Restaurant Technology Podcast

The restaurants who are stuck in the past are DOA. If you aren’t building your business like Amazon did — leveraging technology, storytelling, and logistics — you’re going to struggle to survive in 2026 and beyond.I’ve been in this game for 18 years at my family owned restaurant Cali BBQ in San Diego. I’ve survived the Great Recession of 2008 and a global pandemic in 2020 by making every mistake possible. Mistakes are what lead to growth. The secret to modernizing your restaurant isn’t just better food; it’s becoming a Digital Hospitality company.Here is your 5-step playbook to becoming the “Amazon of Restaurants” in your market.1. Become a Media Company FirstAmazon isn’t just a retailer. It’s also content ecosystem. To win today, you must be a media company, a technology company, and a restaurant. This is driven by our signature Four P’s content strategy:PLAN* Choose one idea that feels natural to share this week.* Decide your message: “What do I want people to know, feel, or do?”* Pick a time when you can capture it without interrupting operations.PRODUCE* Use your phone — prioritize good lighting and clear audio.* Keep it short and engaging; aim for 15–60 seconds if it’s video.* Record extra angles or clips for variety.PUBLISH* Post in vertical format for better mobile engagement.* Add a short, personal caption that tells the story.* Include hashtags relevant to your restaurant, location, and audience.PROMOTE* Share the content on multiple platforms.* Encourage your team to share it from their own profiles.* Reply to comments and messages to start conversations.Stop making commercials. People want stories. Use your smartphone to capture the daily life of your restaurant and publish it on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and everywhere else you can.2. Own Your Digital Real EstateIn the old days, it was about your physical “location, location, location”. In 2026, it’s digital location. You must own your website, your email list, and your data.Stop relying on third parties to hold your customer relationships hostage. Build a deep CRM so you can reward your loyalists who want to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays with you. If you don’t own the data, you don’t own the customer.JOIN THE MOVEMENT: If this insight helps you, share this article with one other restaurant owner. A rising tide lifts all ships.3. Deploy Strategic AI and AutomationDigital hospitality is our deep thesis. Technology makes us more profitable, more scalable, and more impactful. At Cali BBQ, we use Palona AI and my automated voice clone Shawn AI to answer our phones and take orders.On our busiest day of the year—Father’s Day—Palona AI handled 156 calls that would have otherwise gone to a busy staff member. The result? An 18% sales lift because we never missed a guest. We integrate these tools directly through Toast to keep our tech stack seamless.4. Create Multiple Revenue StreamsLook at Amazon Prime and Thursday Night Football. They’ve created a system where you can watch a game and buy a product with one click.Your restaurant should be no different. Think beyond the four walls of your brick-and-mortar. We are moving toward a world of TikTok Shop live streams and point-of-sale integrations where customers can buy your BBQ or Consumer Packaged Goods (like bottled sauces or canned drinks) while they watch your content.5. Master Frictionless Online OrderingDigital hospitality is making it as easy as possible for someone to buy from you. Whether it’s takeout, in-store, catering, or gift cards, your website—like ours at calibbq.media—must be frictionless.We partnered with Toast to solve our online ordering problems during the pandemic, and it changed everything. When you make it easy to buy 45 racks of ribs for a tailgate, that is true hospitality.Think bigger. We have to leverage technology to connect with more people and run more profitable businesses. Don’t be afraid to look stupid while you’re learning—get it wrong so you can eventually get it right.Stay Curious, Get Involved, Ask For Help@Shawnpwalchef This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

I didn’t bring my family to Times Square just for a billboard. I brought my wife and kids because this business costs something important: Late nights, missed weekends, and holidays that don’t feel like holidays. For the last 18 years, building my San Diego restaurant Cali BBQ has meant sacrifice from the people behind the scenes. The ones who wait up, believe in the dream, and carry the weight with you.That’s why this “Built For Busy” campaign kick-off moment with our partners at Toast hit differently. Behind the lights and the noise, every restaurant is a family business, whether the world sees it or not.We talk a lot about systems, tech, and operations. But the truth is simple: you can’t build for busy without the people who hold it up when it gets hard.This billboard wasn’t just a marketing asset. It was a statement to the ones who have been in the trenches since we opened on Troy Street in 2008.The Art of the Living BillboardTimes Square on a Thursday morning is a symphony of sirens, delivery trucks, and tourists.Most people see that chaos and want to escape it. But for a restaurant operator, that noise is music.It’s the sound of an economy that is alive. Last week, we went to the Crossroads of the World to celebrate the people who actually keep those lights on.While the billboards above were making a statement, Toast was making a commitment to the NYC restaurant industry with an activation called Windows to Success.Rather than buying traditional ad space, Toast turned the storefronts of iconic New York spots like Carmine’s in Times Square and Poppy’s in Brooklyn into “living billboards.” They framed the windows with custom graphics that turned every kitchen into a stage.This campaign is the next chapter for Toast, focusing on the pride and dedication at the heart of business ownership. It’s a brand evolution designed for the 164,000+ businesses they serve.As Kelly Esten, Chief Marketing Officer at Toast, put it: “For business owners, being busy is the point—it’s the proof of progress. This dedication to building products designed to help our customers succeed in a rapidly-changing world is at the heart of Built For Busy.”That represents exactly how Toast understands this industry. They aren’t just selling software; they are building tools like Toast IQ—an AI assistant designed to act as an operator’s right hand during a Friday night rush.Standing in the noise with the Toast team, my family, our amazing Cali BBQ Media crew, and a crowd of operators reminded me of one thing: showing up is the most important thing you can do for your community.“Busy” means your systems are holding strong. It means your people are focused.It means your technology is acting as your right hand so you can keep your head up and focus on the guest.Eighteen years after starting Cali BBQ, we aren’t just surviving the rush. We are built for it thanks to Toast and our other restaurant technology partners.The lesson from our Built For Busy trip to NYC is something we’ve known for many years as restaurateurs. The hustle isn’t the hurdle. It’s the reward. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Influential people have told me for years that I needed to get to Phoenix for the Restaurant Leadership Conference (RLC). Now that I’m here at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge for the Informa event’s 25th anniversary, I see the story isn’t just on the stage. It’s in the hallways.At the top of this post, you can watch my live video from the event co-hosted with Troy Hooper, CEO of Pepper Lunch, a Japanese fast-casual brand with more than 560 restaurants in 17 countries. RLC is full of power players just like Troy.Marcus Viscidi from Informa shared the power of this event: there are roughly 950 executives attending who represent over 300,000 restaurant locations. That is massive scale.But RLC has this unique way of stripping away the titles. Troy told me about standing on the lawn on night one, having a casual conversation with a woman for ten minutes before realizing he was talking to the wife of Peter Cancro, the CEO of Jersey Mike’s.That is the “secret sauce” of this event. Whether you’re a founder with five units or the CEO of a global powerhouse, you’re in the same “nooks and crannies,” having the same intimate conversations. We are all equals here, trying to up-level the industry together.The Business of Being HumanFor the technology partners and suppliers watching us, the lesson is clear: participate, don’t just pitch. Marcus and the Informa team have built a foundation where people can “build their own adventure”.In 2026, that adventure included:* Morning Connections: Golf tournaments, hiking, yoga, and even a gun club excursion designed to get people out of their shells.* The Pickleball Shift: The Pepper Lunch team doubled down on the experience with a legendary pickleball party, featuring DJs and a full bar.Why does a DJ at a pickleball court matter for your bottom line? Because you might spend three hours in a relaxed environment with a C-suite decision-maker. They might not be the one clicking “buy” on your software, but that top-down relationship provides the validation and access you need to move the needle.Real Tech for Real ProblemsWhen we did get into the Marketplace, the innovation was focused on one thing: Enterprise Scale.I caught up with Kelly Esten, Chief Marketing Officer at Toast. They are the title sponsor this year (Cali BBQ Media is also a sponsor), and they aren’t slowing down. Last year was about the kiosk; this year, they are showcasing a massive Enterprise Drive-Thru product. It’s a clear signal that the “big players” are now looking for the same agility that smaller brands have enjoyed for years.We also saw the latest from partners like PepsiCo, Restaurant365, Popmenu, and more — all focused on making your restaurant operations leaner and more connected.The conversation doesn’t stop in Phoenix. Marcus and his team are already planning for RLC 2027, and the 2026 calendar is just heating up.If you want to stay in the room where these decisions are made, you need to join us at:* Food on Demand (Dallas): May 5th–6th. This is the place for anyone serious about the delivery and tech ecosystem.* National Restaurant Association Show (Chicago): May 16-19. The “Super Bowl” of our industry. With 70,000 people and 700,000 square feet of space, it’s the only event that brings the entire food service ecosystem together.RLC 2026 proved that when you lead with hospitality and intention, the business follows. Will I see you there next year? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

To any operator reading this.We got into this business praying for busy.Not the slow nights, not the empty dining rooms. We dreamed about the chaos.The tickets stacking, the line out the door, the kind of busy that tests everything you’ve built.I remember opening our doors in 2008 on Troy Street in Spring Valley. No guarantees, just belief, grit, and the hope that one day we’d earn the kind of volume that forces you to grow or get exposed.Eighteen years later, we’re still here.Still standing, still learning.And this weekend, while Cali BBQ celebrates 18 years in business, we’re also part of something bigger, Toast Built For Busy campaign.That’s not a coincidence, that’s the work.Because “busy” isn’t just volume. It’s pressure, it’s responsibility, it’s showing up for your team and your guests when everything is moving fast and nothing can break.The truth is, most people romanticize restaurants until they feel a Saturday night rush. Operators know better.Busy means your systems matter, your people matter more, and your technology better not fail you when it counts.That’s why partnerships matter. Toast helps us manage the chaos so we can stay focused on what actually matters - hospitality.Not perfect, not polished, real.This moment isn’t just about a billboard in Times Square, that fades. This is about the operators in the trenches, the ones opening early, closing late, and doing it again tomorrow.We’re not chasing busy anymore, we’re built for it.#toastbuiltforbusy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

TIMES SQUARE MEET-UPDATE: Thursday, April 16thTIME: 10:30am (Meet-Up) ; 11:15-11:20am (Toast Billboard Goes Live)WHERE: 47th St. and 7th Avenue in Times Square NYCONLINE: Watch LIVE right here on Substack as it happensNew York City, let’s make this one count.We’re taking over Times Square with Toast.At 10:30am you are invited to join us on the corner of 47th Street and 7th Avenue in the busiest intersection in the world to kick-off Toast’s new Built for Busy campaign.We will be sharing stories, making content, and honoring the hard-working spirit that makes the restaurant industry so incredible.This isn’t just about a new campaign. This is about our industry showing up to support each other. If you can’t make it to New York, you can also watch our live feed right here on Substack.Bring your team, bring your energy, bring that Built for Busy mindset.Will I see you in NYC next week? Let me know. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

“Stay curious, get involved, and ask for help.”These are the three lessons my grandfather taught me, and they guide every move we make at Cali BBQ Media. We just wrapped up an incredible experience at the Restaurant Franchise and Innovation Summit (RFIS) in my hometown of San Diego. It was a powerful time making content and connections. I had the honor of being a speaker, and it was great to see other heavy hitters (and friends) in our community, like Troy Hooper and Michael Ungaro, also taking the stage to move this industry forward.As a restaurant owner and operator, I know that the most important thing you can do is invest in your own education. That’s why we’ve evolved into a full-fledged media company that travels to the biggest and most important events in our industry. We aren’t just there to attend; we’re there to tell stories from the ground about how technology and innovation are helping businesses improve.We want to connect with the best technology operators, restaurateurs, and storytellers on the planet. Here is where we will be this summer—reach out so we can collaborate or connect.March 23–26: Las Vegas | Pizza Expo + Bar & Restaurant ShowRight after RFIS, we are heading to Vegas for the Pizza Expo and also the Bar and Restaurant Show. We want to capture stories about how you are learning and what tools you’re using to level up your business. If you’re going to be in Las Vegas for either of these, please reach out to us.* Learn More: International Pizza Expo and Bar & Restaurant ExpoLate March / Early April: Washington, D.C. + BaltimoreAfter Vegas, we’re heading to the East Coast for the first time to tell restaurant stories in D.C. and Baltimore. We want to talk to technology companies and operators who have customers in these cities. Whether it’s for our Restaurant Influencers show or Digital Hospitality, we want to highlight your story.* Get in touch with us: BeTheShow.mediaApril 19–22: Phoenix | Restaurant Leadership ConferenceI’m heading to Phoenix for my first time at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. I’ve heard phenomenal things about this show—it’s where the best leaders in our industry go to sharpen their skills. If you’re attending, please let me know.* Learn More: Restaurant Leadership ConferenceEarly May: Austin + Dallas | Food On DemandOur Texas swing starts with a filming trip to Austin followed immediately by the Food On Demand conference in Dallas. Food On Demand is one of the most important delivery and off-premises events in our entire industry. We hope to see you in Dallas.* Learn More: Food On Demand ConferenceMay 16–19: Chicago | National Restaurant Association ShowThis is the “Super Bowl” of our industry. If you’ve followed our content, you know we do a lot of work at the National Restaurant Show with our partners. We’d love to meet you, talk shop, and share stories from the floor in Chicago.* Learn More: National Restaurant Association ShowLate Summer: London + Dublin | Toast Stories InternationalTo end the summer, Cali BBQ Media is going international. We’re heading to London and Dublin to tell new Toast stories. If you know any innovative restaurants in the UK or Ireland, we can’t wait to meet them and share their journey.Let’s ConnectAt Cali BBQ Media, we believe every business must think like a media company to thrive today. We began as restaurant operators and are now also a full-service media agency ready to help you tell your story through professional podcasting, video production, and digital strategy.Visit us at betheshow.media to see how we can help your brand stand out.Will you be at any of these stops? Reply to this post or DM me. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

