Alex Smith, founder and CEO of Atlas Restaurant Group, helped transform Baltimore’s Harbor East into a dining destination while building a rapidly expanding hospitality company known for luxury restaurants, disciplined operations, and team-first culture.
Watch now to learn how Alex Smith built Atlas Restaurant Group, transformed Harbor East, and used lacrosse principles to scale team culture.
Chapters:
[03:12] – Building Harbor East
[08:47] – Betting on Baltimore
[14:26] – Scaling Atlas Restaurant Group
[21:05] – Leadership Lessons from Lacrosse
[35:18] – The Real Reward of Hospitality
THE RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS PODCAST IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —
Toast has been a title sponsor of the Restaurant Influencers podcast since the first episode. Toast is a powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience. Try Toast today and let them know Shawn Walchef sent you.
• Toast All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://toast.partner-experience.com/r/R-6PXU-NGUQ
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PEPSICO IS A SPONSOR OF THE RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS PODCAST —
Restaurant Influencers is proud to have PepsiCo as a sponsor of this episode. Partnering with PepsiCo Foodservice helps restaurant operators drive sustainable growth through smarter digital experiences, AI-backed menu optimization, and tools designed to create more profitable online orders.
Check out PepsiCo Foodservice: https://entm.ag/RIPepsico
Episode Links:
Alex Smith LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-smith-1a617396/
Atlas Restaurant Group: https://atlasrestaurantgroup.com/
Atlas Restaurant Group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atlas-restaurant-group/posts/?feedView=all
Key Takeaways:
Baltimore Became the Foundation for Growth: Alex Smith saw opportunity in Baltimore’s Harbor East long before it became a destination neighborhood, building restaurants alongside the city’s transformation and helping shape the area’s dining culture.
Hospitality Is Built Through Systems and Culture: From the front of house to the kitchen, Smith compares restaurant leadership to coaching, where alignment, communication, and accountability create consistency at scale.
The Best Moment Comes After Opening Night: For Smith, the real reward is walking into a restaurant months later and seeing the operation running smoothly, with every employee working together like a symphony.
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ABOUT ALEX SMITH —
Alex Smith is the founder and President of Atlas Restaurant Group, a Baltimore-based hospitality group that he founded in 2012 with the opening of fast casual concept Harbor East Deli & Pizzeria. Atlas has grown into a national-acclaimed brand with over 50 locations in Maryland, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —
The Restaurant Influencers podcast is a weekly video and audio series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.
Published by Entrepreneur Media – https://entreprenuer.com
Produced by Cali BBQ Media – https://betheshow.media
Try Toast Today – https://toast.partner-experience.com/r/R-6PXU-NGUQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIlZ18PViUc
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