortar business.
Please enjoy this fun, quirky, and informative interview with Manny Yekutiel.

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Where to find Manny’s:

• Website: https://welcometomannys.com/
• IG: @welcometomannys
• FB: @welcometomannys
• Twitter: @welcometomannys
• YouTube: @welcometomannys

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Where to find Manny:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manny-yekutiel-2523b843/
• IG: @emanuelseth
• FB: https://www.facebook.com/emanuel.seth.9
• Twitter: @manny_yekutiel

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Where to find Bryan:

• Website: https://www.myfirstrestaurant.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tublin-03548910/
• Twitter: @btublin

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Where to find Kitava:

• Website: https://www.kitava.com/
• Instagram: @kitavakitchen

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Referenced:

• Farming Hope
• Manny’s Op Ed in the SF Chronicle
• Civic Joy Fund

In this episode, we cover:

• Manny’s path from political campaign fundraiser to opening a restaurant & event space
• How getting one investor to commit early helped him raise all the money he needed, and how he would have structured the investment differently
• Manny’s four revenue streams
• Why Manny purposely doesn’t maximize revenue
• How partnering with a culinary nonprofit helped Manny get the space up and running
• Loneliness as the top hurdle Manny had to overcome after opening
• The least understood aspect of opening a brick-and-mortar business
• How Manny’s role in the business has changed
• On The Fly Segment

“You want more happy employees that are gonna turn to happy guests, and in order to do that you don’t want your team to feel overwhelmed.”

—
Mistie Boulton is the CEO of Oren’s Hummus, and the President and Founder of EyeSpy Critiquing & Consulting, a mystery shopping and operations improvement business for the service industry.
Mistie brings 20+ years of restaurant industry experience to this conversation, where we dive deep into why she decided to start a mystery shopping business in her 20’s, how she grew Oren’s Hummus to 6 brick-and-mortar locations, and her thoughts on scaling with diversified revenue streams.
She shares her thoughts on virtual kitchens, storefront location selection, leveraging a commissary kitchen to help grow, counter service vs. full service business models, and much more.
Mistie is super sharp and accomplished, with decades of knowledge to share. Please enjoy my conversation with Mistie Boulton of Oren’s Hummus and EyeSpy!
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Where to find Oren’s Hummus:

• Website: https://orenshummus.com/
• IG: @orenshummus
• FB: OrensHummus
• Twitter: @orenshummus

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Where to find Mistie:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistiecohen/

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Where to find Bryan:

• Website: https://www.myfirstrestaurant.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tublin-03548910/
• Twitter: @btublin

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Where to find Kitava:

• Website: https://www.kitava.com/
• Instagram: @kitavakitchen

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Referenced:

• CTUIT

In this episode, we cover:

• (01:15) How Mistie became CEO of two companies
• (06:45) Lessons learned from managing multiple locations prior to starting EyeSpy & Oren’s
• (10:41) Why she decided to start a business around Mystery Shopping
• (12:25) EyeSpy’s services explained
• (20:38) When they knew Oren’s was ready to expand
• (22:11) Their biggest obstacles to expansion
• (25:33) How CTUIT has helped Oren’s with wage and hours compliance
• (28:09) Building out the team at Oren’s Hummus
• (31:55) Building out the corporate “resource” team started at 3 locations
• (35:57) Oren’s Hummus location strategy – “be where the tech companies are”
• (37:55) Franchising as a growth strategy
• (39:25) How Oren’s chose their growth channels
• (41:50) Full service vs. counter service
• (45:40) The most common mistakes she sees brands make when trying to grow
• (46:55) How Oren’s tactically implements employee training
• (48:13) On The Fly Segment

“At some point you have to say, ‘I’m not going to make a bad business decision to get my dream space.’”
—
Today our guest is Roberta Economidis, co-founder and partner of Georgopoulos & Economidis, a boutique business law firm based in San Francisco, with a specialty in the hospitality industry. Roberta has helped restaurants and hospitality businesses throughout California and the US with everything from corporate structure, to lease negotiations, private equity offerings, licensing, permitting, and much more.
The focus of our conversation today is the restaurant lease, a VERY important topic for anyone looking to open a restaurant, whether it’s their first or 51st. Signing a favorable lease can make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful restaurant business.
Roberta helps demystify the restaurant lease, covering topics like:
- What the typical lease negotiation process looks like
- The purpose of an LOI
- Breaking down different types of restaurant leases
- Important clauses to consider, and
- Tips for how to negotiate favorable lease terms
Get your notepad ready, cuz the information you’re about to hear would normally cost a pretty penny in legal fees!
Please enjoy my chat about restaurant leases with Roberta Economidis.
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Where to find GE Law Group:

• Website: www.gelawgroup.com
• Twitter: @GroupGe

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Where to find Roberta:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberta-economidis-495177/

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Where to find Bryan:

• Website: https://www.myfirstrestaurant.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tublin-03548910/
• Twitter: @btublin

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Where to find Kitava:

• Website: https://www.kitava.com/
• Instagram: @kitavakitchen

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In this episode, we cover:

• (01:44) Roberta’s background & credentials working with restaurants
• (0:2:48) When to get an attorney involved in lease negotiations
• (03:39) The purpose of a Letter of Intent (LOI)
• (08:15) How to negotiate alongside competing offers
• (10:59) What happens after a lease is signed?
• (11:55) The different types of restaurant leases – gross rent, triple net, and % rent
• (16:13) Factors to consider with % rent deals, calculating break points, and when % rent makes sense
• (20:54) Roberta’s preferred lease structure – gross rent with fixed increases
• (23:30) The structure of a typical lease, and important clauses to consider
• (25:07) How to negotiate out of a personal guaranty
• (27:29) Tips for negotiating favorable terms
• (30:30) How to close on a lease when you don’t have funding yet
• (32:16) The biggest mistake she sees restaurant owners make when negotiating a lease
• (36:19) The importance of understanding your maintenance obligations
• (38:52) Recent lease negotiation success stories
• (42:10) Mechanics of taking over a space with an existing lease
• (46:20) Roberta’s biggest piece of advice for restaurant owners negotiating a lease
• (47:32) On The Fly Segment