In this Restaurant Tech Tour, we visited James Petrakis at his Ravenous Pig in Florida to discuss the strategic tech stack that transformed a “survival-mode” startup into a hospitality group that now includes The Polite Pig at Disney Springs and a brewery operation.When James and Julie Petrakis opened The Ravenous Pig in 2007, they were filling a void in an Orlando market dominated by chains. The husband-and-wife team, both alumni of the Culinary Institute of America, returned to their roots in Winter Park to pioneer a craft food movement rooted in “everything scratch-made”.The early days were defined by grit rather than glamour. Cash was so tight that after his car was stolen, James biked to work while finishing a restaurant he could barely afford to open. Today, that resilience has paid off: James is a seven-time James Beard Best Chef South semifinalist, and The Ravenous Pig holds a prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition. WATCH MORE: James Petrakis on Restaurant Influencers on Entrepreneur.comTheir menu remains an “American Gastropub” powerhouse, featuring progressive, farm-to-table dishes like Wagyu Filets, Tomahawks, and ducks that have transformed Orlando into a serious food destination.inKind: The Capital and Marketing EngineFor Petrakis, inKind became the bridge to sustainable growth. inKind is a digital financing and loyalty platform that provides restaurants with upfront capital in exchange for digital gift certificates sold to their customer base.Over time, the pre-paid credit model—where guests purchase dining credit in advance—evolved into a tool that his regulars embraced. This transformed initial financial relief into a powerful loyalty and marketing engine that kept the lights on and the business moving forward even when margins were thin.* Capital Without the Bank: By leveraging inKind, Petrakis accessed funding without the rigid constraints or collateral requirements of traditional bank loans.* Automated Marketing: James replaced expensive PR firms with inKind’s native marketing tools and email blasts, which he found provided significantly more “bang for his buck”.* Frictionless Loyalty: Because the certificates are digital and stored in the guest’s email, regulars can’t lose them, creating a “loyalty engine” that provides reliable revenue.Toast: Maximizing Efficiency To manage multiple high-volume concepts, James consolidated his entire operation onto Toast. Toast is an all-in-one point-of-sale and management system designed specifically to help restaurants improve operations and increase sales.* Handheld Productivity: In the Ravenous Pig Beer Garden, five servers can manage a crowd of 200 people using Toast handheld technology.* Increased Sales: By using handhelds, orders go straight to the bar and kitchen instantly. This allows servers to stay on the floor, focusing entirely on hospitality and selling more beer.* Operational Simplicity: James noted that the system’s ease of use made it simple to roll out across the entire group, including their massive Polite Pig operation at Disney Springs.7shifts: Streamlining LaborWith some employees staying for nearly two decades, James prioritizes “quality of life.” To manage complex scheduling across his empire, he relies on 7shifts. 7shifts is a team management platform that helps restaurants simplify scheduling, communication, and labor compliance. It ensures the team has the stability they need—a cornerstone of the “family” culture the Petrakis duo has built.Resy: Managing Guest ExperienceTo handle the flow of a Michelin-recognized dining room, the group utilizes Resy for reservations. Resy is a hospitality technology platform that powers restaurant reservations and table management. This ensures a seamless guest experience from the appetizers to the final course, which Shawn Walchef noted “keeps raising the bar”.The Strategy of Craft: Batching and Brewery EconomicsPetrakis also shared two key “insider” strategies that keep the business lean:* Cocktail Batching: To avoid “10-minute wait” times for craft cocktails, the bar batches its top-selling drinks for speed. This efficiency ensures guests get their first round fast, encouraging them to order more.* Vertical Integration: The brewery operation ($50 per keg via a distributor vs. $375 per keg on-premise) is only sustainable because Petrakis is his own best customer. By selling 50% of his beer at his own locations like Disney Springs and the airport, he keeps the high “on-premise” profit margin for himself.Thanks for checking out Restaurant Technology! Please share to grow our community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

At a Glance: How Levain Bakery Powered Their 19-Location Expansion* Tech Vision: CTO Gustavo Cardona, a former NASA data analyst applied an “engineer’s point of view” to the cookie business.* Visibility Boost: A partnership with Marqii that streamlined Google Business Profiles, leading to a 13% increase in “noticeability” in just four months.* Core Engine: Toast serves as the exclusive POS, utilized for its robust API and Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) to sync high-volume storefronts.* Freshness Guarantee: Using PDQ (Pretty Damn Quick) as an Order Management System to ensure e-commerce customers are only charged the day their cookies are baked and shipped.When you think of Levain Bakery, you might picture the legendary six-ounce cookies and lines stretching around New York City blocks. But behind that warm, gooey center is a sophisticated technological engine designed for growth.The leader of the company’s tech vision? Gustavo Cardona who’s tech journey led him from NASA to a cookie company that has scaled to almost 20 locations.I was lucky enough to spend time with Gustavo inside Levain Bakery where I got a chance to try their absolutely amazing treats. A former engineer who once worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute on data for the Hubble telescope, Gustavo treats the bakery’s tech stack like a precision instrument. His “small but mighty” team uses an “engineer’s point of view”— A/B testing new tools to ensure they maintain the brand’s soul while operating at an enterprise scale.LEARN MORE about the story of Levain Bakery on our Restaurant Influencers video podcast series on Entrepreneur.com.1. The Operational Heart: ToastFor Levain, Toast is the central nervous system of every physical bakery. Gustavo moved the brand to Toast specifically for its customizable platform and robust API.In a high-velocity environment like Levain Bakery, the back-of-house needs to stay perfectly synchronized with the front-of-house rush. He highlights the impact of Toast’s Kitchen Display Systems (KDS):“First of all, back of the house, simple KDS. All the orders come through... storefront and marketplace, it’s all that.”This integration allows the team to manage a high volume of orders in real-time without losing the “neighborhood bakery” quality.2. Owning the Map: Marqii & Google Business ProfilesOne of the most significant hurdles for a growing brand is digital “fragmentation.” With 19 locations, keeping Google Business Profiles accurate and engaging is a massive undertaking.Levain utilizes Marqii to solve this. By centralizing their profiles, Marqii acts as a single source of truth for location data and store hours.* The 13% Noticeability Bump: On the advice of the Marqii team, Levain simplified their naming convention on Google (changing specific neighborhood titles to simply “Levain Bakery”). The result was a 13% increase in noticeability in just four months.* Search Optimization: Marqii helps them capture customers who aren’t just searching for the brand, but are searching for keywords like “best chocolate chip cookies in New York.”3. The Digital “20th Location”: PDQLevain’s e-commerce business has become so large that Gustavo considers it their 20th location. To manage the complexity of shipping a perishable product, they rely on Pretty Damn Quick (PDQ) as their Order Management System (OMS).PDQ allows Levain to execute a custom “bake-to-ship” workflow:“The day we bake it, the day we ship it, the day we charge it. Because now we know you’re going to get your cookies.”This logic ensures that customers are only billed once the product is fresh and ready for transit, maintaining the high standards Levain is known for.4. Data-Driven Insights: MRI Software & VerkadaTo understand the “Levain Impact” in new markets like Beverly Hills or Chicago, the team relies on foot-traffic intelligence. By using MRI Software integrated with Verkada camera systems, Levain tracks traffic patterns moving both inside and outside their stores.This data is funneled into Tableau, which Gustavo also uses as an inventive intermediary to bridge data from the Toast API into their NetSuite finance platform. This high-level visualization ensures every expansion move is backed by hard data rather than guesswork.Levain’s success proves that high-tech and high-touch aren’t mutually exclusive. By empowering primary partners like Toast to handle operations and Marqii to dominate search, Gustavo Cardona has cleared the path for his team to focus on what matters most: the community and the cookies. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

The US food system has a staggering logistical failure: while 60+ million tons of food are tossed into landfills each year, millions of Americans still face food insecurity. I wanted to introduce you to Copia, a technology platform that automates food redistribution to solve the logistics of hunger.To see how technology can finally bridge the gap between fine dining and frontline need, we took a journey to New York City so we could document the “full circle” of food rescue. As Copia CEO Kimberly Smith told me, the hospitality industry has always wanted to help, but the barrier has always been friction:“The reality is if it’s too slow, it’s not reliable, it’s inefficient, you’re going to throw it away because that’s the easiest thing to do.”We started in the 35,000-square-foot kitchen of Mercado Little Spain in Hudson Yards, a flagship of the José Andrés Group (JAG). JAG, a world-renowned hospitality organization led by Chef José Andrés, has become the gold standard in food donation because they have made it operationally efficient and seamless to turn what was once a wasted commodity into a valuable asset.‘Three-Minute Habit’In the Little Spain commissary kitchen, Head Chef Ernesto Rodriguez walked through a process that has transformed a once-burdensome task into a seamless daily habit.* Designated Storage: Surplus food is moved to a designated fridge for Copia.* Safety & Tracking: Items like world-class Spanish paella are weighed and marked with prep labels and temperature checks.* The Technology: To trigger a pickup, they use the Copia app.“We just click it, put the weight, click submit, and then we have just a delivery guys come here and pick up everything. Copia handles the rest,” Chef Ernesto explained.This is the same fantastically prepared food that was served to guests just hours earlier. It is repurposed to help those in need. The “magic” that makes this stick is the Copia app, which handles the logistics that usually lead to waste. Kimberly Smith said this entire digital log takes just three minutes a day, removing the excuse that donation is too time-consuming for a high-volume team. Once the chef hits submit, the platform manages the logistics, dispatching drivers to pick up the items so the kitchen can focus on its next service.The Quality of DignityFollowing the delivery led to Chance for Change, a program by the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelters (NCS). This facility provides counseling and support for community members managing homelessness and substance use disorders. Here, the arrival of Michelin-standard food from a group like JAG does more than just fill a plate—it restores a sense of dignity.Drucilla Williams, a LCSW from Chance for Change, explained the profound psychological shift that happens when high-end hospitality meets social services.“I think that sometimes that people think because they’re homeless that they don’t have a say, they don’t have an opinion, they don’t have choices, right?They enjoy the quality of the food. They enjoy the amount of the food. All of those things really help them engage and feel comfortable.”By seeing the process go from a kitchen scale to a community table, the lesson becomes clear.“You can take your surplus food instead of throwing it into landfill, you feed people instead,” she said.The TakeawayThis partnership serves as a proof point for the entire restaurant world. If a fine-dining powerhouse can seamlessly integrate a donation program into their operations, then you can too.Most people enter the hospitality business not to make a lot of money, but to make an impact. By utilizing technology like Copia to bridge the gap between service and social responsibility, restaurants can finally align their daily operations with that core mission. Having your food arrive at shelters is a way to make an impact in the very communities where your restaurant operates.* Copia: gocopia.com | @gocopia * José Andrés Group: joseandres.com | @joseandresgroup * Mercado Little Spain: littlespain.com | @littlespainReady to start your own donation story? Visit gocopia.com or download the app on the Apple or Google store to get donating today.Please share this newsletter with someone who might learn something from it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

