Mike Shirinian, from left, of the Elbow Room and Dave Fansler of Westwood’s BBQ host The Restaurateurs Podcast, which has published more than 500 episodes since 2014. Here they toast with Pat LaRocca, owner of Five Restaurant in Fresno. Courtesy of The Restaurateurs
published on August 10, 2026 – 9:55 AM
Written by Frank Lopez
Since 2014 two prominent Central Valley restaurateurs have used their podcast to delve into the local food and hospitality scene alongside rotating industry guests.
Mike Shirinian, owner of the Elbow Room in Fresno, and Dave Fansler, owner of Westwood’s BBQ, Pismo’s Coastal Grill and Yosemite Ranch, are the founders of The Restaurateurs Podcast, covering kitchen stories, recipes, local dining reviews and beverage insights spanning wine, beer and spirits.
The podcast airs locally at 1 p.m. Saturdays on KMJ 580 AM and 105.9 FM, as well as on the KMJNOW Podcast Hub and Apple Podcasts.
To date, The Restaurateurs Podcast has published more than 500 episodes, each 40 to 45 minutes long.
Part of The Business Journal’s ongoing “Podcast Spotlight” series
From guests to hosts
Shirinian said producers for KMJ radio personality Ray Appleton invited him and Fansler to guest on Appleton’s show, which eventually led to the two starting their own podcast.
Shirinian said they originally alternated recording the shows at each other’s restaurants, and the sounds of a busy dining room could be heard in the episodes. After the pandemic, the podcast began recording in the studio.
“Oftentimes we will have a guest — it could be someone that we know in the restaurant business, somebody new that we met, or somebody that we met outside of the restaurant business that we think is interesting,” Shirinian said.
Research on the road
Shirinian said he and Fansler also do “restaurant research,” taking their top chefs out of town about four times a year to visit half a dozen restaurants in a day or two and analyze food, customer service and procedures that could translate to their own businesses.
Running a restaurant is hard work, Shirinian said.
“You better really have a key understanding and a keen eye for what the guest really is looking for,” Shirinian said. “There is food, service, marketing — there is a lot of moving parts and it goes way beyond just opening the doors. It’s a seven-days-a-week job.”
‘We’re in the feeling business’
The ambiance of a restaurant may seem “cool and casual,” he said, but in the hospitality industry, that’s the idea. And while food is always a major factor, he said, the guest’s experience is equally important.
“We’re in the feeling business. We’re in the recognition business. You can have a restaurant that is consistently average, but you love the way the staff makes you feel. They know your name and bring you your favorite drink without you even asking. The customer is the purpose of your work, not an interruption of it,” Shirinian said.
While the day-to-day work may be serving people good food, the real business is “making memories,” Shirinian said.