Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast with Zack Oates
Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast is your backstage pass to the minds of hospitality leaders, innovators, and operators who are redefining what it means to serve. Hosted by Zack Oates, founder of Ovation, each episode dives into real-world tactics and inspiring stories from restaurant pros who know how to create five-star guest experiences—both in-store and off-premise.
From fast casual to fine dining, catering to curbside, learn how to drive loyalty, empower your staff, and deliver hospitality that hits home. Whether you're a restaurant owner, operator, marketer, or tech partner, this podcast will leave you with practical insights and plenty of reasons to celebrate and Give an Ovation.
Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast with Zack Oates
What Truly Creates Restaurant Magic with Troy Guard
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Chef Troy Guard, founder of TAG Restaurant Group, joins the show to share how creating a vibe, embracing the unexpected, and mentoring talent have helped him grow multiple restaurant concepts across states. From dishwasher to executive chef, Troy reflects on his journey and how guest experience is driven by feeling—not formulas.
Zack and Troy discuss:
- Why “vibe” is the first thing he notices in a restaurant
- How to scale a brand while staying true to its soul
- The power of mentorship and opening doors for others
- Why hospitality is more than food—it’s emotion
- How to keep concepts fresh without losing consistency
- Why feedback and change go hand in hand
Tune in to hear how Troy’s people-first philosophy creates lasting guest impressions and sustainable growth.
Thanks, Troy!
Introducing Chef Troy Guard
Speaker 1Welcome to another edition of Give an Ovation , the restaurant guest experience podcast , where I talk to industry experts to get their strategies and tactics you can use to create a five-star guest experience . This podcast , as always , is sponsored by Ovation , an operations and guest recovery platform for multi-unit restaurants that gives you all the answers without annoying guests . With all the questions . Learn more at OvationUpcom . And today we have chef Troy Gard , who started off as a dishwasher at 14 and now is the owner and executive chef at Tag Restaurant Group .
Speaker 1He's Hawaiian born , colorado proud . He's a husband and father and he has got some energy and , for those who don't get a chance to watch this , he has got such a cool office . He kind of gave me a quick tour from salsa to dog statues , to kids' drawings , to the Rolling Stones . You've got it all there , troy . Thanks for joining us on Give an Ovation . Man , this is my home away from home , yeah , man . Well , you have had such a cool career and you're doing some really cool stuff now and you've had an interesting upbringing from , obviously , hawaii . You've been all over the world with restaurants and now based in Colorado . So I would love to just hear what's your philosophy when it comes to restaurants . How do you know when you walk in that this is going to be a fire concept or this is going to be a struggling
Restaurant Vibe: The Key to Success
Speaker 1concept ? You know ?
Speaker 2what ? That's a great question , and I wish you would have called tomorrow because we have Chef Robert Irvine . Have you seen that guy ? Oh , yeah , of course he's a legend . He's doing a guest chef with me here in Denver at Garden Grace , so he'd be the perfect guy to ask . Remember that show ? He would turn around a restaurant in two days or 48 hours . But with me it's kind of one word and it's vibe .
Speaker 1I get a vibe .
Speaker 2when I walk into a restaurant , a vibe could mean the presence , the music , the lighting , the commotion . It's just poetry , emotion , and you don't even have to talk , you just feel it right . You feel this vibe . So I think you can tell a lot by a restaurant and that's one of our main lines in our vision . Statement is tag is a celebration of the unexpected and an inspiring vibe .
Speaker 1So what does that mean ? When you talk about the unexpected , how does that actually play out in real life ?
Speaker 2If someone wants something and it's not on the menu , well , let's make it happen . If someone made a mistake on our open table and we got to figure it out , well that's the unexpected . If someone overcooked a meat , a steak , and we got to figure it out , that's the unexpected . The dishwasher goes down . That's the unexpected . I used to walk years ago . I'm an old guy now I'm 54 , but I used to go to this restaurant . As soon as I walked in , the guy walked out the back door , the next door to the store , and bought Red Bulls , because he knew I loved Jaeger and Red Bull , but they didn't carry it in their restaurant . So that's the unexpected . You go above and beyond . So TAG is a celebration of the unexpected .