TECH MENTIONED:* Toast Marketing — Retargeting and Loyalty* Marqii — One-Stop Listing Management* Google Business Profile — Local Search Visibility* Palona.ai — AI Voice Automation* Ovation — Real-Time Guest FeedbackYou can also join the conversation on our Rising Tides Live series every Wednesday and Friday at 10am (PST)What’s on your Community Tech Stack? Building a restaurant is about the people who gather around the table as much as it’s about the meal. At my restaurant Cali BBQ in San Diego, we’ve found that magic happens when the connection you build with guests continues long after they’re done eating. My mission with my company Cali BBQ Media is to share the tools that have helped us turn casual guests into a true, lasting community.This is the second installment in our 4 Cs series (Commerce, Community, Content, Communication). We previously broke down our Commerce tech stack, and we are releasing the next two soon—Communication and Content—so make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss those deep dives into how we run our business.Here is the breakdown of the Community Tech Stack we use to stay connected.1. The Digital Front Door: Your WebsiteThe most important asset in our community stack is our own website. While social media is great for reach, your website is where you truly own the relationship. I see so many owners creating incredible content on social media, but that work often stays on those platforms instead of living on their own “digital storefront”. By hosting content, selling BBQ, and managing catering orders on our site, we can re-target the guests who visit us and treat them with actual loyalty. It’s the one place where content, commerce, communication, and community all live under one roof.* Link: CaliBBQ.media* Link: BeTheShow.media2. The Relationship Driver: Toast MarketingMaintaining deep relationships with guests is hard work, and I’m so happy that Toast built marketing tools directly into their platform. It prevents us from having to manage six different disconnected systems just to stay in touch with our community. We use the data from people spending money online and in our restaurant to retarget them through integrated loyalty, email, and SMS marketing. It allows us to reach back out to the people who already love what we do and keep that conversation going.* Link: Toast Marketing & Loyalty3. The Listings Master: MarqiiThere are dozens of spots online where your restaurant information lives, from TripAdvisor and Yelp to Tesla and Apple Maps. It is incredibly easy for someone to get your hours of operation or your menu wrong. We use Marqii as our single source of truth. Instead of logging into every individual site to fix a typo or update holiday hours, we use one dashboard to push the correct info everywhere. It even allows us to respond to all our reviews from one place, ensuring our community feels heard without our team getting lost in a dozen different browser tabs.* Link: Marqii4. The Local Hub: Google Business ProfileGoogle is making massive investments in how small businesses show up locally. If you are a restaurant owner, this is digital real estate you cannot ignore. We treat our Google Business Profile as a living document. Keeping it updated is the fastest way to stay connected to the local community exactly when they are searching for what we do in real-time. If you haven’t logged in lately, now is the time to get it updated and engage with the people looking for you.* Link: Google Business Profile5. The 24/7 Host: Palona.aiWe now have “Shawn AI” answering our phones. It’s an incredible automation that ensures we never miss a community connection just because the restaurant is busy. On Father’s Day alone—one of our busiest days of the year—Palona.ai answered over 150 calls that my staff didn’t have to touch. The AI gives directions and even allows guests to place orders via Toast using Voice AI. It keeps the phones ringing and the guests happy without adding stress to the team during the holiday rush.* Link: Palona.ai6. The Problem Solver: OvationOvation is one of our favorite tools because it allows us to have a conversation with a guest before a bad experience becomes a permanent public review. If we forget a side of jalapeño cheddar cornbread in a to-go order, the guest can text the manager on duty immediately through the app. This gives us a chance to fix the problem in real-time. When we make it right, it actually encourages people to write more five-star reviews on the platforms that matter. It’s about being proactive and leading with hospitality.* Link: Ovation7. The Live Connection: Rising Tides & Pitch the TideTo build community, you have to stay connected and avoid “posting and ghosting” on social media. We host live shows every week to stay connected with other owners and our local fans. Rising Tides is our virtual town square where owners, operators, and tech pros gather every Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. Pacific to share secrets. We also just launched Pitch the Tide on Fridays, where tech brands pitch their products and you—the community—get to ask questions and give them direct feedback. It’s all about lifting each other up.* Link: Rising Tides LiveJoin the Digital Hospitality CommunityWe’ve been in the restaurant business for almost two decades, and the media business for half of that. We’re giving away everything we’ve learned for free on this Substack and wherever you find our content. Whether you have questions about newsletters, B2B content marketing, or social media, we have the resources to help you.Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next part of our 4 Cs series! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

If you run a restaurant, you are in the business of storytelling. And your menu is one of the most important stories you tell. Most owners treat their menu as a simple list of food and prices, but in reality, your menu should be a treasure map of profitability. After almost 20 years of operating Cali BBQ in San Diego, I’ve learned that growth doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design. Whether it’s a physical piece of paper or a digital interface, menu engineering is the data-driven practice of guiding your guests toward the items that offer the best experience for them and the best margins for you.Here is how you can stop guessing and start engineering a more profitable business.1. Master the “Golden” Menu RuleFor years at Cali BBQ, we treated our menu like a simple list until we realized it was actually visual real estate. We learned that the top-left corner is where eyes naturally land, so we placed our $99 Tailgater family-style meal in that “Golden” spot. We found that when guests see that $99 “anchor,” they use it as a benchmark to compare against other options, helping them decide how to feed their group most effectively while increasing our ticket size.* Placing high-profit “star” items in the top-left corner of your layout allows you to use “anchors” to increase ticket averages and guide guests toward your most profitable meals.2. Create Perceived Value (The “Fishbowl” Effect)At Cali BBQ, we’ve found massive success with our fishbowl drinks (complete with a rubber ducky). Why? Because they feel like an “event” rather than just a beverage.Even though the base beverage costs are manageable, our guests perceive a massive value of enjoyment because the drink is shareable, social, and experiential. We found the same success with our “Wicked Peach Cobbler,” which can serve as a communal finale to our family-style meals.* By creating “Instagrammable” moments through items like shareable fishbowls or peach cobblers, you can charge a premium for the experience, driving higher gross profit margins even on items that may have higher base costs.3. The Power of the Add-OnSmall changes lead to significant bottom-line shifts. If you can increase your Average Check Size by just a few dollars through strategic upselling and shareable items, that translates to a massive impact on your annual revenue. It’s about the cumulative power of small wins.One of our Cali BBQ Media executive producers Aaron Roberts, used to come into the restaurant and order a side of pulled pork every time. He mentioned to our CFO, Eric Olafsen, that he really wanted to add grilled onions or jalapeños to his order, but we didn’t have that as a digital option. Once Eric added those as modifiers to all our meats, we started selling more grilled onions and jalapeños than ever before simply because we finally made them available to the guest.* Engineering your digital menu to include easy-to-use modifiers—like adding grilled onions to a protein—is a simple “digital age” tactic that significantly increases both guest satisfaction and overall ticket value.4. Leverage the Right Tech StackYou can’t manage what you don’t measure. To truly engineer a menu, you need data.Your online menu is often the first “dining room” a guest visits. If your digital menu isn’t engineered with the same care as your physical one, you’re losing customers before they even walk through the door.We rely on industry-leading tools like Toast to help us design menus that work smarter, not harder.* Utilizing a tech stack with Toast for real-time sales data and Restaurant365 for weekly inventory tracking is a great way to truly understand your recipe costs and build a menu that is engineered for actual profit.The Bottom LineMenu engineering isn’t a “one-and-done” task, it’s a constant evolution. It’s about staying curious, looking at the data, and being willing to move things around until you find the sweet spot of guest satisfaction and profitability.Thanks for reading Restaurant Technology. Please share this post with your network. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Restaurants don’t fail because of the food. They fail because of broken systems.For years, the industry accepted a hard truth: to be successful, you had to be the glue holding a fractured business together. That meant working IN your business instead of ON your business. The rhythm of a restaurant is a double-edged sword. When it’s working, it’s a symphony. When it’s not, it’s a slow-motion car crash that demands every ounce of your focus, your energy, and your time. The manual heartbeat of a machine that should be running itself.I was just at in Orlando for the Toast Annual Kickoff, and I realized that the narrative of restaurant ownership is changing. Michael Ungaro from San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant and Kings of Fi$h on Amazon Prime summed it up best from stage at the event. He said one word should be the focus of all service providers in hospitality: giving owners back their FREEDOM. Toast is intentionally building an ecosystem designed to help operators earn back the one thing that has become a luxury in hospitality: the freedom to actually run a business instead of being trapped inside it.I saw this in the diversity of the people in the room:* Global Pillars: Brands like Uber Eats and Coca-Cola, who bring the gravity and distribution of the world’s biggest stages.* The Next Wave: Startups like Palona AI, who are building the future with a speed and creativity that challenges every old assumption we have about “how things are done.”* Solution Partners: Service partners like F3 Tech, who are on the ground making sure the solutions actually hold up when the kitchen is slammed and the stakes are real.When technology companies, operators, and builders stop working in silos and start building together, the friction begins to disappear. And when the friction disappears, you get your life back.Leadership That Stays Close to the HeatOne of the most telling moments of the kickoff happened off-stage.Spending time with Aman Narang, Co-Founder and CEO of Toast, reinforced why this company feels different. Aman doesn’t lead from a 30,000-foot view. He is gritty. He believes in staying “uncomfortably close” to the product, the customer, and the problems.That mindset is why Toast supports 156,000 locations (as of Q3 2025). It’s not an accident. It’s a result of leadership that still remembers what it’s like to solve a problem on a busy Friday night when the house is full and the pressure is on.I saw that same human connection in Kelly Esten, Toast’s CMO. In an era of corporate polish, Kelly is practicing what we call Digital Hospitality. She isn’t just running a marketing department; she’s building a personal branded channel to spotlight the people behind the business. She understands that in 2026, the brands that win aren’t just “providers”—they are participants in our community.Documenting the IndustryAt Cali BBQ Media, our mission for our Toast partnership is simple: Tell the stories of the people who are building a better way.We are looking for the Toast partners who are helping operators reclaim their margin and their sanity. We want to find the restaurants that are scaling without losing the heart of what made them special in the first place.Restaurants don’t usually fail because of the food. They fail when the owner runs out of gas because they’re too busy being the “connective tissue” for the machinery of the business.We went to Orlando to see the future. What we found is that the future isn’t just about better code—it’s about giving people their freedom back.This is digital hospitality. And we’re just getting started.-Shawn Walchef @shawnpwalchefAt Cali BBQ Media, we’ve always operated on a simple, hard truth: if you don’t own your story, someone else will. That’s why I am so incredibly fired up to announce that we have officially signed a long-term storytelling partnership with Toast. It’s about a shared mission to document the most important shifts happening in our industry.We are officially on the hunt for the absolute best restaurants, the grittiest operators, and the tech innovators who are using Toast to start being the leaders they were meant to be. We want to tell the stories of those who are scaling their business and improving the guest experience without losing their soul in the process.Are you a Toast partner with a story to tell? Or an operator using the ecosystem to grow? We want to hear from you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Opening day is more than a moment — it’s a story you’ll be telling for a lifetime. And in today’s restaurant landscape, your restaurant’s story begins long before guests walk through your doors.Whether you’re launching your first location or your twentieth, one thing is constant: if you’re not showing up online early, you’re already behind.That’s why we partnered with Marqii to spotlight the 8 essential digital steps every operator should take before opening a new restaurant. These insights come straight from the field — and from our recent video featuring Ida from Marqii, who walks through each one.You can watch the full video at the top of this newsletter, or scroll on for the full countdown. 8. Train Your Team on Your Digital PresenceLet’s start where it matters most — your people.Before opening day, your staff should know:* Where guests are finding your restaurant (Google, Yelp, Resy, etc.)* What promotions or specials are live online* How to answer questions about hours, menus, or orderingAligning your digital presence with your in-person hospitality ensures a seamless experience for guests and builds trust from the very first interaction.7. Make Sure Your Website Is Launch-ReadyYour website doesn’t need to be fancy, but it must be clear, mobile-friendly, and accurate.Here’s what to check:* Does it list your new location info?* Can guests access your current menu?* Are hours and reservation links easy to find?* Does it match your listings and social media?A well-structured website also helps improve your prominence score with search engines, making it easier for guests to discover you organically.6. Double-Check Holiday and Special HoursOpening around a holiday or big local event? Update your hours in advance — everywhere.Platforms like Google prominently display special hours for users, and nothing breaks trust like a guest showing up to a locked door.Tools like Marqii make it easy to update holiday hours across all listings in just a few clicks.5. Respond to Early ReviewsYes, early reviews happen — even before you officially open.* Soft openings* Friends and family events* Walk-bys They all spark feedback. Responding to these early reviews (good or bad) shows guests you care and helps boost your star rating over time. Studies show operators who engage with reviews see up to a 30% improvement in average ratings.With Marqii, you can monitor and respond across platforms from one dashboard, with suggested replies to save time and stay on-brand.4. Build Buzz on Social MediaStart posting before opening day. This is your chance to tell your story and bring your future guests along for the journey.Some ideas:* Construction sneak peeks* Hiring announcements* Staff introductions* Menu teases and soft opening invites* Countdown posts to build anticipation3. Upload Menus, Specials, and Ordering LinksYour menu is your pitch. It’s also one of the most-clicked elements on your listings.Make sure to:* Upload a readable, mobile-optimized version* Include item photos and category tags* Highlight dietary options (vegan, gluten-free, etc.)* Link to your delivery or reservation platformsKeeping menus up to date also boosts SEO. The more accurate your data, the easier it is for search engines to recommend you to hungry guests nearby.2. Get Listed Everywhere Your Guests SearchDon’t stop at Google.Make sure your restaurant is listed (accurately!) on:* Yelp* Facebook* Apple Maps* TripAdvisor* Bing* OpenTable or Resy* Delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, or ToastHere’s the key: Consistency matters. Your name, address, phone number, and hours should match exactly across all platforms — even down to whether you write “Street” or “St.”With Marqii, you can update and sync all your listings from one centralized dashboard. That means no copy-pasting across the internet.1. Claim and Set Up Your Google Business ProfileAnd finally, we’re back where most of your guests will find you first: Google.Before opening, make sure to:* Claim or create your Google Business Profile (GBP)* Mark your location as “Opening Soon”* Upload key photos and your logo* Add hours, phone number, website, and menu linksPro Tip: Upload your menu directly to your Google profile — it’s one of the most important ranking signals for restaurants in 2026 and beyond.Your Google presence is more than a listing. It’s the front door to your digital brand.READ MORE HERE ON OUR SUBSTACKReady to Open With Confidence?A successful restaurant launch today requires both an on-site and online strategy. If your digital house is in order, you’ll start building trust (and traffic) before you serve a single plate.Watch the full video with Ida from Marqii at the top of this page for a walkthrough of these 8 steps — and consider sharing it with your team as a launch-day checklist.Pre‑Opening Digital Checklist* Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile* List your restaurant across key platforms* Upload menus and ordering links* Build buzz on social media* Stay on top of reviews* Update special/holiday hours* Ensure your website aligns with your listings* Train staff on your digital presenceIf you’re looking for support: Marqii helps hospitality operators manage listings, menus, social, and reviews from one easy-to-use platform — with accuracy, speed, and serious hospitality DNA.A Note About Our SponsorAt Cali BBQ Media, we’re grateful to work with partners like Marqii who help us amplify the voices of restaurant leaders and share the tools that actually move our industry forward.Every company we feature is one we believe in — and who believes in us.Marqii has consistently shown up for hospitality operators with innovation, transparency, and heart.Thank you for supporting our work. We’ll keep showing up, telling stories, and sharing insights that matter — because we know how much is on the line in this industry.Shawn P. WalchefFounder, Cali BBQ Media This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

