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Square has released a new video series, 'Running a Restaurant Is No Joke,' that features actor, winemaker, and comedian Eric Wareheim in four humorous and insightful episodes that dive into the grit and substance it takes to open and run a restaurant.

Made in-house by Square’s creative team and in collaboration with Ventureland, an Academy Award–nominated, Emmy-winning independent creative studio, the episodes entertain while also providing real tips and advice on how to make it in the restaurant industry as Eric shadows Los Angeles–based restaurateurs and Square sellers Alisa Reynolds of My 2 Cents, Alvin Cailan of Amboy, and Keegan Fong of Woon Kitchen:

• Beyond being the executive chef and owner of My 2 Cents, James Beard–nominated Chef Alisa hosts the hit Hulu show “Searching for Soul Food.” In her time with Eric, she teaches him about some of the tough trade-offs you have to make when running a restaurant and how every dollar counts.
• Chef Alvin is a leading chef in America’s Filipino food movement, and he’s the host of First We Feast’s “The Burger Show.” He and Eric discuss the importance of hiring quality people and maintaining efficiency, ensuring less waste, and more happy customers.
• Chef Keegan started his homestyle Chinese restaurant as a pop-up while working a full-time job – now, Woon has two brick-and-mortar locations. Keegan and Eric dive into the fast-evolving takeout game and its importance for Woon’s business.

While this work was produced before the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, the sentiment of how difficult it is to run a restaurant – and how restaurants play a vital and joyful role in their communities, especially as they rebuild – rings even more true.

With Square, restaurants like My 2 Cents, Amboy, and Woon Kitchen build resilient businesses, using refreshingly easy technology to balance scalability and hospitality. Square allows food and beverage businesses to manage their daily operations with consistency and care, adapt easily with flexible tools as restaurants evolve, and propel businesses to the next stage of growth.

“Running a restaurant isn’t just a job – it’s a passion, a grind, and a daily lesson in resilience,” said Lindsey Irvine, chief marketing officer at Square. “At Square, supporting restaurants means supporting the real people behind these businesses, and we wanted to capture their stories, struggles, and humour. With this campaign, we show how Square’s technology helps restaurant owners find the calm in the chaos, and we worked with Eric to showcase the hard-earned wisdom that comes from being a veteran in this industry, giving more restaurants the tools they need to succeed, too.”

Beyond his career as an actor, comedian, and award-winning director, Eric Wareheim is a New York Times–best selling author for his cookbook Foodheim, and he is co-owner of natural winery Las Jaras. As a renowned foodie, learning the ins and outs of the restaurant business – and doing so with humour along the way – is a natural next step in his culinary adventure.

“Meeting and learning from such talented chefs was eye-opening, and the experience became even more special in the aftermath of the wildfires,” said Eric Wareheim. “Running a restaurant is truly no joke – it’s a crazy journey that requires a lot of patience, partnership, and a good helping of humour. It’s been a privilege to work with Alisa, Alvin, and Keegan and witness their resilience and grit – and with this series, we hope to bring some light to a difficult situation and to have some fun exploring the highs and lows of the industry.”

This integrated multi-channel campaign includes promotion spanning paid media, organic social, email, and editorial, with the episodes now live on Square’s website.