84 Hospitality founder Rachel Cope on 5 elements that go into a great restaurant experience

About this episode

Rachel Cope discusses the key elements that contribute to a great restaurant experience and her approach to hospitality.

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Rachel Cope, founder and CEO of 84 Hospitality, which has four concepts in its portfolio, including the eight-unit Empire Slice House. Rachel — who NRN recently named to the Power List of restaurant founders, and who was also named a 2026 James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur — opened the first Empire in 2013, and every restaurant that she’s opened since has been imbued with the five things she’s passionate about: people, art, music, booze, and of course food. In fact, 84 Hospitality is so committed to the atmosphere of their restaurants that they don’t even call them restaurants; they call them “hangouts,” because their main goal is for customers to enjoy themselves on site and plug into their community. Rachel joined the podcast to talk about the details that go into a great restaurant atmosphere — from a curated music playlist to free prosecco pours — and about how she’s positioning Empire Slice House and its counter service offshoot, Empire Slice Shop, to be a major growth opportunity. In this conversation, you’ll find out why: The best leaders figure out how to adapt to their situation A…

People in this episode

Host: Sam Oches

Guest: Rachel Cope

Topics covered

• restaurant experience
• hospitality
• leadership
• atmosphere
• community engagement
• restaurant growth

Keywords

• restaurant atmosphere
• hospitality
• Empire Slice House
• community
• leadership
• James Beard Award
• 84 Hospitality

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 84 Hospitality, Empire Slice House, Empire Slice Shop, NRN, James Beard Award

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