After building The Meatball Shop into a national brand, chef and restaurateur Daniel Holzman experienced success’s highs and multimillion-dollar failures. Along the way, he learned hard truths about leadership, workplace culture, and lessons that led to Danny Boy’s Famous Original Pizza.
Watch now to learn about the importance of authenticity, better workplace culture, and not letting ego get in the way of financial success.
Sponsored by:
• TOAST – All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc
Chapters:
[08:07] – Lessons from Failure
[14:55] – Birth of The Meatball Shop
[24:33] – The Illusion of Wealth
[37:12] – Building a Supportive Team Culture
[41:19] – Advice for Aspiring Restaurateurs
SPONSORS:
RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —
Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.
• Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc
Episode Links:
Daniel Holzman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-holzman-a9b0b515/
The Meatball Shop website: https://www.themeatballshop.com/
Danny Boys Famous Original Pizza website:
https://www.dannyboysfamousoriginalpizza.com/
Danny Boys Famous Original Pizza TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dannyboysfamouspizza
Danny Boys Famous Original Pizza Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannyboysfamousoriginal/
Michael Chernow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mchernow/
Key Takeaways:
Scaling Too Fast Can Backfire: Rapid expansion at The Meatball Shop led to multimillion-dollar failures. Holzman explains how growing too quickly, without solid systems, can sink a business.
Great Leadership Starts with Respect: Great restaurants are built on more than just food. Holzman shares how real respect for employees creates stronger culture, better service, and long-term growth.
Why Authenticity Matters: Holzman once dreamed of being a fine-dining chef, but he realized passion, not prestige, fuels lasting success.
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ABOUT DANIEL HOLZMAN —
Daniel Holzman started cooking at the age of 15 at the elite Le Bernardin in New York City. Four years later, he attended The Culinary Institute of America on a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation. Since then, he’s worked at numerous acclaimed eateries including Palladin, Napa, The Campton Place, Aqua, Jardinière, and Axe. In 2010, Daniel co-created The Meatball Shop, dedicated to serving the best meatballs in the world, in New York City. He is the co-author of the best-selling The Meatball Shop Cookbook, published in 2011, and is the co-author of Food IQ: 100 Questions, Answers, and Recipes to Raise Your Cooking Smarts, released in 2022. He has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Saveur, GQ, People, and Food Network Magazine and has appeared on Selena + Chef, The Tonight Show, and Good Morning America, among others. He owns and operates Danny Boy’s Famous Original Pizza, the New York-style slice joint of his childhood dreams, in Los Angeles.
ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —
Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.
Published by Entrepreneur Media – https://entreprenuer.com
Produced by Cali BBQ Media – https://betheshow.media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io1qBMaHxTg
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