I learned a lot in 2025. I’ll learn even more in 2026.As we move into the New Year, the biggest lesson I’ve taken from the past groundbreaking year at Cali BBQ Media is that technology moves fast, but the soul of what we do—storytelling—is what actually lasts. Here are 5 major lessons we learned while building in public over the last twelve months.1. Be Willing to Try New ToolsIf you aren’t willing to outgrow your tools, you’re choosing to stay behind. And because we’re a new media company that also owns and operates a modern restaurant business, we have A LOT of technology.One of our biggest shifts in 2025 was the realization that “the way we’ve always done it” was becoming a bottleneck. In a world being rapidly reshaped by AI, we had to learn into our equation for digital content: Quantity + Speed + Consistency = Quality. Every year, we have to audit our tech stack and ask if it can be improved, because we would rather expand our technology as needed than get stuck on a platform that no longer serves our current needs.* Media Tech: We moved away from legacy platforms like Blubrry that couldn’t keep up with our production volume. We transitioned our community from Clubhouse to Streamyard (for live engagement) and Riverside (for high-end studio recordings).* Restaurant Tech: We prioritize partners like Toast, Davo Sales Tax by Avalara, and Restaurant365, who don’t just sell software and hardware—they invest in the future. By listening to operators, like Toast does with its Customer Advisory Boards, they ensure their tech evolves faster than the market shifts, keeping us ahead of the curve.* Personal Tech: We streamlined our individual workflows, leaning into communication tools like Slack and Notion, acknowledging that the features we started the year with often weren’t what we needed by the end. What’s crucial is staying in touch with each other so we can keep in the flow.2. Personal Branding is the New “Digital Receipt”We’ve learned that there is immense value in a brand having a show, but there is even more value in a founder like Debby Soo at OpenTable or Kelly Esten at Toast sharing their personal stories. I post every day on Instagram Stories, and that community of hundreds of people has become our most popular and engaged “show” because people want to see the real work happening behind the scenes.* As AI becomes more prevalent, the only way to stand out is through real, live content and the willingness to share your story directly with the one person who needs to see it.3. YouTube is a Quality Game, Not a Numbers GameIt’s easy to look at a B2B YouTube channel and think the numbers are “small,” but we leaned into it hard in 2025 and saw a 125% increase in views and a 68% increase in subscribers. We know it doesn’t matter if only 200 people watch a video if those 200 are the exact restaurant owners or tech partners we want to reach.* Following the advice of our first Restaurant Influencers guest, Sam the Cooking Guy, we’ve focused on the long-term compounding effect of content, knowing that while building an audience takes time, once it starts to click, it accelerates rapidly.4. Human-Led AI is the Only Way to ScaleWhile many media companies are using AI as an excuse to cut staff, we actually increased our staffing in 2025 because AI cannot run itself. We’ve found that when a human uses AI properly, we can produce accurate, detailed blog posts and video content at a scale that used to take days, without losing the human touch.* We believe that the brands that win will be those that use humans to lead their AI efforts, allowing them to stay picky about their partners—like Toast, Davo, and Restaurant365—while maintaining a high volume of quality content.5. Content Happens Where Life HappensA lot of people avoid bringing their family on business trips because it’s difficult, but I brought my “Walchef Wolfpack” to New York, Las Vegas, and Miami last year because it enriches both my life and my business. This same curiosity drove me to ask the internet for help finding restaurant owners during a vacation in Istanbul, which led to immediate, high-quality content and new global partners.* My grandfather taught me a simple recipe: stay curious, get involved, and ask for help—and in 2026, asking the internet for help is still the fastest way to connect with the right people in any city in the world.Thanks for sharing this newsletter with someone who might find it valuable.The 2026 Challenge: Ask AI Who You AreIf you haven’t asked an AI to explain who you are or what your brand does, you have a massive hole in your strategy. Your “digital receipts”—the bios you use for conferences, your partner links, and your media appearances—are what feed the AI results that your customers and competitors see.As tennis legend Arthur Ashe said: “Start where you are, with what you have, and do what you can”. If you don’t start posting and getting your hands dirty today, you’re going to look back in 2027 and realize you missed the biggest opportunity to define your own story.From coast to coast, this year was about showing up, telling real stories, and doing the work.NYC to Santa Monica. Chicago to Vegas. Istanbul included.Boardrooms, kitchens, expos, and back-of-house walkthroughs.From Google and Toast HQ’s to neighborhood restaurants. From global brands to independent operators.Different rooms. Same focus: hospitality, technology, and people.We documented wins, tested ideas, built case studies, and hosted real conversations.Most importantly, we kept pressing record—for operators seeking clarity, for brands that care about impact, and for teams doing the work every day.2026 is already in motion.More stories. More reps. More depth.Game on.-Shawn This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

* Why instant payouts are actually a hospitality tool. Chef Bert reveals that removing the friction of waiting for tips doesn’t just improve morale, it eliminates the “head worries” and payout disputes that distract staff from taking care of the guest.* The “90/10 Rule” for scaling a brand. To expand from San Diego to Sedona without losing quality, Wild Thyme locks in 90% of the menu for operational consistency but explicitly reserves 10% for local chefs to innovate with fresh, market-specific ingredients.* Replacing “Grind” with “Systems.” After years of burning the candle at both ends, Chef Bert Bonnaren explains why “full gas is not always the fastest way to get there” and how relying on integrated tech stacks allows high-volume restaurants to run smoother with significantly less chef burnout.Shorebird is magical. The San Diego restaurant overlooks the Coronado Bridge and the bay, serving up a culinary experience that blends coastal flavors with high-end execution.I recently sat down at the beautiful Shorebird in Seaport Village to catch up with Chef Bert Bonnaren, the Corporate Chef for Wild Thyme Restaurant Group. But as we looked out at the water, we didn’t just talk about their famous tempura rock shrimp or the fresh catch from the local fish market (though those are incredible). We talked about the engine that keeps a multi-location brand running: Technology.Chef Bert has a serious pedigree. He grew up in Belgium, trained in a “military-style” culinary school for six years, and interned with Michelin-star legends like Chef Geert Van Hecke in Bruges (often called the godfather of Belgian cuisine) and Chef Sidney Schutte in the Netherlands. He knows old-school discipline. But he also knows that in 2024, “grinding it out” isn’t enough. You need smart systems.The “Full Gas” FallacyBert told me something profound during our chat: “Full gas is not always the fastest way to get there”.Early in his career, he burned the candle at both ends. But now, as a corporate chef overseeing openings for brands like Mole and Jaybird’s Hot Chicken, and as a new father, he has realized that efficiency beats brute force. This is where the right technology stack becomes the secret ingredient to hospitality.When I asked him about the tech they use at Wild Thyme, he was blunt: “You’re leaving a lot of things on the table if you wouldn’t use it”.Why Kickfin is a Game Changer for StaffOne of the biggest friction points in the restaurant industry is how we treat our people—specifically, how we pay them. We discussed Kickfin, and Chef Bert’s take on it was exactly what every operator needs to hear.It’s not just about moving money; it’s about psychology and morale.“It’s smooth, it makes everybody happy because they get their money quicker, faster, in a better way,” Chef Bert explained.For a busy restaurant group with locations ranging from Huntington Beach to Sedona, eliminating the administrative headache of tips is massive. When you remove the friction of payout disputes or delayed gratitude, you change the culture.As Chef Bert noted, Kickfin “takes a lot of time away, a lot of head worries and people coming back and complaining. So it opens up more time for you, less stress”.That is the definition of Digital Hospitality. When you use technology to remove “head worries” for your staff, they have more emotional bandwidth to take care of the guest.The Ecosystem of EfficiencyIt’s not just about payouts. Wild Thyme relies on a connected ecosystem to handle the volume they see at prime locations like Seaport Village.* Reservations & Reviews: They lean on platforms like OpenTable and Yelp because they are deeply integrated into the guest experience. It’s about visibility and maximizing covers.* Events: For large groups and buyouts, they utilize Tripleseat to streamline contracting and visualize the space for guests.Chef Bert pointed out that the busier the restaurant is, the easier it is to manage but only if you have the systems in place to handle the scale. Technology is what allows them to “copy and paste” their success from one location to the next, maintaining 90% menu consistency while leaving room for local flair.The LessonChef Bert’s journey from the strict kitchens of Knokke, Belgium to the tech-forward operations of San Diego proves that tradition and innovation aren’t enemies.Whether it’s using Kickfin to ensure his team gets paid instantly or using data to plan a new menu, the goal remains the same: “To keep the quality here but also give my life a quality,” as Bert put it.Did you enjoy this article? Check out more interviews like this on our the Restaurant Influencers video podcast series presented by our partners at Toast very week on Entrepreneur.com.If you want to dive deeper into the best tools for your business, subscribe to our Restaurant Technology Substack and follow Cali BBQ Media on YouTube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Your 2026 Google Playbook* Own Your Google Business Profile: Maximize every relevant field and respond to every review. Consistency across platforms is what prevents AI confusion.* Geo-Tag Everything: Ensure creators and your own team are geolocation tagging your restaurant in every video.* Video is Data: High-quality video isn’t just “content.” It’s the primary way multimodal search understands your “vibe.” Having a variety of short and long videos will help you show up better.* Hyper-Local Analysis: Use Google’s BigQuery and Place Insights to score new locations based on real-world vibrancy metrics before signing a lease.In New York City during the Holidays (between the Rockefeller crowds and the chaos of Times Square) you’re either moving with the current or getting swept away. Either way, what a ride.This month, I found myself back in Manhattan for my third Google Restaurant Influencer Summit. The “Digital Front Door” isn’t just a metaphor anymore. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem where hospitality and technology have finally merged.Big Ideas at St. John’s TerminalThe event was at the iconic St. John’s Terminal, hosted by Lisa Landsman. The energy in the room was electric—big ideas were everywhere. Before the summit even started, I met up with the Cali BBQ Media crew at a café that was perfectly designed for our needs thanks to AI.Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence program picked the spot for us to eat as well as all the other restaurants we ate at during our trip (it also helped me find spots my kids loved, which is never easy). It was a practical reminder of the first big takeaway from the summit: The Future of Search is Multimodal. People are moving beyond simple text; they are using image, voice, and video for complex, longer search queries. If your restaurant isn’t “readable” by these tools, you are essentially invisible to the AI-powered diner.Feeding 100,000 People (The Ultimate Scale)One of the most profound moments was sitting down with Helen Wechsler. Helen manages a hospitality operation that would make most owners’ heads spin: she is responsible for feeding 100,000 Googlers worldwide.It was one of my favorite interviews ever. We talked about how she uses global systems to ensure that every individual feels cared for through food. It reinforced a core Cali BBQ Media belief: whether you’re serving brisket in San Diego or healthy bowls in a global tech hub, the goal of technology should always be to amplify the human connection.YouTube: The New “Actionable” MenuI spent the afternoon diving deep into the intersection of YouTube and Search with Farah Shirzadi. We got a hands-on look at Google’s newest tools. The reality is that search is evolving from just giving answers to Agentic AI—where the system actually makes bookings and turns plans into reality.To succeed here, your content strategy is critical:* Be the Primary Source: You must provide rich, fresh content in your Google Business Profile (GBP).* Support Text with Rich Media: Use high-quality images and video to feed the AI what it needs.* YouTube is Essential: Restaurants should have dedicated YouTube channels linked directly to their GBP.* The Power of Shorts: 22% of Gen Z users on YouTube Shorts do not use TikTok or Instagram Reels. If you aren’t on Shorts, you’re missing a massive, unique audience. * Place Pivot Pages: This is where mentioned Shorts about your restaurant are displayed, creating a “geographic hub” for your brand.Google has lots of ways to help restaurants run. At my restaurant Cali BBQ in San Diego, we are now using Nano Banana Pro on Gemini to design and fine-tune design for promotions and signs. Our restaurant staff now has the ability to design without having to wait for a graphics team to get back to them.We also explored Place Insights, which is a game-changer for expansion. By combining Google’s Places data with your own in BigQuery, restaurant owners can make smarter decisions about where to open. We saw how you can move from a state-wide view down to hyper-local grids to score sites based on “vibrancy,” amenities, and competitor density. This isn’t guesswork. It’s calculating your Total Addressable Market (TAM) with surgical precision.Between sessions, I traded stories with the people who keep this industry moving: Zack Oates, Rev Ciancio, Loycent Gordon, and more. These are hospitality lifers who understand that while the tools change, the mission of service remains the same.The trip ended in true NYC fashion. My family the Walchef Wolfpack showed up to watch me work at the Google offices before we pulled a movie-style sprint to LaGuardia. We barely made our flight, but we got back just in time for Steven & Amanda’s wedding.New York gave us a lifetime of memories—from Central Park squirrels to a front-row seat at the next wave of Google innovation. The message is clear: Good SEO is largely having great content for people. The technology is ready. The question is, are you ready to run with it?Check out my recap from our first trip to the Google NYC Summit: What Restaurants Can Learn from Google’s NYC Influencer Summit This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

