The Tech Chef, Restaurant, Hospitality and Hotel Technology Business Podcast
Technology
Business
Skip Kimpel
Want to learn more about trending restaurant and hospitality technology? The “Tech Chef”, Skip Kimpel, will create your weekly menu and take you down the path of solutions out there to help you and your team members become more efficient and your company more profitable. Add in a healthy portion of interviews from industry leaders as well as vendor chats and you have a recipe for success. This fun, weekly show is not just for the tech professionals as there are plenty of valuable take-aways for all leadership roles and all verticals of your restaurant or hospitality operation. If you want to be more successful in this industry come hear what The Tech Chef has cooking.
For more information, visit www.SkipKimpel.com or www.Magicgate.com
This show is powered by Growth Advisors International Network - GAIN
TCP078: Inventory: From Manual to Magical with NomadGo and PAR
This podcast episode features an exciting announcement about the integration of Nomad Go's innovative inventory management technology with PAR Technology's Data Central platform. David Greshler, CEO of Nomad Go, and Paul Rubin, Chief Strategy Officer at PAR, discuss how their collaboration aims to revolutionize the restaurant industry's approach to inventory counting. With Nomad Go's solution, operators can count their inventory more efficiently and accurately using just an iPhone or iPad, significantly reducing the time and effort traditionally spent on manual counting. The conversation highlights the challenges faced during the integration process and emphasizes the importance of data integrity and reliability. Listeners will gain insights into the future of restaurant technology, the benefits of frequent inventory checks, and the impact of emerging technologies such as AI and augmented reality on the hospitality sector.Takeaways: The integration of Nomad Go with PAR Technology significantly simplifies the inventory counting process for restaurants. Using augmented reality and AI, Nomad Go enables users to count inventory with a simple scan. Both companies emphasize the importance of accuracy and time savings in inventory management for restaurants. Frequent inventory checks can lead to better management of food waste and theft detection. The partnership between Nomad Go and PAR Technology reflects a growing trend of technological collaboration in the restaurant industry. Customers can expect enhanced data insights and operational efficiency from the new integration. Links referenced in this episode:gainadvisors.comnomadgo.comskipkimpel.commagicgate.comCompanies mentioned in this episode: Growth Advisors International Network NomadCo PAR Technology Corporation Nomad Go PAR Data Central Brink
33:3105/11/2024
TCP077: Creating a Global Tech Stack with Troy Hooper
Joining the show today, I am excited to have Troy Hooper, Chief Executive Officer at Hot Palette America. Troy Hooper joined Pepper Lunch as one of the three global business unit CEO’s for the brand, and oversees Pepper Lunch’s parent company in North America, Hot Palette America. Troy brings 30 years of unparalleled experience in hospitality, operations management and executive leadership to this role, which has fueled Pepper Lunch’s infrastructure development, growth efforts, and brand deliverables, creating a fruitful franchise model for the North American market.Throughout his career, Troy has successfully built new concepts, rebranded existing restaurants, and improved well-established venues for iconic brands. Troy’s decades of experience and business acumen brings a breadth of knowledge to the rapidly growing global brand, Pepper Lunch.By the way, I have some breaking news for you at the end of this episode so make sure you listen all the way through to make sure you don’t miss it!How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]’s up next?Next week is the one and only Geoff Alexander from Wow Bao. We all know both of these names very well. A man who had a vision, assembled an amazing team and has taken his vision to a whole new level! You think he is passionate about virtual brands? Well, you will have to tune in to hear him tell us what he REALLY thinks about the future of that side of the industry. So, check out Hot Bytes on all of my social media channels and let me know what you think. I am very curious to see the reaction and see how sadistic you all really are!
35:4715/08/2023
TCP076: The Battle for Hospitality: HITEC VS The Hospitality Show
Back with us today is Managing Director of ConStrata Consulting, Mr. Toby Malbec. This episode is dedicated to the two hospitality shows that recently happened, the industry standard, HITEC, brought to you by HFTP, which was held in Toronto and the brand new Hospitality Show put on by AHLA in Las Vegas at the Venetian Hotel. Both of these shows happened at the same exact time, so Toby and I decided to divide and conquer as so many others did as well. Today’s recap will highlight overall arching themes, similarities as well as differences between the two shows. Enjoy!How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]’s up next?Next week I am excited to share the time I had to chat with Troy Hooper, CEO of Hot Palette America, best known for their outrageously popular and delicious restaurant, Pepper Lunch. Troy has quite a bit to share with us regarding the growth of the organization including building out a tech stack for an international operation. How is he going to pull it off? Tune in and find out!
