Michael Dorf was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. After studying Psychology and Business at Washington University, he founded New York City’s go-to venue for independent music, the Knitting Factory, in 1986. As Knitting Factory Chairman and CEO, Dorf helped bring the concert house to global prominence by expanding into Europe and Asia via tours, branded festivals, and record production and sales. Dorf was recognized as a pioneer in producing music on the Internet, through a variety of strategic relationships with Apple Computer, Intel, MCI, and Bell Atlantic. During his Knitting Factory tenure, he produced over 200 recordings, a television series, and built a new venue in Los Angeles. In 2002, he left his operating responsibilities and sold his equity position to pursue other endeavors, including a Carnegie Hall concert fundraiser series, founding a Hebrew school, and winemaking. By 2008, Dorf had conceptualized a venue that brought his love for both the making and enjoyment of wine under one roof and created City Winery –Manhattan’s first fully-functional winery, restaurant, music venue and private event space. City Winery offers a wide selection of wines, exquisite cuisine and intimate performances from iconic performers. Dorf expanded his company in 2012 with the opening of City Winery Chicago. Subsequent years have brought new venues to Nashville, Atlanta, Boston, and Washington DC, with Hudson Valley and Philadelphia. Check out Indulge Your Senses:  Scaling Intimacy in a Digital World by Michael Dorf Today’s feature affiliate: Bentobox. In need of a restaurant website? Click this link to find out why so many of my guests use Bentobox! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me!  Connect with my past guest and a community of superfans. Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!) Favorite success quote or mantra: "You gotta love what you do." "Indulge your senses." In this episode with Michael Dorf we will discuss: Starting out in the music industry Marketing Making wine Unique challenges with an urban winery Numbers come first! Today's sponsor: 7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free. Talk To The Manager – Nowadays, most guests don't want to call you on the phone or give you their feedback face-to-face. With TalkToTheManager, guests can avoid making a scene by sending you comments and questions anonymously by text message, allowing you to respond and handle issues in real-time. It's easy to set up and simple to use for both staff and visitors. No software integration. No downloads, and no apps to install. Diageo Bar Academy equips bartenders, servers, managers, and hospitality professionals with the insights, stories, and tools to be better - raising the bar on industry standards. Diageo Bar Academy reaches a diverse audience, with backgrounds and skill levels of all ranges- providing them with skills, knowledge, and the techniques they need to improve their personal and professional lives. Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Endorphins What is your biggest weakness? Over-indulgence What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Uniqueness What's a current challenge? How are you dealing