Staying Hungry dives deep into what it really takes to grow a hospitality brand without losing your soul.

In this episode, “Scaling Without Selling Out,” hosts Michael D’Onofrio and Vinny Pappalardo sit down with James Bonanno, co-founder and CEO of Upstream Hospitality Group - the team behind Tap Room, Bango Bowls, Salt Shack, and more Long Island favorites.

From two broke bartenders to a multi-concept operation, James breaks down how Upstream scaled smart - building systems, culture, and tech that keep guests happy and teams proud. This one’s all about the mindset shift from running restaurants to running a company.

If you’re a restaurant owner, operator, or anyone in hospitality trying to grow without compromising quality or authenticity - this conversation will hit home.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

01:41 Jamie’s Early Career in Hospitality

03:34 The Birth of Taproom

10:11 Scaling the Business

13:42 Challenges and Successes

16:06 Franchising and Expansion

20:44 Technology and Data in Restaurants

24:59 Partnerships and Future Plans

31:15 Working with Tritech: Initial Hesitations and Success

32:17 The Impact of Location and Development on Business

35:34 Expanding with New Concepts and Franchises

38:36 Building a Strong Leadership Team

43:21 Networking and Community Building

45:50 Balancing Work and Personal Life

49:52 Future Plans and Mentorship

58:50 Final Thoughts and Reflections

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From dishwasher to nightlife king - Scottie Campbell has spent 33 years turning Long Island waterfronts into cultural landmarks. In this episode of Staying Hungry, hosts Michael D’Onofrio and Vinny Pappalardo sit down with the man behind Dublin Deck, Harbor Crab, Salt Shack, and The Boatyard at Tobay Beach to unpack how a kid from Patchogue built a multi-concept hospitality empire.

Scottie shares what he wishes he’d told his 20-year-old self - from scaling seasonal monsters to keeping teams loyal, reading cultural shifts before they happen, and why the real win in nightlife is often found in the daylight: real estate, relationships, and reinvestment. You’ll hear how Patchogue’s “Alive After Five” blueprint became the model for reviving entire downtowns, how speakeasies are redefining post-dinner traffic, and why food is now the headliner in the age of bottle service.

For operators, restaurateurs, and anyone chasing the next evolution in hospitality, Scottie breaks down how to balance nightlife energy with long-term business discipline, why owning your dirt (or your longevity) changes every deal, how to price, staff, and program high-volume waterfront venues, how to turn POS data into both a theft deterrent and forecast engine, and how to create midweek cash flow through music, memberships, and moments.

Timestamps

00:00 Cold open: “I’m smashed”—the hat story

01:09 Welcome + guest intro (Scottie’s 33 years, first buy-in at 21)

04:10 The Dublin era (Down, Up, Over) and 90s club economics

09:35 Why food wins now: regulations, guest expectations, and margin mix

12:22 Dublin Deck & Harbor Crab: seasonal scale, marina math, and a $2M reinvest

16:58 Patchogue’s playbook: Alive After Five, chambers, and housing as demand engine

22:40 Tap Room origin & letting partners run—owner bandwidth vs. brand growth

27:05 New builds: Amsterdam (revamped Meatball), Millie Smashburger, Aces & Eights speakeasy + membership model

33:11 Programming that sells: Sessions house-music nights, ticketing, and bottle strategy

38:44 Drinks are changing: RTDs, seltzers, and the cannabis coexistence question

44:30 Tech stack: Toast, cashless shift, cameras, and promo via lists + IG collabs

49:18 Hiring, culture, and boomerang staff—how to get them back each summer

53:02 Giveback ops: Kris Kringle fund & Home for the Holidays service day

58:41 Owner hindsight: save earlier, drink less, choose partners wisely

1:02:10 Lightning round & where to find Scottie’s concepts

If Staying Hungry has a house style, it’s this: sharp knives, sharper insights. In this episode, hosts Michael D'Onofrio and Vinny Pappalardo sit down with DJ CHEF - the Food Network–famous chef/DJ hybrid who went from Bobby Flay’s line to building a high-margin, book-out-the-weekend experiential catering brand that restaurant owners can actually learn from.

Why watch (restaurant-operator edition): This is a playbook in disguise - menu engineering for dietary chaos, turning off-nights into profit centers, packaging “experience” for premium pricing, building charity/event pipelines, and social content that sells bookings.

Timestamps

00:00 Opening riff & why Saturdays are for working, not dining

02:05 Boombox to bar gigs: becoming “the DJ in Long Beach”

06:40 First kitchen reps: deli to hot line, NY Restaurant School

10:15 Time Café stories & first special (dessert taco) with A-list guests

14:30 Crossing the street: interviewing with Bobby Flay & opening insanity

18:55 Corporate dining pivot (Sodexo/Marriott) → discovering private events

22:40 Birth of DJ CHEF: cook while DJing; Food Network notices

27:10 From TV to stage shows & global activations (Dubai, festivals)

30:25 The bachelorette-party niche & naming the DJ CHEF Experience

34:05 Menus that survive allergies; the dessert routine that always lands

38:10 Gear talk: why CDJs > laptops when you’re cooking live

40:45 Format & pricing: 3-hour parties, day/pre-game/prime slots, OT rules

44:20 Hamptons wins (Dan’s Papers & Top Chef Hamptons); charity engines

48:00 Products: Hamptons by DJ CHEF cookware/knives & Firehouse Flavor

52:15 Social media that books real gigs (IG → TikTok → YT search)

55:30 Scaling & seasonality: Florida winters, teams, and brand control

59:10 Closing thoughts: burnout alternatives for chefs + work/life with family