Episodes
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From Grateful Dead Tapes to 50 Locations: The Music Behind McMenamins
Shannon McMenamin grew up riding in her dad’s keg delivery van with bootleg Grateful Dead tapes playing along the way. Today, as president of McMenamins, she helps carry that love of music into more than 50 locations across Oregon and Washington. On Digital Hospitality with Shawn Walchef…
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Why Kelsey Bush Is Building Restaurants That Can Run Without Her
A restaurant’s story includes the decisions customers never see. Kelsey Bush, chef-owner behind Bloomsday, Loretta’s and Green Engine Coffee Co., joins Shawn Walchef to share how she’s building connections through her businesses. Blogs give her team room to explain everything from seasonal menus…
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How Eating Europe Makes Travelers Feel Like They Have a Local Friend
What does it take to turn neighborhood food walks into a business across 23 cities? Kenny Dunn, founder and CEO of Eating Europe, joins Shawn Walchef to share how introducing friends to his favorite people and food in Rome became a business. As the company expanded, full-time salaries in cities...
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Keep Hospitality Human—How Jason Berry Uses AI to Free His Team to Focus on Guests
What does it take to grow a restaurant company while giving your team more time for guests? Jason Berry, co-founder of KNEAD Hospitality + Design, joins Shawn Walchef at the CREATE conference to discuss building a company with 1,000 employees and creating opportunities for them to advance. For...
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Give Operators Their Time Back—How Nory Automates Restaurant Decisions
How can restaurant technology solve bigger operational problems instead of responding to everyday frustrations? Raphaël Daverio, vice president of product at Nory, joins Shawn Walchef to explain how the company is building an AI operating system for multi-unit restaurants. Daverio shares how Nory...
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How Stage Theory Turns Content Into Community w/ David Meltzer
Waiting for more time or better content could be costing your business valuable connections. David Meltzer joins Shawn Walchef on Digital Hospitality to explain how entrepreneurs can turn everyday conversations into content and build relationships through storytelling. They discuss why quantity,...
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From Morning Coffee to Happy Hour: How Colada Shop Sets the Mood With Music
Daniella Senior built Colada Shop to be a place people could visit throughout the day, from morning coffee to lunch and happy hour. On Digital Hospitality, she talks with Shawn Walchef about the café’s unexpected start, its expansion into an airport and the details that make guests feel welcome....
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Grow Slow, Stay Local—How Ggiata Is Building the Modern Neighborhood Deli
What does it take to grow a restaurant brand without losing the neighborhood hospitality that made it special? Jack Biebel of Ggiata Delicatessen joins Shawn Walchef at the CREATE conference after Ggiata received the Emerging Brand Award. Bible explains how three childhood friends from New Jersey...
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Know Your Numbers—How Don Connor Uses Financial Discipline to Build Better Restaurants
What does it take to turn a love for hospitality into a profitable restaurant business? Don Connor of Whiskey ‘N Rye Smokehouse joins Shawn Walchef at the CREATE conference to explain why restaurant operators must understand the numbers behind their business. Connor shares how his experience in...
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Post for Strangers—How Shootz Uses Content, Influencers and AI to Grow
What does it take for an emerging restaurant brand to reach new customers and prepare for its next stage of growth? Harold Walters of Shootz joins Shawn Walchef at the CREATE conference to explain how the Hawaiian-Asian fusion brand approaches content, advertising and restaurant technology.…
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Seth Cohen Explains Sweetfin’s Growth Strategy
How can restaurant founders step away from daily operations without losing control of the business? Seth Cohen, co-founder and president of Sweetfin, joins Shawn Walchef at CREATE to share how the 15-location poké brand uses detailed systems, strong general managers and weekly financial reviews…
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More Than a Chain—Why Franchises Are Local Businesses
Matt Haller, president and CEO of the International Franchise Association, explains how franchising helps restaurant brands grow while creating opportunities for first-time business owners. Recorded at CREATE for Emerging Restaurants in Rancho Palos Verdes, Haller discusses the promise brands…
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Restaurant Training Can’t Be One And Done | Chat w/ Jordan Boesch
Jordan Boesch, CEO and co-founder of 7shifts, joins Shawn Walchef live from the National Restaurant Association Show to discuss why restaurant training needs to go beyond onboarding. Boesch explains why ongoing microlearning matters, how better training can help restaurants improve employee...
