Most restaurants rely on heroics. That’s why they break.
Chef calls out—everything collapses.
Staff turns over—culture disappears.
Owner burns out—nothing changes.

After 33 years in the kitchen, I’ve seen it all.
I’ve run high-volume operations, trained green teams into machines, and led groups through chaos and culture collapse.
And here’s what I know:

Culture eats talent for breakfast.
Systems beat talent when talent doesn’t have systems.

Today, I help restaurant leaders build kitchens that don’t rely on superheroes.
I work with chefs and operators to:

→ Define their way of doing business
→ Build leadership systems that teach it
→ Create operations that run consistently—even when they’re not there

It’s not theory. It’s not fluff.
One client cut turnover by 60% and grew profit by 15% in 90 days.

If your team is talented but inconsistent…
If your culture changes depending on who’s in charge…
If your restaurant falls apart when one person is out…

Let’s talk.

On the CULINARY MECHANIC podcast, I host candid conversations with hospitality's most innovative leaders. From kitchen culture to tech innovations, we blend battle-tested wisdom with modern insights that challenge 'the way it's always been done.' It's where restaurant wisdom meets real systems that work.

🎙️ Host: CULINARY MECHANIC
📩 DM me or visit culinarymechanic.com

Simon Zatyrka 🔥🥄

Rich Lopez, CSM

TransAct® Technologies

Director of Customer Success

Convene

Establishing a new team of Sales Engineers to work with our sales team to understand all of the technical aspects of our Hybrid Meeting and on site technical products. Explaining them to potential consumers during live demonstrations. As well as working with our product development and engineering teams, explaining and planning product requests from customers.

Director of Sales Engineering

Bleu

Director of Enterprise Sales and Operations

Working with executive leadership to create, define and execute the company’s new Hospitality Solution SaaS offerings as well as our field services training team.  

Taking on roles and responsibilities as needed to ensure each customer's success and adoption of our new innovative and industry leading platforms. This includes providing high level consultation and business analysis for our clients using my years of restaurant operations experience. 

Through Consultative Sales I match the use of the latest solutions to the client’s specific operational objectives, and particular business model, while continuously defining and adding client requests and new requirements to further our software's capabilities and offerings. 

The customer on-boarding process I have created encompasses operations, hardware, software, support, and sales to ensure the client's transition through the life cycle of their project is effortless.

Manager of Customer Success, Field Services, and Solution Engineering

DTiQ

* Responsible for technical sales strategy and thought leadership for DTT Performance Analytics and Reporting solutions
* Develop a team of high powered, world class pre-sales engineers.
* Drive development for innovative solutions based on business analysis, client feedback, and account executive feedback 
* Responsible for creating and refining DTT offerings that drive awareness, sales, and customer  adoption of the system
* Measure effectiveness of sales offerings
* Ensure technical support for sales teams by geographic region, sales verticles, and solution area
*  Work directly with the Area Sales Directors to pursue Sales Strategies and initiatives to better engage targeted clients
* Deliver field feedback to product management to drive customer success
* Collaborate with the product marketing, services, and sales on go-to-market strategy.
* Assist with on boarding and training of new Account Executives 
* Develop and refine training materials for ease of knowledge transfer between sales and clients

Director of Sales Engineering Team

DTT Surveillance

Director of Sales Engineers

Senior Sales Engineer

• Act as the primary technical resource for the field sales force. 
• Actively driving and managing the technology evaluation stage of the sales process.
• Working in conjunction with the sales team as the key technical consultant and product advocate      
      for our services. 
• Articulate the technology and product positioning to our business partners, sales team, clients
      and end users. 
• Identifying all technical issues of assigned accounts to assure complete customer satisfaction
      through all stages of the sales process. 
• Establish and maintain strong relationships throughout the sales cycle with our clients.

Sales Engineer

ARAMARK

Support daily IT operations to ensure efficient and accurate daily sales operations for our clients. Function as the liaison between Senior Account Executives, Account Managers, and internal departments for all customer-related IT Items. Organize pertinent IT Projects for current and potential customers. Compile customer data from applicable departments to provide timely and accurate business plans and forecasts regarding upgrades of hardware and software to meet client needs. Working directly with customers providing consulting services regarding company products as they relate to Technology. Understanding and articulating highly technical leading edge products & services in simple to understand terms and instructions for our end users. Prepare detailed proposals that include hardware, software, services in order to meet our clients changing and growing needs.

Senior IT Technical Analyst

The Knowland Group

Act as the main point of contact for the client from the signing of the contract until the Implementation hand off to our Client Care Team.  Oversee each property's on boarding process, coordinating between our training, integration, technical, and professional service departments to provide a seamless Implementation Process.

Implementation Manager

Prince George's Community College

Teaching a basic class in Hospitality Technology. Reviewing programs like Microsoft Office, POS Systems, Sales and Catering Software, and Inventory Programs as they relate to hospitality today.

Teacher

Micros Systems

Provided high quality, proactive, tactical Account and Project Management to accounts while functioning as the communications focal point and primary coordinator for implementation, shipping, maintenance support, R&D, finance and billing services for all assigned clients.

Account Manager for the Major Accounts Group

Proven success in management of key customer relationships through determination of client needs, implementation of procedures, and management of projects to ensure client receives premium customer service and increased customer satisfaction.

Establishing a new team of Sales Engineers to work with our sales team to understand all of the technical aspects of our Hybrid Meeting and on site technical products. Explaining them to potential consumers during live demonstrations. As well as working with our product development and engineering teams, explaining and planning product requests from customers.  

taplio

The Battle

Simon Zatyrka 🔥🥄

Rich Lopez, CSM

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