David Liu is the founder of Kinjo, a 14 seat omakase counter and cocktail lounge in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Before launching Kinjo, David spent more than two decades building one of the internet’s most recognizable consumer brands as the co-founder and former CEO of The Knot. The wedding planning platform that helped shape the modern wedding industry. After taking the company public and eventually selling it, David found himself buying oyster farms in the Pacific Northwest and unexpectedly entering the restaurant business.

What started as a search for something more “analog” led David to oyster farming, investing in hospitality and eventually co-founding Kinjo, an affordable omakase concept designed to bring high-quality sushi experiences to local communities.

Today, David and his team are working to scale Kinjo beyond New York with plans to expand into cities across the country while using food as a way to build connection, community and cultural understanding.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Building The Knot from the early days of the internet to a public company
• Why David walked away from tech after 20 years
• Buying and operating one of the country’s largest oyster farms
• The surprising economics behind omakase restaurants
• Why David believes sushi can scale across America
• Building Kinjo and expanding into multiple cities
• Using hospitality and food to bridge cultural divides
• Lessons from working alongside his wife for decades

Resources & Links
Kinjo Website: https://www.kinjodumbo.com/
David Liu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davdliu

Made possible by Signs and Mirrors, the leading sign, fixture, and furniture shop for events and retail stores.

Opening Soon Links & Resources
→ Signs and furniture for events and retail stores: https://signsandmirrors.com
→ NYC and Houston’s first self-portrait studio: https://fotolab.studio
→ Follow us on Instagram: @openingsoonpodcast
→ More episodes and guest info: https://www.openingsoonpodcast.com
→ Your Host Alan Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-li-711a8629/

Franco Noriega is the founder of Fellini Coffee, one of New York City’s most popular coffee brands, with more than six locations opened in under three years. Before launching Fellini, Franco had an unconventional career path that included competing as a professional swimmer, qualifying for the Olympics, modeling for brands like Dolce & Gabbana, studying acting in New York and opening restaurants across the city.

After years in the restaurant industry building Baby Brasa, Franco discovered an overlooked corner space that had been used as a trash room for decades. That tiny 15 square foot space eventually became the first Fellini Coffee location in the West Village.

What started as a small luxury coffee window quickly turned into one of the city’s most recognizable and fastest-growing coffee brands. Today, Fellini has expanded across Manhattan with locations in Soho, Chelsea, Meatpacking, the Upper West Side and Upper East Side with even more growth planned.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Qualifying for the Olympics as a teenager
• Going from professional swimming to modeling and acting
• Becoming the face of Dolce & Gabbana with no modeling experience
• Opening Baby Brasa and nearly going bankrupt
• How the pandemic unexpectedly transformed the business
• Turning a former trash room into the first Fellini Coffee
• Building a luxury coffee brand in one of the most competitive markets in the world
• Scaling Fellini to multiple NYC locations without investors
• Using AI to streamline operations and growth

Resources & Links
Franco Noriega Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/franconorhal/
Fellini Coffee Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fellinicoffee/

Made possible by Signs and Mirrors, the leading sign, fixture, and furniture shop for events and retail stores.

Opening Soon Links & Resources
→ Signs and furniture for events and retail stores: https://signsandmirrors.com
→ NYC and Houston’s first self-portrait studio: https://fotolab.studio
→ Follow us on Instagram: @openingsoonpodcast
→ More episodes and guest info: https://www.openingsoonpodcast.com
→ Your Host Alan Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-li-711a8629/

Dave Thibodeau is the founder of Ska Brewing, one of the early pioneers of the American craft beer movement. He started brewing beer in high school after discovering his dad’s old homebrewing logbook, which eventually led to launching Ska Brewing in the mid-90s.

Over the next 30 years, Dave and his partners grew the company from a small warehouse operation into a regional craft brewery producing tens of thousands of barrels annually and generating millions in revenue.

Along the way, they built their own manufacturing facility, launched a distribution company, opened a taproom and restaurant and experimented with new concepts. Including a brewstillery that famously opened and shut down the same day COVID hit.

Today, after decades of building the business, Dave has sold Ska Brewing and continues to help lead the company through its next chapter.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Starting a brewery from a homebrewing hobby
• Scaling from 78 barrels to 30,000 barrels per year
• The realities of distribution and shrinking margins
• Opening a brewstillery and shutting down in 71 minutes
• How COVID impacted the craft beer and hospitality industry
• Managing multiple revenue streams in one business
• Why Dave decided to sell after 30 years

Dave also shares the lessons he’s learned building a company over three decades, the biggest mistakes he made with contracts and scaling and why running a brewery is far more complex than most people think.

Resources & Links

Dave Thibodeau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skabrewdave/

Dave Thibodeau: Dave@skabrewing.com/

Made possible by Signs and Mirrors, the leading sign, fixture, and furniture shop for events and retail stores.

Opening Soon Links & Resources
→ Signs and furniture for events and retail stores: https://signsandmirrors.com
→ NYC and Houston’s first self-portrait studio: https://fotolab.studio
→ Follow us on Instagram: @openingsoonpodcast
→ More episodes and guest info: https://www.openingsoonpodcast.com
→ Your Host Alan Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-li-711a8629/