If Restaurants Ran Like Hotels, Airlines or Tech Startups... What Might Be Different? w/ Herb Taylor

In this episode of Good AP Times, brought to you by Factura.ai, we sit down with Herb Taylor, Managing Director at Eisner Advisory Group, to explore a fascinating question: What if restaurants operated more like hotels, airlines, or even tech companies?With decades of experience helping hospitality brands improve operations and profitability, Herb shares why many restaurants still rely on "the binder," tribal knowledge, and manual processes that create unnecessary complexity and risk. From handwritten checks to disconnected systems, he explains how these outdated habits hold brands back from scaling efficiently.Fair warning: if you've spent years in restaurant operations and have a little PTSD from printer jams, missing invoices, and that one mysterious binder everyone is afraid to touch, you've been warned. In fact, after this conversation, we briefly considered naming the episode "Trauma Bonding."Drawing lessons from industries that have mastered consistency and process, Herb discusses how restaurants can adopt more discipline and automation without sacrificing the hospitality and culture that make them unique. We dive into everything from employee experience and predictive scheduling to the importance of building a thoughtful technology stack that supports growth instead of creating more chaos.Whether you're operating a single location or managing dozens of units, this conversation offers practical insights on how to move beyond constant firefighting and build a business designed for long-term success.In this episode, you'll learn:Why hotels and airlines prioritize operational discipline and what restaurants can learn from them.The hidden costs of relying on paper processes and tribal knowledge.How technology can improve both the employee and guest experience.Why scaling successfully requires systems, not heroics.How to preserve hospitality while embracing automation and standardization.About Herb TaylorHerb Taylor is a Managing Director at Eisner Advisory Group and a longtime restaurant operations leader with extensive experience helping hospitality organizations improve performance, streamline operations, and scale sustainably. His unique perspective combines decades of industry expertise with a passion for helping brands modernize without losing the heart of hospitality.Special thanks to Factura.ai, the AI-powered accounts payable and intelligence platform for multi-unit operators, and Eisner Advisory Group, a leading business advisory and consulting firm, for supporting conversations that help hospitality leaders build stronger, more resilient businesses.Connect with Herb Taylor:Herb's LinkedInLearn more about Eisner Advisory Group