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The Real Work Behind Running Louie’s Bistro In Venice, Florida | Chat w/ Jennifer Pope
Jennifer Pope, owner of Louie’s Bistro and Venice Island Coffee in Venice, Florida, joins Shawn Walchef to share what she has learned from running two restaurants and why the right technology can make the business easier to manage. Pope explains how DAVO took the stress out of managing sales tax,...
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Scaling a Restaurant Brand Without Rushing the Process
Tom Holt, founder and owner of Urbane Cafe, joins Shawn Walchef at CREATE io share how he has grown the fast-casual brand from one restaurant in 2003 to nearly 50 locations. Holt explains why learning the operation inside and out became critical before expanding and how reaching five locations...
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Why Barry’s Downtown Prime Is A Modern Hospitality Masterclass
Yassine Lyoubi of Barry’s Downtown Prime joins Shawn Walchef from the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, where the Barry’s team came with a clear goal: find new ways to make the restaurant better. In a Las Vegas market built around volume, Barry’s has taken a different approach,...
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How L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Is Growing To 500 Locations | Chat w/ Elisia Flores
Elisia Flores, president and CEO of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, joins Shawn Walchef from CREATE Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes to discuss leading the restaurant brand her father, Eddie Flores Jr., helped build into a global franchise. As a second-generation leader, Flores shares why franchisee...
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85 Million Americans Need Better Menus — Lucy Logan Is Helping Restaurants Deliver
Lucy Logan, co-founder and president of EveryBite, joins Shawn Walchef to discuss why personalized dining experiences are quickly becoming an expectation for restaurant guests. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in nutrition analysis, Logan explains how ingredient-first menus help...
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How The Right Music Can Change A Restaurant Experience | Chat w/ Ola Sars, CEO of Soundtrack
Ola Sars, founder and CEO of Soundtrack, joins Shawn Walchef to explain why music is one of the most overlooked parts of the restaurant experience. Sars shares how operators can use music to strengthen their brand, improve the guest experience, and even increase sales. He also explains why…
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He Saw the Technology Chaos Inside Restaurants — Now Dan Diaz Is Cleaning It Up
In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with Dan Diaz, founder and CEO of F3 Tech, to discuss why restaurant technology starts with strong infrastructure, not just great software. Diaz shares how his team helps operators navigate POS transitions, simplify complex IT...
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Why This Investor Believes Restaurant Hiring Is Broken — and How Swob Is Fixing It
Steve Mandell, chairman and CEO of Game Plan Entertainment, explains why he became an advisor and investor in Swob after negotiating more than 1,000 licensing and brand agreements throughout his career. Drawing on decades of experience in sports, entertainment, and business, Mandell shares how he...
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She Oversees 2 Million Pounds of Cooking Oil a Day — And Most Restaurants Never Think About It
Alissa Partee, CEO of Restaurant Technologies, shares how automating cooking oil management helps restaurants reduce labor, improve safety, and operate more efficiently. From real-time oil monitoring and just-in-time deliveries to leading a company serving more than 45,000 restaurant locations,...
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He Entered the Craft Beer Boom at the Perfect Time — Now Gordon Brown Says the Industry Is Reinventing Itself Again
Gordon Brown, VP of Strategic Sales at Next Glass, shares how bars and restaurants can use beverage data to better understand changing consumer habits, menu trends, and guest preferences. From the rise of RTDs and non-alcoholic beverages to the power of Untappd for Business, Brown explains how...
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How Tiki Taco Uses KNOW To Build Operational Consistency
On this episode of Digital Hospitality from Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Shawn Walchef sits down with Eric Knott, CEO of Tiki Taco, to talk about scaling a growing restaurant brand, building the right tech stack, and why operators need better systems before they grow too fast....
