Chef Troy Guard, founder and executive chef of TAG Restaurant Group, joins Give an Ovation to talk about the heartbeat of hospitality: vibe. From washing dishes at 14 to running multi-state restaurant concepts, Troy shares how creating unforgettable guest experiences means embracing the unexpected, mentoring talent, and keeping every space alive with energy. With humor, humility, and real industry grit, he reminds us that restaurants aren’t built on food alone—they’re built on feeling.

The Vibe Comes First (2:00)

“It’s just poetry in motion… you don’t even have to talk—you just feel it.” – Troy Guard

Troy shares why vibe is the first thing he notices when walking into a restaurant. From lighting to music to energy, it’s the unseen pulse that defines guest experience.

Embracing the Unexpected (3:15)

“Tag is a celebration of the unexpected.” – Troy Guard

Whether it’s going off-menu for a guest or solving a last-minute kitchen issue, Troy believes true hospitality lies in adaptability and going beyond expectations.

Scaling Without Losing Soul (6:40)

“It’s how you make people feel.” – Troy Guard

Troy breaks down the paradox of scaling a business that thrives on spontaneity. His solution? Hire for heart, not just skill—and refresh constantly without losing the core.

From Dishwasher to Mentor (10:55)

“I didn’t go to culinary school. I learned by doing.” – Troy Guard

Troy reflects on his journey and how mentorship helped shape his path. Today, he pays it forward by spotting potential in others and helping them rise.

Refresh, Rethink, Reconnect (12:45)

“When Zach walks in, I want him to say: ‘It feels even better than last time.’” – Troy Guard

For Troy, guest experience isn’t static. He emphasizes the importance of updating menus, spaces, and even plating—creating a sense of newness every time.

Who Deserves an Ovation? (15:52)

Troy gives an ovation to every city, restaurant, and team that’s working hard to adapt and stay inspired. He celebrates those who welcome change and lead with positivity—no matter where they’re cooking.

Transcript

00:00:00:13 – 00:00:22:08

Zack Oates

Welcome to another edition of Give and Ovation, the Restaurant Guest Experience podcast, where I talk to industry experts to get their strategies and tactics you can use to create a five star guest experience. This podcast, as always, is sponsored by ovation, an operations and guest recovery platform for multi-unit restaurants that gives you all the answers without annoying guests with all the questions.

00:00:22:08 – 00:00:42:19

Zack Oates

Learn more at ovation up.com. And today we have chef Troy Gard, who started off as a dishwasher at 14 and now is the owner and executive chef at Tag Restaurant Group. He’s Hawaiian born, Colorado proud. He’s a husband and father, and he has got some energy. And for those who you don’t get a chance to like, watch this.

00:00:42:21 – 00:00:59:01

Zack Oates

He has got such a cool office he was showing. He kind of gave me a quick tour from like salsa to dog statues to kids drawings to the Rolling Stones and like, you’ve got it all there. So thanks for joining us on Giving Ovation. Man.

00:00:59:06 – 00:01:01:02

Troy Guard

This is my home away from home.

00:01:01:03 – 00:01:28:12

Zack Oates

Yeah, man. Well, you have had such a cool career and you’re doing some really cool stuff now. And you’ve had an interesting upbringing from obviously, Hawaii. You’ve been all over the world with restaurants and now based in Colorado. So I would love to just hear what’s your philosophy when it comes to restaurants? How do you know when you walk in that this is going to be a fire concept or this is going to be a struggling concept?

00:01:28:14 – 00:01:36:04

Troy Guard

You know what? That’s a great question. And I wish you would have called tomorrow because we have Chef Robert Irvine. Have you seen that guy?

00:01:36:05 – 00:01:38:10

Zack Oates

Oh yeah, of course he’s legit.

00:01:38:10 – 00:01:48:10

Troy Guard

He’s doing a guest chef with me here in Denver at Garden Grace. So he’d be the perfect guy to ask. Do you remember that show? He would turn around the restaurant and. Yes or yes, eight hours.

00:01:48:11 – 00:01:48:22

Zack Oates

Uhhuh.

