Staying Hungry goes behind the scenes of Long Island’s restaurant industry, tackling the real challenges of hospitality—staffing, compliance, costs, marketing, and more.
Hosted by Vinny Pappalardo and Michael D’Onofrio of Premier Payroll Solutions, this podcast dives into the business behind the restaurant with chefs, owners, and industry pros.
Whether you run a restaurant or just love the business of food, Staying Hungry keeps you informed, inspired, and—most importantly—hungry for success.
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From a Small Family Deli to a Chicken Finger Empire | Vinny Grosso | Dom's Deli
Welcome to Staying Hungry! What started as a small family deli in New Hyde Park has grown into one of Long Island's most talked-about chicken finger businesses. But behind Dom's Famous Chicken Fingers is a story of hard work, family values, and over 30 years of building customer loyalty.
In this episode, hosts Michael D'Onofrio and Vinny Pappalardo sit down with Vinny Grosso of Dom's Deli and Dom's Famous Chicken Fingers to discuss how his father's original chicken finger recipe became a local sensation, growing from just 80 pounds of chicken a week to a staggering 10,000 pounds for the Super Bowl.
Vinny shares the secrets behind their signature honey mustard, how word-of-mouth marketing built a loyal following without traditional advertising, and the challenges of expanding from a neighborhood deli into a standalone chicken finger concept in Plainview. They also discuss managing employees, running food trucks, maintaining food quality, and the possibility of turning Dom's into a national franchise.
For restaurant owners and food entrepreneurs, this episode is a reminder that great food gets customers through the door, but exceptional hospitality keeps them coming back.
Timestamps:
00:00 | Introduction to Vinny Grosso and Dom's Famous Chicken Fingers
00:53 | How Dom's Deli Started in 1995
3:23 | Growing Up in the Family Restaurant Business
11:10 | The Secret Behind Dom's Famous Chicken Fingers
12:15 | From 80 Pounds to 10,000 Pounds of Chicken
16:35 | Building a Business Through Word of Mouth
20:23 | The Signature Honey Mustard Recipe
23:10 | Expanding to Plainview and Beyond
26:24 | Using Social Media to Grow the Brand
29:46 | How Community Loyalty Helped Save the Business
36:46 | Managing Staff and Maintaining Customer Experience
41:30 | Why a Simple Menu Works
46:01 | The Reality of Working 70–80 Hours a Week
53:27 | Food Trucks, Catering, and Franchise Opportunities
55:34 | Vinny's Vision for National Expansion
13 Oct 2026
Nobody Was Going to Outwork This Restaurant Owner | Marcello Erickson - No Good Burger Joint
Staying Hungry is back with another episode! Hosts Michael D'Onofrio and Vinny Pappalardo sit down with Marcello Erickson, the owner of No Good Burger Joint, to talk about the relentless work ethic, discipline, and determination behind building a successful Long Island restaurant brand.
From starting as a busboy at 13 to building a family-run burger business with multiple locations and five food trucks, Marcello shares how he turned his passion for hospitality into a growing operation. He breaks down the challenges of managing food trucks, handling high-volume festivals, expanding into new markets, and maintaining consistency as the business grows.
The conversation also covers how No Good Burger Joint survived COVID through community support, why Marcello refuses to franchise, how he uses ChatGPT for restaurant design, and why social media popularity means nothing without great food and service.
For restaurant owners and entrepreneurs, this episode delivers a valuable lesson: success isn't about who gets the most attention. It's about who puts in the work when nobody's watching.
00:00 – Introduction to Marcello Erickson
0:54 – From Busboy to Restaurant Owner
5:35 – The Story Behind No Good Burger Joint
10:16 – Building a Family-Owned Burger Business
13:01 – Surviving COVID and Supporting the Community
17:47 – Expanding Into Five Food Trucks
20:10 – The Challenges of Food Truck Operations
23:40 – Why Consistent Revenue Matters
27:53 – Running Food Operations at Major Festivals
32:00 – Why Marcello Refuses to Franchise
37:33 – Using ChatGPT to Design a New Restaurant
44:00 – The Importance of Hospitality and Leadership
50:03 – Why Nobody Was Going to Outwork Him
53:01 – Balancing Marriage and Restaurant Ownership
58:32 – Why Social Media Hype Isn't Enough
60:31 – Building a Brand That Stands on Its Own
28 Sept 2026
What Nobody Tells You About Owning a Restaurant | Maria & Michael Cassano | American Beauty
Staying Hungry gets into the side of restaurant ownership customers rarely see.
Michael D’Onofrio and Vinny Pappalardo sit down with Maria and Michael Cassano of American Beauty to talk about building restaurants from the ground up, surviving near-failure, navigating COVID, managing staff, working with your spouse, and learning when growth can actually hurt the business.
Maria and Michael share how American Beauty went from struggling to keep the lights on to becoming a successful local concept—and why great food alone isn’t enough. They break down the importance of service, social media, customer retention, hands-on ownership, and knowing when you’re stretched too thin.
For restaurant owners and hospitality professionals, this episode is a look at the pressure, mistakes, wins, and resilience behind running an independent restaurant.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Maria & Michael Cassano of American Beauty
04:00 – Michael’s path into the restaurant business
11:00 – Building American Beauty from the ground up
17:00 – Nearly closing the restaurant
21:00 – Pivoting during COVID
27:00 – Expansion, partnerships & costly lessons
36:00 – The reality of being a restaurant owner
41:00 – Working with your spouse
49:00 – Why restaurant management is so difficult
55:00 – Great service vs. great food
1:03:00 – Social media & restaurant marketing
1:14:00 – Why expansion can hurt your business
1:24:00 – Rising restaurant costs & shrinking margins
1:32:00 – The emotional side of restaurant ownership
1:37:00 – Advice for restaurant owners
Who has been a guest on Staying Hungry
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Luke Tesoriero
Gerard Duffy
Melanie Duffy
Gus Tsiorvas
Mike Vittorio
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
90,601
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 36 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
31
Social presence
0
YouTube
72
Engagement
32
Contact Staying Hungry
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Vinny Pappalardo and Michael D’Onofrio and Michael D'Onofrio and Mike and Vinny host the show. Published by Vinny & Mike of Premier Payroll Solutions.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Staying Hungry take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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