About Izzy & Hospitality Works

For more than 30 years, Isidore (Izzy) Kharasch has helped restaurants, bars, and other hospitality businesses improve their operations and profits. He is a recognized, results-driven expert in the field of food service management, a trained chef, and a proud U.S. Army veteran.

A native of the Chicago area, Izzy founded Hospitality Works, Inc. in 1987. To date, he has helped more than 700 hospitality companies in four countries increase revenues, created new concepts and turned operations around from loss to success. He has coached clients of all types and sizes across the U.S. and worldwide.

He has served as restaurant advisor for operations ranging from coffee shops and biker bars…to casino chains and five-star hotels…to celebrity restaurants. However, since March 2020, Izzy’s primary focus has been helping bars and restaurants survive the acute challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Izzy is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and holds a Masters degree in Hospitality and Hotel Management from Roosevelt University. He has served on the Advisory Boards of Kendall College, Lexington College (as past President), and Roosevelt University.

If Izzy looks familiar to you, it may be because he has appeared as a consultant multiple times on the reality series Bar Rescue, which features his long-time friend and colleague Jon Taffer.

Helping Veterans & Veterans’ GroupsA former Food Inspection/Quality Assurance Specialist for the U.S. Army, Izzy is passionate about helping his fellow veterans, from individual bar and restaurant owners to national veterans’ groups like the American Legion and VFW.

An Engaging Hospitality SpeakerIn addition to consulting, Izzy is a riveting teacher and public speaker. He has taught hospitality-related courses at the college and culinary school levels—including Kendall College in Chicago, University of Nevada in Las Vegas, and École Hôtelière in Lausanne, Switzerland—and has made high-level industry presentations to the Culinary Institute of America, The Nightclub and Bar Show in Las Vegas, and more.

One of the Good GuysIn addition to helping restaurants succeed, Izzy is passionate about making the world a better place. After helping to develop a stay-in-school program for at-risk kids on Chicago’s southside, he and his Careers for Youth program was awarded a Presidential Citation from President Ronald Reagan. He currently volunteers for Midwest Veterans Closet, a Chicago area charity that provides food and supplies to at-risk veterans.

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