40 years in the kitchen
taught me how to manage.
Learning to lead took everything else.
Everything You Need to Lead Better
TRANSFORM YOUR CULTURE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
-40 Degrees Media gives hospitality leaders the tools and stories they need to build strong teams without losing their humanity. We’ve built a complete platform to help you strengthen your leadership and your teams’ culture. From our book to our podcast, training programs and nonprofit work, every piece is designed around real hospitality challenges.
I spent a decade chasing culinary perfection in the highest-stakes fine dining kitchens, where the belief was simple: excellence required pain, and the cost was usually people. This wolf mentality earned accolades, but it also led to burnout, turnover, and the slow, quiet destruction of talented people. The cracks began to show during the 2008 recession, forcing me to ask:
What if the people matter more than the product?
– Michael Martir
Managing the Wolves, Leading with Heart
Transforming Hospitality Through Leadership, Strategy & Story, Built Around the Wolf-Heart Leadership™ Framework
Managing the Wolves, Leading with Heart is our framework for hospitality leadership. It’s built on real stories from the industry and practical systems that work.
In The Weeds
When you're in the weeds, we're your way out.
“In The Weeds” Podcast with Michael Martir
Listen to conversations with leaders who have faced the hard decisions. We talk about culture, performance, and what it takes to keep your team together when things get tough.
In the Weeds Foundation
As professionals who have built restaurant businesses across Cape Cod, we understand the unique challenges our industry faces – seasonal housing shortages, high stress environments, and limited resources for workers who keep our tourism economy thriving.
Bring Training to Your Team
Practical Applications of the Wolf-Heart Leadership™ Framework
Restaurant Sales Consulting
Covers revenue and sales training, private dining, catering, guest experience audits, and manager coaching across three engagement tiers.
Business Operations Consulting
Covers operational audits, culture transformation, financial consulting, concept launches, seasonal strategy, and executive coaching, also three tiers.
Start Leading Differently Today
Your team is waiting for a leader who actually cares about them.
Book a Discovery ConversationWhat is -40degrees?
40degrees is a hospitality leadership and media platform that helps restaurant leaders navigate the space between extremes. Through consulting, training, a podcast, a book, and In The Weeds Foundation, we address both leadership transformation and the systemic issues (housing, mental health, addiction) that make hospitality careers unsustainable.
How is -40degrees different from other restaurant consultants?
We’re not business school consultants who studied restaurants. This is 40 years of lived experience from dishwasher to CEO, including a decade at the James Beard Awards. Every framework comes from real kitchens, real failures, and real cultural transformations. Plus, we’re honest about what consulting can’t fix alone, which is why the foundation exists.
What's the Wolf-Heart Leadership Framework?
It’s the system for leading in the space between extremes. “Wolf” represents the fear-based leadership most of us learned (intimidation, control, cruelty). “Heart” represents people-first leadership that builds culture and loyalty. The framework shows you how to master both, not choose between them. Accountability without cruelty. Standards without toxicity. Toughness with compassion.
Who is Michael Martir?
Founder of -40degrees and the Cape Hospitality Foundation. 40 years in hospitality from dishwasher to CEO, including a decade coordinating the James Beard Awards. Author of “Managing the Wolves, Leading with Heart,” host of “In the Weeds” podcast, and consultant to restaurant groups nationwide.
How do I get started?
Depends on what you need. Read the book for frameworks you can implement yourself. Listen to the podcast for industry insights and guest conversations. Book a discovery call for consulting or training. Support the foundation if you want to address systemic issues. Or reach out and we’ll help you figure out the right path.
What's In the Weeds Foundation about?
The foundation addresses the housing crisis, mental health challenges, and addiction issues that drive people out of hospitality. These are systemic problems that leadership transformation alone can’t fix. If you’re a worker who needs support, it’s confidential and judgment-free. If you’re an employer or supporter, we need your partnership to create sustainable change.