JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS

What does it actually take to turn a dilapidated fast-food shell into a thriving, community-centered brand?

In this gritty and revealing episode of the JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Show, host Justin Bizzarro welcomes back Michael Spencer, the founder of Nash Dogs, for a raw look at the transition from food truck to brick-and-mortar.

This isn't just a success story; it’s a survival guide. Michael walks listeners through the harrowing eight-month journey of converting an old Subway location into his new café. He shares the nightmares that no business plan can predict: peeling back wallpaper to find walls crumbling with black mold, HVAC units venting directly into block walls, and contractors quoting $30,000 for grease traps that the city eventually approved for $2,000.

Discover the financial and emotional reality of scaling up. Michael explains how a project budgeted for $35,000 ballooned to $65,000, and how he had to teach himself mold remediation to save the budget. He opens up about a frustrating battle with a sign contractor who took his money and delivered nothing, highlighting the critical importance of integrity and iron-clad contracts in a world where handshake deals are fading.

But the struggle yielded massive rewards. Michael details the strategic menu expansion that turned Nash Dogs from a lunch stop into a destination. Learn how adding high-margin items like homemade banana pudding (a customer favorite), loaded curly fries, and fountain drinks increased his average ticket from $11 to nearly $18.

This episode is a masterclass in resilience, resourcefulness, and the power of asking questions. It’s about the difference between a task-oriented manager and an entrepreneurial leader, and why, in a world of shortcuts and "good enough," sticking to your morals and delivering excellence is the only way to build a legacy that lasts.

Key Takeaways

The General Contractor Trap: How Michael saved over $25,000 by calling the city water department himself rather than accepting a contractor's quote for a grease trap.

Menu Engineering: The pivot from pre-packaged sides to high-margin, house-made items like banana pudding and loaded fries to boost profitability.

The Reality of Renovation: The unexpected horrors of taking over a second-generation restaurant space, including mold remediation and HVAC failures.

Marketing for Survival: Why waiting for customers to walk in is a death sentence, and Michael's strategy of hiring a marketer to aggressively pursue B2B catering.

Integrity as a Strategy: The long-term value of keeping your word and building a brand based on trust, even when vendors and contractors fail to do the same.

 

IG: @nashdogs

 

Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast

 

Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME )

 

Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe.

 

Our [ELITE] Food, Farming, Hospitality, Nutrition, and Beverage Entrepreneurs Community: Under [NEW] Construction

Blog Anyone?: GorillaBrave Blog

On Instagram: GorillaBrave on Instagram

GorillaBrave Group on Whoop: COMM-473D96

 

Free Podcast.  No Advertisements.  The stories of Food, Beverage, Farming, Hospitality, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs and how their failures led to the successes in their lives and in their business.  What does the future have in store for the food, beverage, and nutrition entrepreneur?

 

JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @justinandthefoodentrepreneurs ( #foodentrepreneurs )

 

All music is scored by host or royalty free.

How does a family recipe born in the 1930s survive Jim Crow, traverse the country to Los Angeles, withstand a global pandemic, and spark a worldwide culinary phenomenon?

In this fiery episode of the JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Show, host Justin Bizzarro sits down with Kim Prince, the dynamic force behind Hotville Chicken and the Dulansville Food Truck. Kim is third-generation royalty of the Prince family—the undisputed originators of Nashville Hot Chicken. This is not just a story about frying poultry; it is a masterclass in legacy, resilience, and the relentless spirit of "keeping it going."

Kim takes listeners back to her roots in College Grove, Tennessee, where she grew up on 13 acres in a family of educators and entrepreneurs. She shares the profound advice passed down from her grandmother: "Handle many pots." This mantra drove Kim to master multiple skills, from the entertainment industry to the kitchen, eventually leading her to bring the authentic heat of Nashville to Los Angeles in 2016.

