Media Test Kitchen

With Mike Bisceglia filling in for Shawn Walchef, this Rising Tides Live conversation explored why historic restaurants matter and what it takes to preserve them for future generations. Joined by Mike Ungaro of San Pedro Fish Market, Loycent Gordon of Neir's Tavern, and Peter Salib of Old Time Eatery Guide, the panel shared how storytelling, community connections, and adapting to changing times he...

In this episode of Rising Tides Live, Shawn Walchef is joined by hospitality professionals, restaurant operators, and business leaders from around the world to share stories about travel, community, and discovering unforgettable dining experiences. From London and Dublin to Paris, Rio, New Orleans, and beyond, the conversation highlights how the best restaurant experiences often happen when you st...

With Ian Hoxworth filling in for Shawn Walchef , this Rising Tides Live conversation explored the decisions that changed careers. Participants shared stories of taking risks, making career pivots, starting businesses, and betting on themselves when the path forward was uncertain. The discussion highlighted how a single decision can create opportunities, shape personal growth, and alter the traject...

With Mike Bisceglia filling in for Shawn Walchef, this Rising Tides Live conversation explored why podcasting remains one of the most valuable tools for building relationships, sharing expertise, and creating opportunities in 2026. Participants discussed how podcasts can help entrepreneurs grow their networks, establish authority in their niche, document their journey, and create meaningful conten...

Shawn Walchef and Nik Agharkar , host of The Resiliency Project , led this Rising Tides Live conversation focused on building resiliency through adversity, community, and mindset. Entrepreneurs, restaurant operators, and creators shared personal stories about setbacks, recovery, gratitude, and learning how to move forward during difficult moments. The conversation highlighted a simple truth: resil...

Scott Kleckner and Spencer Michael led this Rising Tides Live conversation focused on Why Hospitality, where restaurant operators, creators, technologists, and entrepreneurs shared why the hospitality industry continues to pull them back despite the chaos, pressure, and unpredictability that comes with it. From restaurant operations and catering to podcast production, technology, and customer expe...

Shawn Walchef led this Rising Tides Live conversation focused on Summer Business Storytelling, where restaurant operators, creators, and entrepreneurs shared how businesses can stay relevant during slower seasons by documenting the real moments happening inside their companies. From restaurant openings and catering events to renovations, staff culture, and community partnerships, the group emphasi...

In this Pitch the Tide session, Bill Crawley , founder and CEO of Advark AI , shares how his frustration with digital advertising and small business marketing led to building an AI-powered platform designed to simplify restaurant marketing. Advark AI helps restaurant operators manage ads across platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok through automated campaign creation, AI-powered recommendations,...

Shawn Walchef hosted this Rising Tides Live conversation recapping the 2026   National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, where operators, creators, and founders shared the biggest lessons and moments from the industry’s largest event. The discussion explored storytelling, networking, AI, hospitality leadership, and why the real value of NRA comes from showing up, building relationships, and...

With Mike Bisceglia filling in for Shawn Walchef, this Rising Tides Live conversation explored the stories people often hesitate to share and why vulnerability, failure, and difficult moments can become the experiences that shape us most. Guests opened up about career setbacks, personal struggles, leadership lessons, and the pressure that comes with growth, while reflecting on how those moments ul...

Shawn Walchef  hosted another Rising Tides Live conversation ahead of the National Restaurant Association Show Show, this time focused on what attendees hope to take away after the event. Operators, consultants, creators, and technology leaders shared lessons from the show floor, from discovering new AI tools and restaurant tech to building real relationships through meetups, dinners, and spontane...

In this Pitch the Tide session, Teresa Gilman , founder and CEO of Brainstack.app , shares how her recruiting background led to building an AI-powered hiring platform for restaurants and hospitality operators. Brainstack.app helps restaurants speed up hiring through AI interviews, soft skills assessments, and candidate screening tools that help managers quickly identify strong candidates while red...

With Laura Wilber and Elizabeth Doss filling in for Shawn Walchef, this Rising Tides Live conversation explored the power of acting on generous impulses and why meaningful relationships in hospitality often begin with small moments of initiative. The discussion focused on showing up for people before expecting anything in return, creating opportunities through consistency, and building community t...

