Lessons on Building Carbone, ZZ's & a Restaurant Empire | Jeff Zalaznick
Jul 19, 2026 · 1:47:56
Jeff Zalaznick, co-founder of Major Food Group behind Carbone, ZZ's, and The Pool, explains how his lifelong obsession with food led him from a J.P. Morgan analyst job to building 77 restaurants (76 still profitable). He details the $40 million restoration of The Pool—the only interior landmark restaurant in America—and the counterintuitive decision to close lunch to make The Grill a dinner destination. Zalaznick articulates the company's thesis: take something everyone loves and make the best version ever done, exemplified by Carbone's 70-item menu and spicy rigatoni vodka. He describes finding partners Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi after being blown away by their food at Torrisi, and the story of Carbone's iconic neon sign, broken by the previous owner but retained. The episode covers their expansion into private members clubs (ZZ's) with subscription models and a culinary concierge, and their rapid Miami growth—opening Carbone on Collins in 100 days without moving a single wall, achieving over $30 million in annual revenue. Zalaznick also shares their move into hotels, branded residential towers, and even Carbone tomato sauce sold in thousands of stores.
