Jason & Shannon Lopez of Nino's Restaurant | Mom's Dinner Table Talk

What does it take to build a restaurant people return to year after year?

In this episode of Mom's Dinner Table Talk, JP Ngo sits down with Jason and Shannon Lopez, owners of Nino's Restaurant, to discuss leadership, hospitality, restaurant culture, customer experience, and the lessons they've learned throughout their journey in Louisiana's restaurant industry.

The conversation explores what it means to build a successful restaurant, lead a team, serve a community, and navigate the challenges that come with operating a business in one of the most competitive industries in the world.

Like many restaurant owners, Jason and Shannon have experienced the highs, lows, risks, opportunities, and hard-earned lessons that come from years in hospitality. Their story offers valuable insight for restaurant owners, executive chefs, managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the people behind Louisiana's restaurant industry.

Topics discussed include:

• Restaurant ownership
• Leadership and management
• Building restaurant culture
• Hiring and retaining employees
• Customer service and guest experience
• Entrepreneurship
• Hospitality leadership
• Team development
• Louisiana restaurant industry insights
• Lessons learned from years in business
• Family and business relationships
• Restaurant operations and growth

At its core, Mom's Dinner Table Talk is about preserving the stories of the people who have helped shape Louisiana hospitality.

Every restaurant has a story.

Every chef has a journey.

Every owner has lessons learned through years of serving guests, leading teams, and building something meaningful.

Through honest conversations with restaurant owners, executive chefs, operators, and hospitality leaders, we document those experiences so future generations can learn from them.

If you are passionate about restaurants, hospitality, entrepreneurship, leadership, food culture, or small business, this episode is for you.

Jason Lopez
Owner, Nino's Restaurant

Shannon Lopez
Owner, Nino's Restaurant

JP Ngo
Owner, Our Mom's Restaurant & Bar

Mom's Dinner Table Talk is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based restaurant and hospitality podcast featuring conversations with restaurant owners, executive chefs, operators, and hospitality leaders from across Louisiana.

Our mission is to preserve the stories, experiences, lessons, and leadership insights that have helped shape Louisiana hospitality.

Interested in being a guest on Mom's Dinner Table Talk?

Email:
Jeff@lanaoliverproductions.com

Watch more episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/@MomsDinnerTableTalk

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JP Ngo sits down with Chef Patrick Trahan, Executive Chef at Ruffino’s Restaurant, for a long-form conversation about leadership, pressure, customer experience, restaurant culture, workforce development, and what it really takes to survive inside the hospitality industry over time.

Throughout the conversation, Patrick shares how starting at the bottom of restaurant operations shaped the way he leads today, why hands-on experience still matters, and how immersion inside difficult environments builds confidence that can’t be taught through theory alone.

The discussion goes far beyond food.

They talk about operational pressure, managing people, maintaining standards under stress, customer expectations, company culture, and the realities of building consistency inside fast-paced industries where every mistake is visible in real time.

Patrick explains how younger employees often underestimate how much discipline and repetition are required to operate professionally at a high level for years. He talks about the difference between passion and professionalism, how long-term growth requires structure and consistency, and why experienced operators tend to handle pressure differently after years inside demanding environments.

The conversation also explores leadership communication, workplace attitude, emotional control under pressure, and how the emotional tone inside a business affects team morale, customer experience, and company culture more than most people realize.

JP and Patrick discuss how innovation creates friction inside customer-facing industries, why introducing new ideas requires trust and timing, and how balancing creativity with customer expectations becomes one of the hardest parts of growing a successful brand.

Patrick also reflects on his culinary training in France through the Paul Bocuse Institute, the influence of Louisiana food culture, and how exposure to different environments changed the way he thinks about hospitality, leadership, standards, and operational excellence.

This episode is ultimately a conversation about experience, pressure, standards, growth, leadership, and what businesses can learn from industries where execution matters every single day.

JP Ngo sits down with Shane Srsen, Chef and Owner of Fresh Chef Kitchen, for a conversation about restaurant operations, hospitality leadership, entrepreneurship, customer experience, and the realities of running a business inside the food industry.

Throughout the episode, Shane shares operational lessons from years of experience in hospitality, including food costs, menu decisions, supplier challenges, kitchen culture, leadership pressure, and the day-to-day responsibility that comes with business ownership. The conversation explores how restaurants balance customer expectations, staffing, consistency, communication, and profitability while operating inside an industry built on tight margins and nonstop execution.

The episode also dives into mentorship, career pivots, workforce development, company culture, employee growth, management, and the long-term value of learning from experienced operators. From conversations about rising avocado prices and operational decision-making to discussions around leadership, recruiting, training, customer service, and scaling operations, the episode highlights how experienced business owners think through pressure, uncertainty, and growth.

This is a grounded conversation about hospitality leadership, restaurant management, entrepreneurship, operational systems, workplace culture, communication, and building businesses people trust.

Guests:

JP Ngo — Owner of Our Mom’s Restaurant & Bar

Shane Srsen — Chef/Owner at Fresh Chef Kitchen

Topics Covered:

Restaurant operations

Hospitality leadership

Entrepreneurship

Business ownership

Food costs and menu pricing

Customer experience

Restaurant management

Leadership under pressure

Operational systems

Kitchen culture

Workforce development

Employee training

Communication and management

Mentorship and career pivots

Recruiting and retention

Hospitality industry realities

Scaling operations

Workplace culture

Supplier and inventory challenges

Long-term business growth

JP Ngo sits down with Chef David Tiner from the Louisiana Culinary Institute for a conversation about culinary education, restaurant leadership, hospitality culture, customer experience, and the operational realities of working in the food industry.

