Tech Bites

When Tech Bites started in January of 2015, I couldn't imagine making it to episode 150. On this episode we take a look back at three years of Tech Bites (@TechBitesHRN) favorite episodes and no show guests. Joining us to take a look back is HRN's Studio Manager and Engineer David Tatasciore. We also look to future ideas, guests and formats. It's a bittersweet episode - because it's also David's l...

We’ve been using our fingerprints to unlock our smartphone and breeze through customs for years now. Facial recognition is the next gen of biometric security coming soon to airports, the Tokyo Olympics and your favorite fast casual restaurant. On this episode of Tech Bites (@techbiteshrn) host Jennifer Leuzzi (@mmesnack) discusses the future of retail payment with in-studio guests Brandon Barton,...

Do you have a ground-breaking idea on how to build a better, more equitable restaurant industry? A first-of-its-kind initiative, the Solution Sprint is a one-day, crowdsourced event designed to drive resources, expertise, and attention to solving community-identified challenges in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Inspired by the collective problem solving in the tech and design fields, the...

Shopping online and in apps is convenient, but is it bad for the planet and local communities? On the one hand, delivery can be like public transportation for your groceries and be fuel efficient. On the other hand, the mountain of packaging required to ship perishables is a recycling nightmare. On this episode we talk with Gabriella Gershenson, (@gabiwrites) food writer and editor, about the best...

Can artificial intelligence make Roberta’s Pizza better? Maybe. Today’s restaurants are running on data systems that are cobbled together from multiple third party platforms, creating a fragmented picture of business that’s not always up-do-the-minute. If your numbers are stale, you’re probably loosing money somewhere. Ingest (@ingestAI) aims to solve these issues by integrating all of a restauran...

Is it possible for ingredients to have “terroir” if they’re grown in water? Does our definition of “local ingredients” change when the farm is across the hall from the kitchen? Find out from Rob Laing, CEO/Founder Farm. One and Ronny Emborg (@ronnyemborg), Executive Chef of Atera NYC. Started in 2016, Farm. One (@farmone) grows rare herbs, edible flowers, microgreens and other exotic produce year-...

What do you do when your guest is a no show to the live broadcast? You improvise and do a show about the show. On this episode, Tech Bites (@TechBitesHRN) host Jennifer Leuzzi (@MmeSnack) and lead engineer/studio manager David Tatasciore talk about the genesis of the Tech Bites back in 2014. Hear how DJ Uptown Nikko (@uptownnikko) created the show's theme song "No Matta' CPU Track." This episode i...

Technology is supposed to make business easier, more efficient and profitable - if you can figure it out. Most people start a food business because they have a great product - not because they know how to code and run a CRM program. On this episode of Tech Gripes (@TechBitesHRN) we look at the tech challenges of online retail. How do entrepreneurs build a robust brand and sales in this age of Inst...

It takes a village to execute a successful fund-raising campaign, or at least a community of smart, generous and successful women. On this episode we look at iFundWomen (@ifundwomen) the crowd funding platform geared towards women-lead startups and small businesses. What makes iFundWomen different? Zeina Muna, in entrepreneur services at iFundWomen, says it’s the collective advice, time management...

Calling all food tech start-ups looking for venture funding. On this episode of Tech Bites (@techbiteshrn), two start-up founders pitch Charlie O’Donnell (@CEONYC) of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures and have the opportunity to hear his feedback and possibly get funded. Brooklyn Bridge Ventures (@BBVDOTVC) is the first Brooklyn-based venture capital fund, with $23 million dollars across two funds, investi...

How would you pick a restaurant for dinner if you’re interested in eating farm-raised, sustainable food? The app Greenease helps consumers discover restaurants and food retailers that source directly from local and/or sustainable farms. People can also search by unique criteria such as gluten-free, grass-fed meats, or sustainable seafood. 70% of consumers what to know where they food comes from. W...

Imagine cutting fresh, hydroponically grown micro greens onto your toast or salad, seconds before you eat it. Imagine how delicious and nutritious it would be to eat living food. This week, the dream becomes real. Harvest2Order (H2O) is the first US-based microgreen salad bar concept. The greens are hydroponically grown and harvested when you order a salad bowl or toast. H2O(@harvest2order) is the...

FoodFutureCo is the first Scale-Up Accelerator for established yet small organizations that are providing unique products and solutions across our food system. Unlike traditional accelerators FoodFutureCo (@foodfutureco) works with companies that have some proof of concept, that are on track to grossing more than $1 million annually, and helps them ""scale-up"" to the next stage of growth. Focus a...

