He Built the #1 Kosher Steakhouse - Then Cancer Put Everything at Risk

David Mizrahi is the founder of Salt Restaurant Group, a booming hospitality brand behind some of the most in-demand kosher dining experiences in the country, including Salt Steakhouse. In this episode, I sit back down with David for a follow-up conversation over dinner (from his restaurant!). David opens up about what it really takes to build and scale high-end restaurants, the chaos behind the scenes, and how faith, resilience, and an opportunistic mindset shaped his journey - from dropping out of high school to running multiple businesses while battling cancer. Enjoy! __________ Check out Chef Ray Tawil on Momentum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBbqFk5oI_Q __________ SPONSORS: • Yazdi Entertainment: New York's Premiere Event Production Company. [email protected] or (646) 765-5643 • The Hedaya Capital Group: Your Trusted Financial Services Partner. Visit https://HedayaCapital.com or [email protected] • Jeff Sitt Consulting: Book Your Free Pivot and Prosper Strategy Call Today! Visit https://JeffSitt.com • Real Property Captive: Own Your Insurance. Recapture Your Premiums. Visit https://RealPropertyCaptive.com Special thank you to David and Salt Steakhouse for the amazing meal! Visit SaltGourmetMarket.com to order. __________ ABOUT MOMENTUM: 🎙️ Momentum brings you the stories, advice, and wisdom of business visionaries, designed to inspire and guide you on your path to success. Be sure to subscribe on all platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMomentumPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jOPoArXfY3OU5uv4BpA3h?si=0311640b82154d1b Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/momentum/id1762657981 Instagram: http://instagram.com/momentumpodcast_ __________ GEAR: • Cameras: https://amzn.to/3UuwW5o • Podcast Mics: https://amzn.to/3J5QWsv • Clip-on Mics: https://amzn.to/3H52iwo • Mic Stands: https://amzn.to/4kZj4uL • Lights: https://amzn.to/45lA5up • Tripods: https://amzn.to/4lHHQAI __________ (0:00) Coming up... (4:39) Moving from Brooklyn to Lakewood at 11 years old (6:15) David's humility (7:48) Digging in to the food (8:14) Salt at Home (10:26) Ad: Yazdi Entertainment (11:26) Jumping at opportunities (14:11) Up next: lamb chops (14:51) The logistics of a high end steakhouse (19:42) How do you motivate your employees? (22:14) Pepper-crusted filet (22:38) Ad: Hedaya Capital Group (24:16) Cutting his guest list by 75% (27:29) The cost of disappointing your customers (28:45) Duck risotto (29:25) Consistency is king (30:53) Maintaining consistency with high staff turnover (31:39) How a single tech failure can ruin a night at Salt Steakhouse (37:41) Ad: Jeff Sitt Consulting (38:37) What David notices about people in the restaurant (42:41) Scaling operations up and down depending on the season (44:31) How do waiters hold plates like that? (46:00) The finances of a high end steakhouse (48:23) Ad: Real Property Captive (49:31) Toughest dish to cook (51:28) Misconceptions about running a high end steakhouse (52:07) Silently suffering through cancer treatments (56:45) What would you do differently? (57:28) Making guests wait before they are seated (59:08) Dubai Chocolate dessert (1:00:36) David's talented executive chef (1:02:15) Outro and 3 key takeaways