Abe Ng, founder and CEO of Sushi Maki, joins us to share how he turned a neighborhood sushi bar into a multi-channel powerhouse with restaurants, university locations, luxury hotel accounts, and over 15 Whole Foods installations — all while keeping quality, approachability, and family values at the core.

We talk about growing up in the family restaurant business, leaving a stable finance job to launch a wrap concept that flamed out, and how that failure paved the way for Sushi Maki’s rise. Abe shares what it takes to scale fresh sushi across different formats, the operational discipline behind serving executive chefs and Whole Foods customers alike, and the role of persistence, partnerships, and people in long-term restaurant success. He reflects on Miami’s culinary growth, lessons from wholesale logistics, and why investing in talent is the secret to sustainable scale.

• (00:00:12) - Handling The Heat
• (00:01:19) - Enjoying Matcha
• (00:02:39) - Starting Out in the Restaurant Business
• (00:05:19) - When Did You Choose College?
• (00:07:18) - Handling the Heat: Starting a Business in Your 20s
• (00:14:21) - Sushi Maki's rise in popularity
• (00:17:41) - Whole Foods Takes Sushi to Luxury Hotels
• (00:19:48) - Marriott's Sushi at Whole Foods
• (00:27:57) - Where Next for Sushi Maki
• (00:31:55) - Abe Sherman on His Favorite Maki Roll

Kat Romneos, the creator behind @eatingallofny, joins us to share why she walked away from nearly 70,000 followers and a growing career in food content — and what she learned along the way.

We talk about the early days of pandemic-era dining, the shift from hobby to side hustle, and how partnerships, platform pressure, and nonstop posting turned something joyful into something draining. Kat reflects on what made her content work, why authenticity matters, and what it takes to stay grounded in a space that rewards growth at all costs.

• (00:00:10) - Food Influencer Kat Romnios
• (00:01:13) - Taqueria Ramirez: On the List
• (00:01:39) - Katie Starting Up as a Food Influencer
• (00:09:02) - How To Travel The World With Your Podcast
• (00:11:19) - Celebrity meals at Cote the Korean Steakhouse
• (00:14:12) - How Do Restaurants Get In-Touch With Me?
• (00:17:01) - Dining Out With The Pros
• (00:20:28) - What was your high watermark on Instagram and TikTok?
• (00:21:08) - You've Done It: Shut Down Your Food Blog
• (00:23:00) - Deactivated My Food Influencer Account
• (00:26:10) - Do You Think The Food Influencer Culture Is Sustainable?
• (00:28:58) - Kat on Bringing Back Her Food Challenge

John Hamburger, President of the Franchise Times, joins us to share what he’s seeing across the restaurant industry as both operators and investors face a shifting economic landscape in 2025.

With decades of experience covering restaurant finance and franchising, John breaks down the core challenges brands are facing right now — from declining traffic and rising prices to off-premise dynamics, labor pressure, and the growing divide between chains that scale and those that stall. He explains why deals like Jersey Mike’s $8B valuation coexist with declining sales at household names, and how the best operators are adapting through value plays, digital ordering, loyalty, and operational creativity.

We talk about what’s working, what’s breaking, and what it’s going to take to stay relevant in a time of contraction and change.

• (00:00:12) - Handling The Heat
• (00:01:10) - John Gross on the Current State of the Franchise Industry
• (00:02:03) - Restaurant Operators' Outlook for 2025
• (00:03:33) - Restaurant Traffic Challenged
• (00:06:34) - Operational Challenges and Restaurant Valuations
• (00:09:11) - Lower-Income Customers at Restaurants
• (00:11:53) - McDonald's vs. Chili's: What's the Fix?
• (00:20:19) - Restaurants Adjust to Changes in the Customer Mindset
• (00:24:13) - Starting a Restaurant: How to Get Started
• (00:27:06) - The Future of the Restaurant Business