Speaker 1How do you train for that ? Obviously a big fan of Danny Meyer . I have his book right behind me .
Speaker 2Oh yeah , of course .
Speaker 1And there's this article going around right now that the founder of Shake Shack says I don't give a damn about IQ , he looks for people who they just haven't already . But how do you scale that
Training for the Unexpected
Speaker 1? How do you scale the unexpected ? Because the whole purpose of scaling is like get your system , get your box , be in your box , and what you're saying is you got to be outside that box sometimes .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's like a contradiction , right . So it's like going to war and I can't remember who I think it was Patton but 80% of the war is won in the trenches , meaning the offices and where you plan everything . 20% is out there on the field . So you got to have that and , like Danny says and everyone else , you got to find that it factor . And I was just talking to someone today about I can't remember what it was , but I'm like dude , I can teach a monkey how to make this steak , but I can't teach them how to feel and talk and really put your whole heart out there into it . So it's all about hospitality . It's how you make people feel and it's a tough business . It's a very , very tough business .
Speaker 2I've been doing it , like you said , since 14 . I actually started when I was 13 , but who cares , it's been a long time . I didn't go to a culinary school . I went from high school to a junior college . I worked my way through that and it wasn't until I was 21 that I really had a mentor and someone that said get over here , man , I can see you're good at this , let me help you hone it , let me be your mentor . But a good teacher .
Speaker 2I didn't go to culinary school so I didn't have that teacher . So Roy Yamaguchi and Roy's he was my teacher . And that's what we try to do here . I try to find a few people who I know really have it in their heart or maybe don't know what they have yet , but I can see it and I said , hey , get on , get on over here . And honestly , we've had some great people who have been servers , who have gone on to be great managers or prep cooks or now chefs or cooks that are now owners of restaurants . Nothing makes me feel prouder to see them succeed and I'm not saying it's all because of me , but I think I helped them get to that path and someone helped me . I'm just trying to pay it forward and give them some of the lessons of life and battles that I've gone through .
Speaker 1Yeah , I love that and the whole concept of standing on the shoulders of giants and helping to understand what do we need to do ? How do we get there ? And just because you open the door for someone doesn't mean that they get any less credit for walking through it . Everyone has to do the hard work . But when I look at my life and the series of people who opened doors for me , I equally have gratitude for them , because I would have probably gone knocking on a lot of doors had they not opened up the right one for me . But also it's understanding of like , yeah , I had to work really hard to get through there and to get where I'm at and so , yeah , likewise , how do we open doors for other people ?
Speaker 1I love that concept , because people I mean , you have in your shirt , ohana , and like , right there , right , and it's like that is this talking about vibe ? But this vibe of it's something less than family , more than a team , right when we got to find that right balance there . And I think one of the things that really gets everyone together is going really towards the guest experience , because everything we do is about the guest experience , and so I'd love to get your understanding of , like , what do you think the most important aspects of guest experience ?
Speaker 1And so I'd love to get your understanding of , like , what do you think the most important aspects of guest experience ?
Speaker 2are nowadays . Gosh , darn , you're asking some great , great questions , man . I love it , zach . Things change rapidly , yet they don't if that even makes sense , right , you still have Outback's and Chili's and Denny's and all these restaurants that have been around a long time . But I think they're starting to realize we have to adapt , and so they see these younger people coming up , like , for instance , sam Fox sold some of his concepts to Cheesecake Factory , or PF Chang bought True Food Kitchen . So these ones that have been around are looking for young inspirations and different things all the time . I was just talking to my wife today . I'm like , okay , garden Grace has been open 11 years now . Like we've kept up the refreshing new paint , new chairs , new menus , new , this like , but I always want to keep that . So when Zach walks in , he's like something different about this place . It feels even better than last time .
