Episode 83

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Published on:

11th Sep 2024

Tennessee: The Art of Restaurant Acquisition & Investments with Sean Lyons, Managing Partner of Up Hospitality Partners

This week on the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with Sean Lyons, Managing Partner of Up Hospitality Partners. Sean shares his enriching journey from a finance graduate at Purdue University to becoming a prominent name in the Tennessee restaurant scene. Sean and Nick explore the practical aspects of finding investors, structuring deals, and the significance of robust operational systems. Using his experiences working within industry-leading restaurant groups, Sean explains the benefits of surrounding oneself with experienced professionals and adopting reliable systems and processes. 

Quotes

  • "Restaurants are successful by a million cuts. There's so many factors at play, and you have to do everything yourself in the beginning." -Sean Lyons
  • "There's always the luck play and the location play, but you can reduce that area of unknown with the right systems and knowledge." -Sean Lyons



TIMESTAMPS

(00:02) Sean Lyons on Restaurant Investments and Ballroom Dancing

(04:10) From Tapas to Fine Dining: A Culinary Journey

(06:40) The Intersection of Ballroom Dancing, Wrestling, and Culinary Arts

(14:11) Building a Hospitality Legacy in Nashville

(16:16) Risk-Averse Strategies for Opening and Expanding Restaurants

(22:37) Securing Investment and Reviving a Restaurant Amid Adversity

(27:12) Structuring Investor Models and Leadership in Business

(33:14) Creating Sustainable Restaurant Models and Employee Ownership



RESOURCES

Portillo Sales


CONTACT 

Nick: nick.portillo@portillosales.com

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About the Podcast

Titans of Foodservice
Nick Portillo shares with you the things he has learned on his own journey of building a successful business in the food service industry.

About your host

Profile picture for Seth "Creek" Creekmore

Seth "Creek" Creekmore

Seth Creekmore, or “Creek,” as he is known by most of his friends has been studying the Enneagram for almost 10 years now. Having completed training under Lynda Roberts & Nan Henson, he continued learning the Enneagram through a smattering of other teachers and books and eventually completed the Awareness to Action program. He was one of the original founders of the popular Fathoms | An Enneagram Podcast and now serves as the resident Millennial for the Awareness to Action Podcast. He creates Cinematic Folk music under the name Creekmore and enjoys, hiking in cold places, cooking in warm places and traveling to all the places.