00:01:48:24 – 00:02:24:09

Troy Guard

But with me, it’s kind of one word and it’s vibe. I get him vibe. When I walk into a restaurant, a vibe could mean the presence, the music, the lighting, the commotion. It’s just poetry, emotion. And you don’t even have to talk. You just feel it, right. You feel this vibe. So I think you can tell a lot by a restaurant, and that’s one of our main lines in our vision statement is Tag is a celebration of the unexpected and an inspiring vibe.

00:02:24:11 – 00:02:32:20

Zack Oates

So what does that mean when you talk about the unexpected? How does that actually play out in real life?

00:02:32:22 – 00:02:55:06

Troy Guard

If someone wants something and it’s not on the menu, well, let’s make it happen. If someone made a mistake on our open table and we got to figure it out, well, that’s unexpected. If someone overcooked a meat, a steak, and we got to figure it out, that’s the unexpected. The dishwasher goes down. That’s the unexpected. I used to walk years ago.

00:02:55:06 – 00:03:11:17

Troy Guard

I’m an old guy now. I’m 54, but I used to go to this restaurant. As soon as I walked in, the guy walked out the back door, the next door to the store and bought Red Bulls because he knew I loved Yeager and Red bull, but they didn’t carry it in their restaurant.

00:03:11:17 – 00:03:12:07

Zack Oates

No.

00:03:12:07 – 00:03:18:12

Troy Guard

So that’s the unexpected. You go above and beyond. So tag is a celebration of the unexpected.

00:03:18:18 – 00:03:36:18

Zack Oates

How do you train for that? Obviously big fan of Danny Meyer have his book right behind me. And there’s his article going around right now that the founder, Shake Shack, says, I don’t give a damn about IQ. He looks for people who they just have it already. But how do you scale that? How do you scale the unexpected?

00:03:36:18 – 00:03:45:21

Zack Oates

Because the whole purpose of scaling is like, get your system, get your box, be in your box. And what you’re saying is you got to be outside that box sometimes.

00:03:45:21 – 00:04:07:22

Troy Guard

Yeah. It’s like a contradiction. Right? So it’s like going to war and I can’t remember who I think it was. Patton. But 80% of the war is won in the trenches, meaning the offices and where you plan everything, 20% is out there on the field. So you got to have that. And like Danny says and everyone else, you got to find that it factor.

00:04:07:22 – 00:04:31:02

Troy Guard

And I was just talking to someone today about a can’t remember what it was, but I’m like, dude, I can teach a monkey how to make this steak. And I can’t teach them how to feel and talk. Yeah, and really put your whole heart out there into it. So it’s all about hospitality. It’s how you make people feel.

00:04:31:04 – 00:04:56:21

Troy Guard

And it’s a tough business. It’s a very, very tough business. I’ve been doing it like you said, since 14. I actually started when I was 13, but who cares? It’s been a long time. I didn’t go to a culinary school. I went from high school to a junior college and worked my way through that. And it wasn’t until I was 21 that I really had a mentor and someone that said, get over here, man, I can see you’re good at this.

00:04:56:21 – 00:05:17:20

Troy Guard

Let me help you hone it. Let me be your mentor. But a good teacher. I didn’t go to culinary school, so I didn’t have that teacher. So Roy Yamaguchi and Roy’s, he was my teacher. And that’s what we try to do here. I try to find a few people who I know really have it in their heart, or maybe don’t know what they have yet, but I can see it.

00:05:17:20 – 00:05:42:02

Troy Guard

And I said, hey, get on, get on over here. And honestly, we had some great people, who have been servers who have gone on to be great managers or prep cooks or are now chefs or cooks that are now owners of restaurants. Nothing makes me feel prouder to see them succeed. And I’m not saying it’s all because of me, but I think I help them get to that path and someone help me.

00:05:42:02 – 00:05:49:14

Troy Guard

I’m just trying to pay it forward and give them some of the lessons of life and battles that I’ve gone through.

