Restaurant Technology Guys

13 episodes scanned. 21% of ad slots promote the show's own products.

Recent Episodes

1. Restaurant Online Outrage: A Crisis Playbook — JD Miller

   Nov 2, 2026

   JD Miller, a sales and marketing executive with 25 years in tech and author of a book on AI in the sales process, discusses how algorithms, bots, and sock-puppet accounts amplify online outrage. He uses the Cracker Barrel logo backlash and a viral incident involving an Atlanta brunch spot as examples. The conversation covers how restaurants can build an authentic online presence, prepare crisis communication plans, handle influencers seeking payment, and keep human judgment in the loop when using AI for social media and sales.

2. Brooklyn Water Bagel's 14-Step Water System — Dan Smith

   Oct 26, 2026

   Dan Smith, CEO of Brooklyn Water Bagel, describes the brand's focus on quality and detail, including its proprietary 14-step water system designed to replicate New York bagels anywhere. The conversation covers the menu beyond bagels, the brand's heavy off-premise business, and its approach to the sourdough line and non-traditional locations. Smith also discusses the company's plans to expand from its roughly 20 Florida locations through franchising, targeting experienced mid-size operators, and its community involvement.

3. Why Your Loyalty Emails Don't Convert — Yosef Peterseil, Blings

   Oct 19, 2026

   Yosef Peterseil, co-founder of Blings, explains the company's patented personalized video format, which renders interactive videos in real time from a single HTML template inside a brand's existing CRM and email systems. The conversation covers restaurant and QSR loyalty use cases, including a video friend-referral program for Habit Burger, and addresses how brands can avoid low-quality "AI slop" through human review and client approval. Host Jeremy Julian also discusses how Blings complements existing email, loyalty, and CRM platforms rather than replacing them.

4. Why This Franchisee Gave Back $141K — Kyle Huck, Wings Etc.

   Oct 12, 2026

   Kyle Huck, a multi-unit franchise owner of Wings, Etc. restaurants in southeastern Ohio, discusses how his stores built local community ties through school sponsorships, fundraising 'Dine to Donate' events, and wing-bucks donations. He and Colton LeTourneau, senior director of marketing for Wings, Etc., also cover the brand's local store marketing support, franchisee collaboration, and the menu items Kyle recommends. The conversation includes Kyle's account of tallying roughly $140,000 in cumulative community giving across his locations.

5. How a Chick-fil-A Operator Uses AI to Lead — Jon Harmeling

   Oct 5, 2026

   John Harmeling, a Chick-fil-A franchise owner-operator in Miami Shores, Florida, discusses his journey from military service to restaurant leadership and his innovative use of AI to shift from management focused on success to leadership focused on significance. He shares practical examples of deploying AI agents through Claude and other tools to automate operational tasks, surface employee recognition opportunities, and build intentional leadership development programs—freeing time for meaningful human connection with his 89-person team representing 19 countries.

6. The Recommendation Economy Comes to Restaurants — Pat Venn, PRIMA

   Sep 28, 2026

   Pat Venn, a veteran of the hospitality tech space, discusses his journey from Talk (a reservation platform acquired by Squarespace and later American Express) to his current role at Prima, a recommendation economy platform that connects high-value diners to restaurants through an affiliate network model. Prima solves the restaurant industry's core challenges: acquiring the right customers and attributing where business comes from, while creating portable loyalty that follows diners across establishments rather than being siloed to individual brands.

7. Why Storytelling Saved San Pedro Fish Market — Michael Ungaro

   Sep 21, 2026

   Michael Ungaro, visionary CEO and owner of San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant, discusses the 70-year family business journey from a 200 sq ft storefront to a 55,000 sq ft waterfront attraction serving 2 million customers annually. The episode covers the business's evolution, the creation of their signature seafood trays, the viral Food Beast content moment that drove 30,000 customers in 10 days, and their pivot to storytelling through the Amazon Prime series 'Kings of Fish' to build brand awareness and secure their position during waterfront redevelopment. Michael shares lessons on authentic marketing, understanding customer value propositions, and leveraging social media and AI to scale operations while maintaining family business values.

8. Restaurant Marketing You Can Track — Brett Linkletter, Dishio

   Sep 14, 2026

   Brett Linkletter, founder of Dishio, discusses the evolution of restaurant marketing from traditional channels to data-driven digital strategies. Drawing from his background in e-commerce advertising, Brett explains how restaurants can track customer acquisition, leverage personalization and AI, and drive repeat business through multi-channel marketing funnels that move customers across dine-in, online ordering, catering, and reservations.

9. US Foods’ Menu IQ: Snap a Recipe, See Your Food Cost — James Jones

   Sep 7, 2026

   James D. Jones, VP of E-Commerce and Sales CRM at US Foods, discusses the company's technology-forward strategy for modernizing food service distribution. He covers why the industry has lagged in digital adoption, US Foods' investments in automation and AI, and two key products: Moxie (the e-commerce platform) and Menu IQ (an AI-powered menu profitability tool that lets operators photograph recipes to instantly calculate food costs). The conversation explores how these tools help independent restaurants improve margins, manage inventory, handle substitutions, and make data-driven decisions about menu innovation and pricing.

10. California Pizza Kitchen Scaled on Culture — Rick Rosenfield

    Aug 31, 2026

    Rick Rosenfeld, co-founder of California Pizza Kitchen, discusses how he and partner Larry Flax transformed American pizza dining by creating California-style pizza and pioneering upscale casual dining. The conversation covers CPK's founding story, iconic menu innovations like barbecue chicken pizza, the strategic use of open kitchen design and mall locations, and the critical role of company culture (ROCK: Respect, Opportunity, Communication, Kindness) in scaling the brand to 14,000 employees across multiple cities.