When I found out I was named one of the recipients of the 2025 Restaurant Innovators Awards by 7shifts, I felt something deeper than just pride.I felt responsibility.Responsibility to not let the spotlight stop with me. To turn it outward, toward the people and teams who are doing real, meaningful work to make hospitality stronger.This list of 60 honorees isn’t just an awards list. It’s a glimpse of where our industry is going, and who’s leading the way.Some of the names you’ll know. Most you won’t. That’s exactly the point.Great teams make great restaurants. Read the news on 7shifts.comThis List Tells a Bigger StoryThe people recognized in the Restaurant Innovators Awards come from independent coffee shops, college dining halls, QSRs, breweries, neighborhood pizza joints, and full‑service restaurants.They’re chefs, owners, shift leaders, team trainers, culture drivers, spreadsheet wizards, and guest experience architects. They’re people who solve problems with whatever they’ve got — often before anyone even notices there’s a problem.What unites them is not a title. It’s a mindset.These are the people who make restaurants worth staying in.Being included in the Industry Voice category — alongside creators and leaders I deeply respect — is something I don’t take lightly.At Cali BBQ, we’ve spent years blending hospitality and media. Telling stories. Sharing lessons. Building in public. That work is core to who we are — and I’m proud that 7shifts sees the value in that.But if you read this newsletter regularly, you know I believe in something deeper than recognition: I believe in amplification.So I want to use this moment to amplify everyone else on this list.Because these aren’t just award winners. They’re the blueprint. If you want to see what the next decade of hospitality looks like, read their names.Don’t look for who has the biggest following. Look for who’s building the kind of culture, consistency, and care that this industry needs more of.This awards list isn’t a victory lap. It’s a call to action.If you run a restaurant, lead a team, or support this industry in any way — let this be your prompt:* Who on your team is your own “Ops Innovator”?* Who’s your “Unsung Hero”?* Who deserves to be recognized, even if no one’s given them a trophy yet?Make your own list. Celebrate your people. Tell their stories.I’m proud to be on this list. But I’m even prouder to be part of this industry at a time when people like this are rising.So scroll down. Read their names. Look up their restaurants. And if you’re nearby — go visit. Eat. Say thanks. Tell them you saw their name and wanted to see what made them great.That’s how we build the future. Together.— ShawnWINNERS LIST: 2025 Restaurant Innovators The Ops Innovator* Weston Berchtold — Eli’s Coffee Shop* Malyn Bartolome — Pochi Bubble Tea Cafe* Jon McBride — The Factory* Dan Lin — Nawa* KynnDra Harrison — Bahama Buck’s* Josh Bishop — Fork & Fire Smokehouse + Taproom* Jason Frankot — Black Sheep Coffee Cafe* Arielle Mathisen — Central Social HallThe Industry Voice* Shawn Walchef — Cali BBQ Media* Irene Li — Prepshift* Justin Khanna — JustinKhanna.com* Josh Kopel — JoshKopel.comThe Tip-Top Service Star* Aaron Benkman — Pounders Restaurant* Sheila — Miss Marie Sault Lock Tours* Julia Kramer — Brasa Premium Rotisserie* Taylor Ouellette — Replay Brewing* Nikki Frost — The Casual Pint* Nitish Singh — Prestige Prince George Lodge* Sarah Marsden — The Factory* Ryan Wiedeman — Halftime Pizza* UVSS Catering and Conferences Team — UVSS Catering & Conferences* Tehya Johnson — Tailgaters Sports Bar & Grill* Madi Royale — Pure Green Fulton MarketThe Unsung Hero (Back-of-House)* Sandy Adams — The Casual Pint* Emma Robison — Eli’s Coffee Shop* Jason Willis — SSA Group* Nick Zocco — Urban Hill* Raymund Pada — XIX NineteenThe Best Boss Ever* Brittany Rupert — The Human Bean* Chris Gurrie — Vue Rooftop – Iowa City* Jessie Love — Grain & Grog* Jake Lonie — Fernie Taphouse* Jason Leeds — Chelsea Hospitality Group* Antonette Palacios — V Pizza* Haley Armitage — Eli’s Coffee Shop* Nick Lalli — Vittoria* Dakotah Pompura — Jeremiah’s Italian Ice* Brandon O’Donnell — Mad Dogs & Englishmen* Megan Yaffey — Pure Green* Dave Garcia — Halftime PizzaThe Culture Catalyst* Kelsey Roeder — Saluhall SF* Keith Priestley — Georgian Bowl* Yahaira Jimenez — Turner’s Cut* Ashley Jones — XIX Nineteen* Sarah Ballard — Bedford Village Inn* Kaydance Zgarba — All ’bout That Cheese* Isabelle Koma — Golfplay* Lydia Pfister — Eli’s Coffee ShopThanks for reading Restaurant Technology! Please share this post to help the industry. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

For a long time, restaurants have optimized for one thing: traditional search.“Best pizza near me.” “BBQ in Austin.” “Happy hour downtown.”The rules were clear, the rankings predictable, and the strategy—local SEO, review management, mobile-friendly websites—was largely settled.That era is over.Avi Goren, co-founder and CEO of Marqii, says a fundamental shift is underway, one that will reorganize how guests discover restaurants and how restaurants are expected to show up online.“AI search isn’t about links. It’s about answers,” Goren explains. “The guest used to search for one thing. Now they’re asking for an itinerary.”Instead of picking a single restaurant, consumers ask AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to plan multi-day trips, filter by dietary restrictions, eliminate chains, evaluate hours, and curate options based on ratings and atmosphere.And those models are surfacing restaurants using data patterns that look very different from the SEO playbook operators have relied on for 20 years.Restaurant operators are entering a new battleground: the race to be discoverable in AI-generated results.Below is a breakdown of what’s changed, what drives AI rankings today, and the specific steps operators must take to avoid being left behind.-The Search Playbook* Eliminate PDF menus* Fix your hours everywhere* Make your website readable by machines* Post with intent* Respond to every review-The Rise of “Answer-Based” SearchWhen someone types “Best tacos in Denver” into Google, they expect a list of links, maps, and review sites.But when that same person opens ChatGPT, the prompt looks totally different:“I’m heading to Denver for a weekend with my kids. Give me a two-day itinerary with lunch and dinner options, only local restaurants with at least four stars, mostly within 10 minutes of the zoo.”Google would never deliver that. AI search does it instantly.Goren says this shift isn’t hypothetical—it’s already happening.“This is consumer behavior,” he says. “And as an industry, we always have to go where the guest goes.”The Data That AI Models Actually Rely OnMarqii analyzed how AI models assemble restaurant recommendations today. According to Goren, three sources dominate:1. Third-Party ListingsGoogle Business Profiles, Yelp, TripAdvisor, DoorDash, Uber Eats—these citations remain the single largest input into AI restaurant recommendations.“When your listings are wrong, stale, or incomplete,” Goren says, “you disappear.”2. Your Own WebsiteYour website matters more than ever, but only the parts AI can actually read.PDF menus? They’re dead weight.AI models rely on structured, crawler-friendly data. If your menu is a flat file, an image, or a non-schema page, you’re invisible.Hours matter too. Not just restaurant hours, but bar hours, pickup hours, delivery hours, brunch hours. AI wants granular accuracy.3. ReviewsReviews carry outsize influence in AI search.But it’s no longer just your score. It’s also: How often you respond, how detailed your responses are, or how up-to-date the sentiment is.“AI is reading your reviews faster than any human ever could,” Goren notes.“Your review strategy is now part of your discovery strategy.”Photos, Captions, and Social Posts Are Search InputsAnother major shift: AI models scrape far more sources than Google’s local SEO.That means your Instagram photo captions matter a lot more now.“If you post a picture of your Nashville hot chicken sandwich,” Goren says, “you need a descriptive caption. AI will pull from that.”It’s not about hashtags—it’s about clarity. What’s the dish? What are the ingredients? What dietary category does it fit? What neighborhood is the restaurant in?All of it becomes structured context for AI models.How Marqii Fits Into the AI Search EraMarqii now structures its entire product suite around the AI discovery problem.Citations & Listings Management: Because over 40% of AI results pull from listings, Marqii ensures every third-party profile remains accurate—menus, hours, categories, photos, delivery details, and more.Schema-Structured Menus & Hours Widgets: The company’s menu and hours widgets ensure your website contains the machine-readable data AI models rely on—and stays synced with your POS data feed. “If your hours don’t match across the internet, AI isn’t going to trust them,” Goren says. “Our widget solves that.”High-Performance Location Pages: Host, Marqii’s location-page product, is designed to improve both human UX and AI discoverability. Pages load fast, contain structured location data, and are updated automatically via the Marqii dashboard.AI Search Is Here—And the Winners Are Preparing NowAvi Goren’s message is simple: restaurants can’t afford to treat AI search like a future problem.Guests are already using AI to plan meals, vacations, daily routines, and family outings. The recommendation engines behind those tools will increasingly shape restaurant decision-making.Operators who want consistent reservations, steady traffic, and reliable visibility must ensure their data is structured, accurate, and discoverable across every platform.“It’s getting more complex,” he says. “But with the right tools, it’s absolutely manageable. And the restaurants who embrace this shift early are going to win.”For operators ready to take the next step, Goren points them directly to Marqii:“We’re always happy to talk shop. This is what we do.”Schedule a free demo todayThanks for reading Restaurant Technology! Subscribe for free to receive new posts every week. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

