This Chef Uses Memes to Call Out His Industry — and He’s Turning Online Influence into Real Change

Eli Sussman, a James Beard Award-nominated chef and owner of Gertrude's in Brooklyn, uses humorous social media posts and memes to spotlight the realities of hospitality. As a chef, operator, and content creator, he’s built a career that blends hospitality with digital influence. Watch now to learn about the drive to keep opening restaurants, an unexpected collaboration, and the rise to meme royalty. Sponsored by: • TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Chapters: [02:41] - Journey and Failures [10:03] - Mentorship and Community [13:43] - The Power of Memes [23:35] - Collaboration with Baldor Specialty Foods [29:46] - Lessons from Fast Casual Dining SPONSORS: RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST — Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience. • Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc Episode Links: Gertrude’s: https://www.gertrudes.nyc/ Alo’s Ann Arbor: https://www.alosannarbor.com/ Eli Sussman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesussmans/?hl=en Eli Sussman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisussman/ Eli Sussman Merch Shop: https://the-sussmans.myshopify.com/ Talkin In The Walkin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkininthewalkin/ Talkin In The Walkin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt8C5AjQGqg Baldor Specialty Foods: https://www.baldorfood.com/ Key Takeaways: Humor Can Build a Digital Brand: Unfiltered humor from Eli Sussman helped turn industry critiques into opportunities, such as his collab with Baldor Speciality Foods, where jokes about late deliveries led to a merch partnership. Disrupting the Industry with Memes: Calling out restaurant industry issues, from unpaid stages to outdated hierarchies, Eli Sussman uses eye-catching memes to garner attention. Failure is a Learning Opportunity: Eli Sussman’s fast-casual Samesa restaurant didn’t scale as planned, but its closure made him a better owner and leader, paving the way for new ventures like Alo's. *** ABOUT ELI SUSSMAN — Eli Sussman is a chef, restaurateur, and digital creator. Sussman is the executive chef and partner of Gertrude’s in Brooklyn which received a glowing New Yorker review and was included in the New York Times Top 8 dishes of 2023. He was a semifinalist for the James Beard Rising Star Award, was awarded a Zagat 30 under 30, is a chef ambassador for No Kid Hungry, and is the author of four cookbooks. He has appeared multiple times on the Today Show and Food Network, and has contributed to Food & Wine, Saveur and Bon Appétit. ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS — Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online. Published by Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com Produced by Cali BBQ Media - https://betheshow.media