Throughout the episode, Chef David Tiner shares stories from years of experience in professional kitchens, teaching future chefs, and helping students navigate the pressure, discipline, and expectations that come with working in hospitality. The conversation explores how restaurants build culture, why customer experience matters, how leadership changes inside high-pressure environments, and why strong operational systems are critical in both restaurants and business ownership.

The episode also dives into food culture, culinary traditions, workplace communication, management, workforce development, employee training, and the human side of hospitality leadership. From conversations about unfamiliar foods like balut and fermented shark to discussions around consistency, restaurant operations, weekend specials, customer expectations, and scaling hospitality businesses, the episode highlights how experienced operators think through pressure, execution, and long-term growth.

This conversation goes far beyond food.

It’s a real discussion about leadership, entrepreneurship, workplace culture, operational leadership, recruiting, communication, customer service, and the responsibility that comes with building businesses people trust.

Guests:

JP Ngo — Owner of Our Mom’s Restaurant & Bar

Chef David Tiner, CCE, CEC, CCA, ACE, FMP — Director and Chef Instructor at Louisiana Culinary Institute

Topics Covered:

Hospitality leadership

Restaurant management

Culinary education

Chef life and kitchen culture

Customer experience

Leadership under pressure

Restaurant operations

Workforce development

Employee training

Entrepreneurship

Business ownership

Communication and management

Workplace culture

Operational systems

Food culture and culinary traditions

Scaling hospitality businesses

Recruiting and retention

Consistency and execution

Business growth

Hospitality industry realities

JP Ngo sits down with Remi DeMatteo, the operator behind Hayride Scandal and Pelican to Mars, for a conversation about hospitality leadership, bar operations, nightlife culture, entrepreneurship, and the realities of building businesses inside the restaurant and hospitality industry.

With decades of experience spanning New Orleans hotels, cocktail bars, nightlife venues, and Baton Rouge hospitality concepts, Remi shares operational lessons from every stage of the industry — from bartending at 18 years old to helping build some of Louisiana’s most recognizable bar and entertainment spaces.

Throughout the episode, the conversation explores how hospitality culture has changed over time, how younger generations approach nightlife differently, and why leadership, mentorship, communication, and workplace culture matter more than ever inside restaurants, bars, and service-based businesses.

The episode also dives into staffing challenges, operator development, customer experience, recruiting, social media’s impact on hospitality, alcohol trends, cocktail culture, whiskey programs, and the pressure of managing teams inside fast-moving nightlife environments. Remi explains why simplicity often outperforms pretentiousness, why customer behavior continues evolving, and how strong operators adapt without losing the identity of their business.

This is a grounded conversation about hospitality leadership, operational systems, entrepreneurship, nightlife management, communication, team culture, and the responsibility experienced operators have to help develop the next generation entering the industry.

Guests:

JP Ngo — Owner of Our Mom’s Restaurant & Bar

Remi DeMatteo — Operator of Hayride Scandal and Pelican to Mars

Topics Covered:

Hospitality leadership

Bar and nightlife operations

Restaurant management

Entrepreneurship

Cocktail culture

Whiskey programs

Customer experience

Workplace culture

Leadership and mentorship

Operator development

Communication and management

Recruiting and retention

Social media and nightlife culture

Generational behavior shifts

Staffing challenges

Scaling hospitality businesses

Service industry realities

Business growth

Team leadership

Operational systems

JP Ngo sits down with Albina Brahimi, owner of Jabby's Pizza, for a conversation about restaurant ownership, hospitality leadership, entrepreneurship, and the realities of building a business after surviving war and starting over in the United States.

Throughout the episode, Albina shares her experience growing up during the Kosovo War, immigrating to America, and eventually building Jabby’s Pizza into one of Baton Rouge’s recognized local restaurant brands. The conversation explores the pressure of restaurant management, leadership challenges, scaling operations, staffing, workplace culture, customer expectations, and the operational realities behind running a restaurant in Louisiana.

The episode also dives into restaurant profit margins, hiring and training younger employees, business growth, entrepreneurship, accountability, communication, and the challenges that come with expanding locations before systems are fully ready. Albina explains why sustainable growth often matters more than rapid expansion, why quality control becomes harder as restaurants scale, and how strong operational systems directly impact customer experience and long-term business stability.

The conversation also touches on creativity in hospitality, chef-driven pop-up dinners, using food as an emotional outlet, and the responsibility business owners carry while leading teams under pressure.

This is a grounded conversation about hospitality leadership, restaurant operations, workforce development, communication, resilience, entrepreneurship, and building businesses through uncertainty, pressure, and long-term experience.

Guests:

JP Ngo — Owner of Our Mom’s Restaurant & Bar

Albina Brahimi — Owner of Jabby’s Pizza Baton Rouge

Topics Covered:

Restaurant leadership

Hospitality management

Entrepreneurship

Restaurant operations

Scaling restaurant businesses

Workplace culture

Hiring and training employees

Leadership under pressure

Customer experience

Restaurant profit margins

Communication and management

Operational systems

Business growth

Workforce development

COVID impact on restaurants

Chef-driven pop-up dinners

Quality control and expansion

Hospitality industry realities

Resilience and business ownership

Louisiana restaurant industry