For years I’ve used Ring to keep my family safe at home.But I never seriously asked myself the obvious question: What if I brought Ring into my restaurant?This year, we finally did it at Cali BBQ. We didn’t just hang a single doorbell and call it a day. We unboxed a full Ring setup, installed it in under two hours, and now I can pull up my home feed and my restaurant feed from the same app—whether I’m in San Diego or standing on the trade show floor in Chicago.Ring is here for restaurants. This is why I think it matters for any operator who cares about trust, safety, and running a tighter operation.As a restaurateur, that’s what I care about:* Can I see my cook line?* Can I see my point of sale terminals or cash drawers?* Can I see my parking lot, front door, and receiving door?* And can I do it without scrubbing through hours of DVR footage like it’s 2007?If the answer is “yes,” I’m listening.17 years in business… and only now truly securing our restaurantWe’ve been in business for 17 years at Cali BBQ. We’ve survived a recession, a pandemic, and every curveball the restaurant industry throws at you.But if I’m being honest?We treated security like an afterthought for way too long.That changed when Eric Olafsen (my CFO and resident installer) and I sat down, unboxed a full Ring system, and started matching devices to very specific pain points inside our restaurant.Here’s what we actually installed and why.The walk-in: protecting $10,000–$20,000 in productOur walk-in cooler is where the money lives.On a typical day, we might have around $10,000 worth of product in there—raw and cooked. On a busy weekend, it can go up to $20,000.Traditionally, the only way to “check” on it is open the door, let the cold air out, and stare at the shelves. That’s not a system.So we mounted a Ring Stick Up Cam Pro in the walk-in.Now we can:* See product coming in and going out.* Monitor vendors doing key drops in the middle of the night when no one else is there.* Make sure food is being rotated properly and not quietly dying in the back of a shelf.It’s about security, but it’s also about inventory, waste, and accountability. One camera in that walk-in helps protect tens of thousands of dollars in product every single week.The water heater: the $10,000 flood we never want againIf you’ve been in the game long enough, you’ve had “that” morning.For us, it was walking into the dining room and realizing our giant water heater had decided to dump what felt like every gallon it had all over our carpet, our floors, and our revenue.Between cleanup, damage, and lost business, it cost us over $10,000.So when we unboxed the Ring Flood and Freeze Sensor, that wasn’t a theoretical gadget. That was a “where were you when we needed you?” moment.Here’s how we’re using it now:* The sensor is wireless and connects to the Ring Alarm system.* You activate it, scan the barcode, and drop it behind the water heater.* If it detects water, we get alerted fast—before we wake up to a surprise swimming pool.* In colder climates, that same sensor can warn you before pipes freeze.We already paid the “tuition” on that problem once. If a $10K disaster can be turned into a quick mop-up because a sensor caught it early, that’s real ROI.The back door: deliveries, staff, and a very eclectic neighborhoodOur back door is where everything comes in: meat, vendor deliveries, staff.It’s also on a busy street, in what I politely call an “eclectic” neighborhood.For security reasons, that door stays locked. But restaurant reality is messy:* Deliveries rarely show up when they say they will.* Drivers love trying to push through the front door when the manager isn’t expecting them.* The timing is always “inconvenient.”So we installed a Ring Doorbell Pro on the back receiving door and paired it with a Ring Chime so we hear it inside.Now when someone hits that button it goes straight to the manager’s phone who can respond right away.That’s control and respect for your operation. We’re not held hostage by whoever decides to show up whenever they feel like it.All in all, we got the system installed in under two hours.Lights, cameras, and actual coverage (inside and out)Here’s some of the other Ring hardware we put to work around the property:* Ring Floodlight Cam ProA combination light and camera. When someone walks into that area, they’re on video and lit up. Great for dark corners and parking areas.* Ring Spotlight Cam + Solar PanelThis is our “undercover” floodlight. People don’t notice it until it turns on and they’re clearly visible on video. The solar panel keeps the batteries charged so we’re not climbing ladders every month.* Ring Indoor CamA small, discreet camera that gives us visibility in the bar and dining area without feeling like a giant, intimidating security rig.* Ring Stick Up Cam Pro (plug-in and battery versions)Plug-in for maximum uptime where we have power. Battery (with solar) where we don’t.* Ring Alarm 8-Piece Security KitThis pulls a lot together:* 24/7 professional monitoring.* Automatic emergency response if something is detected (police, fire).* Alarm cellular backup, so even if the internet goes down, the alarm stays connected.* It ties into all the cameras and sensors so events are recorded and accessible.* Glass Break SensorSmall but mighty. If someone decides to go through a window instead of a door, we’ll know about it.All of this is mounted, paired, and managed through an app I was already using at home.Why this matters for restaurant operatorsThis isn’t just about gadgets. It’s about a few big ideas I think every operator should be thinking about.* You can’t protect what you can’t see.The walk-in, the back door, the roof, the water heater room—those are high-risk, low-visibility zones. Cameras and sensors turn blind spots into controllable systems.* Trust is better when it’s verified.We trust our vendors. We trust our staff. But trust plus visibility is the real win:* Are key drops happening correctly?* Are deliveries happening when and where they’re supposed to?* Is product being rotated and stored properly?* Consumer UX is finally good enough for the back of house.Restaurant tech sometimes lags behind what we use at home. Ring flips that: the same app millions of people already use is now powering small business and restaurant security.* Work-life balance needs better tools, not just better intentions.If I’m away, I can check my dining room, my walk-in, my back door, and my home—all from one screen. That doesn’t replace being there, but it does give me peace of mind and better decisions.So, should you bring Ring into your restaurant?I’m here to tell you what we’re actually using and how it’s working for us. At Cali BBQ, we’re all in on experimenting with tech that makes us more efficient, more secure, and more present—for our team, our guests, and our families.Ring is now part of our restaurant tech stack.If you want to see exactly how we installed it and where everything lives in the building, we filmed the whole unboxing and setup at Cali BBQ, which you can watch at the top of this post.Stay curious, stay safe with Ring, and keep building.– ShawnThanks for reading Restaurant Technology! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Quick Lessons from Food On Demand* Technology isn’t the future — it’s the foundation.* AI isn’t hype — it’s a tool.* Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation — it happens when the right people gather in the same room.This year, I finally got to see it firsthand at the Food on Demand Conference in Las Vegas — a gathering that’s quickly become the Super Bowl for anyone building the future of restaurant delivery, digital ordering, and off-premises dining.At the event, I also talked with Jared Pfeifer, the publisher of Food on Demand and a leader at Franchise Times, to learn how this show went from a niche event in 2018 to one of the most essential conferences in hospitality tech today.You can watch our full conversation at the top of this post. If you liked it please leave let me know!From Emerging Trend to Industry Lifeline“When we started Food on Demand in 2018, off-premises was an emerging, growing segment, and we really thought that there was a need for support in a conference.”What began as a forward-thinking event quickly became critical to the industry, Jared Pfeifer shared with me.“Little did we know what was an exciting segment would become survival, right? For a couple of years,” Jared said. “It really fast-forwarded the growth of this event and what we do faster than it probably would have organically post-COVID.”Today, Food on Demand connects everyone in the off-premises ecosystem — from packaging and logistics to online ordering, kitchen automation, and last-mile delivery.The Backbone is TechnologyAlthough Food on Demand isn’t a technology event by design, Jared says, “It’s the backbone of everything that we do, the backbone of this space.”“You’ll find packaging companies, technology companies, industry services. It’s a much broader segment of the market, but technology is the backbone that threads through everything — from the online ordering to the execution of the actual delivery.”Even more interesting, Jared added, “That exhibit hall is filled with both competitors and groups that partner and collaborate with one another. Each year we continue to see more and more of that.”Breakfast, Barbecue, and Bleeding Edge IdeasBeyond the keynote sessions, the Food on Demand experience is filled with actionable insights.“I was at the EasyCater Catering Forum this morning,” I told Jared. “Got to hear a lot of really impressive things that I’m going to take back to my team — like adding breakfast as a day part. We have the capability, we have the staff. It’s a huge opportunity given how many people are searching for breakfast.”The power of this event is not just hearing about innovation but applying it directly to your business.AI: From Abstract to ActionableArtificial intelligence was a major theme this year — not as a buzzword, but as a real, practical tool for decision-making and leadership.The keynote featured Adam Brotman and Andy Sack, co-founders of Forum3 and co-authors of a new book featuring interviews with Sam Altman, Bill Gates and Reid Hoffman. Their talk offered one of the most mind-blowing takeaways of the week: Brotman and Sack use ChatGPT as a literal “third leader.” When they disagree on a business decision, “they use ChatGPT… artificial intelligence to actually come up with a decision of figuring out which one is right.”“AI is not going anywhere. Everywhere you go, people are talking about it.” But what stood out most was seeing it applied in real, creative ways. “This is something our kids are going to grow up with,” he said. “It will become table stakes.”The Future of Food on DemandNext year, Food on Demand is heading “back to where it all began” — Dallas, Texas.“The space continues to grow and evolve. If we planned the conference every few months, things are going to be new. Things are going to be different because the space changes so dramatically.”The team will start planning again this summer, curating the next wave of speakers, topics, and tech innovations — all with one goal: helping operators and innovators stay ahead of change.Thanks for reading Restaurant Technology! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

When we opened Cali BBQ back in 2008, I’ll be honest — our systems were a hot mess.Schedules on paper, notes on whiteboards, updates yelled across the kitchen. It worked sometimes… until it didn’t.I’ll never forget walking into our break room one morning and realizing the printed schedule we’d posted the day before was gone. Not moved — just gone. Torn down, misplaced, whatever. And with it? Half our line cooks, who had no idea they were supposed to be working that day.That was chaos: Stage 1.According to a new report from our friends and sponsors at 7shifts, nearly 1 in 5 restaurants are still stuck in Stage 1 today — running everything on gut instinct, sticky notes, and crossed fingers. That might have been normal 15 years ago. In 2026, it’ll be a liability.The 4 Stages of Restaurant Tech7shifts recently published the 2025 Restaurant Digital Prep List, a research-backed guide that breaks down how restaurants adopt and integrate technology. It’s based on a survey of over 500 operators, from QSR to full service. More importantly, it offers a brutally honest snapshot of where most restaurants really stand.Here’s the framework (which I also go over in the video at the top):Stage 1: Paper ChaosManual schedules. Printed timecards. Verbal shift changes. You’re reacting, not managing.* ~20% of restaurants are hereStage 2: Disconnected AppsYou’ve got tools — maybe Excel, maybe three different apps for scheduling, payroll, and time-off — but none of them talk to each other.* ~30% of restaurants are hereStage 3: Some IntegrationsYou’ve connected at least some of your core systems. Scheduling ↔ POS. Payroll ↔ time clock. Things are clicking.* ~33% of restaurants are hereStage 4: Digital ControlEverything works together. One system, one source of truth. Scheduling, payroll, sales, labor forecasting — all integrated.* Only ~14% of restaurants are hereMost Restaurants Are Stuck in the MiddleHere are some of the numbers that stood out to me:* 47% of operators still use paper schedules or whiteboards* 44% are missing their labor cost targets* 57% still use group texts to coordinate with staff* Only 1 in 7 are fully integrated (Stage 4)And yet, 65% say they adopted new tech in the past year.That disconnect says a lot: buying tech isn’t the hard part. Connecting it, using it consistently, and building processes around it — that’s the hard part.➡️ Read the Report and Take the QuizWhy Integration Actually Matters7shifts found a direct link between restaurants that integrate their tools and those that:* Control labor costs better* Retain staff longer* Give managers more bandwidth* Improve team communicationAt my restaurant, we hit a turning point when we connected our scheduling system with our POS (Toast). That one integration—just being able to see sales and labor data in the same place—saved our managers hours per week. More importantly, it helped us stop guessing.In one example from the report, a Jeremiah’s Italian Ice location saved 27.3% on labor over two years just by leveling up to a more integrated tech stack.If you’re in Stage 1 or 2, the biggest wins are simple:* Replace paper schedules* Connect your scheduling to your POS* Centralize your team communication (get out of the group chat chaos)If you’re in Stage 3, look at what’s still manual or double-entry. Where are your tools still siloed?If you’re lucky enough to be in Stage 4, congrats — but stay curious. Tech doesn’t stop evolving. Neither should we.WATCH: The Pre-Shift Podcast on AI for restaurantsThis Isn’t About Tools. It’s About Teams.At the end of the day, restaurant tech isn’t about screens or software. It’s about supporting your people — giving your GMs fewer headaches, your line cooks more predictability, your customers more consistency.The restaurants that win in the next 5 years won’t be the ones with the most tools. They’ll be the ones that actually use them — together.If you want to find out what stage you’re in (and how to level up), I recommend reading the full 2025 Digital Prep List from 7shifts. It’s free. No fluff. Just real data from people like us.➡️ Read the Report and Take the QuizAs always — stay curious, get involved, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you need help figuring this stuff out, you can DM me. I’ll get you connected to the right people at 7shifts.Let’s build better restaurants together.About 7shifts7shifts believes that employees are the driving force behind the success of restaurants and they are committed to elevating the standards of what restaurant teams can accomplish together.Born in the back office of a sandwich shop, 7shifts was founded in 2014 with the goal of building simple solutions to solve the most complex team management challenges.7shifts is a scheduling, payroll, and employee retention app designed to improve performance for restaurants. The easy-to-use app offers industry-specific features that help more than 50,000 restaurants save time, reduce errors, and keep labor costs in check.➡️ 7shifts ReportThanks for reading Restaurant Technology! This post is public so please share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

