The Gstaad Guy sits down with Jack Goldburg, founder of Jack's Dining Room & and Yes Chef Group, whose videos have been watched billions of times and whose food festivals now sell out in a couple of Instagram posts, to explore what separates a viral moment from a business that survives it. From editing until 3am while still employed at PwC to a chance conversation with a stranger at the next table, Jack reflects on a rise built on tunnel vision, a refusal to say anything negative about a restaurant, and the conviction that going viral has never been the hard part.
The conversation gets into what a single video can do to a family business, why he and his co-founder wore their own hat in every clip from the very beginning, and the framework he now builds against: content, community, experience, product. Jack is direct about what he tells people who ask how to start, which is to hold onto what they have for as long as they possibly can, and equally direct that there is no formula waiting behind the question. He speaks candidly about telling his team they are building rather than working and what that costs him outside the office, and about why he has never traded a restaurant's reputation for a bigger number. Warm, practical, and refreshingly unimpressed by virality for its own sake, it is a conversation about attention, taste, and what you do with both once you have them.
Filmed at The Maybourne Beverly Hills Garden Suite.
(00:00) Intro ✨🎙️
(01:34) Studying The Menu Three Days Early 📖🍽️
(04:07) The Couch He Could Not Fit On 🛋️😅
(06:03) The Stranger At The Next Table 👀🍽️
(09:04) A Month Of Double Paychecks 💰😮
(10:47) Don't Jump Too Fast ⏳💡
(16:50) Never About One Viral Video 📱🎯
(20:34) Why They Made Their Own Hat 🧢💡
(22:48) Nine Stores In Madrid 🇪🇸🏪
(27:02) Abundance Over Extraction 🌿⚖️
(30:44) A Michelin Guide For Everyone Else ⭐🌍
(32:05) The Golden Triangle 🔺✨
(35:12) Three Products That Failed ❌🔍
(38:36) The Couple Who Met Over A Joke 😂❤️
(44:48) You Think I Eat Sandwiches All Day 🥪😄
(45:36) We're Building, Not Working 🏗️💡
(50:26) Four Seconds To Earn Attention ⏱️👁️
(51:12) Sneaking Into The Drake Suite 🚪😏
(59:23) The Sushi And Pizza Problem 🍣🍕
(1:02:29) The Art Of Ordering 🍽️✨
(1:04:14) Not A Service Snob 😊🍽️
(1:06:09) Food As A Love Language ❤️🍽️
(1:12:20) Five Restaurants Worth Travelling For ✈️🍽️
(1:16:42) À La Poubelle vs. Fantastique 🗑️✨
(1:18:58) A Message For Anyone Starting Out 💌🌟
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
