Harold Jurado is the Owner and Director of Operations at Ramenwell, a ramen shop based in San Francisco’s Mission District known for its innovative approach to Japanese comfort food. He is also the Founder and CEO of Umami Hottie, a growing brand that produces chili oils and Japanese-inspired retail products. Harold’s career spans decades in the culinary industry, with experience working in renowned restaurants across Chicago, New York, and Las Vegas. His expertise ranges from restaurant operations and management to product development, making him a versatile entrepreneur in the food and beverage space.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [05:05] Why Harold Jurado decided to enroll in culinary school
- [07:11] Harold’s journey from salad intern to sous-chef in New York
- [10:34] The evolution of restaurant technology over the past 20 years
- [12:07] Harold talks about his experience managing Google’s noodle café
- [19:33] Balancing diverse customer preferences with humility and adaptability in the kitchen
- [22:42] Why Harold decided to open a ramen shop
- [26:05] The hard truths of understaffing or overhiring in a new restaurant
- [27:45] How reviews shape restaurant growth and Harold’s approach to handling feedback
- [29:49] How Harold pivoted during the pandemic
- [32:44] Umami Hottie’s journey into retail and product development
In this episode…
What does it take to turn culinary passion into a thriving business? For restaurateurs, the path to success is rarely straightforward. From mastering the fundamentals of cooking to navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, creating a sustainable restaurant demands grit, adaptability, and vision. How do seasoned chefs build businesses that survive challenges like poor reviews and global pandemics?
According to Harold Jurado, a seasoned restaurateur with decades of experience in the culinary world, success hinges on humility, incremental growth, and a willingness to learn. He highlights that understanding both the artistry and business of food is essential — balancing flavors and margins alike. Reflecting on his early career, Harold shares how digitizing recipes at his first restaurant set the foundation for consistency and scaling. Years later, he overcame staffing challenges, harsh reviews, and the financial strain of running Ramenwell by listening to customer feedback and embracing delivery and technology. His approach shows that small, intentional changes can lead to lasting impact in the competitive restaurant industry.
In this episode, John Corcoran visits with Harold Jurado, Owner and Director of Operations at Ramenwell and Founder and CEO of Umami Hottie, to discuss how he transitioned from culinary school to entrepreneurship. Harold shares how he turned setbacks into opportunities, the role of technology in modern restaurant management, and how the pandemic reshaped his approach to business. He also talks about scaling his brand with Umami Hottie and the importance of staying grounded while pursuing bold ambitions.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- EO San Francisco
- EO Accelerator
- Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)
- John Corcoran on LinkedIn
- Rise25
- Harold Jurado on LinkedIn
- Ramenwell
- Umami Hottie
Related Episodes
Quotable Moments
- “I realized that for me to get the most out of my life, being an entrepreneur was right up my alley.”
- “Taste something along the way… that way, your brain starts to make associations of what garlic is like raw or when it’s burnt.”
- “I just packed up my bags and moved west… I never wanted to open up another restaurant.”
- “It’s like working out… a couple weeks later, you’re like, oh, I don’t see any improvement.”
- “Incremental growth… that’s how we’ve been able to find success.”
Action Steps
- Embrace continuous learning: By committing to ongoing education and skill development, you can stay competitive and innovative in your field, which is crucial in a rapidly evolving environment like the restaurant industry.
- Cultivate resilience and flexibility: Building resilience helps you navigate setbacks with more confidence and flexibility, essential traits for overcoming obstacles and seizing new opportunities.
- Leverage technology for efficiency: By integrating technology into your processes, you can increase efficiency, improve consistency, and focus more on strategic areas of your business.
- Seek customer feedback and adapt: Engaging with your audience to understand their preferences and adapting your services accordingly can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately driving business growth.
- Foster a collaborative environment: Encouraging a collaborative workplace not only empowers employees but also leverages diverse perspectives, leading to more innovative solutions and a stronger team dynamic.
Sponsor for this episode…
EO San Francisco
This episode is brought to you by EO San Francisco.
The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 14,000+ influential business owners with 198 chapters in 61 countries.
If you are the founder, co-founder, owner, or controlling shareholder of a company generating over $1 million a year in revenues, and want to connect with other like-minded successful entrepreneurs, EO is for you.
The EO San Francisco chapter enables leading entrepreneurs in the Bay area to learn, grow, and achieve greater success.
The EOSF chapter was founded in 1991, and today we have over 100 members in industries ranging from marketing to agriculture to tech and professional services.
To learn how it works, or to come do a test drive come join us at www.eonetwork.org/sanfrancisco/.
This episode is also brought to you by my company, Pacific Crest Group.
Pacific Crest Group provides outsourced CFO, Controller, and bookkeeping services. You can learn more about us at https://www.pcg-services.com/
Rise25
At Rise25, we’re committed to helping you connect with your Dream 100 referral partners, clients, and strategic partners through our done-for-you podcast solution.
We’re a professional podcast production agency that makes creating a podcast effortless. Since 2009, our proven system has helped thousands of B2B businesses build strong relationships with referral partners, clients, and audiences without doing the hard work.
What do you need to start a podcast?
When you use our proven system, all you need is an idea and a voice. We handle the strategy, production, and distribution – you just need to show up and talk.
The Rise25 podcasting solution is designed to help you build a profitable podcast. This requires a specific strategy, and we’ve got that down pat. We focus on making sure you have a direct path to ROI, which is the most important component. Plus, our podcast production company takes any heavy lifting of production and distribution off your plate.
We make distribution easy.
We’ll distribute each episode across more than 11 unique channels, including iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. We’ll also create copy for each episode and promote your show across social media.
Co-founders Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran credit podcasting as being the best thing they have ever done for their businesses. Podcasting connected them with the founders/CEOs of P90x, Atari, Einstein Bagels, Mattel, Rx Bars, YPO, EO, Lending Tree, FreshBooks, and many more.
The relationships you form through podcasting run deep. Jeremy and John became business partners through podcasting. They have even gone on family vacations and attended weddings of guests who have been on the podcast.
Podcast production has a lot of moving parts and is a big commitment on our end; we only want to work with people who are committed to their business and to cultivating amazing relationships.
Are you considering launching a podcast to acquire partnerships, clients, and referrals? Would you like to work with a podcast agency that wants you to win?
Contact us now at support@rise25.com or book a call at rise25.com/bookcall.
Rise25 Co-founders, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran, have been podcasting and advising about podcasting since 2008.