The Pineapple Perspective

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy Hooper sits down with sales coach and Founder of Facetime Coaching Company, Mandi Graziano for a deep dive into the principles of hospitality, sales strategy, and venue optimization. Mandi shares insights from her 27-year career in the hospitality industry, including lessons from her book Sales Tales and her hands-on work with venues and sales tea...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy chats with Matt Wampler, co-founder of ClearCOGS, to discuss the evolving role of predictive analytics and AI in the restaurant industry. Matt shares his journey from owning Jimmy John's franchises to launching ClearCOGS, which helps restaurants optimize prep, inventory, and labor decisions using advanced data forecasting. The conversation covers...

This week, Troy welcomes Hildee Isaacs, a seasoned expert in promotional products, swag, and branded merchandise. Hildee shares her inspiring journey from her early days in New York's film industry and her entrepreneurial ventures in Atlanta to becoming a leading consultant in the promotional products space.  Hildee shares her thoughts on the true meaning of hospitality; of how it goes beyond serv...

This week, Troy welcomes industry leader Eric Knott to discuss his journey from childhood in upstate New York to becoming a prominent restaurant executive. Eric shares insights on the true essence of hospitality, making people feel welcome, and expands on the implementation of it throughout your business, from the staff to operations. Eric talks about how important culture, leadership, and empower...

This is a lively episode of The Pineapple Perspective, with Troy welcoming Jimmy Frischling and Michael "Schatzy" Schatzberg from Branded Hospitality. While the episode opens with humor and banter, it transitions into meaningful reflections on hospitality, evolving dining habits, and the state of restaurant technology.  Jimmy and Schatzy share their roots in the industry, how Branded Hospitality b...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy sits down with consultant, coach, and mentor Richard Liverman. Broadcasting from the UK, Richard shares his perspectives on hospitality, branding, and the power of storytelling in business. Drawing from a diverse background from horticulture to luxury brands he illustrates how service and connection can define success across industries.  The conve...

In this milestone 50th episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy Hooper sits down with longtime friend and returning guest Shawn Walchef, founder of Cali BBQ Media, for the podcast's first-ever on-location recording at Pepper Lunch in Las Vegas. They reflect on the journey of launching and sustaining a media-driven business strategy in the hospitality industry, discussing how consistent storytell...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, host Troy Hooper sits down with Tammy Billings, a seasoned marketing and technology advisor in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Tammy shares her journey from starting in hospitality at In-N-Out Burger to becoming a sought-after voice in MarTech and decision intelligence. She explains the evolution from traditional marketing roles into tech cons...

In Episode 048 of The Pineapple Perspective, host Troy Hooper sits down with Erin Levzow, a seasoned marketing and technology leader with more than two decades of experience in hospitality, restaurants, and consulting. Erin shares her insights on what hospitality truly means—emphasizing emotional connection over transactional service—and why every business, regardless of industry, should consider...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, host Troy Hooper sits down with Rev Ciancio, a hospitality marketing expert and dynamic personality in the restaurant industry. Known for his extensive social media presence, food crawl leadership, and straight-talking marketing advice, Rev shares insights into hospitality, influencer marketing, and creating meaningful guest experiences. He reflects on...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy sits down with hospitality coach, author, and industry leader Jason E. Brooks. The conversation explores what true hospitality means beyond service scripts and steps, diving into Jason's personal journey from overcoming a speech impediment to becoming a keynote speaker and trusted consultant. Jason breaks down the differences between managing, lea...

In this insightful episode of The Pineapple Perspective, host Troy Hooper sits down with hospitality veteran and author Steve Fortunato to explore the deeper meaning behind true hospitality. Steve shares a compelling personal journey that led to a major mindset shift in his 34-year career in the food and beverage industry.  From launching boutique catering brand Room Forty to opening event venues...

