Digital Hospitality

Keegan Conrey , CEO of Decision Logic , joins Shawn Walchef live from the Restaurant Leadership Conference to discuss why successful restaurant technology depends on adoption, not just innovation. Conrey explains why AI starts with quality data, how operators can improve food and labor costs through better operational habits, and why helping restaurant teams embrace change is just as important as...

In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with Dan Diaz , founder and CEO of F3 Tech , to discuss why restaurant technology starts with strong infrastructure, not just great software. Diaz shares how his team helps operators navigate POS transitions, simplify complex IT environments, and build technology systems that support hospitality instead of getting in the way. They als...

Sam Oches , editor-in-chief of Nation's Restaurant News, joins Shawn Walchef to discuss what separates memorable restaurant brands from the rest. Drawing on 17 years covering the industry, Oches shares why storytelling, hospitality, and relationships matter as much as great food, how he defines an "emerging" restaurant brand, and why founders should never stop thinking like entrepreneurs. He also...

Conor Sheridan , founder and CEO of Nory , explains why restaurants don't need more dashboards, they need better decisions. After leaving a career in quantitative finance to launch the fast-growing restaurant brand Mad Egg, Sheridan experienced firsthand how difficult it is to scale operations while maintaining consistency and profitability. This episode explores agentic AI, restaurant forecasting...

Mick Carr , founder and CEO of Grub Lab , believes restaurants have overlooked one of their biggest opportunities: creating better experiences for families. Drawing from his own experiences as a father, Carr explains why reducing the stress of dining with kids leads to happier guests, longer visits, and more repeat business. He shares how Grub Lab helps independent restaurants compete on experienc...

Steve Mandell , chairman and CEO of Game Plan Entertainment, explains why he became an advisor and investor in Swob after negotiating more than 1,000 licensing and brand agreements throughout his career. Drawing on decades of experience in sports, entertainment, and business, Mandell shares how he evaluates founders, why solving real problems matters more than chasing trends, and how AI is transfo...

Brian Kelley , founder and CEO of Butter AI , shares how his experience as a restaurant owner led him to build a platform that helps operators make faster, smarter decisions. What started as a search for answers behind sales fluctuations evolved into a tool that combines POS data, weather, sports schedules, reviews, reservations, and AI-powered insights. This episode explores predictive analytics,...

Yusha Hu , founder of Sightline, shares how her experience in supply chain, procurement, and planning roles at Sweetgreen, Chipotle, and HelloFresh inspired her to build an AI-powered platform for restaurant operators. She discusses the growing complexity of restaurant supply chains, the challenges of manual reporting, and how better visibility can help teams spot problems earlier, reduce risk, an...

Jeremy Fitzgerald , founder of 86Deadstock , shares how his experience as a restaurant operator led him to build a marketplace designed specifically for the hospitality industry. From unused equipment and excess inventory to last-minute operational needs, Fitzgerald explains how restaurants can turn dead stock into cash, save money on supplies, and connect directly with other operators. He discuss...

In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with Sam Stanovich , Senior Vice President of Franchise Development and Alliances at Craveworthy Brands, to discuss why Atmosphere became a valuable partner for Big Chicken. Stanovich shares how Atmosphere's restaurant-focused content helps keep guests engaged, creates consistency across locations, and delivers an entertainment experi...

Alissa Partee, CEO of Restaurant Technologies, shares how automating cooking oil management helps restaurants reduce labor, improve safety, and operate more efficiently. From real-time oil monitoring and just-in-time deliveries to leading a company serving more than 45,000 restaurant locations, Partee explains why some of the biggest operational challenges in hospitality happen behind the scenes a...

Makayla Ekiss , leader of off-premise growth at Chicken Salad Chick , shares how the 335-unit brand is scaling catering without sacrificing operations. From moving managers out of delivery vehicles and back into restaurants to building a trusted partnership with DeliverThat , Ekiss explains why execution matters more than marketing when it comes to growing catering sales. She also discusses Chicke...

