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Most restaurant owners we know learn the hard way. A bad hire, a menu that didn’t work, or a month where the numbers just didn’t add up.
But what if you could learn from someone who already gone through it? Someone who made the mistakes, found what worked, and is willing to talk about it openly?
That’s what a good podcast does. It puts experienced people in your ear during the commute, the early morning prep, or those late nights when you’re going through your weekly reports. And in 2026, there are a handful of shows that are genuinely worth your time.
Here are 10 we think every restaurant owner should know about.
1. Today’s Special (Season 2) by Reelo
If you’re running a restaurant in India, this one is hard to skip.
Today’s Special is Reelo’s podcast, where industry leaders come in and have real, unfiltered conversations about the restaurant business. Not the highlight reel version. The actual version, complete with what went wrong, what they’d do differently, and what’s working right now.
The show covers a lot of ground. You’ll hear conversations about building loyalty programs that guests actually use, how to do content marketing without a big team or budget, what good CRM looks like in practice, how to think about growth when you’re already stretched thin, and the operational decisions that quietly make or break a restaurant’s long-term success.
What makes it different is that the guests aren’t there to promote anything. They’re there to talk, and the conversations feel like it. If you’ve ever wished you could sit down with someone who’s built a successful restaurant brand and just ask them anything, this is probably the closest thing to that.
Best for: Restaurant owners in India who want honest, practical conversations about growing and running a better business.
2. Restaurant Unstoppable
Restaurant Unstoppable has been around for a while, and with good reason. Host Eric Cacciatore has done over 1,000 episodes with successful restaurateurs, and the archive alone is worth digging into.
The topics range from hiring and management to marketing and scaling, but what makes it work is the depth of the interviews. These aren’t quick five-minute chats. Cacciatore goes long, and the guests open up in ways that you don’t often see in polished media.
If you’re trying to figure out how to lead your team better, build culture, or just understand what separates restaurants that thrive from those that struggle, you’ll find a lot here.
Best for: Operators at any stage who want long-form interviews with people who’ve built real, lasting restaurant businesses.
3. Restaurant Rockstars Podcast
Roger Beaudoin spent years building and running his own restaurant before he started this show. That experience shows in how he asks questions and what he chooses to focus on.
The podcast covers customer service, finances, branding, and staff management, but always through a practical lens. The guests are industry leaders who speak from experience, and the conversations tend to stay grounded in things you can actually do something about.
If your numbers aren’t where you want them, or your guest experience feels inconsistent, this is a good place to start.
Best for: Owners who want to tighten operations, improve profitability, and build a brand that guests remember.
4. The Restaurant Technology Guys
Technology in restaurants has gotten complicated fast. POS systems, inventory tools, CRM platforms, AI for reservations and demand forecasting. It’s a lot to keep track of, and making the wrong call on a tech investment is expensive.
This podcast, hosted by Jeremy Julian, helps you make sense of it all. They dig into specific tools and categories, talk to vendors and operators, and help you understand what to look for and what to avoid. The conversations are practical and specific, not theoretical.
In 2026, understanding your tech stack is part of running a restaurant well. This show helps you stay informed without having to become a tech expert yourself.
Best for: Operators evaluating new technology or trying to get more out of what they already have.
5. QSR Uncut
If you’re in the quick-service space, this one is for you. QSR Uncut follows the trends, consumer behavior shifts, and operational innovations shaping the segment globally.
The insights are relevant whether you’re running a single QSR outlet or managing a chain. Topics range from menu psychology and delivery dynamics to efficiency improvements and brand positioning. It’s a good way to stay aware of where the category is heading before it gets there.
Best for: QSR operators, cloud kitchen founders, and fast-casual brands focused on scaling efficiently.
6. Big Food Energy
Smitha Menon interviews the founders, chefs, and entrepreneurs who are building interesting food and beverage businesses in India. The conversations cover innovation in dining, how people are thinking about brand and concept, and the business decisions behind successful food companies.
It’s not just inspiration. Menon goes deep enough that you come away with something to think about, whether it’s how someone approached pricing, why they made a particular expansion decision, or what they wish they’d known earlier.
Best for: Restaurant entrepreneurs who want to understand India’s evolving dining culture and the people building it.
7. Talking With My Mouth Full
Chef Rahul Akerkar has spent decades at the intersection of food and business, and his podcast reflects that. The conversations bring in restaurateurs and industry experts to talk about food’s role in building a business, not just as a product but as a culture, an identity, and a commercial decision.
What makes it worth listening to is the perspective Akerkar brings as both a chef and an entrepreneur. The episodes tend to go beyond the usual operational topics and into questions about concept, craft, and what it actually means to build something meaningful in the food business.
Best for: Operators who want thoughtful conversations about the relationship between food, business, and the people building both.
8. Restaurant Owners Uncorked
This is a show where independent restaurant owners share what running a restaurant actually looks like, without cleaning it up for an audience. The conversations cover staffing challenges, growth decisions, personal mistakes, and the daily reality of the business.
It’s useful because it’s honest. A lot of restaurant content focuses on success. This show isn’t afraid to go into the harder parts, which makes it more useful for people actually going through those harder parts.
Best for: Independent operators who want practical advice and perspective from people who’ve been through it.
9. NoSugarCoat by Pooja Dhingra
Pooja Dhingra built Le15 Patisserie into one of India’s most recognised food brands, and her podcast is as honest as the name suggests. She talks about failure, the cost of growth, identity, and the personal side of building a business in India’s F&B industry.
It’s one of the few shows that takes the emotional and psychological dimensions of entrepreneurship seriously, alongside the practical ones. That balance is rare and genuinely valuable.
Best for: F&B founders who want honest conversations about what building a business in India actually feels like.
10. Speak Greasy by Gauri Devidayal
Gauri Devidayal is the co-founder of The Table in Mumbai, and her podcast looks at India’s food and beverage industry from a wide angle. The guests include investors, designers, writers, and chefs, and the conversations go beyond just operations or food to explore the culture and context around the industry.
If you want to think bigger about where Indian dining is going and what role your restaurant plays in a larger ecosystem, this is worth your time.
Best for: Operators who want broader perspective on India’s food culture and the forces shaping the industry.
One Last Thing
You don’t need to listen to all of these. Pick two or three that match where you are in your business right now, and actually listen. Take one idea from each episode and do something with it.
The restaurant business rewards people who keep learning. These shows are a good place to do that.
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