34:4818/07/2023
TCP075: The AI Conundrum with Nabeel from Lunchbox
Joining the show today is our special guest, Nabeel, CEO and Co-Founder of Lunchbox. Nabeel was born in Bangladesh, moved to Kuwait 7 years later, and to Queens, New York 7 years after that. Nabeel began his career as the first busboy at the Bareburger flagship store in Astoria, and spent his free time devising marketing objectives for the CEO. In 2019 he founded Lunchbox, a next-gen online ordering company, that was built out of the frustration of trying to build his own digital ordering system at Bareburger. In just a short period, Lunchbox has established itself as the premiere product in the digital ordering space, partnering with industry leaders such as Firehouse Subs, Papa Gino’s, Clean Juice, Wings Over, Bareburger and more.Today’s show is NOT about Lunchbox. It is about AI and the new, free AI application that can be found online to allow restaurants generate food pictures for their online ordering guests. We take this much further into the legalities around intellectual properties, regulation and the future of this technology.We have some fundamental differences of opinion around the IP side of things but, at the end of the day, we are all trying to figure out where this all lands and are in it together.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]’s up next?Busy and crazy times in our industry right now. This also happens to be a very timely subject today, especially around the online ordering and virtual kitchen side of things as we are starting to see a slowdown in online ordering and a significant shakeup in that side of the industry. I would also love to hear your thoughts on where YOU think the digital restaurant is headed. I will be out at the new <a href="https://www.thehospitalityshow.com/"...
37:4620/06/2023
TCP074: Welcome to the Future of Delivery
Joining the show today is Aaron Hoffman, Co-Founder & Head of Strategy at DeliverThat - a white label, last-mile delivery platform focused on catering delivery and setup. Aaron and I break down what a successful delivery operation looks like for your business: best practices, process changes, considerations for success and so much more. We will also dig deeper into the catering side of the restaurant business and how this can be a game changer if you not spending much time and effort to perfect that side of the business.You will get lots of great juicy nuggets from this show. Bon Appetit! Oh, and by the way, Alan Hickey…. I hear Aaron is a better golfer than you. Just sayin’,..How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected] Week’s ShowNext week, I have Nabeel from Lunchbox joining us to talk about the new AI Food Generator application they developed, and we go pretty deep into the AI in general. Nabeel is a well known industry expert that people look up to and it was a privilege to have him join me. Certainly, an episode you won’t want to miss.
28:5706/06/2023
TCP073: The Digital Restaurant with Carl Orsbourn & Meredith Sandland
Joining the show today are two individuals who I am sure you have seen all over social media and at conferences if your business is restaurants and technology. Carl Orsbourn and Meredith Sandland join the show to talk about their new book, “Delivering the Digital Restaurant; The Path to Digital Maturity.” This falls on the heels of the must have book from last year, “Delivering the Digital Restaurant: Your Roadmap to the Future of Food.”Meredith Sandland is the CEO of Empower Delivery, a software company that enables restaurants to profitably and sustainably serve off-premise demand. Meredith met with every major restaurant company, food-tech company, real estate company, and VC investor who is exploring the online food revolution. In Empower Delivery, she found what she had been looking for: a restaurant tech company built from the ground up to service the on-demand consumer. Prior to Empower Delivery, Sandland created and drove disruptive growth as Chief Development Officer at Taco Bell, America’s largest Mexican-inspired restaurant, and as COO at Kitchen United, a ghost-kitchen start-up that is rolling out nationally.Carl Orsbourn is a global retail executive and board member whose experience spans blue-chip companies, disruptive start-up ventures, and restaurants. As COO of Juicer, Carl leads business development, partnerships, and operations for this innovative start-up supporting the development of dynamic pricing capability for restaurants. At Kitchen United, Carl established the operating model and led operations & customer success for one of the country’s foremost ghost kitchen providers.Carl and Meredith serve as advisors and board members at several food-service and tech start-ups. They have been recognized as Power Players by Nations Restaurant News and Business Insider for their thought leadership in supporting restaurants to adapt to the challenges and opportunities offered through digitization, technology, and automation.Don’t worry, this episode is not just a sales pitch for the book. We dig much deeper in conversation about things like figuring out what “digital” means to the restaurant industry, order throttling, dynamic pricing, converting 3rd party to a 1st party customers, the gig workforce and even talk about the good and evil of AI.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and...
