Restrocast

Hosted by Restrocast

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

It’s never been easier to start a restaurant, but it’s never been harder to scale. Each episode of Restrocast explores the inspiring stories behind restaurateurs and executives who have achieved remarkable growth in their fields. Follow the journey of some of the world’s greatest restaurant operators and how they took their business from x to 10x.Restrocast is hosted by the Co-founder and CEO of Restroworks, Ashish Tulsian, who brings his unique perspective as a technologist, restauranteur, investor and entrepreneur. Much more than just an interview show, this is a genre-defining series on how to think boldly and differently about the world.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 11, 20261 hr 23 min

How Sultan Chatila Went From Supper Club to Dubai's Most Talked-About Burger Chain

In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Sultan Chatila, co-founder of Eleven Green Burgers, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about one of Dubai's most unlikely and compelling restaurant origin stories.Sultan traces a journey that begins in a Saudi Arabian household where both parents cooked with extraordinary skill, runs through a chemical engineering degree at Tufts that was always a compromise, and winds through twelve years of corporate life at GE, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Honeywell, all while cooking quietly, obsessively, for anyone who would sit at his table.He talks about how a supper club started by a late-night Instagram post from his wife grew into one of Dubai's most beloved dining experiences, running four nights a week while he remained a senior executive. He breaks down how a burger competition he entered for fun turned into a third-place finish at the World Food Championship in Dallas, and why that was the moment he finally had permission to leave.The episode covers what it costs to build Eleven Green on a foundation of freshly ground, sell-out-daily beef with no freezer on the premises. Sultan is candid about the betrayal of a trusted kitchen employee who left to copy his concept, and what that episode taught him about culture over credentials. He talks about the invisible stress of a calm-looking entrepreneur, the discipline behind SOPs that keep four locations consistent, the fries problem he still hasn't fully solved, and why Five Guys' fourteen years in one state is the most underrated business lesson in the burger world.At its heart, this is a conversation about what happens when a person stops performing a career and starts living one.Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Sultan Chatila- LinkedIn Support the show

June 5, 20261 hr 36 min

How Chirag Chhajer Built India's Largest Burmese Restaurant Chain by Breaking Every Rule

In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Chirag Chhajer, co-founder of Burma Burma, for a wide-ranging and remarkably transparent conversation on what it actually takes to build a scalable, profitable restaurant brand in India - and why most of the rules people follow are the reason most restaurants fail. Chirag traces his journey from a Marwari textile family in Bombay, three formative years cooking in a shared apartment in Australia, and a decade in his father's business, to co-founding Burma Burma in 2014 with zero restaurant experience and a concept that every industry veteran told him was a mistake: a vegetarian, no-alcohol, single-cuisine casual dining restaurant serving food most Indians had never heard of. He breaks down the business decisions that defined Burma Burma's growth, opening in six different cities before mastering any one of them, maintaining an 18% food cost without a central kitchen, paying every vendor within 45 days as a negotiating strategy, and building a 32-person cost control team that he considers one of the company's core competitive advantages. He also walks through four rounds of fundraising in detail: the 2018 failure, the ghosting by a major PE fund, the cold DM to a finance creator with 10,000 followers that eventually led to 98 crores raised, and the moment investor demand flipped from reluctance to competition for allocation. The episode covers the real math behind delivery economics and why Chirag believes any commission above 15% is a slow bleed, his framework for defensibility and why most restaurants that close deserved to, the R&D lab that costs 4 lakh rupees a month and generates zero revenue by design, and what it means to run a brand where the P&L is the only performance metric that counts. Chirag also reflects on what has changed in him as a founder, from writing a 25-lakh cheque with his heart in his throat in 2014, to signing 15-crore cheques monthly without feeling a thing in 2026, and what he believes it will take to finally put a genuinely Indian restaurant brand on the stock exchange. Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Chirag Chhajer- LinkedInSupport the show

