A smartphone, a story, a $35M brand

In an era where restaurants compete not just with food but with followers, Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ has turned content creation into his secret sauce. When traditional marketing wasn’t an option, he leaned in on social media to build trust and grow his business into a $35M brand. We chatted with Walchef about how “being the show, not the commercial” defines his philosophy of digital hospitality, plus he shares practical advice for operators navigating today’s digital landscape.

—Written by Kelly Dobkin, edited by Lesley McKenzie

What inspired you to lean into content/social media on behalf of your business?

I had to. Back in 2008, when we opened Cali BBQ, nobody knew who we were. We didn’t have a big marketing budget. What we did have was a smartphone and a story. Once I understood that attention was shifting to social media, the decision became simple: we needed to be the show, not the commercial. Instead of waiting for the news to tell our story, we picked up our phones and told it ourselves—every day.

That’s the heart of digital hospitality: meeting people where they are, online, with the same care and service we give them in the restaurant. It wasn’t about vanity metrics. It was about building trust one post, one video, one interaction at a time.

What advice do you have for aspiring hospitality-world content creators?

Start messy. Start today. Don’t overthink it. Hospitality is about making people feel seen, and content is no different. Pull out your smartphone and show the behind the scenes. Make videos of the team prepping ribs, a bartender mixing a new cocktail, unboxing your new restaurant technology, a guest raving about your food. People connect to people, not polished commercials.

Three rules I live by (which my grandfather taught me):

• Stay curious. Learn the platforms, test new tools, see what works.
• Get involved. Reply to every comment like it’s a guest sitting at your table.
• Ask for help. There’s a community of operators and creators figuring this out together.

Content isn’t a campaign—it’s a daily habit. If you’re in hospitality, your story is your advantage. Share it.

How has social media positively impacted your business? 

Social media changed everything for us. Cali BBQ isn’t just a restaurant anymore—it’s a media company that also sells barbecue. Because we committed to telling our story online, we’ve gone from a single-location barbecue spot to building a $35M+ lifetime business that includes ghost kitchens, catering, stadium locations and an international following for our content.

But the real ROI is relationships. Guests walk into our restaurant today and already know our team, our story and our values—because they’ve seen it online. Social lets us build trust before someone ever takes a bite. It’s also opened doors we never imagined—partnerships with brands like Toast and Entrepreneur, a video podcast reaching millions and a platform to help other companies tell their stories too. Digital storytelling is hospitality at scale. That’s the game. 

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The Prep is written by Kelly Dobkin and edited by Lesley McKenzie.