Vendor & Operator Etiquette in Restaurant Tech: Trade Show Do’s and Don’ts with Salsarita’s VP of Technology

It's another Thirsty Thursday episode! This time Paul and Matt welcome Laurens Pitts, VP of Technology at Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill, a Charlotte, North Carolina–based fast-casual Tex-Mex chain founded in 2000 with 80+ locations. Drawing on Laurens' experience on both the vendor and operator sides, they discuss how vendor–operator relationships have become less healthy over the past 5–15 years, with less coaching around relationship-building and more lead-generation pressure. The conversation focuses on trade show season etiquette: using “bar etiquette” and body language, avoiding aggressive aisle-blocking and overbearing follow-ups, and understanding how first impressions shape months of post-show outreach. Laurens' highlights common mistakes like “bumping to the top of your inbox,” replying repeatedly to the same email thread, overusing the “five minutes on your calendar” ask, auto-subscribing prospects to marketing newsletters, and insulting a buyer’s existing tech stack. They also touch on using LinkedIn to stay current on industry activity, the importance of referral networks and credible operator advocates, and the FORKED LinkedIn community (Forum of Restaurant Knowledge Exchange and Development) as a non-pitch space for sharing insights between operators and restaurant tech companies.  Visit: Salsarita's at https://salsaritas.com/  Visit: Popcorn GTM at https://popcorngtm.com  Visit: OGC at https://onegoalconsulting.com