logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2018
37m 17s

347. Why You Shouldn’t Open a Restaurant

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
Kenji Lopez-Alt became a rock star of the food world by bringing science into the kitchen in a way that everyday cooks can appreciate. Then he dared to start his own restaurant — and discovered problems that even science can’t solve. 
Up next
Aug 21
Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case? (Update)
The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now there’s a push to return these works to their rightful owners. Sounds simple, right? It's not. (Part 2 of an updated series originally published in 2023.) SOUR ... Show More
52m 55s
Aug 19
Meet Warren Zanes, the Author and Rocker Behind the Springsteen Movie | Better in Person
When he joined the Del Fuegos, his big brother’s band, all Warren knew how to play was a record player. Things went great for a while — and then it all fell apart. So how did he wind up writing definitive books on Springsteen and Tom Petty? If you'd like to see the video version ... Show More
50m 40s
Aug 14
The Case of the $4 Million Gold Coffin (Update)
How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (Part 1 of “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” first published in 2023.) SOURC ... Show More
54m 10s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2019
How not to run a restaurant
It’s a dream shared by many a food lover - a restaurant of their very own. A showcase for their skill and creativity. A passion that also pays the bills.But are aspiring restaurateurs always aware of just how difficult the restaurant trade can be? Is food is the most dangerous pa ... Show More
30m 17s
Nov 2025
Remarkable People: David Chang is 'Steve Jobs with a knife"
What happens when a world-class chef learns that success doesn’t taste like he imagined?David Chang—the culinary force behind Momofuku and author of Eat a Peach—joins Guy Kawasaki to talk about ambition, burnout, scaling the unscalable, and learning to trade Michelin stars for fa ... Show More
32 m
Sep 2024
What’s the future of food? A chef and a cardiologist answer | TED Intersections
What does food mean to you, your community and our planet? With ​​personal accounts from the kitchen to the operating room, chef and content creator Jon Kung and cardiologist Uma Valeti unpack how food cultivates creativity and offers opportunities to connect with and blend cultu ... Show More
24m 11s
Sep 2024
The recipe for a healthy climate starts at the dinner table | Anthony Myint
Why aren't restaurants part of the climate solution? This question inspired chef Anthony Myint to go from opening buzzy pop-ups to pushing for a shift to regenerative farming practices in the food system. He explains how it didn't go the way he expected at first — and how restaur ... Show More
12m 44s
Apr 2020
Ep. 01: Serge
A chef at a small-town restaurant talks about keeping his business afloat, coming to terms with a new kind of solitude, and how he uses cooking to stay connected to the outside world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/liste ... Show More
20m 29s
Dec 2019
Philosopher Chef
Cocaine in kitchens, the widespread impact of a South Park episode on Yelp and review culture. A chef brings Geth behind the scenes of restaurant kitchens and then gets deep and reflective. This episode is brought to you by Bayer, Brooklinen (www.brooklinen.com code: STORIES), Mo ... Show More
1h 4m
Feb 2022
14. Why Do Most Ideas Fail to Scale?
In a new book called The Voltage Effect, the economist John List — who has already revolutionized how his profession does research — is trying to start a scaling revolution. In this installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, List teaches us how to avoid false positives, how ... Show More
48m 54s
Oct 2024
A life-changing quince, backyard butchery, and ethical food obsession
<p>Chef Ben Shewry grew up on a farm in New Zealand where his family grew or hunted most of their own food.</p><p>Ben was 10 when he started working in restaurants and his discovery of a second hand Thai cookbook eventually led him to Australia.</p><p>In 2015 Ben become the owner ... Show More
50m 42s