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Bite CEO Explains the Future of Restaurant Ordering
Brandan Barton, CEO of Bite and co-host of The Simmer podcast, joins Shawn Walchef live from Restaurant Leadership Conference to break down the future of digital hospitality, kiosks, AI, and restaurant technology. After decades working across hospitality, fine dining, and restaurant tech…
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How An Emotional Connection Can Drive Customer Loyalty
Bart Berkey, founder of Most People Don’t and former Ritz-Carlton executive, shares why hospitality is ultimately about making people feel seen. After spending 16 years inside Ritz-Carlton and Marriott International, Berkey built a platform around storytelling, gratitude, and doing the things…
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How To Scale a Wellness Brand: Pure Green's Success Story
Ross Franklin, founder and CEO of Pure Green Franchise, joins Shawn Walchef live from the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix to discuss how he scaled one of the fastest-growing wellness franchise brands in the country. Franklin shares the lessons learned from launching Pure Green in New...
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How Atmosphere TV Keeps Guests Watching And Staying Longer
In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with John Smolen, SVP Sales & Customer Success at Atmosphere TV, to discuss why traditional television fails inside restaurants, bars, gyms, and other commercial spaces. Smolen explains how Atmosphere built an entirely new category…
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How Bites’ AI Will Change Restaurant Delivery Forever
Bala Subramaniam, co-founder of Bites, explains why the future of restaurant ordering may live inside AI platforms like ChatGPT instead of traditional delivery apps. After years at Amazon, Instacart, and LinkedIn, Subramaniam set out to solve one of hospitality’s biggest problems: delivery...
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How Pye Is Rethinking Restaurant Kiosks | Chat w/ CEO Jegil Dugger
Jegil Dugger, founder and CEO of Pye, shares how his journey from Division I athlete to restaurant technology entrepreneur shaped his approach to digital hospitality. After rebuilding his life through innovation and entrepreneurship, Dugger created kiosk technology designed to help operators…
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What It Really Takes to Grow a Restaurant Brand
Khara Mangiduyos, co-founder of Kalei's Kitchenette, shares how humble beginnings at farmers markets grew into a thriving Hawaiian comfort food brand built on authenticity, resilience, and community. From launching with her husband as a two-person team to opening a brick-and-mortar after years of...
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Pitch The Tide – Noah Palansky: CEO & Co-Founder of TAIV
In this Pitch The Tide session, Noah Palansky, CEO and co-founder of TAIV, presents a platform that transforms in-venue TVs into revenue-generating marketing channels for restaurants and bars. By using AI to detect commercial breaks in real time, TAIV seamlessly replaces broadcast ads with...
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Are You Struggling To Make Content?
Shawn Walchef shares why creating content is no longer optional for entrepreneurs and operators who want to grow their business. He explains how visibility drives opportunity, why waiting for the perfect moment holds leaders back, and how anyone can start with simple tools like a smartphone....
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Rising Tides Live: What Story Are You Afraid to Tell?
Storytelling and vulnerability took center stage on Rising Tides Live as Shawn Walchef and the community explored a powerful question: what story are you afraid to tell, and why does it matter? From failed ghost kitchens and leadership missteps to personal sacrifices, ethical dilemmas, and the...
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Embrace Your Cringe: How 1925 PubHouse Is Building in Public
Ben Morgan, Tyler Morgan, and Mallory Morgan of 1925 PubHouse in Anderson, Indiana join Digital Hospitality to share how a family restaurant is evolving in public. From losing a job during COVID to embracing smartphone storytelling, they discuss blending old-school marketing with modern tech.…
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Pitch The Tide: Scott Siegel – Co Founder and CEO of Curbit
In this Pitch The Tide session, Scott Siegel, co-founder and CEO of Curbit, introduces a real-time order orchestration platform built to help restaurants manage digital order flow and reduce wait times. Curbit connects to kitchen and ordering systems to monitor production, adjust promise times…
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Leadership Lessons
Shawn Walchef shares the four leadership lessons he learned the hard way after nearly losing his restaurant and building a media company from zero revenue to millions in sales. He explains why storytelling drives vision, how calm creates speed, why curiosity matters more than skill, and why…
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Rising Tides Live: AI Writing (No More Slop)
AI writing took center stage on Rising Tides Live as Eric Farrell filled in for Shawn Walchef and led a candid conversation on how to use AI without losing your humanity. Restaurant operators, creators, and business leaders shared how they leverage tools like ChatGPT to draft content, analyze...