Gordon Brown , VP of Strategic Sales at Next Glass , shares how bars and restaurants can use beverage data to better understand changing consumer habits, menu trends, and guest preferences. From the rise of RTDs and non-alcoholic beverages to the power of Untappd for Business, Brown explains how operators can build smarter beverage programs while creating a stronger community around hospitality. D...

On this episode of Digital Hospitality from Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Shawn Walchef sits down with Eric Knott , CEO of Tiki Taco , to talk about scaling a growing restaurant brand, building the right tech stack, and why operators need better systems before they grow too fast. Eric’s story with Tiki Taco actually started at RLC, where he met the founders and eventually moved from...

Brandan Barton , CEO of Bite and co-host of The Simmer podcast , joins Shawn Walchef live from Restaurant Leadership Conference to break down the future of digital hospitality, kiosks, AI, and restaurant technology. After decades working across hospitality, fine dining, and restaurant tech, including early leadership at Resy, Barton explains why kiosks are not about replacing people but creating b...

Bart Berkey , founder of Most People Don’t and former Ritz-Carlton executive, shares why hospitality is ultimately about making people feel seen. After spending 16 years inside Ritz-Carlton and Marriott International, Berkey built a platform around storytelling, gratitude, and doing the things most people are afraid to do. This episode explores personal branding, podcasting, leadership, human conn...

Ross Franklin , founder and CEO of Pure Green Franchise, joins Shawn Walchef live from the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix to discuss how he scaled one of the fastest-growing wellness franchise brands in the country. Franklin shares the lessons learned from launching Pure Green in New York City, building a national wholesale operation, franchising with operators who have no restaurant...

In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with John Smolen , SVP Sales & Customer Success at Atmosphere TV , to discuss why traditional television fails inside restaurants, bars, gyms, and other commercial spaces. Smolen explains how Atmosphere built an entirely new category of entertainment designed specifically for businesses, why attention matters more than ever in hospita...

Bala Subramaniam , co-founder of Bites , explains why the future of restaurant ordering may live inside AI platforms like ChatGPT instead of traditional delivery apps. After years at Amazon, Instacart, and LinkedIn, Subramaniam set out to solve one of hospitality’s biggest problems: delivery platforms that drive growth while draining margins and hiding customer data from restaurants. This episode...

In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with Alexandra Fulea , CEO and co-founder of YourBI , to discuss why restaurants are overwhelmed with data but still struggling to make better decisions. Alexandra explains how disconnected systems create operational blind spots, why dashboards alone are not enough, and how clean data foundations are becoming essential for AI, forecas...

Krish Sridhar , founder and CEO of KNOW , explains why restaurant operations become harder when teams are forced to juggle disconnected systems, paper binders, and endless apps. From digital checklists and health inspections to AI-powered workflows, KNOW helps operators simplify execution and create consistency across every location. This episode explores frontline operations, operational discipli...

Anthony Valletta , CEO of bartaco , shares how a 30-plus location restaurant brand is built through people, empowerment, and community connection, not rigid systems. From losing an entire staff as a young GM to building a culture centered around hospitality-first leadership, Valletta explains why great restaurants are defined by how they recover from mistakes, not how they avoid them. This episode...

Jegil Dugger , founder and CEO of Pye , shares how his journey from Division I athlete to restaurant technology entrepreneur shaped his approach to digital hospitality. After rebuilding his life through innovation and entrepreneurship, Dugger created kiosk technology designed to help operators reduce friction, improve service, and support every customer, including those who still rely on cash paym...

Trace Smith , CEO of Next Glass , shares how an unexpected leap from private equity into the beverage alcohol industry led to building a platform that connects producers, operators, and consumers at scale. From acquiring Untappd to powering menu management for thousands of restaurants, he explains why great products and real customer value drive lasting growth. This episode explores building in a...

Dan Kablaoui of PubKey shares how a neighborhood bar became something much bigger: a gathering place where hospitality, Bitcoin, media, and community intersect. From rebuilding a post-COVID community in New York to launching an ambitious Washington, D.C. venue with a stage, studio, and event space, he explains why physical spaces still matter in a digital world. This episode explores sponsorship-d...