May 15, 20261 hr 34 min

How Luma Makhlouf Built a Multi-Brand F&B Business on Reputation Alone

In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Luma Makhlouf, co-creator of HL Food, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation on what it really takes to build lasting food brands in one of the world's most competitive restaurant markets.Luma shares how a Palestinian-American upbringing in Chicago, years in Dubai's tech startup scene, and a deep personal obsession with food eventually led her to launch a food truck, open her first restaurant six months before COVID hit, and grow a multi-brand portfolio without ever paying for an influencer or running a traditional ad campaign.She breaks down her theory of business karma: the idea that delivering exceptional work consistently, regardless of the size of the client or booking, compounds into a reputation that no marketing budget can replicate. The episode also covers her views on bootstrapping versus outside investment, why founders should stay involved in the details even at scale, and the hard reality of what it costs to start an F&B business in Dubai today.Luma reflects on opening her first restaurant while on hospital bed rest, adapting through COVID, the power of knowing your P&L inside out, and why the only noise worth listening to is the one at the bottom of your financial statement.Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Luma Makhlouf- LinkedIn Support the show

April 28, 20261 hr 5 min

How Katerina Borodich Built DrinkIt by Treating the App as the Business

In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Katerina Borodich, CEO of DrinkIt MENA, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it takes to build a technology-first F&B brand in one of the world's most competitive markets - from zero presence, zero legal entity, and two suitcases.Katerina shares her unlikely path from electrical engineering and academic publishing in Russia to running marketing for Dodo Pizza in Europe, launching a new pizza concept in the UK during the pandemic, and ultimately being tapped to bring DrinkIt to the UAE. She breaks down what makes DrinkIt different — 97% of orders placed through the app, smart takeaway displays, and a model designed to eliminate friction without removing the human element — and why she still believes the revolution in coffee is just beginning.The episode goes deep on her approach to consumer research: living with Airbnb hosts to understand British culture, standing in competitors' queues to collect insights, and asking 100 customers directly what they want on the menu. It also covers the real challenges of entering Dubai — getting first locations, building trust with developers, and using public sales transparency as a franchise tool.Katerina also reflects on building her own community from scratch in a new country, the mental demands of scaling from small to mid-size business, and why she now believes mental stability and the right people matter more than any hard skill.Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedInKaterina Borodich- LinkedIn Support the show

April 3, 20261 hr 24 min

The Making of HostMind: Mona Al Sayah’s Story of Scale and Discipline

In this episode, Mona Al Sayah, CEO and co-founder of HostMind, shares her journey from working in her family’s restaurant at the age of 12 to building a scalable cloud kitchen business in Dubai. She reflects on how early exposure to the F&B industry shaped her resilience, work ethic, and understanding of customer experience.Mona dives into the realities of the cloud kitchen space, highlighting the gap between how easy it is to launch a brand and how difficult it is to build one that lasts. She emphasizes the importance of structure, systems, and long-term vision, especially in a crowded and competitive market.She also talks about HostMind’s multi-brand strategy, the philosophy behind “clean food,” and the role of packaging, marketing, and customer retention in driving growth. From navigating aggregator platforms to building repeat customers, Mona shares practical, hard-earned lessons.Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Mona Al Sayah- LinkedIn Support the show

March 10, 20261 hr 2 min

How Chef Khaled Albaker Built Brands by Learning Every Layer of the Business

In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Chef Khaled Albaker, co-founder of Ventri Group, for a candid conversation on what it takes to build restaurant brands that last. Khaled shares how he left a career in finance, moved to Miami to study Culinary Arts, and learned the discipline of world-class kitchens where execution comes down to relentless attention to detail.He breaks down why credibility matters before raising capital, why he spent years learning every layer of restaurant operations, and how Ventri Group approaches multi-brand growth across dine-in concepts and cloud kitchens. The episode also dives into his strong views on hospitality: why dining out is about experience while delivery is about convenience, why QR menus can reduce discovery to a transaction, and why leadership must stay visible on the floor.Khaled reflects on adapting through COVID, the rise of homegrown brands in Kuwait, and the non-negotiables he believes every aspiring restaurateur must understand, especially cash flow.Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Chef Khaled Albaker- LinkedIn Support the show

