Webinar/Podcast

Mario Johnson with The Original Sleepy Potato

Welcome to the Corner Booth!

Join hosts Chris Tripoli and Barry Shuster and their guests for a podcast for anyone who is starting a restaurant business, growing an independent restaurant business, or dreaming about starting an independent restaurant business.

Learn from successful restaurateurs who share their stories WHY they got into the business and HOW they created and built their winning concepts.

So grab your favorite beverage, have a seat, and listen in!

Mario Johnson founded The Original Sleepy Potato limited-service quick-service concept in 2018, in shuttered restaurant space next door to his downtown Detroit barber. Today, his startup has grown to a seven-unit chain in Detroit and Atlanta.

Says Mario, "Initially the concept was called Mojo's Motown Eatery, serving burgers and wings," adding, "It wasn't until the next year when I moved to Atlanta and added stuffed potatoes that the concept really took off. So, I changed the name to The Original Sleepy Potato."

"We keep the menu simple, using high quality, extra-large russet potatoes, sixteen stuffings, and a wide variety of grilled protein toppings, including beef, chicken, lamb, and shrimp," he says. The menu offers specialty non-alcoholic beverages using Kool-Aid® flavoring.

The counter-service concept favors second-generation restaurant spaces ranging from 1,200 to 2,000 sq. ft. With an eye toward franchising as a pathway for expansion, Mario is upbeat about the future of his restaurant business.