How do you grow from a single taco joint to a 50+ location brand without losing the soul of your company? For Joe Kahn and Chris Artinian of Condado Tacos, the answer is simple: QUESO. In this episode, Founder Joe Kahn and CEO Chris Artinian share the origin story of Condado Tacos, built on the principle of creating a restaurant where people would want to work forever. They detail their unique "QUESO" framework—Quality, Unique, Empowered, Service, and Opportunity—that serves as the lens for every business decision. From making tough calls on ingredient quality to fostering a pipeline of internal talent (with 66% of promotions from within), they provide a masterclass in scaling a people-first culture in the face of rapid expansion.

Key Takeaways

• Culture as a Foundation: Learn how Condado Tacos was founded with the mission to correct the "injustice" of the restaurant industry by creating a respectful and opportunity-rich environment.
• Codifying Your Values: Discover the "QUESO" (Quality, Unique, Empowered, Service, Opportunity) framework and how it provides a clear guide for decision-making across the organization.
• Values-Driven Decisions: Hear real-world examples of how their values led them to absorb costs rather than compromise on quality, mirroring the famous "In-N-Out" philosophy.
• Scaling Culture: Understand the challenges of maintaining a strong culture during rapid growth and the strategies they use, including a focus on internal promotion and robust communication.
• Hiring for Heart: Find out what Condado looks for in new hires, prioritizing friendliness, integrity, and a desire to make a difference above all else.

Resources Mentioned

• Condado Tacos: https://condadotacos.com/
• Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org/

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7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

In an industry struggling with retention and wage disparity, how can operators build a business that is both profitable and truly equitable? In this episode, we talk to Ji Hye Kim, the celebrated chef-owner of Miss Kim and a leading advocate for One Fair Wage. She shares the innovative and practical systems she uses to foster a transparent and engaged team culture. From daily "Best Next Time" conversations that empower staff voices to "Gross Games" that make open-book finance an exciting team sport, Ji Hye offers a blueprint for a new kind of restaurant management. She details the evolution of her compensation model—from no-tip to a base pay plus tip-share system—and explains how it has eliminated the front-of-house/back-of-house divide, creating a unified and motivated team.

Key Takeaways

• Simple Tools for Engagement: Learn about "Best Next Time," a simple post-shift framework to encourage open, constructive, and action-oriented feedback from the entire team.
• Making Open-Book Finance Fun: Discover how "Gross Games" transforms the abstract concept of sales numbers into a fun, daily competition that connects the team's effort directly to the restaurant's performance.
• A Fair Compensation Model: Ji Hye breaks down her base pay plus tip-share model, which ensures all staff earn well above minimum wage and fosters collaboration between the kitchen and dining room.
• Transparency Builds Trust: Understand why creating a simple, easy-to-understand pay structure is crucial for building trust and ensuring everyone feels valued.
• Retention Through Empowerment: Hear Ji Hye’s philosophy on retention—that creating a safe, empowering environment where personal goals are discussed is key to making restaurant jobs a viable long-term career.

Resources Mentioned

• Miss Kim Restaurant: https://www.misskimannarbor.com/
• Zingerman's Community of Businesses: https://www.zingermanscommunity.com/
• One Fair Wage: https://onefairwage.site/

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
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More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
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Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.

What if your dishwasher earned the same as your most tenured line cook? At bartaco, that’s not a hypothetical—it’s the reality. In this episode, we sit down with Anthony Valletta, President of bartaco, to discuss the innovative strategies fueling their nationwide growth. Anthony pulls back the curtain on their revolutionary compensation structure, where every hourly employee receives the same base wage and an equal share of tips, eliminating pay disparity between the front and back of house. He explains how this model has not only provided a true living wage but also fostered unprecedented teamwork and a self-managing labor force. We also dive into bartaco's philosophy on technology as a tool to enhance hospitality and their unique leadership academy that invests in developing the whole person, not just the employee.

Key Takeaways

• Tech as an Enabler: Learn bartaco's philosophy on using technology to handle transactional tasks, giving staff more time to engage with guests and enhance the human element of hospitality.
• A Radical Pay Structure: Discover how bartaco implemented a system where every hourly employee—FOH and BOH—earns the exact same base wage and receives an equal percentage of tips.
• The Unintended Benefits of Equal Pay: Hear how the equal-pay model has led to remarkable teamwork and a culture where the team holds each other accountable, creating a self-managing labor model.
• Developing People, Not Just Managers: Explore the "bartaco Leadership Academy," a program that provides executive-level coaching on life skills to every salaried employee, leading to profound personal and professional growth.
• Career Pathing That Works: Understand their "edible carrots" approach to career development, which provides clear, accessible, and attainable steps for advancement within the company.

Resources Mentioned

• bartaco: https://bartaco.com/

Send us a text

📲 Connect with D.J.
DJ's Email
Follow on LinkedIn

More 7shifts
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Subscribe to Food Runner, our Monthly Restaurant Newsletter
7shifts on YouTube
Follow us on TikTok
Read the 7shifts Blog

About Us
7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to help restaurants thrive. With an easy-to-use app and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for more than 50,000 restaurants.