Chef Matt Cooper (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) on Cooking Virtual Flavor — Restaurant Influencers (RI004)

Executive Chef Matt Cooper (@stadiumchef) runs food operations at Mercedes-Benz Stadium like the Atlanta Falcons play football: with strategy and teamwork.

Watch this podcast interview to learn how the stadium chef, podcast host, and digital creator manifested his exciting career and his tips for success.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN on this episode of the Restaurant Influencers podcast, sponsored by @ToastTab? Let us know by leaving a YouTube comment below!

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CHAPTERS:
[02:13] - Being a Stadium Chef
[04:37] - Catering the Super Bowl
[14:35] - Using Technology for Hospitality
[19:25] - Manifested Career Path
[25:12] - Get in Touch

Chef Matt Cooper is a Restaurant Influencer —

We typically ask our guests what their favorite stage is on the Restaurant Influencers podcast. Of course in Executive Chef Matt Cooper’s case that stage is his workplace — the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons.

“This place (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) is massive,” Matt Cooper exclaimed about the large entertainment and sports events venue. “It’s very fast-paced and that’s what I love about it.”

• FOLLOW Chef Matt Cooper on Social Media @stadiumchef

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, has more than 200 executive suites, dozens of concession stands, and multiple all-inclusive clubs and restaurants. All of which create massive volumes of amazing food for VIPS, players, entertainers, staff, fans, and more.

Running food operations at a big venue like a stadium is kind of like being in charge of feeding a small city.

“No one really has an idea of what we do behind the scenes at a stadium,” he said.

There are three things that are important for any line of work: Communication. Logistics. Timing.

“Communication that is key. Without communication, we can’t do anything. And logistics and timings. That’s it: Logistics, Timing, Communication. That’s how we’re able to execute at such a high level.”

To help the operations thrive, the stadium team has also made sure to invest in digital tools and new technology. That included being one of the first stadiums to switch to cashless payments.

“There’s no going back. Immediately you could see the speed of service jumped up,” Matt Cooper shared about the stadium industry’s digital evolution.

Rethinking Concessions —

The executive chef and his crew’s mission is to take the old concept of concessions and modernize it for guests who have a taste for fresh foods and new tech.

"We have a West Nest chicken stand, which is all fresh chicken that we do from scratch, all the barbecue we do in-house: thousand pounds of pork butts, thousand pounds of brisket… We cater the entire building. There’s about 30 events on a game day.”

The goal is to make the stadium catering process enjoyable and get people excited about the food. It’s through his social media presence (@stadiumchef), Suite Life podcast (@stadiumpod), and other digital media that Chef Matt is able to communicate his story to a large audience.

“We're just trying to inject some fun and some different things in there and be able to have the creativity come back to the stadium so people can get excited about it.

“Watch my Instagram because we show the behind the scenes of how we're coming up with these items, the R&D involved. And then when you come to a game, you get to experience it.”

One of the best pieces of advice Matt Cooper can share with other entrepreneurial go-getters like himself is to get up early, yes, but spend the time thinking. That means no phone, no computer, no newspaper. Just thoughts about the exciting day ahead before the sun rises.

“For the first hour of waking up I will not touch my phone. I won’t look at it. And that was a very tough thing for me to do. But what I’m learning is that has allowed me to think of something other than social media and news and politics… It allows me to think of what I’m doing at the stadium, what’s the task for the day?”

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EPISODE LINKS:
• Chef Matt Cooper on Instagram - https://instagram.com/stadiumchef
• The Suite Life Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1cdSyxk_f4
• The Virtual Flavor - https://www.thevirtualflavor.com

NOMINATE A RESTAURANT INFLUENCER — Do you know someone who is killing it on social media? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or sending the @calibbqmedia team a DM on social media.

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS:
Every week host Shawn P. Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with leaders in restaurant and hospitality about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling and how to show up and engage where customers are spending time online.

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