798: Rocco Mangel Owner of Rocco's Tacos and Tequila Bar

Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

With Excitement allow me to introduce to you today's guest Owner of Rocco's Tacos and Tequila Bar, Rocco Mangel. Born and raised in New York, Rocco grew up in the restaurant business. First, studying his grandfather’s prowess as general manager of New York City’s famed Copacabana Nightclub. Rocco continued to develop in the business, opening his first Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar in 2007 on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Nine years and countless trips to Mexico later, the well-researched visionary sits atop the Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar empire, as co-owner and managing partner of locations including Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach and Orlando, Florida along with a 2014 New York homecoming in Brooklyn.

Rocco’s commitment to success extends beyond his restaurants and into the communities they serve. Over the last four years, he has raised more than $100,000 for breast cancer research with his annual ”Taco, Tequila & Tatas Tuesdays.” He has also contributed time and energy to various philanthropic causes including ALS Association, Leukemia/Lymphoma Society; JustWorld International; YMCA's Polo for Pedro fundraiser; Vanilla Ice’s Toys for Tots fundraiser; Habitat for Humanity; Genesis Work Dogs; Tri-County Humane Society; March of Dimes; Palm Beach Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, to name a few.

When Rocco is not at one of his restaurants or planning the next phase of Rocco’s Tacos expansion, he loves to travel and spend time with his family, especially his baby girl Charley.

Check out episode 719 with Vaughan Dugan as mentioned in today's episode.

Check out Eat The Frog! by Brian Tracy as mentioned in today's episode!

Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!!

• Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and connect with my past guest and a community of superfans.
• Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
• Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
• Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)

Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only option."

In today's episode with Rocco Mangel we will discuss:

• Failure and learning from it
• The nightclub business
• The taco business
• Sobriety in this industry
• Fundraising
• Take a bad situation and make it better
• Mentors and what they teach you
• Accountants
• Restaurant groups
• Consulting companies
• Time management

Today's sponsor:

getmeez.com/unstoppable One platform to organize, cost, scale, and share your recipes. With a built-in database of thousands of ingredient yields and unit conversions for laser-accurate costs. Train your teams with step-by-step video and image slideshows that live right alongside the recipe. Build ops guides and SOPs, create and upload content in seconds. Never let anyone make the wrong outdated recipe again, all the while keeping your IP safe and secure.

7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free.

P&G ProfessionalTM offers innovative total foodservice solutions featuring trusted brands such as Dawn® Professional, Cascade® Professional, Spic and Span® and Comet®. We are unique in that our total solutions are founded in customer and patron understanding, superior products that help save time and cut overall costs, and a five-star service group that is compensated based on customer satisfaction, not commissions. Visit www.pgpro.com for the latest information about P&G Professional's solutions and services.

Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Generosity
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Failure
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • Honesty
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Fatigue
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Compassion
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • No smoking/no cellphone
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck by GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
8. What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
   • Give thanks
9. Name one service you've hired
   • Inventory - BevIntel
10. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations?
    • Pulse by NCR
11. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • To love
    • To share
    • To be kind

Contact info:

Email: [e-mail]

Thanks for listening!

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Huge thanks to Rocco Mangel for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!