Brady Viccellio and Alvin Williams have been friends for a long time, and they’ve been in the restaurant business even longer. Brady’s family history in restaurants goes back nearly a century, and he’s the owner of Steinhilber’s and La Bella Italia in Virginia Beach. Alvin trained and worked as a chef in his native England before moving to the United States and opening Cobalt Grille, also in Virginia Beach. Their podcast, The Check, is all about restaurants.
See more at thecheckpodcast.com, including pictures, helpful links, and episode transcripts.
Once a pro golfer, Anne Gannon combined her financial acumen with experience in the hospitality industry to create the Largo Group — a Boston-based accounting firm that specializes in helping restaurant owners with innovative accounting and bookkeeping solutions. In this episode, Gannon shares some of the ways that restaurants can succeed despite the ongoing pandemic, inflation and labor shortages.
Sisters Karla and Vivian Montano grew up in Bolivia as part of a large family that valued good food and local traditions. Inspired by the recipes and techniques they learned from their mother and grandmothers, the sisters teamed up to open Luna Maya restaurant nearly 25 years ago.
Against the backdrop of labor shortages, the rise of robots, and a pandemic that continues to create challenges, Brady and Alvin discuss the importance of preserving the ability of good restaurants to be restorative places for their customers.
In this wide-ranging podcast, Alvin and Brady discuss everything from how working in a kitchen is like Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the surprising link between bananas and latex glove allergies.
To mark the Cobalt Grille’s 21st birthday, The Check pops the champagne and invites several surprise guests to celebrate with Alvin and his business partner Gary Black.
From rising food costs to labor shortages, running a restaurant these days can sometimes feel as stressful as a shootout in the O.K. Corral.
Jordan Ferger from Toast joins us to discuss ways that tech innovations are creating better and more enjoyable dining experiences. Toast is an all-in-one, cloud-based software platform built for restaurants of all sizes.
Dwayne Appleton, owner of Java Surf Cafe and Espresso Bar, shares the ins and outs of running his business in the heart of Virginia Beach’s colorful ViBe District. Appleton discusses lessons learned, secrets to success, and the art of achieving a work-life balance.
Alvin and Brady welcome back longtime Steinhilber’s waiter Thom Violette, who reflects on the challenges of the pandemic and what might lie ahead as short-staffed restaurants prepare for a busy summer season. Thom also talks about his recent marriage and getting to ride in a hot-air balloon.
New guidance about masks is changing the restaurant experience, while Alvin and Brady try to sort out what it all means. They also discuss the challenges of hiring staff and some of the menu modifications they're having to make as a result. Plus, Alvin’s new hobby.
