She Built the Tool She Wished She Had at Chipotle — Now Yusha Hu Is Helping Restaurant Operators Plan Ahead

Yusha Hu, founder of Sightline, shares how her experience in supply chain, procurement, and planning roles at Sweetgreen, Chipotle, and HelloFresh inspired her to build an AI-powered platform for restaurant operators. She discusses the growing complexity of restaurant supply chains, the challenges of manual reporting, and how better visibility can help teams spot problems earlier, reduce risk, and spend more time on strategic work instead of putting out fires. Supply Chain Teams Need Better Visibility – Yusha Hu believes many restaurant supply chain teams spend too much time manually gathering information and reacting to problems. From distributor reports to inventory tracking, operators often lack a clear view of what's coming next. Better visibility allows teams to identify risks earlier and make smarter decisions before disruptions impact restaurants. The Best Technology Comes From Real Pain Points – Before founding Sightline, Hu worked in supply chain leadership roles at Sweetgreen, Chipotle, and HelloFresh, after running her own food distribution company. The platform was built around problems she experienced firsthand, including hours of manual reporting, inventory management challenges, and the constant pressure of keeping restaurants stocked. Partnerships Drive Better Results – Hu learned throughout her career that suppliers should be viewed as partners, not just vendors. Whether working with local farms at Sweetgreen or large national suppliers at Chipotle, she found that the strongest relationships come from understanding each other's businesses, sharing feedback, and working together to solve problems across the supply chain. Episode Links: Yusha Hu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yushahu/ Slightline OS: https://www.sightlineos.com/ Slightline OS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sightline-os/ Sightline SO Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560543863631 Yusha Hu Email: [email protected] Where to find Cali BBQ MediaVisit our WebsiteFollow Restaurant Technology SubstackFollow us on InstagramFollow us on LinkedInLearn About our Media Services