At Sushi by Bou, the music is loud. The lights are low. The vibe? Immaculate. Guests walk through unmarked doors, down hotel corridors, or into back rooms and find themselves inside a tightly choreographed omakase experience.But behind the scenes, the brand’s digital presence needs to be just as precise as its platings.Every hour, every menu item, every phone number—those details need to be right. Instantly. Across more than 20 locations in multiple states and Puerto Rico."That number has to show on Google Business Profile immediately, or we could lose reservations,” said Kim Modeste, Lead Financial Analyst for SimpleVenue which operates Sushi By Bou.In 2025, Sushi by Bou’s team moved their listings, menus, and review management operations to Marqii via by Yext to make sure those updates go live everywhere they matter.Marqii, a sponsor of this Substack, is a hospitality technology platform that streamlines menu, listing, and review management, giving restaurants (like our own Cali BBQ in San Diego) a single place to update and control how they appear across the internet.Marqii has helped their hospitality partners be found in more than 1.2 billion local searches.The Hospitality EdgeWith Sushi by Bou’s fast pace and multi-market complexity, they need restaurant-native service partners. When Marqii was named a preferred partner for hospitality by Yext in September 2025, it opened a clear path forward for the brand.Learn more about the new Marqii + Yext partnershipPrevious solutions just weren’t enough for Sushi by Bou which needs special care due to the niche they operate within.We’re restaurant people—we’re not tech people first," said Modeste.What Marqii brought was the same listings infrastructure Sushi by Bou already knew—but with faster support, hospitality-trained account managers, and more automation built around restaurant needs."It’s the same exact interface. Everything was the same. But what stood out was the service—someone to walk us through changes we’re doing every week."When "Instant" is the Difference Between Booked and BrokenThe team at Sushi by Bou tests constantly. New hours. AI answering services. One-off seating experiments. But if platforms like Google, Yelp, or Facebook don't reflect those changes in real time, revenue disappears."If on a Saturday night something’s not showing correctly, that’s make or break."Even something like switching a phone number during a tech pilot can become a risk if it's not updated in listings instantly."We test a lot, like 'Hey, let’s open Monday for lunch'... but if nobody knows we’re open, none of that matters."Thanks for reading Restaurant Technology! This post is public so please share it.With Marqii connected to Yext’s publisher network, those updates push to 80+ platforms reliably—Google, Yelp, Apple Maps, Facebook, and more—and the Marqii team helps ensure it happens without friction."It’s seamless, it’s effortless, and it’s instant," Modeste said.One Switch, Immediate ImpactEven just weeks after starting up with Marqii, the Sushi by Bou team saw immediate returns."We didn’t even know we could respond to a specific set of reviews on a certain platform. Marqii told us we could’ve been doing it the whole time."The new relationship didn’t just streamline tasks. It revealed new capabilities, surfaced blind spots, and removed barriers the team hadn’t realized were there.Marqii's product integrates deeply with restaurant operations:* Menu management synced across Toast, and numerous other point of sale systems.* Review response and aggregation across Yelp, OpenTable, ezCater, and Grubhub* Link optimization for reservations, promotions, and featured experiencesThis is critical for a brand that partners with hotels, uses multiple POS systems, and adapts to different platform requirements in each market. "It's a lot to maintain,” Kim Modeste added.Sushi by Bou thrives on innovation. Their parent company, SimpleVenue, intentionally places these experiences inside underutilized spaces like in hotels. That could mean transforming a former janitor's closet into a 300 sq. ft. omakase bar, or converting a full suite into a hidden dining room."We're constantly testing different things—menu pricing, who we advertise to, loyalty programs,” she said. "Making sure everybody’s getting the same message across all of your platforms—that’s key."In that context, digital clarity isn’t a luxury. It’s a precondition for experimentation.For Sushi by Bou, the digital experience has to match the in-person one: Sharp. Immersive. Instant.With more locations opening and new concepts on the horizon, they needed more than listings software. They needed a platform and a partner."Already (Marqii) added value. We've gotten off on a great foot." This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Quick Google Tips* Keep your menu structured and searchable * Upload high-quality menu photos * Stay active on your Google Business Profile * Listen to feedback from your customers * Verify your business profile properlyWhat’s next for restaurants on Google Search? That was the topic of this talk I had with Mike Nagy, a product engineer at Google, during my trip inside their Chicago offices. You can watch the video of our conversation at the top of this post. If you do, please let me know what you learned.From menu optimization to business verification, Google is evolving its tools for restaurants to give them ways to show up better online.Building Better Tools Starts with ListeningBefore diving into product features, Nagy made one thing clear: the best tools come from listening directly to operators.He admitted that Google “tends to be sometimes a little bit too academic,” but that he prefers real-world input over internal theorizing. “You can short-circuit a lot of paperwork if you just talk to real people and talk to the end customer.”Nagy even spends time in online communities — including Reddit — to stay close to user feedback. That direct connection, he explained, helps the Google team understand what’s actually working and what needs to change.Why Structured Menu Data MattersWhen it comes to standing out on Google, Nagy said it’s “all about menus.”Structured, detailed menu data allows Google to show a restaurant’s offerings to customers who search for specific dishes — not just restaurant names or cuisine types. “You might be searching for poutine near me and not necessarily like a pub that has poutine,” Nagy explained.That means restaurants that take the time to upload searchable, structured menus are far more discoverable than those relying on static PDF or image uploads.High-Quality Dish Photos Make a DifferenceBeyond data, presentation matters. Nagy said one of the most overlooked opportunities on a Google Business Profile is uploading high-quality photos of dishes.When users can easily scan a menu and see appealing, accurate images of each dish, it helps them make faster decisions — and it gives restaurants a chance to showcase their best work. “No one is more invested in providing an authentic, high-quality representation of their product than the business,” Nagy added.The Importance of Accurate DataMenu pricing is another key piece of the puzzle. Nagy noted that many restaurants fail to update their prices regularly, leading to frustration when guests arrive expecting lower costs.While price isn’t always the deciding factor in where people dine, Nagy said it’s essential for setting proper expectations. “Having menu prices that aren’t from the first term of the Obama administration sets consumers for a more realistic expectation of what they’re going to find when they walk into your stores.”Regularly refreshing prices helps Google display accurate information and ensures customers know what to expect before they visit.One of the most impactful new updates for restaurants is Google’s effort to surface social media content directly on the search page. The feature highlights posts, offers, and events in real time, pulling in fresh content that businesses are already sharing elsewhere.The goal is to make local search feel more dynamic — helping diners see what’s happening right now at a restaurant, not just its static business info.And because Google already recognizes verified social media handles, restaurants didn’t have to do anything for this to work. “It just worked,” Nagy explained.Video Verification ToolsFor years, business verification has been one of the most common pain points for local operators. Nagy acknowledged that it’s “one of the most contentious processes” in Google’s community forums — but said that’s changing fast.Google has replaced the old postcard system with new video verification tools, allowing businesses to confirm ownership through a quick on-site walkthrough. “We can verify based off signage, access to some secure back room, whatever. It allows businesses to be more easily verified.”Subscribe to this Substack for more conversations with leaders shaping the future. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Four generations. 2 million customers a year. San Pedro Fish Market is powered by impressive technology and digital storytelling.San Pedro Fish Market Tech Stack* Point of Sale: Toast* Accounting and Operations: Restaurant365* Reservations: OpenTable* Table Ordering: me&u* Preventative Maintenance: Maintain IQ* Security: Verkada* Digital Displays: Wand* Music & Entertainment: Mood Media* Communications: Google Workspace + 90.io* Other Tools: iPhone 15 (primary device), ChatGPT for contracts and emailsFor more than 70 years, San Pedro Fish Market has been a Southern California landmark.What started as a humble seafood counter is now one of the largest and busiest seafood restaurants in the U.S., famous for its shareable trays and waterfront energy.I’ve been there with my family — the Walchef Wolfpack — and it’s an amazing place.Founded in 1956 as a small dockside fish counter in San Pedro, San Pedro Fish Market has grown into one of the largest family-run restaurants in the United States. It now serves millions of guests each year with its world-famous shrimp trays and lively waterfront atmosphere.Behind the sizzle of shrimp and the enthusiastic crowd of weekend regulars, the operation is sophisticated.The business has evolved into a full media and hospitality brand—with the Kings of Fi$h series on Amazon Prime—opening a new 55,000-square-foot flagship at Los Angeles’ West Harbor.Henry Ungaro Jr., part of the fourth generation leading San Pedro Fish Market, has been instrumental in bringing technology into a legacy built on community and consistency.From Paper to Platform“When we got evicted from our last location, everything was still on pen and paper,” says Henry.“Once we started doing the math, we realized we were losing tons of money every year. Customers were frustrated. We knew it had to change.”That change started with a full tech overhaul.Today, Toast serves as the backbone of San Pedro’s operations—handling point of sale, handheld ordering, KDS, and marketing.Toast also unifies third-party integrations with Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash, keeping delivery operations centralized and efficient.FREE TOAST DEMOReservations are managed through OpenTable, while table ordering is powered by me&u—a move that cut long lines, improved speed of service, and increased per-person average by $15–$20.“Once we introduced it, guests didn’t have to wait as long,” says Henry. “Food came out in 30 minutes, and everyone was happier.”Tech To Run OperationsSan Pedro’s tech stack doesn’t stop at ordering. To manage day-to-day operations, Henry turned to MaintainIQ, a tool for digital checklists and preventative maintenance tracking. “Anytime something goes wrong, we can submit a work order to the right company or handyman. It keeps everything organized.”The team also uses AI-powered cameras to count foot traffic, providing accurate guest counts across locations—a major win for data visibility. “I want to put them everywhere eventually,” Henry says.For digital signage and in-store displays, the company uses WAND, which allows them to manage menu boards and video content across multiple locations from one dashboard. Mood Media sets the tone with curated playlists that keep the vibe consistent from Long Beach to Monterey.And on the financial side, Restaurant365 keeps everything in sync—accounting, invoices, recipes, and inventory.“It makes a huge difference in how we operate.”AI at the DockHenry’s approach to artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, is as pragmatic as it is enthusiastic. “I use it almost every day,” he says. “I’ll ask it little questions, have it read a contract, or draft an email. I sound more professional now than I ever did.”San Pedro’s marketing team also leans on AI to generate visuals and creative concepts, streamlining design workflows and accelerating campaign turnaround times. “We come up with some cool new designs now,” he says.The Everyday StackOn the personal side, Henry’s setup reflects the same balance of familiarity and function that defines the restaurant’s tech stack:* Phone: iPhone 15 on AT&T (“The whole company’s on AT&T.”)* First apps of the day: Clock → Mail → Instagram* Music & podcasts: Spotify* Navigation: Apple Maps (“It used to suck, but it’s good now.”)* Communication: Google Workspace + 90.io for EOS meetingsThat last one—90.io, the platform built for companies using the Entrepreneurial Operating System—has been transformative.“It keeps meetings structured and focused,” Henry says. “With everyone in the room, time is expensive. You’ve got to stay on track.”What would he tell other restaurant operators about using technology to help your business?“Use ChatGPT to answer your questions about anything—whether that’s SEO, marketing, or operations. I wish I had it when I started.”The San Pedro Fish Market team isn’t just keeping up—they’re leading the next generation of restaurant operations, blending legacy with innovation in a way few brands can.And with Phase Two, including a new Monterey location, it’s clear this family business isn’t slowing down anytime soon.Stream now: Kings of Fi$h streaming now on Amazon PrimeSubscribe to: Fi$h Factor is a behind-the-scenes video series about the family, business, and legacy of the San Pedro Fish Market.Subscribe to this Restaurant Technology newsletter for more deep dives into the tools transforming the restaurant industry. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

I’m standing in Terminal One at the San Diego Airport. The same place my team and I dreamed of seeing Cali BBQ on the wall one day.We were in the final running to bring our slow food fast concept here. Two incredible hospitality groups reached out, and for a while, it felt like we were really doing it. We made it through the presentations, the tastings, and the interviews. We believed.My wife was excited. My team was fired up.We could already picture travelers digging into smoked brisket and peach cobbler before catching their flights home.But we didn’t win.We lost the bid.And yeah, it sucked. It was brutal. There’s no sugarcoating it. You pour your energy into a dream, and sometimes the dream doesn’t happen the way you wanted.You Won’t Win Them AllWalking through Terminal One for the first time after that loss was emotional.I saw the names of friends - Tiago and the crew from Novo Brazil, the amazing people behind Better Buzz Coffee, the team at Luna Grill - all local brands doing incredible things. Seeing them thrive reminded me that even when you don’t win, someone from your community does. And that’s still a victory worth celebrating.Not everything in business is a win.But every loss is a lesson if you’re willing to own it and share it.Dream AnywayIt would’ve been easy to stay bitter. To think, “We should’ve been there.”But that’s not how growth works.Dream big anyway.Shoot your shot again and again.Because maybe the next time Cali BBQ will get another chance.Until then, we’ll keep doing what we do best: serving slow-smoked barbecue, building digital hospitality, and sharing our story - even the chapters that don’t end in victory.Thanks for reading Restaurant Technology! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Fry the Coop Tech Stack* Point of Sale: Toast * Customer Feedback & Reviews: Ovation* Scheduling & Team Communication: 7shifts* Financial Management: NetSuite * Delivery: Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub (integrated with Toast)* Music & Entertainment: Soundtrack (Spotify-owned), Roku TV* Security: Alarm Detection Systems + Ubiquity Protect cameras* Kitchen Tech: Solstice fryers + Armadillo filtering machine* Team Collaboration: Slack* Other Tools: iPhone (primary device), ChatGPT for menu pricing strategyToast as the Operational BackboneFontana calls Toast the “all-day, every-day” solution for Fry the Coop. The chain uses it for nearly everything:* POS and handhelds at every location* Kitchen display systems (KDS) replacing printed tickets* Loyalty and email marketing* Online ordering directly integrated* Toast Now app for quick sales and labor snapshots* Toast Sous Chef (AI in beta), which consolidates data and generates insights like top-selling itemsThe Toast ecosystem also powers third-party delivery. Orders from Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub flow directly into the POS for a seamless experience.Managing Customer Feedback with OvationLike many fast-casual concepts, Fry the Coop deals with inevitable order mistakes. Ovation gives upset customers an outlet before they turn to Yelp or Google Reviews.The results:* Dramatic reduction in one-star reviews* Spike in five-star reviews thanks to proactive text prompts* Actionable feedback summaries powered by AI“It helps us get better,” Fontana says.Scheduling, Communication, and CultureWith nearly 200 employees, consistency is crucial. Fry the Coop uses 7shifts for scheduling and staff communication.* Team members can view schedules on mobile.* Managers push out announcements, SOPs, and even YouTube training videos.* Integration with Toast keeps labor data in sync.Fontana also credits Slack as a free but invaluable tool: “If I email you, only you see it. If I Slack you, the whole team sees it. Game changer.” The team is in the process of moving onto NetSuite for deeper financial management—Fontana calls it “getting our big boy pants on.”Entertainment, Security, and Atmosphere* Music: Fry the Coop uses Soundtrack, owned by Spotify, to manage playlists across locations.* TVs: Cutting the cord saved $15K annually by switching from DirecTV to Roku.* Security: Local alarms plus Ubiquity cameras allow near real-time monitoring, which proved crucial during a recent break-in.Kitchen & Frying TechFry the Coop’s fryers are Pitco Solstice models, powered by beef tallow frying that’s gained viral attention. For filtration, Fontana swears by the Armadillo filtering machine from All Solutions Group:* Works better than built-in fryer filters* Reliable for handmade, non-frozen food prep* Family-run company with overnight part replacementsAI in the Operator’s ToolkitFontana says he also leans on ChatGPT for restaurant consulting-style insights—like pricing chicken sandwiches during rising commodity costs. “It gave me a snapshot I’d pay $10,000 for from a consultant,” he said.Final WordFrom loyalty-driven POS and feedback systems to fryer filtration and Slack messaging, Fry the Coop’s tech stack reflects the reality of modern multi-unit operations: the right mix of efficiency, customer experience, and scalability.As Fontana puts it: “The more we can learn about what people are using, it helps us. And you know, we all rise with the tide.”👉 To learn more, check out my interview with Joe Fontana on Restaurant Influencers!Thanks for watching our Restaurant Technology video series! Subscribe for free to receive new posts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

