The Podcast

The Restaurant Prosperity Formula

Direct conversations with independent restaurant pros and the occasional contrarian voice — on the decisions that actually move the needle. No fluff. No hustle culture. Just the work.

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The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast

01 · Latest episodes

Recent conversations.

In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks about owners of independent restaurants and their tendency to overwork themselves while also freeing their management team of accountability. David teaches you how to put yourself in a place of leadership and three lessons you must teach your managers and supervisors…
In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks about the massive increase in restaurant sales that is coming for every restaurant along with the quickest path to prepare for it. As vaccine shots go into more arms and restrictions are lifted in more cities and states, everyone who has…
Restaurant Training 10 Steps to a Great Service Training Plan for Independents In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters welcomes back Darren Denington, CFBE, founder of Service with Style. Darren has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has an extensive background as a food…
Restaurateur Couple Shares How They Went from Hobbyists to Entrepreneurs In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks with Brianna and Jonathan Cowan, owners of The Wooden Paddle in Lemont, Illinois. I first met them at the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show over a decade ago, and they made…
In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks with Brian Mueller, owner of Blue Coast Burrito in Cookeville, Tenn. Brian was a general manager of a Blue Coast Burrito location and had an opportunity to purchase the location he managed. During this conversation, Brian and David talk about the…
In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks about the power of looking forward and making plans for 2021. When it comes to running a restaurant, 2020 did some serious damage to the industry and to many independent restaurants. And while the crisis is not over, there are some…
In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks with restaurant owner Karen Fagnilli, owner of The Lake House Inn Resort in Ohio on Lake Erie. Listen in to hear how Karen, her family and her team took the COVID-19 pandemic and used it an opportunity to improve their restaurant’s…
In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks about the reappearance of COVID19 pandemic restrictions for restaurants and how to measure the impact of them on your restaurant business. Listen in to learn why restaurant owners with drastically reduced sales, pivot fatigue and increased stress can still have hope…
How to Run a Restaurant In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks to Steve Eller, restaurant owner of Cosmic Cowboy in Idaho. David and Steve talk through Steve’s experience adopting and working with David’s restaurant systems. Steve’s story is interesting in that he was already using a lot…
Restaurant Food Cost Solutions for Independent Restaurants In this episode of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula podcast, host David Scott Peters talks to Emmy Barnick, restaurant owner of The Captain’s Cabin in South Dakota. David and Emmy talk through her restaurant’s financial journey starting in January 2020 when she was using her personal savings to make…

02 · About the show

Same lens as the book. Different conversation each week.

Most weeks it’s me and a real owner working through what’s actually going on in their restaurant — the numbers, the team, the avoidance, the one decision they’ve been dodging. Some weeks it’s a solo episode where I work through a single idea I’ve been turning over in my own head.

If you’ve read the book, the podcast is the working session that comes after. If you haven’t, the podcast is a good place to find out whether the way I think matches the way you wish someone would think about your restaurant.

Heard enough to talk it through?

If an episode landed and you want to apply it to your restaurant specifically, book a 30-minute Profit Finder Call with Ryan James on my team. He’ll diagnose with you in real time and tell you the truth.