In this Pitch the Tide session, Christian Hilty , VP of Partnerships at DeliverThat , shares how the company evolved from a college delivery startup into a nationwide catering delivery management platform built specifically for restaurants. DeliverThat helps operators streamline catering fulfillment through a combination of delivery orchestration technology, nationwide driver coverage, and integra...

Shawn Walchef led this Rising Tides Live conversation focused on the National Restaurant Association Show , where operators and creators shared how to get the most out of one of the biggest events in hospitality. With so much happening, the group emphasized a simple truth: success at NRA comes down to showing up with intention. From planning key meetings to staying open to unexpected connections,...

In this Pitch the Tide session, Darren Spicer and Justin Andrews introduce Cowboy Mud , a coffee-infused barbecue rub built from a third-generation family recipe and designed to stand out both on the shelf and in the wild. Packaged in a distinctive dip can for portability and brand identity, Cowboy Mud blends premium ingredients like Hawaiian sea salt and specialty coffee to create a versatile sea...

Mike Bisceglia again filled in for Shawn Walchef on Rising Tides Live, guiding a meaningful conversation around the power of showing up every day. Joined by operators, creators, consultants, and entrepreneurs, the group shared how consistent effort often matters more than perfect execution. From attending events, building businesses, and learning new technology to being present for family, health,...

In this Pitch the Tide session, Mary Pillow Thompson shares how Zignyl helps restaurants turn hard work into real results. By giving teams live sales goals, real-time progress tracking, and shift-based incentives, the platform helps employees know what winning looks like while the shift is happening. Built for operators who want stronger performance and lower turnover, Zignyl combines forecasting,...

Mike Bisceglia filled in for Shawn Walchef on Rising Tides Live, leading a thoughtful conversation on how small decisions can create lasting impact in business and life. Joined by operators, founders, and entrepreneurs, the discussion explored the often overlooked moments that shape long-term outcomes, from saying yes to new opportunities and building better habits to making timely decisions and t...

In this Pitch the Tide session, Jegil Dugger , CEO of Pye , introduces a flexible self-ordering kiosk platform designed to help restaurants improve labor efficiency, reduce wait times, and modernize the guest experience. Built for businesses ranging from food trucks to enterprise brands, Pye combines integrated hardware, payment flexibility, and POS connectivity into one adaptable system. By suppo...

Mike Bisceglia filled in for Shawn Walchef on Rising Tides Live, leading a thoughtful conversation around one simple question: what is actually working right now? Joined by operators, creators, founders, and community members, the discussion focused on practical wins happening in real time. From early morning routines and protecting focused work time to asking for help, prioritizing health, celebr...

Mike Bisceglia filled in for Shawn Walchef on Rising Tides Live, leading a candid conversation on the constant pull between creativity and administrative work. Joined by a room full of operators, creators, and entrepreneurs, the discussion explored a familiar tension: the ideas that drive growth versus the tasks that keep the business running. From building systems and scheduling creative time to...

In this Pitch the Tide session, Trace Smith , CEO of Next Glass , introduces Untappd for Business, a menu management and marketing platform built to help restaurants streamline beverage programs and drive guest traffic. By leveraging a global database of drinks and a large community of engaged users, the platform simplifies menu updates while connecting operators directly to consumers, turning rea...

Stepping outside of your comfort zone took center stage on Rising Tides Live as Ryan Skrzypczynski filled in for Shawn Walchef  and leaned into the challenge of hosting. What started as a moment of uncertainty quickly turned into a conversation about growth, confidence, and the value of putting yourself in uncomfortable situations. Operators, entrepreneurs, and creators shared real experiences of...

In this Pitch the Tide session, Stephanie Olson, Founder and CEO of restauWant, introduces a data-driven marketing intelligence platform designed to help restaurants understand what actually drives guest traffic. Built out of firsthand experience running a restaurant marketing agency, restauWant connects fragmented data across POS systems, online ordering, reservations, and ad platforms to solve t...