We go inside Google's Chicago Offices to learn how new search features help restaurants showcase freshness, energy, and real-time experiences to attract more guests.Fast Facts* Google launched a feature that lets restaurants showcase live events, specials, and experiences directly in search results.* Freshness matters — regularly updated menus, photos, and descriptions help restaurants rank higher and build trust with guests.* Diners want to capture a restaurant’s energy in two seconds — fast, mobile-first updates are key.* Google is actively collaborating with restaurant owners and influencers to shape these tools. The goal: bring digital hospitality to life by showing not just where a restaurant is, but what makes it special right now.INSIDE THE GOOGLE OFFICESWhat if you could step inside Google’s offices? That’s what I did in Chicago, sitting down with Rick Borovoy, Product Lead at Google, to uncover how the tech giant is building for restaurants and small businesses.Borovoy has been at Google for 13 years, guiding teams of engineers, designers, and product managers to build tools that connect businesses with customers. Now, he’s helping restaurants showcase more than just menus and reviews by helping them bring their energy and experiences online.A New Way for Restaurants to Show “What’s Happening”One of the biggest announcements recently from Google is a feature that allows restaurants to highlight real-time events and specials directly in search results.Think: live jazz, trivia night, karaoke, or a special brunch menu. Instead of just static information like hours and reviews, restaurants can now communicate what makes their space unique in the moment.“Users want to know what’s going on there right now,” Borovoy explained.“It’s not just about location or reviews — it’s about the vibe, the energy, the experience.”This helps diners make faster, better-informed decisions while giving restaurants a way to stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape.Why Freshness MattersGoogle’s research shows that fresh content drives decisions:* Updated menus → More engagement* Recent photos → More trust* Active event listings → Stronger connectionsRestaurants that keep their profiles current are more likely to appear in front of potential guests. As Borovoy put it:“Freshness isn’t optional anymore. It’s what tells users that your business is alive, thriving, and worth visiting.”The Challenge: Capturing Energy in Two SecondsBorovoy emphasized that people searching for restaurants don’t have time to scroll endlessly. They want to feel the energy of a place in seconds — just as quickly as they check hours or location.That means restaurants need to think digital-first and hospitality-first at the same time. We call it Digital Hospitality — showing your personality, story, and events online in ways that are as warm as your in-person service.A Seat at the TableOne of the most powerful parts of this initiative is Google’s willingness to invite restaurant owners and influencers into the product-building process.At Google’s New York offices, Shawn and other restaurant leaders gave feedback that directly shaped these tools. That collaboration, Borovoy said, is critical:“It’s humbling to hear from restaurants. They don’t care about how search engines think. They care about what matters when you run a restaurant.”How to Use Google for Restaurants* Keep it Fresh – Update menus, photos, and descriptions regularly.* Highlight Events – Use Google’s new “What’s Happening” feature to promote specials, live music, and unique experiences.* Think Digital Hospitality – Treat your Google presence like part of your guest experience.* Mobile First – Make sure updates are quick and easy to do from your phone.Final ThoughtsRestaurants are in the experience business. Google’s latest tools give operators a way to showcase those experiences directly in search results — where customers are already making decisions.As Borovoy reminded us, freshness and energy are the keys: “We’re on a mission to let merchants tell more of what’s amazing about their business.”For restaurants willing to invest a few minutes each week into keeping their digital presence alive, the payoff is clear: more visibility, more trust, and more guests.Thanks for reading Restaurant Technology and sharing this post.WATCH MORE FROM GOOGLE:At a 2025 Google Summit in Chicago, Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ Media shared how restaurant technology and social media strategy have helped him scale his brand. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Alexandra Lourdes “creator tech stack” looks nothing like the typical restaurant technology stack—but it’s just as powerful. With three iPhones, a handful of apps, and a relentless commitment to storytelling, she’s redefining what hospitality looks like in the creator economy.Dr. Alexandra Lourdes has built one of the most influential restaurant storytelling platforms in the country, turning daily content into a customer acquisition engine.We visited Las Vegas recently and learned about her and the Refined Restaurant Group to unpack the tech stack that powers her creator-led approach to hospitality.Subscribe for free to receive new video posts every week.The Three-Phone StrategyAlexandra Lourdes doesn’t carry around three smartphones as a status symbol. Her stack of phones helps her content creation workflow.* Main Phone (TikTok focused): Filming short-form vertical content, usually in one take.* YouTube Phone: Dedicated to horizontal content that’s easier to edit and scale across platforms.* Ad Phone: Reserved for brand deals and partnerships to keep sponsored content organized.This separation ensures speed and clarity—two things every restaurant operator knows are critical to staying consistent.Editing in the MomentTime is the one resource of which restaurateurs never have enough. That’s why Alexandra relies on easily accessible tools that allow her to film, edit, and post within an hour.* InShot is her go-to editing app.* Snaptik strips out watermarks so videos can be posted natively across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Snapchat.“I don’t have time to film on a big camera, transfer the files, and spend hours editing,” she explains. “If I can’t shoot and post the same day, it doesn’t get done.”Platform PrioritiesDifferent platforms bring in different guests:* TikTok drives discovery.* YouTube is becoming the surprise powerhouse, with younger audiences influencing their parents’ dining decisions.* Instagram and Facebook delivers consistent engagement and brand recognition.* Snapchat provides niche exposure but still helps Refined Hospitality stay visible.She is also experimenting with LinkedIn, where she sees untapped opportunity for business storytelling in hospitality.Engagement as Customer ServiceFor Alexandra, replying to comments isn’t optional—it’s customer service. She dedicates the first 15–20 minutes after posting to respond to as many comments as possible.“It’s just another form of hospitality,” she says.She posts daily—sometimes up to three times a day—and treats Instagram Stories as a Q&A channel, a way to connect more directly with her community.AI as a Creative PartnerEven with her own creativity, Alexandra isn’t afraid to tap AI for support. She uses ChatGPT to:* Generate drink names* Brainstorm menu ideas* Suggest content themes when she’s stuckIt’s less about outsourcing creativity and more about jump-starting it, she explained.Storytelling 101 for RestaurantsHer advice to operators who feel overwhelmed by social media:* Don’t overthink it—just post.* Show what you have—a menu item, a guest interaction, a behind-the-scenes moment.* Get in front of the camera—customers want to connect with a person, not just a brand.* Embrace imperfection—authenticity performs better than polish.“Storytelling is just another way of serving your guests,” she says. “The more you show who you are, the stronger your community becomes.”💡 Want more from Alexandra Lourdes? Check out the full-length interview on the Restaurant Influencers show, where she dives deeper into her journey building Refined Hospitality and scaling her creator-driven restaurant empire: How Las Vegas’ Refined Hospitality Group Got Its Start.Thanks for reading Restaurant Technology. Please share this post so we can keep growing this industry together. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Sommelier Zack Vasilev has built a half-million-dollar wine program at Barry’s Downtown Prime inside Circa in Las Vegas.Technology in restaurants doesn’t always mean flashy new platforms or AI dashboards. Sometimes it’s as simple as mastering Excel — or as innovative as wearing smart glasses to bring guests into a once-in-a-lifetime bottle opening. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

At Pepper Lunch, the plate sizzles at 500 degrees — and the tech stack is just as hot.Many restaurant tech stacks are duct-taped together. That’s ineffective and expensive. So what do you do when more than a dozen different tools still can’t do what you need.If you’re Troy Hooper you and your team rebuild the tech stack yourself — and make it scalable enough to power hundreds of locations.At Pepper Lunch in Las Vegas, I sat down with Troy Hooper, CEO of Pepper Lunch North America, to get a behind-the-scenes look at how this DIY teppanyaki fast-casual juggernaut is building for the future — not just with sizzling plates, but with one of the most sophisticated restaurant tech stacks in the industry.Thanks for reading Restaurant Technology! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

If you’re a restaurant operator, AI might feel like a buzzword — something for Silicon Valley, not your kitchen line.But the truth is, it’s already affecting your business, whether you’re using it or not.This isn’t a prediction. It’s what’s happening right now.And restaurant leaders embracing AI in simple, strategic ways are getting back something precious: time.At the 2025 Food on Demand Conference in Las Vegas, I sat down with Bryan Rutcofsky, co-founder of Marqii, to talk about one of the hottest and most misunderstood tools in the restaurant business right now: Artificial Intelligence.Final Thought: Don’t Fear AI — Train ItLike a new hire, AI only works if you show it how your business thinks, talks, and serves.With tools like Marqii, you can feed it your tone and style and let it scale the parts of your hospitality that matter online.You’re still the soul of your restaurant.AI just helps you multiply that soul across screens, search results, and guest interactions. All without losing your voice.Want to see what technology can actually do for a restaurant?We use Marqii at Cali BBQ — and it’s been a game changer for saving time and responding better.Message me (@shawnpwalchef) and I’ll let you know why you should sign up, too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

On this episode, learn about the restaurant technology that is helping Irv's Burgers expand their roadside burger enterprise into a new era.https://restauranttechnology.substack.com/When you walk into an Irv’s Burgers location, it feels like classic America — Route 66 vibes with smash burgers, hot dogs, and soda pop.But behind the counter? That’s all 2025.I traveled to Las Vegas and caught up with Lawrence Longo, the man behind Irv’s remarkable revival and expansion, at his location inside the Durango Hotel and Casino’s food hall.Irv’s Burgers is going full throttle.What started in 1946 as one of the first roadside burger joints has been rebuilt as a scalable, tech-forward concept—complete with digital payroll, automated sales tax, and vendor payments that run themselves.With seven stores already open and an eighth launching on the Las Vegas Strip at Planet Hollywood, Lawrence’s vision is clear: an All-American burger stand in every neighborhood.But rapid expansion comes with friction. That means he’s always looking for technological solutions to make the journey smoother.https://irvsburgers.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

At Sami & Susu in New York City’s Lower East Side, Mediterranean flavors and neighborhood vibes come together in a cozy wine bar. It’s also a place where smart technology quietly powers the experience behind the scenes.In this episode, owner Amir Nathan shares how he and his partner Jordan Anderson navigated the challenges of opening their first business — and how tools like Toast POS, Resy reservations, and Davo Sales Tax help them keep stress low and guests happy.Learn how thoughtful tech choices help them manage reservations booked out weeks in advance, run payroll from a phone in minutes, and automate the headaches of sales tax — so they can focus on what matters most: creating a warm, welcoming space recognized by the MICHELIN Guide as a Bib Gourmand.Tune in for real-world insights on using technology to support restaurant success — and get inspired by Amir’s story of believing in the mission and never stopping.👉 Hit play now to hear the full conversation!👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review — it helps us share more stories that matter.👉 For more deep dives into restaurant tech and operator insights, check out the full archive at restauranttechnology.substack.com.TECH IN THIS EPISODE:* TOAST* DAVO* RESY This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Welcome to Restaurant Technology. On this episode I visit El Primo Red Tacos in Downtown Miami to see how technology like DAVO and Toast is helping them run faster and better.Join the conversation on Rising Tides Live every Wednesday and Friday at 10am (PST)TECH IN THIS EPISODE:* TOAST* DAVO This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

The true cost of employee turnover is higher than you think. Our Rising Tides Community got a chance to sit with 7shifts CEO Jordan Boesch to talk about his company's new 2025 Restaurant Labor Cost & Profitability Survey and more.READ THE REPORT: https://www.7shifts.com/restaurant-labor-costs-playbookRising Tides is our weekly LIVE streaming show where we’re joined by some of the top thinkers and biggest brands in the hospitality business — and beyond.You can take the virtual stage and share your story — or if you want to engage off-camera you can always join the live chats on YouTube, LinkedIn, or wherever you stream the live show. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Nadine De La Fuente, marketing manager for Marqii, shares 8 ways to make your Google Business profile serve up more traffic for your restaurant.This is the Restaurant Technology Substack series where we give you insights and ideas to improve your operations with tech. Please subscribe and share this post.TECH IN THIS EPISODE:MARQII - Digital Hospitality, SimplifiedMarqii organizes and automates SEO-critical tasks for you from one simple, easy-to-use dashboard, helping your business rise to the top of “near me” searches. Try it out at https://marqii.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

This is the Restaurant Technology Substack series where we give you insights and ideas to improve your operations with tech. Please subscribe and share this post. Our partners at Marqii got together three restaurant marketing masterminds (Josh Kopel, David Rev Ciancio, and Shawn Walchef) to explain the ways that regular restaurant owners can use readily available tools to spread the word about their business. TECH IN THIS EPISODE:MARQII - Digital Hospitality, SimplifiedMarqii organizes and automates SEO-critical tasks for you from one simple, easy-to-use dashboard, helping your business rise to the top of “near me” searches. Try it out at https://marqii.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Welcome to the Restaurant Technology Substack Series. On this episode I visit Hidden Craft in San Diego to learn about the technology and tools they use to make their restaurant run better.Join the conversation on Rising Tides Live every Wednesday and Friday at 10am (PST)TECH IN THIS EPISODE:* TOAST* DAVO* POUR MY BEER This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Welcome to the Restaurant Technology Substack Series. On this episode we talk to Marqii CEO Avi Goren about how the tool helps restaurant and hospitality operators work faster and better.Join the conversation on Rising Tides Live every Wednesday and Friday at 10am (PST)TECH IN THIS EPISODE:MARQII - Digital Hospitality, SimplifiedMarqii organizes and automates SEO-critical tasks for you from one simple, easy-to-use dashboard, helping your business rise to the top of “near me” searches. Try it out at https://marqii.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Welcome to the Restaurant Technology Substack Series. On this episode we go inside Tahini Street Food in San Diego to see how the fast-casual Middle Eastern restaurant uses technology in their operationsJoin the conversation on Rising Tides Live every Wednesday and Friday at 10am (PST)TECH IN THIS EPISODE:TOAST - Point-of-Sale and Management SystemRESTAURANT365 - Back-Office Software DAVO - Sales Tax SoftwareSLING - Employee SchedulingSLACK - Team CommunicationKORMAZ MEKATRONIK - Donor Production Robot This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Welcome to the Restaurant Technology Substack Series. On this episode we look at how Marqii's Suggested Review Response software helps restaurants like ours respond easier to feedback online.Join the conversation on Rising Tides Live every Wednesday and Friday at 10am (PST)TECH IN THIS EPISODE:* MARQII This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com

Welcome to the Restaurant Technology Substack Podcast. On this episode I share how my restaurant switched from Aloha to Toast in 2020 and what it did to transform my business and our tech stack journey. Listen now to learn about restaurant technology integrations you can try out to help with your payments, ordering, delivery, reporting, and more.Join the conversation on Rising Tides Live every Wednesday and Friday at 10am (PST)TECH IN THIS EPISODE:* TOAST* RESTAURANT365* DAVO* SHIPDAY This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restauranttechnology.substack.com