From The Ritz To Cotati: The Amazing Business Story Of Acme Burger

From The Ritz To Cotati: The Amazing Business Story Of Acme Burger

From It's All Money by 707 Media

August 21, 2025 · 44 min · Season 2 · Episode 24

About this episode

This episode features an interview with Erica and Todd Kniess, discussing the success of Acme Burger amidst a competitive market and pandemic challenges.

It’s 2025! Every business is Robots! Franchises! CORPORATE! ...then how is an upstart local restaurant with humans expanding from 1 to 5 locations in under 6 years? Through a global pandemic? In one of the world’s most highly competitive restaurant markets? On the back of good ol’ burgers and fries?? 🍔🍟🥤 This week on It’s All Money, we sit down with Erica and Todd Kniess of Sonoma County’s own Acme Burger. Why would a former Ritz Carlton chef choose burgers for his biggest business venture? What organizational structure did they implement to ensure happy, motivated staff? Why does offering families a place to “drop your shoulders” turn into real revenue? How did a chance meeting in Bodega turn into a profitable growth opportunity for 2 businesses? Why does community and quality matter to them before dollars? Join us for the first in-depth interview about this incredible Sonoma County success story (and yes, some delicious Burger footage!), RIGHT HERE on YouTube. Take Sonoma Wealth's Free Wealth Analysis right here: https://sonomawealthadvisors.com/ Videos available on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaOjL6z16wjV2_CTStzc36Y5JtiwhVoGJ…

People in this episode

Host: 707 Media

Guests: Erica Kniess, Todd Kniess

Topics covered

  • restaurant business
  • local entrepreneurship
  • community impact
  • employee motivation
  • pandemic resilience

Keywords

  • Acme Burger
  • restaurant expansion
  • Sonoma County
  • Ritz Carlton
  • employee satisfaction
  • community engagement
  • business growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Acme Burger, Ritz Carlton, Fermata Advisors LLC, Sonoma Wealth

Places: Sonoma County, Bodega

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