Episode 52 features Jen Hardell, founder of Suburban Life Bourbon, for a conversation that blends founder insight, brand strategy, beverage innovation, and real world lessons in building demand.

Jen shares how her background in operations helped her move quickly from concept to shelf, how she tested the original product in her own backyard, and why she believed bourbon was ready for a more approachable daytime format.

Henry and Jen also discuss changing consumer behavior around alcohol, what today’s drinkers want from RTDs, why zero bubbles became a key part of the product message, and how Suburban Life is creating a more inclusive and community driven identity around bourbon.

The episode also explores what it really takes to build traction, from self distribution and direct outreach to landing placements in major venues.

This is a valuable listen for restaurant owners, operators, chefs, hospitality leaders, and marketers who want to understand how bold positioning, product clarity, and real market proof can turn a simple idea into a serious brand.

CONTACT & RESOURCES:
Email: hk@brandtotable.com
Website: www.brandtotable.com

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Chef and restaurateur Jamie Knott joins Henry for a wide ranging conversation about what it really takes to build restaurants with staying power. Jamie opens up about his early kitchen experience, his move through New York restaurants, and the lessons he learned from pressure, struggle, and operating with limited resources.

They also get into the transformation of Saddle River Inn, the thinking behind Cellar 335 and Madame, the importance of knowing your numbers, how to think about food cost and labor, and why pride in the workplace matters if you want to keep great people.

This is a strong episode for restaurant owners and hospitality professionals who want an honest look at leadership, concept building, and what makes a restaurant stand out.

CONTACT & RESOURCES:
Email: hk@brandtotable.com
Website: www.brandtotable.com

Message the word “Social” to use our free AI Social Media Post Idea Generator.

FOLLOW HENRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HenryKaminskiJr/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-kaminski-jr/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@henrykaminskijr

📢 If you got value from this episode, subscribe to the channel, leave a comment or review, and share it with someone in hospitality who needs a smarter way to grow. 💥

In this episode, Henry Kaminski Jr. talks about a major mistake restaurants make when trying to use influencer marketing and why bad outreach can instantly turn creators away. Using a real example, he explains how public, spammy outreach makes a restaurant look desperate and damages trust before a relationship even starts.

Henry then walks through a better system for influencer partnerships. He covers how to send more effective outreach messages, why personal voice notes can help, how to think about larger versus smaller influencers, and different ways to structure the collaboration. He also shares a practical strategy for tracking performance through promo codes and POS reporting so restaurants can stop guessing and start measuring results.

This episode is especially useful for restaurant owners, operators, chefs, hospitality leaders, and marketers who want to use influencer marketing in a more intentional, professional, and revenue minded way.

CONTACT & RESOURCES:
Email: hk@brandtotable.com
Website: www.brandtotable.com

Message the word “Social” to use our free AI Social Media Post Idea Generator.

FOLLOW HENRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram: instagram.com/h.kaminskijr
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandToTable
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HenryKaminskiJr/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-kaminski-jr/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@henrykaminskijr

📢 If you got value from this episode, subscribe to the channel, leave a comment or review, and share it with someone in hospitality who needs a smarter way to grow. 💥

Welcome to the Brand to Table Podcast, the show where restaurant owners and hospitality leaders learn how to stop guessing and start growing real revenue through proven restaurant marketing strategies.

In this episode, Henry Kaminski Jr. sits down with Brittany Crevier, the powerhouse founder behind Cafe Crevier in Denville, NJ, and the newly opened Bistro Crevier in Ledgewood, NJ. Brittany opens up about dropping out of college at 21 because she became addicted to the high-pressure environment of the restaurant industry.

Key Takeaways: Restaurant Operations, Scaling & Staff Culture

• Trench Leadership: Why jumping on the pizza line, running food, and doing the dirty work earns unbreakable respect from your restaurant staff.
• The "Barstool Bump": The operational chaos of surviving a viral Dave Portnoy pizza review, and why trusting your team is the only way to get through massive volume spikes.
• Building Restaurant Culture: Why ditching the toxic, aggressive kitchen culture in favor of patience and team-building (like sponsoring a staff soccer team) drastically reduces turnover.

How does a viral food review affect a restaurant's operations?

According to Brittany Crevier, receiving a massive viral review (like Dave Portnoy's 8.5 score for Cafe Crevier) completely flips a restaurant upside down overnight. The sudden spike in demand jumping to 600-800 pizzas a day, causes immediate supply chain shortages and operational whiplash. To survive this kind of pressure, owners must remain exceptionally calm, lean heavily on the trust they've built with their staff, and accept that perfection is impossible during a massive volume shock.

CONTACT & RESOURCES:

Email: hk@brandtotable.com

Website: www.brandtotable.com

Message the word “Social” to use our free AI Social Media Post Idea Generator.

FOLLOW HENRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: instagram.com/h.kaminskijr

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandToTable

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HenryKaminskiJr/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-kaminski-jr/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@henrykaminskijr

📢 If you got value from this episode, subscribe to the channel, leave a comment or review, and share it with someone in hospitality who needs a smarter way to grow. 💥

#brandtotable #restaurantmarketing #cafecrevier #bistrocrevier #njrestaurants #barstoolsports #daveportnoy #restaurantmanagement #restaurantowner #hospitalityindustry

Welcome to the Brand to Table Podcast, the show where restaurant owners and hospitality leaders learn how to stop guessing and start growing real revenue through proven restaurant marketing strategies.

In this solo episode, Henry Kaminski Jr. reveals that constantly posting promotional graphics can overwhelm and fatigue your audience. He shares a real-time case study where his team engaged with a guest who posted a picture of her drink at the bar, asking her how it was and offering to recommend an appetizer. This proactive level of engagement is what differentiates a $40,000 week from a $70,000 week because thrilled guests tell all their friends. Henry also explains how to use automated DMs to welcome new followers, ask about dietary restrictions, and drive them to reservation links or AI-powered drink pairing features without sounding robotic.

Key Takeaways: Social Media Engagement, DM Automation & Restaurant Revenue

• Avoiding Promo Fatigue: Why posting endless flyers for happy hour and brunch wears out your audience and feels like you are just shouting at them.
• Real-Time Engagement: How replying to a guest while they are actively sitting at your bar builds incredible loyalty and word-of-mouth buzz.
• DM Automations: The exact strategy to automatically welcome new followers and immediately guide them to book a table or view the menu.

How should restaurants use social media to increase revenue?

According to Henry Kaminski Jr., restaurants should shift their focus from shouting promotions to actively engaging with guests. By setting up automated DMs in the restaurant's unique tone of voice, operators can instantly welcome new followers, ask about dietary restrictions, and provide a direct link to book a reservation. Additionally, interacting with guests in real-time when they tag the restaurant in a post creates a highly personalized experience that encourages word-of-mouth marketing.

CONTACT & RESOURCES:

Email: hk@brandtotable.com

Website: www.brandtotable.com

Message the word “Social” to use our free AI Social Media Post Idea Generator.

FOLLOW HENRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: instagram.com/h.kaminskijr

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandToTable

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HenryKaminskiJr/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-kaminski-jr/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@henrykaminskijr

📢 If you got value from this episode, subscribe to the channel, leave a comment or review, and share it with someone in hospitality who needs a smarter way to grow. 💥

#brandtotable #restaurantmarketing #socialmediastrategy #restaurantrevenue #instagramforrestaurants #restaurantowner #hospitalitymarketing #dmautomation #restaurantmanagement