"If you want to scale hospitality, don’t add more tech—make people feel seen."

Anthony Valletta, CEO of bartaco, started flipping pizzas at 13 and spent two decades across QSR, premium casual, and Michelin-level dining before taking the helm at bartaco. In this episode, he joins Rachael Nemeth (Opus Training CEO) to unpack how he delivers full-service hospitality at fast-casual labor costs, rethinking roles, building wage equity, and using tech only where it removes friction instead of replacing connection.

Anthony breaks down bartaco’s service-leader model, why QR ordering supplements rather than replaces hospitality, and how reinvesting labor efficiencies into leadership development lifted guest sentiment. He shares how wage equity reshaped teamwork, the two traits every growth brand needs (grit and adaptability), and his interview litmus test: Would you have a beer with them?

Whether you lead five restaurants or fifty, Anthony’s blend of curiosity, empathy, and discipline offers a real-world playbook for scaling hospitality without losing its soul.

Key Takeaways

→ Tech That Lifts People: QR and handhelds cut friction (reorders, pay and go, Apple Pay) so servers can focus on connection.
 → Service Leaders Drive Sentiment: A salaried bridge role improved consistency without inflating labor.
 → Reinvest the Win: Labor savings funded coaching for every manager.
 → Wage Equity That Works: Shared upside, including BOH, built true team service.
 → Hire for Grit + AQ: Fast-moving brands need adaptability and learning agility.
 → Train the Feeling: Teach teams to read sound, light, and pace before grabbing a playbook.
 → Clarity Over Complexity: Simplify communication to keep focus on guests.
 → The Frontline Asked for Opus: Teams drove the shift to a 360° learning hub.

Perfect For:
Operators blending full-service hospitality with fast-casual economics, L&D teams modernizing training, HR designing equitable comp, and leaders scaling culture, not just units.

About Anthony Valletta:
CEO of bartaco. A 20-year industry veteran who’s worked every role from pizza line to Michelin dining, he leads a 33-unit brand known for pairing tech with genuine hospitality, championing wage equity, and developing leaders who walk the floor.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Intro + Anthony’s path
 02:48 Why hospitality hooks you
 04:55 QR without losing the human touch
 05:51 The service leader role
 07:09 Using tech to reduce friction
 08:05 Memory vs. data
 11:23 Handhelds with history
 13:38 What guests actually want
 15:07 Wage equity + pooled upside
 19:59 Scaling and competing for talent
 20:29 Hiring for grit + AQ
 23:35 The interview litmus test
 26:27 Turnover + development
 29:38 Training the feeling of a room
 33:14 Why bartaco moved to Opus
 35:32 Lightning Round

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job and get the frontline intelligence needed to drive your business.

Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn:
 https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-so/

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business.

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!