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One Pound of Mozzarella, Hundreds of Orders, and the Power of the Internet
Julia Tinajero, co-owner of Basilico Italiano in Concord, North Carolina, joins Digital Hospitality to share how a one-pound mozzarella stick and a chicken Caesar wrap went viral and transformed her 85-seat restaurant. She explains how building menu items in public, embracing transparency, and...
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The Decisions Leaders Delay That Cost The Most
Pricing took center stage on Rising Tides Live as Christian Fischer filled in for Shawn Walchef, guiding the community through one of the toughest questions in business: how much to charge and what customers truly value. Restaurateurs, creators, and operators shared candid stories about…
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Pitch The Tide – Michael Diego: Founder of Relsih
In this Pitch The Tide session, Michael Diego, president and CEO of relish, introduces a fully managed creator marketing platform built to help multi-location brands turn local voices into measurable growth. Relish connects restaurants and retailers with verified local creators who visit stores,...
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How Big Brands Should Work With B2B Creators
Shawn Walchef breaks down how brands should approach partnerships with business creators in the B2B economy. He explains why working directly with operators beats agency-managed scripts, why follower count matters less than decision-maker density, and why measuring likes misses the real impact.…
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Rising Tides Live: Pricing! What To Charge? When To Charge?
Pricing took center stage on Rising Tides Live as Shawn Walchef and the community wrestled with one of the hardest questions in business: how much to charge, when to change it, and what customers are actually responding to. From secret-menu mozzarella sticks and buffet coupons to 20/20 value...
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Why This Restaurant Owner Turned to YouTube to Tell His Story
Shawn Walchef sits down with Chef Christophe Cevasco, owner of Beeside Balcony, to talk about building a restaurant with focus, presence, and ownership. Cevasco shares what he learned leaving corporate dining, buying his first restaurant just before COVID, and resisting the urge to scale too…
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Pitch The Tide – Will Stewart: Founder of rightwork
In this Pitch The Tide session, Will Stewart, founder of rightwork, pitches a labor scheduling platform built to help restaurant managers make better decisions before the week begins. Rightwork forecasts demand, turns it into clear labor targets, and guides managers toward schedules that balance...
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How You Can Boost Your Business Revenue with Public Speaking!
Public speaking does not generate revenue by selling from the stage. It generates revenue by building belief. Shawn Walchef breaks down why pitching kills trust, why stories outperform sales decks, and how serving an audience creates leverage long after the room clears. From stage theory to the...
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Rightwork + Toast: Smarter Labor Scheduling for Restaurants
Patrick Cattoor , Vice President of Operations at My Burger, joins Shawn Walchef on Digital Hospitality to discuss how the Twin Cities burger brand has scaled to 11 locations without losing its focus on people and service. Cattoor shares how his background in public accounting shaped his approach...
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Pitch The Tide – Kim Modeste: Founder and CEO, S’more AI
In this Pitch The Tide session, Kim Modeste, founder and CEO of S’more AI, shares what she learned from years of watching how restaurants actually try to drive sales. She explains the simple truth about contests: they work, but only for as long as people stay excited about them. Kim walks through...
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The Personal Tech Stack That Built a Media Company
Shawn Walchef f did not build a media company by buying better cameras. He built it by learning how to use the tools already in his hands. For him, the smartphone became a studio, the camera became a business engine, and publishing became a daily habit instead of a marketing tactic. Over time,...
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Rising Tides Live: How To Build Credibility Before You Have Proof
Belief took center stage on Rising Tides Live as Shawn Walchef and the community explored what it really takes to build credibility before you have results to point to. From running small experiments and finding champions to showing up consistently and being willing to look foolish in public,...
About this show
Digital Hospitality is an interview podcast series that explores the ways successful people have harnessed the power of the Internet and social media. The show is hosted by Cali BBQ Media Founder Shawn P. Walchef.
Hosted by
Shawn P. Walchef
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