Ryan of Crazy Dreamers never planned any of this. A random line his wife said years ago -- "keep dreaming, you crazy dreamer" -- became the name of the New Hampshire food content account that's now grown to roughly 20-26K followers on Facebook and more than 50,000 on TikTok. Ryan builds all of it around a full-time job at his family's concrete company in New Hampshire and raising his 4-year-old son, also named Ryan.

In this episode of Beyond the Plate with Carol, Ryan of Crazy Dreamers sits down with Carol Erickson to talk about the England trip that made his food content explode overnight, his surprisingly strict food rating scale (he has never once given a 10), the real story behind his viral Free Money Fridays series where he hides cash across New Hampshire towns for followers to find, and his personal rule of always paying for his own food at every restaurant, food truck, and NH eatery he reviews so nothing skews his honest opinion.

Ryan and Carol also swap notes on food content creation, local NH restaurant recommendations -- including Messy Mike's Barbecue, Sig's Kitchen, Buckley's Burgers and Steaks in Hampton, and Alibi Aftermath in Manchester -- his podcast Lonnie and Ryan, and what it actually takes to keep short-form video viewers hooked in an age of shrinking attention spans.

📍 Crazy Dreamers -- based in New Hampshire, content filmed statewide (search "Crazy Dreamers" on TikTok and Facebook)

🔗 Search "Crazy Dreamers" on TikTok and Facebook to follow along, including Free Money Fridays-- linktr.ee/crazy_dreamers

Carol Erickson spent nearly 40 years in the hospitality industry as the longtime owner of the Red Arrow Diner before turning her attention to Beyond the Plate with Carol, a New Hampshire-based podcast covering food, restaurants, and hospitality all across New England. Every episode, Carol sits down with the chefs, entrepreneurs, content creators, and everyday people with an interesting New England story to tell -- from family-owned restaurants and food trucks to rising creators like Ryan of Crazy Dreamers. It's not just about the food -- it's about the journeys, the community, and what drives people to go beyond.

This episode is sponsored by Belmont Hall & Restaurant.

Manchester, NH -- family-owned for over 90 years.

belmonthall.net | Instagram: @belmonthallandcatering | Facebook: @belmonthallandcatering

🔔 New episodes drop every Tuesday -- hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on notifications so you never miss one!

Find Beyond the Plate everywhere: linktr.ee/BeyondtheplateNH

0:00 - Intro

0:10 - Welcome to Ryan of Crazy Dreamers

0:38 - Follower count reveal -- 50K+ on TikTok, 20-26K on Facebook

1:06 - Life before food content -- the Thrift Mind years

2:32 - Becoming a dad changes everything

2:47 - The England trip that changed it all

3:33 - Posting British McDonald's reviews 😂

4:33 - Is Crazy Dreamers still a family project?

5:43 - When Ryan knew Crazy Dreamers was really taking off

7:02 - Guessing Carol's age 😂

9:00 - Strategic content or just having fun?

10:52 - Guest plug -- find Ryan and Crazy Dreamers online

11:04 - The psychology of hooking short-form video viewers early

14:23 - Ryan's rating scale explained -- why nothing is a 10

15:22 - Free Money Fridays -- how it works across New Hampshire

17:12 - The "mhm" bio explainer

22:47 - How Crazy Dreamers got its name

22:54 - Ryan's podcast, Lonnie and Ryan

25:56 - What Ryan loves about podcasting vs. short-form video

28:02 - Why New Hampshire keeps showing up in Crazy Dreamers content

32:38 - Balancing a full-time concrete company job, content, and family

33:19 - Ryan's rule: always pays for his own food

35:50 - Lightning Round -- NH food recommendations

45:52 - Closing thoughts -- what's the dream for Crazy Dreamers?

48:16 - Outro