business
Hosted by 7shifts · business · EN
Great teams make great restaurants. On The Pre-Shift , restaurant operators and industry experts dive into what it takes to build great restaurant teams. We explore their stories, the strategies they use, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams. Hosted by D. J. Costantino. Presented by 7shifts.
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
32%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchGreat teams make great restaurants. On The Pre-Shift, restaurant operators and industry experts dive into what it takes to build great restaurant teams. We explore their stories, the strategies they use, and valuable lessons on running restaurant teams. Hosted by D. J. Costantino. Presented by 7shifts.
The Pre-Shift is hosted by 7shifts. The show has published 84 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Put down the ramekins: How Joe Fontana built Fry the Coop to 10 locations | 077" (7 October 2026, 49 minutes), "The pitfalls of restaurant scaling with Andrew Scott of OwnerShift | 076" (2 September 2026, 46 minutes), and "The compliance rules that multi-units get wrong with Felice Ekelman, JD | 075" (12 August 2026, 40 minutes).
The Pre-Shift publishes roughly monthly, with episodes averaging 31 minutes across 84 episodes.
Booking probability for The Pre-Shift is 32%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Pre-Shift requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Pre-Shift's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for The Pre-Shift are Restaurants. The Pre-Shift has a business audience.
7shifts hosts The Pre-Shift, a business podcast with 84 episodes published.
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The Pre-Shift
Two hours into portioning sauce into cups, Joe Fontana decided he was done doing the work and needed to start building the system. In this episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, we sit down with Joe, founder and owner of Fry...
The Pre-Shift
Andrew Scott, founder of Owner Shift Training and former multi-unit restaurant owner, walks us through the expensive mistakes that nearly took him under at his fifth location—and the systems he rebuilt to stop being the...
The Pre-Shift
Getting workplace law advice after you get a complaint is like fixing a schedule after the shift's over. In this episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, we sit down with Felice Ekelman, a principal at Jackson Lewis who leads...
Episode #74
Growing from one restaurant to nine teaches you that what worked at one location might not work at another. In this episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, we sit down with Sam Aguilar, Brand President of Oak & Stone...
Episode #73
The Pre-Shift Podcast is back! Tom Schmidt, co-owner of Salt + Smoke BBQ, talks with host D.J. about shifting from hands-on restaurant work to leading an eight-location, 550+ employee business, a transition he says...
The Pre-Shift
The Pre-Shift podcast is taking a hiatus. This podcast launched in 2021, and we’re so grateful to our listeners. We’ll continue to talk about hospitality and share tips from real operators in our newsletter, so make...
The Pre-Shift
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...
The Pre-Shift
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...
The Pre-Shift
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...
The Pre-Shift
Do you ever wonder if your restaurant's technology is ahead of the curve, just keeping pace, or falling behind the competition? In a tough environment where 44% of restaurants are missing their labor targets, knowing...
The Pre-Shift
How do you take six distinct fast-casual brands and scale them under a single, efficient operational umbrella? In this episode, we sit down with Lauriena Borstein, Chief Operating Officer, and Kyle Mark, Chief...
Episode #67
What does it truly take to turn a successful restaurant into a scalable franchise? In this episode, D.J. sits down with Shawn Saraga, a franchise development expert who has been involved in opening nearly 1,000...
Episode #66
What does it truly take to grow a restaurant concept from a single unit to a multi-location brand? In this episode, we're joined by Garrett Mills, Partner at Uncommon Brands, for a deep dive into the world of restaurant...
Episode #65
What does it take to grow a restaurant from a single location to a global phenomenon? In this episode, D.J. sits down with Troy Hooper, CEO of Hot Palate America, the holding company for the rapidly expanding Japanese...
Episode #64
The restaurant industry is at a crossroads, with two powerful forces shaping its future. On one hand, there's the explosive growth of AI and automation, a major topic at the recent National Restaurant Association Show...
Episode #63
The restaurant industry has long struggled with the divide between front and back-of-house compensation. In this archive episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, Chef Katie Button of Cúrate and La Bodega by Cúrate in Asheville...
Episode #62
Building a company culture worth celebrating takes more than just words. In this archive episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, we revisit our conversation with Michel Falcon, founder and CEO of Brasa Peruvian Kitchen, who...
Episode #61
Finding and keeping great restaurant staff is harder than ever in 2025. In this episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, we talk with Alice Cheng, Founder and CEO of Culinary Agents, about how smart restaurants are winning the...
The Pre-Shift
Want to build a restaurant career that doesn't leave you burnt out? In this episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, we chat with Justin Khanna, a chef who's cooked at some of the world's best restaurants, before switching...
The Pre-Shift
AI is changing the restaurant marketing game in ways that can save you time while boosting your revenue. In this episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, I chat with Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur who's truly...
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