The conversation dives deep into the realities of operating in a tough market. Kim details the rollercoaster of opening a brick-and-mortar location in Baldwin Hills, only to face the "triple threat" of COVID-19, civil unrest, and gentrification that led to the demolition of her building. Rather than folding, she pivoted. Discover how she formed a powerful partnership with Greg Doolin (of Doolin’s Soul Food) to launch the Dulansville Food Truck, a mobile concept that combines the best of both their family legacies.

This episode explores the soul behind the spice. Kim explains why she refuses to compromise the integrity of the product for rapid expansion, emphasizing that true Nashville Hot Chicken isn't just about heat—it's about a 24-hour marinade, hand-dredging, and a specific frying process that requires patience and love. She also touches on her work with World Central Kitchen, feeding communities during wildfires, proving that a business is only as strong as its connection to the people it serves.

Key Takeaways:

The Origin Story: The history of the Prince family and how they turned a revenge recipe into a global staple.

The "Handle Many Pots" Philosophy: How diversifying skills prepares an entrepreneur for the unexpected.

Resilience in Crisis: How Hotville pivoted from a closed restaurant to a thriving food truck through strategic partnership.

Authenticity over Expansion: Why Kim chooses to keep the operation tight to ensure quality rather than selling out for rapid franchising.

Community First: The role of the food truck in disaster relief and community support.

 

IG: @hotvillechicken

IG: @dulanville

IG: @dulangregory

IG: @kimprincetwin

 

Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast

 

Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME )

 

Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe.

 

Our [ELITE] Food, Farming, Hospitality, Nutrition, and Beverage Entrepreneurs Community: Under [NEW] Construction

Blog Anyone?: GorillaBrave Blog

On Instagram: GorillaBrave on Instagram

GorillaBrave Group on Whoop: COMM-473D96

 

Free Podcast.  No Advertisements.  The stories of Food, Beverage, Farming, Hospitality, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs and how their failures led to the successes in their lives and in their business.  What does the future have in store for the food, beverage, and nutrition entrepreneur?

 

JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @justinandthefoodentrepreneurs ( #foodentrepreneurs )

 

All music is scored by host or royalty free.

The Union of Two Families
The story of Compton's Original is not just about food; it is about the convergence of two couples—Barbara and James (owners of Queen Bee's Delightful Catering) and David and Yolanda (owners of Colbert Southern Gourmet). Despite attending the same church for over 30 years without knowing it, the couples connected through the catering circuit.

The Vision: David wanted a restaurant; Yolanda did not. Barbara wanted a restaurant; James did not. They balanced each other out and decided to partner up to purchase an existing fish fry business from a retiring owner.

The Transition: Moving from catering to a brick-and-mortar restaurant required a massive shift in mindset. Catering offers controlled, prepaid environments, whereas a restaurant requires predicting daily traffic, managing immediate customer service, and maintaining constant inventory.

Trials by Fire: The Build-Out
The journey to opening day was fraught with expensive and emotional hurdles. The team spent over a year paying rent on a closed building while renovating to meet their standards.

The Contractor Nightmare: They hired a company to install a massive hood system (a $20,000+ investment). The contractor took the money, performed substandard work, and abandoned the job.

The Response: Rather than suing, the partners chose to pray for the contractor and move forward, viewing the loss as a tuition fee for business wisdom. This decision solidified their partnership and reliance on faith.

Regulatory Hurdles: Navigating city permits, grease traps, and Ansul systems proved to be a steep learning curve, highlighting the operational complexity of frying food commercially compared to catering.

The Menu: Soul Food with Standards
Compton's Original positions itself differently from the typical "fish fry market." They focus on fresh preparation rather than holding food under heat lamps.

The Offerings: Beyond fried fish and shrimp, the menu features scratch-made sides like mac and cheese, collard greens with smoked turkey, red beans and rice, and James's signature garlic mashed potatoes.

Health Consciousness: Listening to the community's desire for healthier options, they introduced grilled fish (sand dabs, catfish, red snapper) and salmon salads, moving away from a strictly deep-fried menu.

Faith, Leadership, and Operations
The episode heavily emphasizes the spiritual foundation of the business.

