In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Phil Crawford, the chief technology officer of CKE Restaurants, to explore the ongoing digital revolution in the restaurant industry.

CKE Restaurants is a Tennessee-based, privately held company that runs and operates Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. The two regional brands combined represent over 3,800 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states and 43 foreign countries and U.S. territories.

Crawford moved from New York City—having previously served as the chief technology officer for Godiva—to Nashville to join CKE in the fall of 2020.

“Nashville and New York City are two parts of the spectrum. But the exciting part is that when it comes down to hospitality and technology, there’s a lot of synergies within both cities and corporations,” says Crawford. “They both have a desire and drive to be the best they can possibly be… it’s all about scale and size, and ensuring that we have the guest experience in mind.”

Restaurants—looking to adapt to evolving operational and consumer needs—are moving away from POS systems. Most systems and processes have entered the realm of mobile technology, leading to the creation of more cloud-based systems, direct-to-consumer interactions, analytics, and artificial intelligence to better reach customers.

“Any kind of digital ecosystem that’s out there that you can infuse the guest experience is where everything’s going,” adds Crawford. “It’s all about trying to bridge that gap between what we think our consumers know and what they do know, and making it a personalized journey. That’s the kind of tech incorporation that we need to be thinking of to become technology evangelists and to have that competitive edge in our industry.”

Key Takeaways:

[02:22 - 05:36] Introducing Phil Crawford, Chief Technology Officer at CKE Restaurants (Carl Karcher Enterprises)
[04:12 - 05:33] Phil's background in hospitality started at 16 at Carl's Jr., to Shake Shack, to CKE
[05:53 - 08:42] Phil's take on regional food differences between Nashville and New York City
[06:30 - 07:38] New York City and Nashville are different parts of the spectrum, "The bigger we get the smarter we have to act"
[07:44 - 08:42] "Being the health conscious Southern California, yoga, acupuncturist freak I am..."
[08:46 - 10:13] Talking about Red Burrito and Green Burrito businesses
[10:14 - 12:50] The Tech Stack and POS, new innovations in personalization and mobile technology
[12:52 - 15:31] Revisiting the pandemic and the adoption of new technology
[15:32 - 18:04] Maintaining 3,800 and all the training necessary to run new stores, an education opportunity for franchises
[18:05 - 20:31] The pain points in the restaurant operator business, too much technology can be a detriment
[20:47 - 22:48] Diving deeper into the digital transformation and education of what drives your business. You don't always need a Ferrari when a Ford will do.
[22:49 - 24:16] Phil's take on virtual kitchens, there's a place for it
[24:15 - 25:09] The virtual kitchen concept and burrito plans
[25:10 - 29:10] Talking Back, discussing the Branded Marketplace and the technology behind it
[29:27 - 32:19] Crystal Ball, the hospitality landscape in two years, 100% personalization and more contactless experiences
[32:19 - 33:13] Mac 12 on the rocks
[33:15 - 35:14] Branded Quickfire

Click here for more recovery and relief information for restaurant, hospitality and food service operators. And to keep listening, check out The Hospitality Hangout podcast on Spotify!

This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality.