From Pizza to Payments: Big Mamma Dove into the Tech Biz After Restaurant Success

Victor Lugger, co-founder of the restaurant group Big Mamma and the tech platform sunday, is no stranger to building memorable experiences that transcend mere dining. For Lugger, restaurants should be spaces filled with joy and emotion, encouraging guests to savor each moment.

When creating Big Mamma, his goal was to evoke the vibrant energy of an Italian street, capturing the warmth, energy, and spontaneity of Italy. As he put it, Big Mamma was born as “an antidepressant for the Sunday blues,” where the ambiance, staff, and even fellow patrons combine to create a place of high energy, reminiscent of the joy you might find walking the streets of Venice or Rome.

Watch now to learn about building the Big Mamma Group, lessons learned through disaster and creating the sunday app for restaurants.

Chapters:

[03:40] - Meaning of Sunday

[07:58] - The Monsoon PopUp Story

[16:56] - Why Become a Restauranteur?

[24:10] - What Does Digital Hospitality Mean to Victor Lugger?

[29:50] - Big Mamma’s Approach to Social Media

SPONSORS:

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —

Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

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Episode Links:

Big Mamma Online

Big Mamma Instagram

Sunday App Online

Victor Lugger Newsletter

Takeaways:

“An Antidepressant for the Sunday Blues” - Victor Lugger believes that a restaurant should be just more than sitting down and eating. It is, and should be, a place that evokes emotion for patrons to make it memorable and allow customers to slow down and enjoy the moment.

Lessons Learned in a Monsoon - Early in his restaurant career, Lugger and company had the great idea to do a pop-up in the South of France. With limited seating inside, outside, and in a terrace space, the pop-up was going wonderfully until a torrential downpour began and all hell broke loose. As plates were filled with water, and ,what should have been, disaster commenced, the workers literally danced in the rain and turned the experience into a wonderful story that taught Lugger the importance of his team and the roles they play.

Making Checkout Hospitable - According to Victor Lugger, restaurants treated the checkout process like a commodity; the cheaper the better. However, his tech company, sunday, strives to help restaurants understand that the process involves much more than simply receiving payment and moving on.

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ABOUT VICTOR LUGGER —

Victor Lugger, an entrepreneur born in 1984, co-founded the Big Mamma Group in 2013 with his business partner, Tigrane Seydoux. Big Mamma is a network of Italian restaurants dedicated to creating a truly vibrant dining experience while supporting young Italians through robust training and life-changing employment opportunities. Known for its lively atmosphere and genuine Italian cuisine, Big Mamma has grown into a 600-member team, operating seven restaurants, including Europe’s largest venue located at Station F in Paris.

Before founding Big Mamma, Lugger launched the HEC Start-Up Incubator and managed the crowdfunding platform MyMajorCompany. An HEC business school graduate, he has long been passionate about education, music, and boxing. In addition, he taught digital revolution courses at HEC for three years, contributing his insights on tech-driven change. Since 2008, Lugger has been actively involved with the HEC Foundation, supporting educational initiatives and development.

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —

Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast 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, 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

Produced by Cali BBQ Media