00:05:49:16 – 00:06:19:17

Zack Oates

Yeah, I love that. Then the whole concept of standing on the shoulders of giants and and helping to understand what do we need to do, how do we get there? And just because you open the door for someone doesn’t mean that they get any less credit for walking through it. Everyone has to do the hard work. But when I look at my life and the series of people who open doors for me, I equally have gratitude for them because I would have probably gone knocking on a lot of doors had they not opened up the right one for me, but also it’s understanding of like, yeah, I had to work really hard to get through

00:06:19:17 – 00:06:38:02

Zack Oates

there and to get where I’m at. And so, yeah, likewise, how do we open doors for other people? I love that concept because people I mean, you have in your shirt ohana and like, do right there. Right. And it’s like that is this talking about vibe, but this vibe of it’s something less than family, more than a team, right?

00:06:38:02 – 00:06:57:04

Zack Oates

Where we got to find that right balance. There. And I think one of the things that really gets everyone together is going really towards the guest experience, because everything we do is about the guest experience. And so I get your understanding of like, what do you think the most important aspects of guest experience are nowadays?

00:06:57:06 – 00:07:19:10

Troy Guard

Gosh darn, you’re asking some great, great questions, man. I love it. Zach. Things change rapidly, yet they don’t, if that even makes sense, right? You still have Outbacks and Chili’s and Denny’s and all these restaurants that have been around a long time, but I think they’re starting to realize, like, we have to adapt. And so they see these younger people coming up.

00:07:19:10 – 00:07:45:04

Troy Guard

Like, for instance, Sam Fox sold some of his concepts to Cheesecake Factory or a chain bought true food kitchen. So these ones that have been around, they’re looking for young inspirations and different things all the time. I was just talking to my wife today. I’m like, okay, guard and Grace has been open 11 years now. Like we’ve kept up the refreshing new paint, new chairs, new menus, new this like.

00:07:45:06 – 00:08:18:03

Troy Guard

But I always want to keep that. So when Zach walks in, he’s like something different about this place. It feels even better than last time. Yeah, that’s what I try to do. Whether it’s a plate, a glass, a cocktail or something. So it’s definitely, like you said about the experience these days. And someone even told me last night, I’d rather go to a restaurant that has a vibe and looks awesome with B or C food than a restaurant that’s a but it’s dirty.

00:08:18:03 – 00:08:27:08

Troy Guard

Or the vibes not good at A, B or C, and I think that’s what people want. They’re looking for the experience, right? So they want to go out there and have some fun.

00:08:27:10 – 00:08:32:05

Zack Oates

I mean, I look at it just like I met a runway model. I was just on the subway in New York City.

00:08:32:07 – 00:08:35:14

Troy Guard

And I love subways. You could talk and everybody.

00:08:35:14 – 00:08:56:16

Zack Oates

Right. It it’s like you meet the. It’s so interesting. Yeah. And I was standing next to her. We struck up a conversation and I was like, oh, what do you do? She’s like, oh, I’m a runway model almost. So offensively I was like, really? So she goes, oh, I actually have a book here. And so she pulled out her modeling book and like flip through some of the pictures and it was like, oh my gosh.

00:08:56:18 – 00:09:22:10

Zack Oates

And it was so shocking, like how different she looked. But it was like it’s like, how do you make it up? How do you do things that are a little bit more pizzazz? Because I went to a restaurant and the food there, if it was presented differently, if it was in a different environment, if it wasn’t in this like random cheapo strip mall, if they had some music playing, literally, it was dead silent.

00:09:22:12 – 00:09:41:16

Zack Oates

They still had some like construction up on the wall. It just was totally off. You could see all like the soda fountain pipes and the food itself, independent of everything else, was so good. But when you put it in that environment, Troy, we were like, we never want to go back here. It was so.

00:09:41:18 – 00:10:11:01

Troy Guard

Weird. Yeah, that’s a bummer. And I don’t want to see anyone fail because it’s a hard business and it takes a lot of time and money. But also be smart. You know, I was driving around Houston the other day looking for some hand spots to open, some restaurants and also some second generations and I just think, like, who would think to put a restaurant there and that’s a lousy location or a bad building, or why did you think of this furniture?

00:10:11:01 – 00:10:31:14

Troy Guard

And I’ll give you a perfect example. When I opened tag 15 years ago, it’ll be actually 16 years in May. It was right after the market crash in oh eight. I opened in May oh nine. Luckily, my three other investors blessed me. We still had money and they said, okay Troy, we’re going to do it. But I bought everything used except the refrigeration.

00:10:31:16 – 00:10:53:14

Troy Guard

So I spent all day long online going to restaurants that were going out of business, going to equipment, places to find the right fit for everything. But I also hired a designer because I’m not a designer. So I said, hey, here’s this red couch. What do you think of it? Oh yeah, we can make this work. Or here’s this green cast mill that sucks.

00:10:53:14 – 00:11:03:01

Troy Guard

Troy. So I did it on a budget, but I also use experience, if that makes. Yeah, you know what I mean?

00:11:03:03 – 00:11:11:06

Zack Oates

Oh, totally. Because that’s the thing, is, like, my wife, she’s a fashion designer. And our house, she literally will find it in.

00:11:11:06 – 00:11:12:00

Troy Guard

I bet you have a.

00:11:12:04 – 00:11:34:14

Zack Oates

Well, right? But she makes it look so good. And so it’s not about just like spending the money, but it’s about, again, like you said, it’s the vibe. It’s how do you feel. And so when you’re looking at, let’s say that someone’s listening here and they’ve got 20, 30 restaurants and they’re trying to think what are some tactics, chef, that I can use in my restaurant to improve the guest experience?

00:11:34:14 – 00:11:45:03

Zack Oates

I mean, you talked about updating the menu and the paint and just making things seem fresh. Any other tactics that you think have improved the guest experience in your brands?

00:11:45:05 – 00:12:08:12

Troy Guard

Yeah, you got it, Zach. Again, some people appreciate the same thing every day for 20 years. I like just something a little bit that makes you kind of think or recognize or just brings up. Okay, so someone who has 20 restaurants like you asked probably is doing a probably a pretty good job because they have 20 restaurants.

00:12:08:12 – 00:12:29:12

Troy Guard

But nonetheless, I think around the seven, eight, ten year mark, that’s when the lease is up. So you have to recognize usually around year eight, like, hey, am I going to renew this lease because they’re usually ten year leases? If I’m going to renew it, that’s another five years. It’s a lot more money. That means you’re probably doing okay.

00:12:29:12 – 00:12:48:04

Troy Guard

But we need to refresh. We need to change it up. So for instance, my Los Chingon is, which is a Mexican. I grew up in San Diego as well, and I would go down to Tijuana all the time. This menu has changed probably 2 or 3 times the layout. When I first got it, it literally was like basic just writing.

00:12:48:06 – 00:13:13:07

Troy Guard

And so it’s adapted over the years to the neighborhood. The people that have come in the color palette has changed a little bit. The plate where there’s still obviously signature dishes, but we got some new stuff on there. We hear comment, cars and feedback and Yelp reviews, etc. and we listen to what other people say as well. So you can’t just say, well, it’s my way or the highway.

00:13:13:09 – 00:13:22:13

Troy Guard

That may work, but a lot of times it’s not always going to work that way. So you got to be open to change. As we all say, the only thing that’s inevitable is change.

00:13:22:17 – 00:13:47:19

Zack Oates

Yeah. Right. Exactly. And I think that’s such a great way to think about it, because it’s easy to get stuck just because something worked last year could be like, okay, let’s keep doing it. And the question we need to ask ourselves with everything, regardless of what business it is, is why are we doing what we’re doing and fall in love not with the solution, not with the menu item, not with the color, but fall in love with the feeling.

00:13:47:19 – 00:14:08:01

Zack Oates

Fall in love with the problem you’re trying to solve. Fall in love with what you want people to feel. And that is what I’ve found in business, in restaurants. The thing that people are really obsessed with is they’re obsessed with making sure that the guest feels special, and that creates a lifelong brand from what I’ve seen.

00:14:08:01 – 00:14:35:04

Troy Guard

Yup. I think Danny said it best. Hospitality is a feeling that they’re going to remember how you made them feel, not necessarily the dish or anything like that. So that’s what I try to do. I think I got lucky working with the restaurants that I did, and I always tried to work for the best people, so I worked at a restaurant or I worked at a hotel or I worked at this catering company.

00:14:35:08 – 00:15:00:20

Troy Guard

I tried to work in different areas to get a very well-rounded balance. So the Marriott, the Ritz, Roy’s Tower in New York, I was all over the gamut, right? And then I traveled and lived in Asia for eight years. So then when I did get my opportunity to open, hopefully I did one day. I wasn’t counting on it, but I wanted to.

00:15:00:20 – 00:15:22:05

Troy Guard

And then the opportunity came at 38 years old. That’s kind of old for a lot of people at that time, but I felt good and confident at that time that I had the experience. Some of these younger guys. 23, 2425 kudos to them. Hats off. Probably bigger balls than I had when I was younger, but it’s a lot.

00:15:22:05 – 00:15:29:07

Troy Guard

So I wanted to have that experience and know, like, hey, I can hit anything they throw at me. And that’s kind of how I did it.

00:15:29:07 – 00:15:52:17

Zack Oates

So I love that. I think that makes a lot of sense. And closing up here, I know that, you know, a lot of people and we’ve got some mutual friends. In fact, I’m wearing the barbecue media shirt. Sean Wall chef, shout out to him, he’s just a rockstar. But who is someone that we should be following? If we’re looking for good inspiration for restaurants in either an individual or a brand that you really respect, that we should all be following.

00:15:52:19 – 00:16:22:03

Troy Guard

Love the question. I like to look at different areas. So we’re going in the Charlotte soon and I’m just now recognizing another part of our beautiful U.S., a bay that has great people and great upbringings and great food, etc. I live in Denver. For 25 years now. I’ve moved to Houston to try something new and different, and I told you, I lived in ten other cities my whole life.

00:16:22:05 – 00:16:47:10

Troy Guard

I like checking new things out, so I don’t know if I necessarily look at one person or one group, but I look at how these towns or cities or states, they’re growing, they’re changing, but they’re also welcoming so many new people in, like Houston. I didn’t even know it’s more international, the New York area, LA or Chicago, you know what I mean?

00:16:47:12 – 00:17:11:17

Troy Guard

And the food scene is off the charts. But yeah, I just think it’s hard and challenging in every city. But there’s so many amazing things in each city that make it special. So I can’t really pick one thing. I can go to any town, any city, any state, and just I’m a guy half full or if not fuller, and I just try to find the best in everything.

00:17:11:23 – 00:17:17:09

Zack Oates

I love that. Well, where can people go to find and follow you and your brands?

00:17:17:11 – 00:17:23:21

Troy Guard

Yeah. That’s awesome. I’ve got an Instagram. I don’t even know what it is because I don’t get on it very much. But we also go.

00:17:23:21 – 00:17:26:16

Zack Oates

To it’s Chef Troy guard is your Instagram.

00:17:26:20 – 00:17:28:22

Troy Guard

There you go. I know I’m.

00:17:28:22 – 00:17:30:03

Zack Oates

Following you but I.

00:17:30:04 – 00:17:49:21

Troy Guard

Put a few things on there here and there. But yeah go out and we’ve got eight different concepts. We’re in two different states right now soon to be three and up to four and five. So I love what I do or a small company in my wife is a Somalia works in the front. I work in the back with the numbers.

00:17:49:21 – 00:17:56:23

Troy Guard

We got an amazing team, over 500 people. But come check us out and Robert Irvine tomorrow night if you’re in Denver.

00:17:57:00 – 00:18:07:10

Zack Oates

That’s awesome. Super cool. Well, Trey, for bringing us your insights. From the mountains to the oceans. Today’s ovation goes to you. Thank you for joining us and giving ovation.

00:18:07:12 – 00:18:10:16

Troy Guard

Thanks. Thanks everyone. You guys have an awesome day.

00:18:10:18 – 00:18:33:05

Zack Oates

Thanks for joining us today. If you like this episode, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen. We’re all about feedback here. Again, this episode was sponsored by ovation, a two question, SMS based, actionable guest feedback platform built for multi-unit restaurants. If you’d like to learn how we can help you measure and create a better guest experience, visit us at ovation up.com.