Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast with Zack Oates

Send us Fan Mail Bennett Maxwell is the CEO of Dirty Dough, home to super-stuffed cookie bombs! Dirty Dough is bringing one-of-a-kind cookies to the masses, and helping entrepreneurs find passion and success! With a background in sales, Maxwell brings his charismatic spirit to the Give An Ovation Podcast! On this episode, Zack and Maxwell discuss:  Picking a franchise Advising hopeful entrepreneur...

Send us Fan Mail Steve Madonna is the SVP of Culinary at Bar Louie, the Original Gastrobar concept with about 70 locations nationwide. Previously, Steve spent 12 years working as a Chef and Culinary Director at Wolfgang Puck. Steve is an expert is menu design and brought a Puck-ton of actionable insights to this edition of Give an Ovation.  On this episode, Zack and Steve discuss:  The importance...

Send us Fan Mail Clayton Wood, CEO at Picnic, is pursuing innovation by making automation the future. Picnic is the essential back-of-house assembly line. The modular food prep station assembles your pizzas with precision and speed, delivering a consistent product every time. Say hello to the future of restaurant tech with this week's podcast episode! On this episode, Clayton and host Zack Oa...

Send us Fan Mail Tammy Billings is a co-founder at Aben, a marketing operating system that alerts, executes, and measures ROI from data. Tammy's foundational belief for Aben was the idea that the data available to large enterprises should be open for all businesses to leverage. With an affinity for sales, technology, and data analytics, Tammy brings her vision to this week's episode of G...

Send us Fan Mail Akash Kapoor, CEO and Founder of Curry Up Now, is renowned for more than his growth from food truck to brick and mortar. As Chief Troublemaker, Akash is an expert in finding growth through discomfort and pushing the envelop. Tune in to find out key tips on growing your business and stepping outside of your comfort zone! On this episode, Akash and host Zack Oates discuss:  Defeatin...

Send us Fan Mail Richard Zaro, Founder and CEO of Cutlets Sandwich Co., is looking to disrupt the sandwich landscape and nationalize cutlets. Zaro has proven his ability to keep the consumer happy and smooth out the consumer journey through online interactions.  On this episode, Richard and host Zack Oates discuss:  Customer satisfaction Consumer touch points Online order and delivery More Thanks,...

Send us Fan Mail Allen Beck, director of off-premise and catering at Costa Vida, is an expert in all things third party and online ordering. This week, he brings experience with catering and working as a go-between to our podcast and shares how he reaches out and maintains relationships with third parties.  On this episode, Allen and host Zack Oates discuss:  Third party relationships Dynamic pric...

Send us Fan Mail Nick Bogacz, founder and president of Client Pizza & Draft House, has proven his ability to grow a business.  With over 20 years of experience in the pizza and restaurant industry, Nick opened his first location in 2012 and has grown his operations to six current locations!  On this episode, Nick and host Zack Oates discuss:  Managing responsibilities Building your team Using...

Send us Fan Mail Michel Falcon is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, creator of a successful hospitality company, and is currently building Brasa Peruvian Kitchen. His expertise is in restaurants, customer experience management, company culture, employee engagement, and career development (#SteerYourCareer). On this episode, Michel and host Zack Oates discuss:  What being a people-first restaur...

Send us Fan Mail Sun Choi is the Co-founder of Yummy's Korean BBQ and Sushi, a family-run restaurant located in Orem, Utah. In this episode of Give An Ovation, Sun Choi offers valuable insight as to what inspired him to leave the IT security industry and open a restaurant alongside his family. This episode is extremely personable as we learn more about his culture, motivations, and priorities...

Send us Fan Mail Chad Horn, Co-founder and COO of Devour, is bringing restaurant tech to a whole new level. Devour is the first  web3 payments, NFT and rewards platform catering to restaurants and their guests. Chad has paved a people-oriented career and is bringing the immense opportunities of Web3 technology to restaurants. Chad's episode is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of Give An Ovation Features Lee Kindell, Founder and CEO of Moto Pizza! Famous for their deepish and other delicious and doughy menu items, Kindell is an expert at bettering your brand. The key ingredient? Passion. Tune in to Lee's deep dish on how to develop your brand through passion, skill, and drive. On this episode, Lee and Host Zack Oates discuss:  Developi...

