Building the Next Chapter. Convo w/ Matty Smokes of Matty Smokes BBQ & Catering
Spotify What happens when a restaurant operator walks away from a long-term partnership and decides to rebuild from the ground up?
Matthew Vascellaro, founder of Matty Smokes BBQ & Catering, joins Ty Wilson to share why he recently exited a nine-year partnership to fully focus on the next evolution of his barbecue business. From live-fire catering experiences across Long Island to exploring franchising, food trailers, and scalable systems, Matty breaks down the realities of building a hospitality business that can grow beyond the founder. This conversation was recorded live at NRA in Chicago.
What You’ll Learn:
• Why Matty Smokes decided to leave a long-term partnership and start fresh
• How live-fire catering experiences create value beyond just the food
• Why building systems matters more than relying on individual talent
• How restaurant operators can use AI and technology to track profitability in real time
• Why understanding food cost, labor cost, and menu engineering is critical for growth
• How hospitality and consistency help brands scale beyond a single operator
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Episode Links
- Matty Smokes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattycooks/
- Matty Smokes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattysmokes/