Morsels Newsletter No. 4

March 5, 2025

Welcome to Morsels, your go-to newsletter from MAJC, breaking down hospitality insights into bite-sized chunks.

Strong restaurants aren’t just built on great food—they’re built on great teams. With ongoing labor challenges, the real work isn’t just hiring, it’s keeping people, fostering a supportive culture, and giving your team the tools to succeed.

Burnout is real. Turnover is expensive. But when you invest in your people, they invest in your business. This week, we’re focused on what it takes to build and sustain strong teams—because that’s what keeps restaurants thriving.

🎥 WATCH: Lessons from Michael & Bryan Voltaggio

From Top Chef fame to running restaurants and scaling Volt Burger nationwide, Michael and Bryan Voltaggio have spent their careers pushing boundaries and redefining what’s possible. But before all that? They had to master the basics.

In this week’s Serving Success, they dive into:

Why young cooks need to slow down and build real skills before chasing leadership
How mentorship and personal connections shape long-term success
What it really takes to earn respect in the kitchen (hint: it’s not just about talent)

If you’re serious about growing as a chef, operator, or owner, this one’s packed with lessons you won’t want to miss.

🎙️ LISTEN: Norman Van Aken on Innovation, Fusion, and Staying True to Your Vision

Norman Van Aken didn’t just introduce fusion cuisine—he redefined it. The creator of New World Cuisine blends Latin, Caribbean, Asian, and African flavors with deep technical skill and respect for tradition.

In this week’s Restaurant Ready, he breaks down:

Why fusion is more than mixing flavors—it’s about understanding history and technique
How curiosity fuels innovation (and why technique + ingredient reverence is the key balance)
Why saying no in marketing is just as powerful as saying yes

This one’s a masterclass in leadership, creativity, and staying true to your vision.

📖 READ: Building a Stronger Brand Through Strategic Partnerships

The strongest brands don’t grow alone. Strategic partnerships amplify your reach, elevate your credibility, and make your restaurant the place to be. Here’s why it works:

Brand equity transfer – Align with brands that share your values, and their credibility becomes yours.
Community engagement – Local farms, breweries, and charities bring more than great products—they bring loyal guests.
Marketing amplification – Co-branded events, shared social posts, and cross-promotions expand your reach.

Click below to download our Strategic Partnership Checklist— your step-by-step guide to finding, pitching, and launching partnerships that bring real results.

☕ LEARN: Expert Session with Kevin Gillespie – March 25th

Some chefs build great restaurants. Few build lasting, profitable businesses while staying true to their vision. Kevin Gillespie has done both.

Kevin is pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to lead a strong team, protect your margins, and scale without losing what makes your business special. This isn’t just another talk—it’s your chance to ask Kevin your toughest questions, live.

📆 Tuesday, March 25 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT

Hospitality is about showing up—for your guests, your team, and each other. Let’s keep building an industry that puts people first.

Cheers,
Your Friends at MAJC

Forwarded from a friend? Click here to become a founding member of MAJC and get weekly insights, strategies, and exclusive access to the community.

Last Updated: March 11, 2025

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in MAJC (“Community Owner,” “we,” or “us“) and our online community, along with any mobile or other downloadable applications that we make available to enable access to the same (collectively, the “Community“). These Terms of Service are a legally binding contract between you and Community Owner regarding your use of the Community.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS CAREFULLY.

BY ACCEPTING THESE TERMS, EITHER BY CLICKING “I ACCEPT” OR BY OTHERWISE ACCESSING OR USING THE COMMUNITY, YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD, AND, AS A CONDITION TO YOUR USE OF AND ACCESS TO THE COMMUNITY, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY, THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING COMMUNITY OWNER’S PRIVACY POLICY (COLLECTIVELY, THESE “TERMS“) EITHER (A) ON BEHALF OF YOURSELF AS AN INDIVIDUAL, OR (B) IF YOU ARE ACCESSING THE COMMUNITY ON BEHALF OF AN ENTITY, ORGANIZATION, OR COMMUNITY OWNER, ON BEHALF OF SUCH ENTITY, ORGANIZATION OR COMMUNITY OWNER FOR WHICH YOU ACT, AND YOU REPRESENT THAT YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BIND SUCH ENTITY, ORGANIZATION OR COMMUNITY OWNER TO THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE, OR DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS, THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE OUR PERMISSION TO USE THE COMMUNITY. YOUR USE OF THE COMMUNITY, AND COMMUNITY OWNER’S PROVISION OF THE COMMUNITY TO YOU, CONSTITUTES AN AGREEMENT BY COMMUNITY OWNER AND BY YOU TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS.

