About this episode
YERRR – the guys sat down with Mario Carbone to chop it up about the hustle behind building a restaurant empire. From old-school red sauce joints to celeb-packed hotspots, Mario breaks down the flavors, the business, and the pressure of keeping it all fresh. He talks about Michelin stars, wild celebrity dining stories, and why good hospitality is the real secret sauce. All that and more on this week’s episode of FLAGRANT. INDULGE.00:00 Intro00:37 Getting a reservation at Carbone? Greasing the right people8:07 Quick Tip, Restaurants’ intel + Maitre Ds13:18 Michelin Star Experiences17:42 How much do waiters make at Carbone?21:58 Politics in dining, Michelin Stars + Finding a good restaurant26:25 The staff is banging each other27:38 Can Michelin star be bought? Paying influencers30:21 Sorry Justin Bieber! Scummiest PR move33:01 Starting out + Power of the Review41:51 Worst tipper? Tip 20%46:31 Racial busboy harmony 48:51 Mexicans are the best53:29 Sandwich Shop to Carbone + Getting a backer1:00:34 Throwing a critic out + Respecting a negative review1:04:51 Aiming for the old school + Torrisi’s super power1:08:30 Relationships with celebs + Banned celebs1:12:39 Rap mentioning Carbone1:23:49 Rules to sending food back1:24:46 Better Italian food in NYC than Italy1:28:13 Getting people to leave + Not being kid friendly1:32:22 Outside Dining, Maintaining Quality + Entrepreneurial1:37:30 Too difficult to replicate, The Spicy Rig + Iconic dish1:43:02 Biggest bomb + Secret menu1:46:48 Pet peeves + Giant menus1:54:21 Moving to Italy + New dining trends now2:00:58 Pinnacle for a Chef + Rewarding talent2:04:08 Best places in New York?2:11:42 Judge an Italian restaurant? Underrated pork chops2:14:44 Charging for Wine + Impressing a date2:17:43 F1 Weekend in Miami2:20:15 What’s next? + Performance + Obama protocol2:25:24 Getting your flowers from the Older generation2:27:18 Navigating Egos2:30:14 Why is New York the greatest city in the world?2:31:41 Next generation coming through + Tariffs impacting2:34:44 Being proud of heritage + Assimilation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
