Digital Hospitality

Laura Wilber , director of strategic partnerships at Dinova , joins Shawn Walchef at the CREATE Conference to share how consistently showing up helped her become a stronger storyteller and build deeper relationships across the restaurant industry. Wilber explains how Dinova connects restaurants with high-value business diners, why those guests can drive valuable early and midweek traffic, and why...

Aaron Lyons , founder of Five 12 Restaurant Concepts, joins Shawn Walchef at the CREATE Conference to share how he grew from one restaurant to seven locations across two concepts. Lyons explains why the jump from one location to two was the hardest, how building strong teams has helped the company scale, and why technology can create hospitality through convenience. This episode explores restauran...

Brian Bailey, founder of Old Carolina Barbecue Company , joins Shawn Walchef at the CREATE Conference to share how catering has grown to 40% of Old Carolina’s business. Bailey explains how the eight-location brand manages catering growth and why partnering with DeliverThat helps the team handle high-volume deliveries without sacrificing the guest experience. This episode explores catering growth,...

Josh Sharkey , founder and CEO of meez , shares why staying focused has become one of the biggest lessons in building restaurant technology. From creating better tools for chefs and kitchens to earning trust through consistent storytelling, Sharkey explains why meez is doubling down on recipes, building deeper connections with the restaurant community, and staying true to what the company does bes...

Shaz Khan and Antonio Gambino of Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks share how they are growing the restaurant brand while protecting the culture and identity that made it successful. They explain why scaling requires more than opening locations, from building the right leadership team to creating systems that allow the business to grow without losing its hometown feel. Khan and Gambino also discuss the...

Jordan Boesch , CEO and co-founder of 7shifts , joins Shawn Walchef live from the National Restaurant Association Show to discuss why restaurant training needs to go beyond onboarding. Boesch explains why ongoing microlearning matters, how better training can help restaurants improve employee retention, and why the best restaurant groups build systems that allow their people and operations to scal...

Jennifer Pope, owner of Louie’s Bistro and Venice Island Coffee in Venice, Florida, joins Shawn Walchef to share what she has learned from running two restaurants and why the right technology can make the business easier to manage. Pope explains how DAVO took the stress out of managing sales tax, why investing in technology can give restaurant owners valuable time back, and the importance of under...

Tom Holt , founder and owner of Urbane Cafe , joins Shawn Walchef at CREATE io share how he has grown the fast-casual brand from one restaurant in 2003 to nearly 50 locations. Holt explains why learning the operation inside and out became critical before expanding and how reaching five locations forced him to build stronger training systems and infrastructure. Urbane Cafe has grown without private...

Chris Lybeer , chairman of the board at Onosys , joins Shawn Walchef at the Food On Demand Conference in Dallas to share why restaurant technology has reached a turning point. After nearly four decades in the industry, including leadership roles, Lybeer believes restaurants are adopting technology faster than ever as digital ordering becomes a larger part of their business. Onosys is focused on br...

Yassine Lyoubi of Barry’s Downtown Prime joins Shawn Walchef from the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, where the Barry’s team came with a clear goal: find new ways to make the restaurant better. In a Las Vegas market built around volume, Barry’s has taken a different approach, treating every guest like a relationship rather than a number and making its ownership team personally acc...

Elisia Flores , president and CEO of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue , joins Shawn Walchef from CREATE Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes to discuss leading the restaurant brand her father, Eddie Flores Jr., helped build into a global franchise. As a second-generation leader, Flores shares why franchisee success comes before corporate growth, how restaurant ownership continues to create opportunities for fam...

Jeff Kopple , co-owner of Sicilian Pizza and Pasta , joins Shawn Walchef to share how an independent restaurant has stayed competitive through more than 15 years of industry change. He explains why investing in digital ordering and strong technology partners has helped the business compete with national chains, how ChowNow and Pepsi have become trusted operational partners, and why genuine hospita...

Lucy Logan , co-founder and president of EveryBite , joins Shawn Walchef to discuss why personalized dining experiences are quickly becoming an expectation for restaurant guests. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in nutrition analysis, Logan explains how ingredient-first menus help restaurants serve guests with food allergies and dietary preferences while improving transparency, loyalty,...

Ola Sars , founder and CEO of Soundtrack , joins Shawn Walchef to explain why music is one of the most overlooked parts of the restaurant experience. Sars shares how operators can use music to strengthen their brand, improve the guest experience, and even increase sales. He also explains why consumer streaming services aren't built for restaurants, how to create a soundtrack that reflects your bra...

Nick Straten , Head of Data and Operations at 3WO Horeca Group , shares how the Amsterdam-based restaurant group is using YourBI to turn data into better decisions across nearly 40 restaurants. From managing rising labor costs to giving restaurant managers simple, actionable forecasts, Straten explains how bringing data from multiple systems into one place is helping the company operate more effic...

Chris Ives, CEO of Bubbakoo's Burritos, shares how the fast-casual brand is using Atmosphere to create a consistent guest experience as it grows toward 300 locations. From building a custom in-store TV channel that reflects the company's Jersey Shore roots to using technology that strengthens hospitality instead of replacing it, Ives explains how Bubbakoo's is scaling its brand while staying true...

Troy Hooper , CEO of Hot Palette America , the parent company of Pepper Lunch , joins Shawn Walchef to explain why authentic storytelling has become one of the most valuable tools restaurant leaders have today. Hooper shares why scripted content falls flat, how curiosity creates stronger business relationships, what he's seeing as technology and AI reshape the restaurant industry, and why simply s...

John Zinno shares how restaurants can turn catering from an operational expense into a profitable growth channel. As co-founder of DeliverThat , he explains why some brands generate up to 30% of their revenue from catering, why quality matters more than speed for large orders, and how operators can manage delivery more strategically. Zinno also shares practical advice on building first-party order...

Still running your restaurant on gut feel? Ovation helps you catch guest issues before they turn into bad reviews. Their AI-powered platform gives restaurants real-time guest feedback so operators can fix problems in the moment, improve experiences, and naturally drive more five-star reviews. Learn more at ovationup.com/shawn Will Stewart , founder of Rightwork , shares how his experience building...

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...