Conflict Resolution: With four partners, disagreements are inevitable. They established a rule where majority votes rule, and they utilize prayer to navigate impasses. They hold "face-to-face" meetings to resolve issues, prioritizing the business's health over personal ego.

Community Stewardship: They view their employees as family, often hiring from the local community and mentoring young staff members. They aim to create an atmosphere where customers feel they are at a family reunion, not just a transaction.

Key Takeaways for Entrepreneurs

Actions Follow Intent: You must know your intention before you act. If you intend to build a legacy, you cannot cut corners.

The Value of Slow Growth: Growing too fast can destroy a brand. Taking the time to build a solid foundation (SOPs, culture, recipes) ensures longevity.

Authenticity is Currency: In a world of AI and automation, the "human touch"—remembering a customer's name, asking about their day, and serving food with love—is the ultimate competitive advantage.

 

IG: @comptonsoriginalseafood

Location: 1526 S Wilmington, Compton, CA 90220

 

Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast

 

Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME )

 

Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe.

 

Our [ELITE] Food, Farming, Hospitality, Nutrition, and Beverage Entrepreneurs Community: Under [NEW] Construction

Blog Anyone?: GorillaBrave Blog

On Instagram: GorillaBrave on Instagram

GorillaBrave Group on Whoop: COMM-473D96

 

Free Podcast.  No Advertisements.  The stories of Food, Beverage, Farming, Hospitality, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs and how their failures led to the successes in their lives and in their business.  What does the future have in store for the food, beverage, and nutrition entrepreneur?

 

JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @justinandthefoodentrepreneurs ( #foodentrepreneurs )

 

All music is scored by host or royalty free.

How does someone who fell in love with the chaotic energy of restaurants transform that passion into a thriving career as a technology consultant?

In this insightful episode of the JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Show, host Justin Bizzarro sits down with Brianne Harvey, the founder of Break Bread Consulting and the innovative new platform, Restaurant Resource. This is a powerful story about navigating a career path with intention, embracing the chaos of hospitality, and finding a unique way to serve the industry you love.

Brianne shares her journey from a server and bartender in Southern California to a sought-after restaurant technology expert. She recounts the pivotal moment in her early twenties when, after dabbling in "real jobs" outside of hospitality, she had an emotional realization: she truly loved the vibrant, people-focused world of restaurants. This clarity propelled her up the management ladder, from running single locations to overseeing multi-unit operations before the age of 25.

The conversation dives deep into her transition from operations to technology, a move sparked during her time as a consultant for OpenTable. While working with over a thousand restaurants, she discovered her unique talent for understanding the complex "spiderweb" of restaurant systems. She saw firsthand how improperly implemented technology was failing operators and became determined to bridge the gap between powerful software and practical, on-the-ground execution.

This episode is a masterclass in modern restaurant leadership. Brianne unpacks the invaluable lessons she's learned, emphasizing three crucial pillars for success:

The discipline to slow down and make thoughtful, strategic decisions.

The humility to own your role, taking responsibility for your team's failures as well as their successes.

The wisdom to identify the right leaders, understanding the critical difference between a task-oriented manager and an entrepreneurial one.

Finally, discover the "why" behind her latest venture, Restaurant Resource—a comprehensive directory designed to be the "Yelp for restaurant vendors." Born from the chaos of COVID, it’s a tool built to empower operators by consolidating the fragmented world of software, suppliers, and service providers into one unbiased, easy-to-navigate platform. Tune in for a conversation packed with wisdom for any leader who believes that the heart of hospitality and the logic of technology can, and must, work together.

 

Address: www.breakbreadconsulting.com 

 

Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast

 

Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME )

 

Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe.

 

Our [ELITE] Food, Farming, Hospitality, Nutrition, and Beverage Entrepreneurs Community: Under [NEW] Construction

On Instagram: GorillaBrave on Instagram

GorillaBrave Group on Whoop: COMM-473D96

 

Free Podcast.  No Advertisements.  The stories of Food, Beverage, Farming, Hospitality, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs and how their failures led to the successes in their lives and in their business.  What does the future have in store for the food, beverage, and nutrition entrepreneur?

