Randall Hom, Hostie Co-Founder & CEO on AI for Restaurant Hospitality

Randall Hom is the Co-Founder and CEO of Hostie.Disclosure: Grace is an investor in Hostie. Hostie is an AI-powered guest communications platform that helps restaurants automate phone calls, texts, emails, and reservations while delivering a more seamless hospitality experience. Hostie integrates directly with reservation and point-of-sale systems, enabling restaurants to automate more than 80% of routine guest inquiries without sacrificing service quality. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~The company has raised over $16 million in funding, including a $4 million Seed round led by Gradient Ventures and a $12 million Series A. Before founding Hostie, Randall spent nearly a decade as a product designer at leading technology companies including Instacart, Flexport, and BetterWorks. He also co-founded and operated Back to Back, a San Francisco restaurant, where firsthand experience running daily operations inspired him to build AI tools purpose-built for the hospitality industry. By combining deep product expertise with real-world restaurant experience, Randall is redefining how AI enhances—not replaces—hospitality.TopicsHow AI Is Transforming Restaurant Operations Without Replacing Human HospitalityBuilding AI Products from Firsthand Industry Experience: Lessons from Running a RestaurantWhy the Future of Hospitality Depends on Better Guest Communication, Automation, and Operational Efficiency#ArtificialIntelligence #Hospitality #Restaurants #Startups #CustomerExperience