Restaurant delivery sales topped $43 billion last year and is expected to reach $76 billion in 2022. Delivery apps and platforms like Caviar, Seamless and Eat24 are driving consumers to order, with more than 11% of restaurant sales coming from delivery. To support this giant growth industry, the next generation of restaurant delivery tech is being built to help manage and deliver all these orders....

In the start-up world failure equals success. It’s the paradox of innovation. A company needs to fail in order to gather information, make adjustments and push out a new better version. This philosophy sets innovators apart from the traditional old-school business values that only value actual success. But at what point do you stop iterating and make the big pivot to close up shop and move on? On...

Are you a start-up business looking for venture funding? On this episode of Tech Bites (@techbiteshrn), two start-up founders pitch Charlie O’Donnell (@CEONYC) of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures and have the chance to hear his feedback and get funded. Brooklyn Bridge Ventures (@BBVDOTVC) is the first Brooklyn based venture capital fund, with $23 million dollars across two funds, investing in NYC-based co...

Whether your food is organic, farm-to-counter, palio or delivery, it’s likely you got it via tech. The entire food-chain, from farming to production to restaurants and grocery shopping, is changing with technology. Jennifer Leuzzi (@mmesnack) interviews three CEO/Founders from the food tech space, Cheryl Clements, CEO/Founder PieShell (@pieshell), Krystle Mobayeni, CEO/Co-Founder BentoBox (@getben...

Whether your food is organic, farm-to-counter, palio or delivery, it’s likely you got it via tech. The entire food-chain, from farming to production to restaurants and grocery shopping, is changing with technology. Jennifer Leuzzi (@mmesnack) interviews three CEO/Founders from the food tech space, Cheryl Clements, CEO/Founder PieShell (@pieshell), Krystle Mobayeni, CEO/Co-Founder BentoBox (@getben...

What is the greatest food tech invention of all time? Fire and harnessing heat for cooking. Or perhaps you’re thinking cutting stones and knives? The point of origin for flint knives is about 4,000 years ago which is a solid argument for knives to be one of the first, if not the greatest food technology. In-studio guest Harry Rosenblum, host of HRN’s Feast Yr Ears , discusses ancient food tech tha...

The chatbots are coming! People are no longer the first line of hospitality for restaurants, it’s AI and chatbots that are managing reservation confirmations, waiting lists and a whole host of other communications. On this episode chatbot Time Table (@timetableny) CEO Giuliano Senese and CFO Jonas Majauskas pitch 5 Napkin Burger (@5napkinburger) CEO Robert Guarino. Listen in and see if they make a...

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we’re talking with Linda Pelaccio, producer and host of A Taste of the Past on Heritage Radio Network. How does today’s high-tech impact the study of the past? Digital and scanning technology has opened the world’s libraries to scholars and researchers, making history as easy as Google. But it has also stripped away some of the human elements that tactile articl...

Cooking is a science, but we don’t often think of our food on the molecular level. We think about a robust of a cup of coffee, without realizing it’s the volatile compounds giving it the rich flavor. Coffee has 1000 Volatile compounds, whereas lettuce has a mere 20. In this episode of Tech Bites , we talk food science with James Briscione. His new book, The Flavor Matrix , explains how ingredients...

If everyone loves pizza, then why are all the great mom-and-pop local pizza joints closing? Big pizza chains and big corporate delivery services are all taking a big bite out of the independent pizza market across the country. But don’t worry - there’s an app for that. Slice, is a pizza ordering platform dedicated to empowering local pizzerias with the tools, tech, and marketing to compete with bi...

Seaweed isn’t just for sushi any more. The US seaweed snack market is estimated at a booming $500 million a year with no signs of slowing down. What makes it a super trend for 2018? With more that 11,000 species and uses across food production, health, beauty and industry, seaweed is both bountiful and versatile. The sustainable aquaculture makes it even more appealing for the long-term. A volatil...

With all the digital platforms available, like OpenTable, google business pages, and Facebook, does a restaurant still need it’s own website? Can a website help transact business and get customers with better SEO? And what is SEO exactly? We’ll answer these questions (yes, yes, yes and it’s complicated) and more with in-studio guest Krystle Mobayeni, Co-Founder and CEO of BentoBox, a hospitality-f...