 

JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @justinandthefoodentrepreneurs ( #foodentrepreneurs )

 

All music is scored by host or royalty free.

How does a family-owned business survive the death of its founder, a brutal reality TV takedown, and the sudden loss of its biggest manufacturing contracts, only to reinvent itself as a nine-figure snacking powerhouse?

In this fascinating episode of the JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS Show, host Justin Bizzarro sits down with Michael Emanuel, the third-generation leader of MGT Foods (formerly Mr. Green Tea). This is a masterclass in resilience, engineering, and the art of the pivot.

Michael shares the rich history of his family’s business, which began with his grandfather, a WWII bomber pilot, delivering green tea ice cream to New York City’s burgeoning Japanese restaurant scene in the 1960s. He recounts the lean years when his father drove the delivery trucks himself to keep the legacy alive, and his own decision to leave a Department of Defense engineering job to join the family fold.

The conversation dives deep into the turning points that defined the company’s modern era. Michael opens up about their appearance on the reality show The Profit with Marcus Lemonis, which—despite a rocky start—led to the investment that built their first state-of-the-art facility. He details the engineering breakthroughs they pioneered, specifically the Vacuum Form Seal (VFS) technology that revolutionized mochi ice cream manufacturing by eliminating costly stainless steel molds.

But the real story is about grit. When COVID-19 decimated their food service business and a massive contract with Yasso evaporated due to a Unilever acquisition, MGT Foods didn't fold. instead, they leveraged their manufacturing innovation to launch Biddy Bites, a clean-label, bite-sized cookie dough ice cream snack that exploded onto shelves at Wawa, Costco, and Trader Joe’s.

This episode is packed with lessons on navigating supply chain disasters, the importance of "clean label" ingredients, and why sometimes the best way to grow is to stop waiting for permission and build the solution yourself. It’s an inspiring look at how a legacy brand can stay relevant by combining old-school work ethic with cutting-edge innovation.

 

IG: @mr_green_tea

Address: www.mrgreentea.com 

 

Entrepreneur interested in being on the show: https://calendly.com/justin-bizzarro/podcast

 

Hosted By: Justin Ryan Bizzarro (IG: @justinbizzarro and LinkedIn: FOLLOW ME )

 

Who is Justin Ryan Bizzarro? – Justin Bizzarro is a serial food, restaurant, technology, media and marketing entrepreneur, who helped build a 24-year-old group of food and restaurant related businesses, he created with his father and business partners out of his family’s basement, in 1998. He is a highly desired business management, personal and athlete growth, free market, food diversity, and entrepreneurial leadership speaker. Justin’s expertise are in human growth, motivation, leadership and management development, health foods and beverages, global lean manufacturing facilities, vertically integrating businesses, food marketing and advertising, supply chain creation and management, direct to consumer fulfillment, transportation and distribution, personal brand building, restaurant development and construction, and entrepreneur acceleration. Justin received his BA in International Business and Management from Dickinson College, in 2002, and his MBA from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, in 2014. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity in Leadership from Denver Seminary. His leadership and entrepreneur podcasts have positively impacted millions of people across the globe.

 

Our [ELITE] Food, Farming, Hospitality, Nutrition, and Beverage Entrepreneurs Community: Under [NEW] Construction

Blog Anyone?: GorillaBrave Blog

On Instagram: GorillaBrave on Instagram

GorillaBrave Group on Whoop: COMM-473D96

 

Free Podcast.  No Advertisements.  The stories of Food, Beverage, Farming, Hospitality, and Nutrition Entrepreneurs and how their failures led to the successes in their lives and in their business.  What does the future have in store for the food, beverage, and nutrition entrepreneur?

 

JUSTIN AND THE [FOOD] ENTREPRENEURS

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @justinandthefoodentrepreneurs ( #foodentrepreneurs )

 

All music is scored by host or royalty free.