Speaker 2That's what I try to do , whether it's a plate , a glass , a cocktail or something . So it's definitely like you said , about the experience . These days and someone even told me last night I'd rather go to a restaurant that has a vibe and looks awesome with B or C food , than a restaurant that's A but it's dirty or the vibe's not good at a , b
Modern Guest Experience
Speaker 2or C . And I think that's what people want . They're looking for the experience , right , so they want to go out there and have some fun .
Speaker 1I mean I look at it just like I'm at a runway model . I was just on a subway in New York City .
Speaker 2It's the best I love subways . You can talk and meet everybody .
Speaker 1Oh right , and it's like you meet the , it's so interesting .
Speaker 2The best people yeah .
Speaker 1And I was standing next to her . We struck up a conversation and I was like , oh , what do you do ? She's like , oh , I'm a runway model , almost so offensively . It was like , oh my gosh , and it was so shocking like how different she looked . But it was like it's like , how do you make it up ? How do you do things that are a little bit more pizzazz ? Because I went to a restaurant and the food there , if it was presented differently , if it was in a different environment , if it wasn't in this like random cheapo strip mall , if they had some music playing , literally it was dead silent . They still had some like construction up on the wall . It just was totally off . You could see all like the soda fountain pipes and the food itself , independent of everything else , was so good . But when you put it in that environment , troy , we were like we never want to go back here . It was so weird .
Speaker 2Yeah , that's a bummer and I don't want to see anyone fail because it's a hard business and it takes a lot of time and money . But also be smart . You know , I was driving around Houston the other day looking for some firsthand spots to open some restaurants and also some second generations , and I just think , like who would think to put a restaurant there ? That's a lousy location or a bad building . Or why did you think of this furniture ? And I'll give you a perfect example .
Speaker 2When I opened TAG 15 years ago it'll be actually 16 years in May it was right after the market crash in 08 . I opened in May 09 . Luckily , my three other investors plus me , we still had money and they said , okay , troy , we're going to do it . But I bought everything used except the refrigeration . So I spent all day long online going to restaurants that were going out of business , going to equipment places to find the right fit for everything . But I also hired a designer , because I'm not a designer . So I said , hey , here's this red couch , what do you think of it ? Oh , yeah , we can make this work . Or here's this green cast no , that sucks , troy . So I did it on a budget , but I also used experience , if that makes sense .
Speaker 2You know what I mean .
Speaker 1Oh , totally , because that's the thing is like my wife , she's a fashion designer and our house she literally will find it in goodwill , right , but she makes it look so good , and so it's not about just like spending the money , but it's about , again like you said , it's the vibe , it's how do you feel . And so when you're looking at , let's say that someone's listening here and they've got 20 , 30 restaurants and they're trying to think what are some tactics , chef , that I can use in my restaurant to improve the guest experience ? I mean , you talked about updating the menu and the paint and just making things seem fresh . Any other tactics that you think have improved the guest experience in your brands ?
Speaker 2Yeah , you got it , zach . Again , some people appreciate the same thing every day for 20 years . I like just something a little bit that makes you kind of think or recognize or just brings a oh , okay . So someone who has 20 restaurants , like you asked , probably is doing a probably a pretty good job because they have 20 restaurants , but nonetheless , I think around the seven , eight , 10 year mark , that's when the lease is up . So you have to recognize , usually around year eight , like hey , am I going to renew this lease , because they're usually 10 year leases . If I'm going to renew it , that's another five years . It's a lot more money . That means you're probably doing okay , but we need to refresh , we need to change it up .
Speaker 2So , for instance , my Los Chingones , which is Mexican . I grew up in San Diego as well and I would go down to Tijuana all the time . This menu has changed probably two or three times the layout when I first got it and literally was like basic , just writing , and so it's adapted over the years to the neighborhood , the people that
Adapting to Change
Speaker 2have come in . The color palette has changed a little bit . The plateware there's still obviously signature dishes , but we got some new stuff on there . We hear comment cards and feedback and Yelp reviews , et cetera , and we listen to what other people say as well . So you can't just say , well , it's my way or the highway that may work , but a lot of times it's not always going to work that way , so you got to be open to change . As we all say , the only thing that's inevitable is change .