February 24, 20261 hr 15 min

Hattan Bakor on Why the First Franchise Opening Is Hard and What Fixes It

In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Hattan Bakor to unpack what it really takes to scale a food brand in Saudi Arabia without losing consistency. Hattan shares how entering the business with “fresh eyes” helped him spot operational gaps quickly and why he insisted on a learning window before making changes. They discuss the harsh reality behind restaurant economics, how margins look big from the outside but feel thin once you’re operating day to day. Hattan also reflects on how COVID forced the team into trial-and-error, ultimately pushing them to become more efficient than they were before. A key theme is franchising done right: building SOPs, manuals, and standards first, then creating repeatable launch playbooks after early mistakes. Hattan ties it all back to customer experience because at scale, experience isn’t a tagline; it’s an operational discipline.Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Hattan Bakor- LinkedIn Support the show

February 17, 20261 hr 14 min

The Longevity Advantage: Silvena Rowe on Movement, Mental Health, and Food

In this podcast episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with chef, author, and longevity educator Silvena Rowe for a candid conversation that goes beyond food trends and into the philosophy behind modern dining. Silvena reflects on her global culinary journey, the realities of scaling a values-led restaurant brand like Dose by Silvena, and why ingredient integrity sits at the core of her work today. The discussion explores what she calls “biohacking food”, viewing ingredients as functional inputs that support energy, resilience, and long-term health. She also shares her perspective on cost control in restaurants, reducing food waste without compromising quality, and navigating the pressures and biases of professional kitchens. From teaching longevity nutrition to experimenting with regenerative medicine and disciplined lifestyle practices, Silvena offers a holistic lens on performance, both in hospitality and in life. This episode brings together insights on nutrition, business operations, and personal longevity, revealing how respect for ingredients and data-led decisions can shape a more sustainable future for chefs and restaurant operators alike.#longevity #Biohacking #nutrition Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Silvena Rowe- LinkedIn Support the show

February 10, 20261 hr 17 min

Beyond the Title: Samer Nasrallah on People Leadership, Pressure Management, and Quality Execution

In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Samer Nasrallah, F&B Country Manager for Patchi Café in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, to unpack what it really takes to build a career in hospitality from the ground up. Samer shares how he unexpectedly entered F&B, the chaos of running in-house delivery and catering in Egypt before the era of aggregators, and the habits that helped him rise fast, including relentless organization and attention to detail.The conversation moves through his experiences across markets, from large-scale event catering in Doha to leadership lessons earned under pressure. Samer breaks down his approach to quality-first operations, team protection, and workplace diplomacy, and reflects on launching Ladurée during COVID, where central kitchen setup and cold chain readiness became the real work behind the brand. He also talks about starting and exiting his Soho food truck venture, and what is different about building a café experience within a chocolate-led brand at Patchi.Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Samer Nasrallah- LinkedIn Support the show

February 2, 20261 hr 20 min

Sudhin Siva on the Operating Principles Behind Shamal’s F&B Strategy

In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Sudhin Siva, Chief Asset Management Officer at Shamal Holding, to unpack how Shamal manages a diversified hospitality portfolio and scales F&B brands like Five Guys (UAE franchise), Sushi Samba, Duck & Waffle, Espresso Lab, and Zero Gravity. Sudhin reflects on his start at Jumeirah in quality management, planning, and strategy, and shares the principles he still applies: lead through collaboration, protect the fundamentals, and build a culture that empowers teams to create real guest moments. He explains the tension between brand equity and unit-level performance when owners and management companies partner, why reinvestment matters, and how to optimize an asset without over-extracting it. The conversation also covers piloting innovation with global brands in airport formats and delivery, scaling without diluting what made a concept special, and his personal shift from perfectionism to delegation and listening.Find us online: Ashish Tulsian- LinkedIn Sudhin Siva- LinkedIn Support the show