ARBITRATION NOTICE. Except for certain kinds of disputes described in Section 15 (Dispute Resolution and Arbitration), you agree that disputes arising under these Terms will be resolved by binding, individual arbitration, and BY ACCEPTING THESE TERMS, YOU AND COMMUNITY OWNER ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

Eligibility. You must be at least 18 years old to join the Community. By agreeing to these Terms, you represent and warrant to us that: (a) you are at least 18 years old; (b) you have not previously been suspended or removed from the Community; and (c) your registration and your use of the Community is in compliance with any and all applicable laws and regulations.
Accounts and Registration. To access most features of the Community, you must register for an account. When you register for an account, you may be required to provide us with some information about yourself, such as your name, email address, or other contact information. You agree that the information you provide to us is accurate, complete, and not misleading, and that you will keep it accurate and up to date at all times. When you register, you will be asked to create a password. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and password, and you accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account. If you believe that your account is no longer secure, then you should immediately notify us at hi@majc.com or by using the mechanisms made available by Community Owner.
LICENSES

3.1
Limited License. Subject to your complete and ongoing compliance with these Terms, Community Owner grants you, solely for your personal, non-commercial use, a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to: (a) install and use any mobile or other downloadable application provided to you by Community Owner and associated with the Community on a mobile device that you own or control; and (b) access and use the Community.
3.2
License Restrictions. Except and solely to the extent such a restriction is impermissible under applicable law, you may not: (a) reproduce, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, or create derivative works of the software powering the Community; (b) make modifications to the software powering the Community; or (c) interfere with or circumvent any feature of the Community, including any security or access control mechanism. If you are prohibited under applicable law from using the Community, then you may not use it.

3.3
Feedback. We respect and appreciate the thoughts and comments from our users. If you choose to provide input and suggestions regarding existing functionalities, problems with or proposed modifications or improvements to the Community (“Submissions”), then you hereby grant Community Owner and its Service Provider (defined in Section 16.1 below) an unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, fully-paid, royalty-free right and license to exploit the Submissions in any manner and for any purpose, including to improve the Community and create other products and services. We will have no obligation to provide you with attribution for any Submissions you provide to us.
Ownership; Proprietary Rights. The Community is managed by Community Owner using a platform made available by Service Provider. The visual interfaces, graphics, design, compilation, information, data, computer code (including source code or object code), products, software, services, and all other elements of the Community provided by Community Owner or Service Provider (“Materials“) are protected by intellectual property and other laws. All Materials included in the Community are the property of Community Owner or its third-party licensors (including Service Provider). Except as expressly authorized by Community Owner, you may not make use of the Materials. There are no implied licenses in these Terms and Community Owner and Service Provider reserve all rights to the Materials not granted expressly in these Terms.
THIRD-PARTY TERMS

5.1
Third-Party Services. Community Owner may provide tools through the Community that enable integration with third-party platforms, add-ons, services, or products not provided by Community Owner (“Third-Party Services“). If you direct us to transmit data to, or receive data from, a Third-Party Service on your behalf (including by enabling the applicable integration in the settings of the Community), then you authorize us and Service Provider to collect, access, use, derive, disclose, generate, transfer, transmit, store, host, or otherwise process (“Process“) any such data, including User Content (defined in 6.1 below), in connection with the applicable integration, in a manner consistent with the functionality of the Community requested by you and the permissions granted to Community Owner by the relevant integration (which Processing may include, without limitation, performing queries on the data held by the Third-Party Service). You acknowledge and agree that your use of a Third-Party Service is subject to your agreement with the relevant provider of such Third-Party Service, and that Community Owner and Service Provider are not a party to such agreement. Community Owner and Service Provider do not control and have no liability for Third-Party Services, including their security, functionality, operation, availability, or interoperability with the Community or how the Third-Party Services or their providers use User Content. All data received from Third-Party Services on behalf of you as described herein will be deemed User Content under these Terms.

5.2
Third-Party Software. The Community may include or incorporate third-party software components that are generally available free of charge under licenses granting recipients broad rights to copy, modify, and distribute those components (“Third-Party Components“). Although the Community is provided to you subject to these Terms, nothing in these Terms prevents, restricts, or is intended to prevent or restrict you from obtaining Third-Party Components under the applicable third-party licenses or to limit your use of Third-Party Components under those third-party licenses.
Notice Regarding Apple. This Section 17 (Notice Regarding Apple) only applies to the extent you are using our mobile application on an iOS device. You acknowledge that these Terms are between you and Community Owner only, not with Apple Inc. (“Apple“), and Apple is not responsible for the Community or the content of it. Apple has no obligation to furnish any maintenance and support services with respect to the Community. If the Community fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund any applicable purchase price for the mobile application to you. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Apple has no other warranty obligation with respect to the Community. Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the Community or your possession and/or use of the Community, including: (1) product liability claims; (2) any claim that the Community fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; or (3) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation. Apple is not responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of any third-party claim that the Community and/or your possession and use of the Community infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights. You agree to comply with any applicable third-party terms when using the Community. Apple and Apple’s subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms, and upon your acceptance of these Terms, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary of these Terms. You hereby represent and warrant that: (a) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a “terrorist supporting” country; and (b) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.

Morsels Newsletter No. 4

Join the Movement!

Quick Links

Follow Us

MAJC^SM Terms of Service

Morsels Newsletter No. 4

Join the Movement!

Quick Links

Follow Us

100% Risk-Free Founders Membership