Speaker 1Yeah , right , exactly , and I think that's such a great way to think about it , because it's easy to get stuck just because something worked last year and be like , okay , let's keep doing it . The question we need to ask ourselves with everything , regardless of what business it is , is why are we doing what we're doing and fall in love ? Not with the solution , not with the menu item , not with the color , but fall in love with the feeling , fall in love with the problem you're trying to solve , fall in love with what you want people to feel , and that is what I found in business . In restaurants , the thing that people are really obsessed with is they're obsessed with making sure that the guest feels special and that creates a lifelong brand .
Speaker 2From what I've seen , Yep , I think Danny said it best Hospitality is the feeling that they're going to remember how you made them feel , not necessarily the dish or anything like that . So that's what I try to do . I think I got lucky working with the restaurants that I did and I always tried to work for the best people . So I worked at a restaurant or I worked at a hotel or I worked at this catering company . I tried to work in different areas to get a very well-rounded balance . So the Marriott , the Ritz Roy's Tower in New York I was all over the gamut .
Speaker 2And then I traveled and lived in Asia for eight years . So then when I did get my opportunity to open hopefully I did one day I wasn't counting on it but I wanted to . And then the opportunity came at 38 years old . That's kind of old for a lot of people at that time , but I felt good and confident at that time that I had the experience . Some of these younger guys 23 , 24 , 25 , kudos to them , hats off , probably bigger balls than I had when I was younger , but it's a lot . So I wanted to have that experience and know like , hey , I can hit anything they throw at me , and that's kind of how I did it .
Speaker 1So I love that . I think that makes a lot of sense . And , closing up here , I know that you know a lot of people and we've got some mutual friends . In fact , I'm wearing the Cali Barbecue Media shirt . Sean Walchef Shout out to him , he's just a rock star . But who is someone that we should be following ? If we're looking for good inspiration for restaurants , and either an individual or a brand that you really respect that we should all be following ?
Speaker 2Love the question . I like to look at different areas . So we're going into Charlotte soon and I'm just now recognizing another part of our beautiful US of A that has great people and great upbringings and great food etc . I live in Denver for 25 years Now . I've moved to Houston to try something new and different , and I told you I lived in 10 other 25 years . Now . I've moved to Houston to try something new and different , and I told you I lived in 10 other cities my whole life .
Speaker 2I like checking new things out . So I don't know if I necessarily look at one person or one group , but I look at how these towns or cities or states . They're growing , they're changing , but they're also welcoming so many new people . In Houston I didn't even know it's more international than New York or LA or Chicago . You know what I mean . And the food scene is off the charts . But yeah , I just think it's hard and challenging in every city , but there's so many amazing things in each city that make it special
Final Thoughts & Future Plans
Speaker 2so I can't really pick one thing . I can go to any town , any city , any state and just , I'm a guy half full or if not fuller , and I just try to find the best in everything .
Speaker 1I love that . Well , where can people go to find and follow you and your brands ?
Speaker 2Yeah , that's awesome . I've got an Instagram . I don't even know what it is because I don't get on it very much , but we also go to it's .
Speaker 1ChefTroyGuard is your Instagram .
Speaker 2There you go .
Speaker 1I know because I'm following you .
Speaker 2But I put a few things on there here and there . But , yeah , go out and we've got eight different concepts . We're in two different states right now , soon to be three and up to four and five . So I love what I do . We're a small company . My wife is a sommelier , works in the front , I work in the back with the numbers . We got an amazing team , over 500 people . But come check us out , and Robert Irvine tomorrow night if you're in Denver .
Speaker 1That's awesome , Super cool . Well , Troy , for bringing us your insights from the mountains to the oceans . Today's ovation goes to you . Thank you for joining us on Give an Ovation .
Speaker 2Thanks Zach , thanks everyone . You guys have an awesome day .
Speaker 1Thanks for joining us today . If you like this episode , leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen . We're all about feedback here . Again , this episode was sponsored by Ovation , a two-question , sms-based actionable guest feedback platform built for multi-unit restaurants . If you'd like to learn how we can help you measure and create a better guest experience , visit us at OvationUpcom .