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\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
This interview was originally recorded on October 14th, 2025, when Sam Bakhshandehpour was Global CEO of the Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Group. He recently took a position at Bilt as President of Local Merchants.<\/em><\/p>\n Restaurants are built on food and operations, but they are remembered because of the stories that come out of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n During his tenure as Global CEO of Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Group, Sam Bakhshandehpour<\/a> saw how one unexpected moment can travel far beyond the dining room when it captures something real.<\/p>\n That became clear during a Miami Food and Wine event. A massive paella pan sat over live fire when rain poured down from the sky. Everyone scattered for cover except Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe goes, go get the umbrellas,\u201d Bakhshandehpour remembers in a conversation from October 2025 when he was the CEO. Andr\u00e9s stayed at the pan, cooking through the downpour while the crowd slowly circled back. Champagne came out, people laughed in the rain and a messy situation turned into a shared memory.<\/p>\n That scene showed the group what the company does best.\u00a0\u201cWe are storytellers,\u201d Bakhshandehpour says. \u201cWe tell our stories in the dining room, with the magic from the kitchen, through our design and our marketing strategy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong>10 Storytelling Strategies That Make Startups Impossible to Ignore<\/p>\n So when the group expanded into media, it was not a reinvention. It was a continuation. Jos\u00e9 had long been a natural on screen, and the leadership team understood that the stories already unfolding in their restaurants could be told in other formats. \u201cMedia is just an extension of that storytelling,\u201d Bakhshandehpour says.<\/p>\n The paella moment became a perfect example. First, it was an experience. Then it became an episode in Jos\u00e9 and Family in Spain. Later, it inspired a paella kit for home cooks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Same idea. Different formats. The story connected each one.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the group, authenticity is what makes the flywheel work. \u201cPeople see right through something that is authentic and something that is not,\u201d Bakhshandehpour says. \u201cOnce you capture their hearts and minds with your content, it does not matter if it is in the restaurant or on the screen. It has to feel real.\u201d<\/p>\n That belief guides the company\u2019s growing media division: scripted series, travel shows, podcasts and books. All of it is built around human moments that mirror the energy of a busy dining room.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are about experiences,\u201d Bakhshandehpour says. \u201cThe dining room is where people put their phones down and are truly present. That is the beauty of storytelling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Whether it is a paella pan in a rainstorm or a television episode that explores the roots of Spanish cuisine, the group sees it all as part of the same mission: create moments that matter, and share them wherever guests gather.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong>Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners<\/p>\n Purpose has always been built into the way the Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Group operates. Long before any official partnership, the team was already thinking about food waste, sustainability and what it means to run a purpose-driven company.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bakhshandehpour talks about it the same way he talks about storytelling. It is not a marketing angle. It is a responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cOur chefs have always tried to optimize the usage of ingredients,\u201d he says. \u201cYou want to maximize how much you use versus what gets wasted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He points to a single tomato as the example that stuck with him. Chef Nico Lopez once held one up at Mercado Little Spain<\/a> and showed how it became three different dishes. <\/p>\n One tomato and zero waste. The philosophy was already strong inside the kitchens. What the group needed was a partner who could help scale that thinking outside the restaurant. That partner became Copia<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bakhshandehpour was introduced to Copia founder Kimberly Smith<\/a> and their team and immediately saw the alignment. Copia understood logistics, donation rules and the complexities of different markets. They built technology that reduces stress rather than adding more work to an already overloaded restaurant staff.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a restaurant operator, the last thing you need is another thing for your team to do,\u201d Bakhshandehpour says. \u201cCopia figured out the hard part.\u201d<\/p>\n That impact is not theoretical. As the host of Restaurant Influencers<\/em>, I traveled to Mercado Little Spain in New York City to document the process firsthand<\/a>. I stood in the 35,000-square-foot commissary kitchen as Chef Ernesto Rodriguez demonstrated what they call the \u201cthree-minute habit,\u201d weighing surplus food, logging it in the Copia app and triggering a pickup in seconds.<\/p>\n That same operational discipline inside Mercado Little Spain is now expanding beyond it, with the partnership rolling out nationally. The early results have been significant. Food is diverted from landfills, and CO2 is reduced and water is saved. Thousands of meals delivered to communities that need them. And the incentives line up. Less waste means lower food costs. Donations come with tax credits. Impact and economics can coexist.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong>They Used an Impulsive But Smart Strategy to Turn Their Small Business Into a Cult Brand<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes sense for the environment and it makes sense for the bottom line,\u201d Bakhshandehpour says. \u201cDoing good and doing well at the same time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Group, Copia is not a side project. It is a continuation of their mission to serve others with intention. Whether feeding the few or feeding the many, the company sees it as the same work: Use every resource thoughtfully. Lift others. Lead with purpose.<\/p>\n Restaurant Influencers<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.<\/p>\n Toast \u2014 Powering Successful Restaurants. Learn more about\u00a0Toast<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This interview was originally recorded on October 14th, 2025, when Sam Bakhshandehpour was Global CEO of the Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Group. He recently took a position at Bilt as President of Local Merchants.<\/em><\/p>\n Restaurants are built on food and operations, but they are remembered because of the stories that come out of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n During his tenure as Global CEO of Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s Group, Sam Bakhshandehpour<\/a> saw how one unexpected moment can travel far beyond the dining room when it captures something real.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSustainability made practical<\/h2>\n
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About\u00a0Restaurant Influencers<\/em><\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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