S2 E4: Daniel J, Double Meat Please: Santa Cruz Food, Fitness & Community | Owning The Coast

Where do you actually go to eat in Santa Cruz County when you want the real thing? We start with a quick market update. Rates dipped near 5.9%, more listings are coming on, sales and prices are down so far in 2026 compared with 2025, and insurance carriers are opening back up to landlord properties. Then Daniel J, the creator behind Double Meat Please, shares how rugby at UCSC led him to CrossFit and eventually to owning two Santa Cruz gyms. During COVID, a daily video habit with his best friend Marcus turned into a craft. What came out of it is food storytelling that helps people decide where to eat, without cheap takedowns or inflated hype. We get into why Daniel never gives number ratings, how he turns negative comments into conversations and why he wears gloves to eat a messy burger. He also shares how he's turning his passion into a business with content services for restaurants that need great video but don't have time to make it. Along the way you'll get his picks across the county, from Busy Bees and Emerald Mallard to Naka Sushi, Slice Project and his Watsonville and mountain favorites. Chapters 0:00 Welcome to Owning The Coast 0:10 Rates, listings and the 2026 market 1:30 Insurance carriers opening back up 3:00 Meet Daniel J of Double Meat Please 4:30 From UCSC rugby to CrossFit 6:00 What it was like to own two gyms 7:30 Coming from the San Francisco food scene 8:30 Where the name Double Meat Please came from 9:30 How COVID turned into a daily video habit 10:30 Filming with Marcus and building relationships 12:00 Food as community 14:00 Help from Opposite of East 15:30 Why Santa Cruz instead of San Francisco 17:30 Hidden gems and the rise of pop-ups 19:00 Turning food content into a career 20:30 Why he skips negative reviews 22:00 Why there are no number ratings 23:00 TikTok, Instagram and the Double Meat website 25:00 Why he wears gloves to eat a burger 27:30 Family, Persian roots and Mom's dragon roll 28:30 When your passion isn't paying yet 29:30 Planning a Santa Cruz weekend for friends 31:00 Content services for restaurants 32:00 Great spots whose videos don't go viral 34:00 Paying his own way and tipping well 35:30 Handling requests from fans 36:30 Turning negative comments into conversations 38:00 Community, moving around and minimizing regret 39:30 Swolstice and fun facts 42:00 The positive pressure on restaurants 44:00 Santa Cruz food creators lifting each other up 47:00 Why real content beats overproduced content 49:30 Three videos a week and the editing grind 51:30 Asking strangers where they like to eat 53:00 Watsonville picks and Slice Project 53:30 Massive sashimi and sushi favorites 54:00 Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek picks 54:30 The Katz's Deli double meat story 56:00 Where to find Double Meat Please Find Double Meat Please 🍔 Santa Cruz food content and restaurant marketing 🌐 doublemeatplease.com 📸 Instagram: @doublemeatplease Hosted by Brandi Jones (Keller Williams Thrive), Ryan Buckholdt (CrossCountry Mortgage) and Jerry Seagraves (Seagraves Insurance). What local dish should we feature next? Tell us in the comments. If you love Santa Cruz food and the people who make this community feel like home, subscribe and share this with a friend who always knows where to eat. Listen to the full episode: https://play.headliner.app/episode/35... #SantaCruz #OwningTheCoast #DoubleMeatPlease #SantaCruzEats #SantaCruzFood #SantaCruzRestaurants #SantaCruzRealEstate Brandi Jones | REALTOR® | KW Thrive Santa Cruz 🏡 Real estate strategy + aligned decisions for your next chapter. Reach out anytime if real estate is part of your next chapter. 📞 (831) 588-5145 🌐 brandijonesrealtor.com 📍 Santa Cruz • Monterey Bay • Santa Clara County DRE# 01385191