Episode
How John Rivera Built His Dream Restaurant Without Sacrificing Time With His Kids
- Podcast
- Make Restaurants Profitable
- Published
- Apr 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2901
- Processing state
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Summary
John Rivera spent his twenties in fine dining kitchens. Working every Saturday. Missing birthdays. Missing weddings. Then he opened his own restaurant — and found himself video-calling his kids from the pass just to see them awake. Something had to change. In this episode, John — chef and owner of Ascal Restaurant, Inman bar, and Filipino gelato concept Carton — talks about the decision that shifted everything. The boundaries he set, the systems he built, and how he went from working every da...