Chef Robert Irvine Shares His Method for Solving Broken Systems
Robert Irvine does not do “small.” He is a celebrity chef, British Royal Navy veteran, bestselling author, relentless road warrior and the driving force behind the Robert Irvine Foundation, which supports service members, veterans, first responders and their families. His latest project is a six‑month national tour with rock band O.A.R., using their 30th anniversary tour to raise money and awareness for veterans with special donation activations at every stop.
Last time I chatted with Robert, it was live on stage at a How Success Happens recording in New York City last summer. It was great to reconnect and dig even deeper into what he’s learned about maintaining energy, strong leadership and building impact that actually lasts. And also, how to get by on almost no sleep.
Dan Bova: You just rattled off a day that includes a call with me, a White House economic call, a CT of your hips, then a flight to the Red Sox. How do you maintain the energy to do all these things and stay focused?
Robert Irvine: To be honest, I do get tired, but I’ve got a kind of a six‑week hard roll and then I need at least three days’ sleep after those six weeks. So I kinda go on rolls. But that sleep doesn’t necessarily happen at home because I’m only home eleven, twelve days a year, on the road three hundred and forty‑five plus. So I try to take the flights or at least the days to sleep in late before I have an event or go to the gym or whatever.
So you’re like a lion that eats a gazelle and then sleeps for a week.
Yeah, something like that.
Tell me about this partnership with O.A.R. How did it come about and what can people expect?
Well, I will tell you first and foremost, O.A.R.’s Marc Roberge is on the board of our foundation and has been for the last couple of years. I met them by chance. Justin Leonard, who’s my COO, is nuts about them. And I’m not a big music guy. I’m not. I didn’t even know what the Backstreet Boys were. I’m an ABBA, Celine Dion kind of guy! But I went to see a concert with them and was totally blown away by the music. And then we started traveling around the country to see their shows because we became friends. For our Beats ‘N Eats event in Philadelphia every year, which is our biggest foundation fundraiser, Marc would always help me find acts like Gavin DeGraw, Goo Goo Dolls, just some amazing people. They were doing so much for me that I wanted to do something for them. I said, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be great, your thirtieth anniversary, if we just sponsored a tour?’ So we’re wrapping two tour buses with the foundation. We’re raising money and hosting veterans at every show of the forty‑one shows coming up. It’s really exciting for me.
Photo credit: The Robert Irvine Foundation
What are some of the special things you have planned for the tour?
There’s a sweepstakes where you get a chance to have a dinner with me and the band on November 12 in Tampa, which is kind of the end of the run. One winner and a guest, airfare, hotel room included, plus a $250 credit for food. It’ll be a great meal with me and the guys.
Anyone who knows you knows this passion for the military has been going on for decades. Is there a success story or a moment where you saw the direct work of your foundation affecting someone’s life?
I see it every day. I’m now in the middle of 23 years of work. I changed legislation for the Army with the Army team last year on feeding. We’ve just opened our sixth dining facility. We are changing the way the Army feeds, purchases food, and keeps guys fit. We now have another twenty RFPs for new bases that I’ve helped design, not only the menu but also the actual facilities. You can see the results. Soldiers are voting with their feet. Zero people used to go there. After a $4 million renovation, now seven thousand a day. We’ve got an executive chef in each location, a nutritionist, and technology just like we would use in restaurants. When you walk in and use your smartphone or self‑ordering platforms, within minutes they’re cooking the food to order. People say to me, “It can’t be done.” I’m like, “Whatever dude.” I’m gonna prove it can. And we did.
With Dinner: Impossible and everything you do, you don’t do things small or easy. What’s behind that? What’s the psychology there?
I’m a fix‑it guy. I’m interested in how the system works, why it’s broken, and how we can fix it—not only better for the employees or associates, but also the end user, whether it be Walmart and the associates and customers or the Army feeding and the soldiers. There’s always something broken, and I love the fix. The Army doesn’t pay me. I do it for free. Well, they pay me a dollar. I’ve never seen a dollar yet. But I do it because I truly believe we’re making a difference.
For people who want to follow your lead, what are small things you suggest they can do to make an impact?
Look, you don’t have to have money to make an impact. It means opening a car door, helping somebody across the road. If you see food going through the cash register and somebody pushes it to the side because it is too expensive and you can afford to pay for that food? Do so, because it may be for a child that’s not being fed. And I see more of that. It’s the working poor. It’s not guys and girls living on the street. It’s people working in offices in suits and ties. And it doesn’t cost money to be nice. It doesn’t cost money to listen. Or volunteer at your local Red Cross, dog shelter, St. Jude’s — wherever you feel your heart takes you, follow it and give.
Robert Irvine does not do “small.” He is a celebrity chef, British Royal Navy veteran, bestselling author, relentless road warrior and the driving force behind the Robert Irvine Foundation, which supports service members, veterans, first responders and their families. His latest project is a six‑month national tour with rock band O.A.R., using their 30th anniversary tour to raise money and awareness for veterans with special donation activations at every stop.
Last time I chatted with Robert, it was live on stage at a How Success Happens recording in New York City last summer. It was great to reconnect and dig even deeper into what he’s learned about maintaining energy, strong leadership and building impact that actually lasts. And also, how to get by on almost no sleep.
Dan Bova: You just rattled off a day that includes a call with me, a White House economic call, a CT of your hips, then a flight to the Red Sox. How do you maintain the energy to do all these things and stay focused?
Robert Irvine: To be honest, I do get tired, but I’ve got a kind of a six‑week hard roll and then I need at least three days’ sleep after those six weeks. So I kinda go on rolls. But that sleep doesn’t necessarily happen at home because I’m only home eleven, twelve days a year, on the road three hundred and forty‑five plus. So I try to take the flights or at least the days to sleep in late before I have an event or go to the gym or whatever.