Send us Fan Mail As CEO and founder of Piestro, a fully automated pizzeria, Massimo Noja De Marco is no stranger to thinking creatively and bringing positive guest oriented service culture. With over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry, Massimo is commandeering innovation within the restaurant industry.  On this episode, Massimo and Host Zack Oates discuss:  Ghost kitchens Quality over...

Send us Fan Mail As founder and CEO of not one but two companies, Troy Hooper is a jack of all trades! As founder and CEO of Kiwi Restaurant Partners, Hooper offers hospitality consulting, management, development, franchising, and concept creation services.  This podcast is especially engaging and you definitely won't want to miss it.  On this episode, Troy and Host Zack Oates discuss:  What...

Send us Fan Mail Tomer Molovinsky is the CEO and cofounder at Per Diem. Per Diem is a subscription business  that partners with neighborhood businesses to create food and drink experiences their customers love. Tomer has built Per Diem into a company where hospitality and innovative tech meet. On this episode, Tomer and Host Zack Oates discuss:  In store vs digital perks Applying life skills Futur...

Send us Fan Mail Gage Anderle is a director of virtual brands at Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., a family owned restaurant franchise. His experience in brand management, sales growth, strategic planning, and more has enabled Gage to take brands from brick and mortar to 100+ ghost kitchen operations. Tune in to hear what Gage has been cooking up in the virtual scene and where he plans to...

Send us Fan Mail Solomon Choi is the founder and CEO of 16 Handles.  16 Handles is New York City's first self serve frozen yogurt shop.  With over 20 year experience in the restaurant industry, Solomon's restaurant concept became the segment leader in NYC and grew to over 40 locations internationally. Tune in to hear how he rose to the entrepreneurial top and took a bite out of the big a...

Send us Fan Mail Alex is a restaurant industry innovator, in-demand speaker, and passionate advocate for restaurant operators and workers. A fourth-generation restaurateur, the restaurant business has been in Alex’s blood for over 85 years. Alex currently leads Nextbite, a digital platform designed to develop restaurant delivery. Tune in for his expertise in restaurant tech! On this episode, Alex...

Send us Fan Mail  Monte has over 40 years in the industry working every position from dishwasher all the way to Director of Operations. As a restaurant coach and hospitality coach Monte shares his wealth of knowledge in food, beverage, hospitality, service, sales, and cost controls that he has gained through 40 years of success and mistakes. On this episode, Monte and Host Zack Oates discuss:  Min...

Send us Fan Mail Will Pacio is the cofounder and CEO of Expo, a data science platform that has contributed greatly to transforming the hospitality industry.  Expo focuses on helping large multi-unit operations better leverage all of their data in one integrated solution. With over 20 years in the restaurant industry- with responsibilities ranging from line cook to head of IT- Will has seen it all!...

Send us Fan Mail Stephen M.R. Covey is a highly-sought after international speaker, who has taught trust and leadership in 56 countries to business, government, military, education, healthcare, and NGO entities. We are fortunate to have him as a guest on our Give An Ovation podcast! Tune in to hear from a distinguished author, public speaker, entrepreneur, and expert in business leadership! On thi...

Send us Fan Mail Atul Sood is the chief business officer at Kitchen United. Kitchen United offers restaurants a top-tier food production facility that combines insights with ideas on how to profitably expand into the food delivery business. Given his experience, Atul has proven his skill at business intelligence and offering minimal risk and capital outlay.  On this episode, Atul and Host Zack Oat...

Send us Fan Mail Sam Caucci is the CEO and founder of 1Huddle, a training platform that aims to improve staff performance and better prepare employees for the workforce. Sam Caucci's innovation engages employees with quick paced games that are customizable to the company's brand and can be played in under five minutes.  On this episode, Sam and Host Zack Oates discuss:  The importance of...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Mirkil is the head of marketing at Personica. Previously operating under the name Fishbowl, Personica is a digitalized platform that offers a better way to connect with and engage guests. With over 30 years of experience in the marketing industry, Mike had plenty to offer this episode of Give an Ovation. Tune in to hear his expertise on personalization, customer loyalty, and...

Send us Fan Mail Niko Papademetriou is the Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Qu Beyond POS. Qu's goal is to go beyond the limited legacy systems with modern tech solutions that will improve your profits and confidently lead you into the new digital era. Given his experience in the financial sector and his entrepreneurial mindset, Niko has  fueled restaurant growth by...