In this inspiring episode of The Pineapple Perspective, host Troy Hooper sits down with serial entrepreneur and churro connoisseur Scott Porter, founder of San Diablo Artisan Churros. With an eclectic background spanning PR, healthcare, aviation, and gourmet desserts, Scott shares his unwavering belief in the power of hospitality as a strategic advantage in any industry.  He details how his format...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, host Troy Hooper welcomes Josh Kopel, a seasoned restaurateur, entrepreneur, and host of the influential Full Comp podcast. Together, they explore the evolving landscape of the restaurant industry, diving into topics like AI-driven profitability, menu engineering, and maximizing check averages. Josh shares invaluable insights on how restaurants can lev...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, host Troy Hooper sits down with hospitality industry veteran Chris Tripoli. With decades of experience in restaurant ownership, consulting, and education, Chris shares invaluable insights into what makes restaurants successful in today's rapidly evolving landscape. From his early days learning the principles of hospitality to building and scaling resta...

Welcome to this special episode of The Pineapple Perspective with your host, Troy Hooper. In today's episode, we're joined by two incredible guests — Ashley Carlson, Founder and CEO of Elevate Business Solutions, and Nichole Hughes, Lead Executive Assistant at Elevate. Together, they share how their innovative approach to fractional executive assistant services helps busy executives, entrepreneurs...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy Hooper meets up with Chad Offerdahl, President and CEO of The Big Biscuit, a rapidly expanding breakfast and lunch franchise. Chad shares his journey as a second-generation restaurateur, detailing how he and his father transformed a small Kansas City breakfast spot into a multi-state franchise operation. They discuss the importance of hospitality,...

To celebrate the opening of Pepper Lunch in the Irvine Spectrum this month, we're replaying this episode with Paul Tran, Director of Franchising for Pepper Lunch Restaurants. Paul met up with Troy in episode 4 to talk about Pepper Lunch and hospitality.  In this episode, Troy and Paul cover topics like: Paul's unique definition of hospitality How a single act of hospitality can transform a busines...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy sits down with Toby Malbec, a leading expert in restaurant technology and "operational technologist" for ConStrata Consulting. Together, they dive into the evolving landscape of hospitality, discussing how technology is reshaping the guest experience, improving efficiency, and driving business success. Toby shares his insights on the current and f...

In this episode, Troy chats with Ashwin Kamlani as he shares his journey from growing up in a hospitality-focused family to founding HighMargin, a company aimed at helping restaurants leverage data for actionable insights. He discusses the evolution of e-commerce in the hotel industry, the parallels with the restaurant sector, and the importance of understanding and utilizing data to enhance opera...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, host Troy Hooper sits down with Daniel Estrada, CEO and co-founder of 86 Repairs, to discuss the often-overlooked world of restaurant repairs and maintenance (R&M).  They explore why most restaurant operators approach equipment maintenance reactively rather than proactively—and how this mindset is costing them time and money. Daniel shares insights on...

In today's episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy meets with Heather Cox, a seasoned WordPress website designer, social media strategist, and content creator with over 15 years of experience in the digital space. Heather shares her insights on the evolving landscape of branding and marketing technology, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and omnichannel presence in today's competitive...

This week on The Pineapple Perspective, Troy interviews Zack Oates, the founder of Ovation and a hospitality visionary. Together, they discuss the art and science of creating unforgettable guest experiences.  Zack shares his insights on the essence of hospitality, which he defines as proving to guests that you genuinely care about their experience. Zack explains how Ovation's guest experience plat...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy is joined by Andy Freivogel, co-founder and CEO of Science On Call, to explore the intersection of technology and hospitality in the restaurant industry.  Andy shares his unique perspective on what hospitality truly means—leading with generosity and solving real-world problems. The conversation dives into the complexities of modern restaurant tech...

In this episode of The Pineapple Perspective, Troy dives into the dynamic intersection of hospitality and technology with Jeremy Julian, host of the Restaurant Technology Guys podcast and a seasoned industry innovator. Together, they explore how cutting-edge tools, like AI-driven analytics and voice ordering, are transforming restaurant operations and enhancing guest experiences.  Jeremy shares re...