30:5611/04/2023
TCP072: The Man With The Midas Touch - Chris Artinian
I have an unbelievable treat for you today with another industry rockstar; the man, that I have heard many times before, to have the Midas touch because he has the reputation that everything he touches turns to gold.At this point, you are saying to yourself, “who is this person.” Today, the one and only, Chris Artinian joins us to talk about technology through the years and his personal formula for a successful organization. Chris serves as President & CEO at Condado Tacos and Tequila, an emerging NextGen growth brand that specializes in tacos, margheritas and tequilas, with expansion plans to expand up to 100 company owned and operated restaurants by 2026, as it expands to many new markets. Chris has over 30 years of restaurant and retail experience, with both private and public companies, and has extensive experience in restaurant and consumer services. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Another Broken Egg, Ted’s Cafe Escondido, and Condado Tacos.Chris joined Condado Tacos to partner with the team in charting the next phase of meteoric growth. He continues to serve as an Operating Director at The Beekman Group, and prior to that lead TooJay’s Gourmet Deli, Bakery & Restaurant, serving as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he served as President and CEO of Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, and previously, was President and CEO of Morton’s Steakhouse, the largest fine dining brand in the world. Chris was a success story at Morton’s, starting in a back of the house kitchen position and rising through the ranks to eventually become the CEO of this leading publicly-traded steakhouse.Throughout his career Mr. Artinian has been recognized for leveraging his deep operational experience in developing winning strategies and exceptional teams. Passionate about the restaurant business, Chris has provided key insight and commentary on the industry to numerous media outlets including CNBC, Fox Business and Bloomberg News, and is a sought-after guest speaker and panelist for industry conferences and events.If anybody has industry chops, I can think of nobody better to bring on this show. We have some amazing conversation around some of the key elements he looks for and corrects when being involved with a new organization. Obviously, he is usually brought onboard to identify inefficiencies and other operational issues, make course corrections and create a plan to take that company to the next level. A key factor of this, obviously, is based around technology in today’s world. Trust, me, Chris can talk technology and I was fascinated with our engaging conversation. Please sit back, relax and enjoy and make sure you have a pen and paper handy to take some notes. You are about to hear from one of the industry greats.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: <a href="https://constrata.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
29:5104/04/2023
TCP071: The Metaverse 101 with Kevin Seo
Today, I have another special guest that I recorded while I was at MURTEC recently. Kevin Seo and I had the opportunity to present a fire chat at the show on the Metaverse 101. I thought it only fair to sit down with him and record, 1-on-1, for all of you, our thoughts on this matter and share it here on this show.Kevin is truly a superstar in this space. He started in Fortune 500, leading to side hustling through e-commerce and into start-ups, always being the loudest brand voice in the room. Kevin left his corporate, white picket fence dream to chase something bigger than himself. Focusing on community building and innovation, teamed up with a couple of partners to create Bored and Hungry, Food Fighters Universe and Secret Sauce Society. Kevin is determined to create amazing memories for communities through branded concepts, food experiences and building unforgettable life changing technology.You will quickly realize why Kevin is the Chief Megaphone and Co-Founder for these companies and why he is always the loudest voice in the room. I love his infectious laugh and I hope you enjoy this time I spend with him.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected] Week’s ShowNext week is another jam-packed episode with yet another, well respected, industry expert. I will keep it under wraps for now, which means you are going to have to tune in next Tuesday to find out who it is!
32:0428/03/2023
TCP070: MURTEC 2023 Recap Show with Toby Malbec
Today, as promised, is our 2023 MURTEC recap show. It was a short two weeks ago we were gathered together at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas right in the middle of one of the best conferences I have been to in a very long time. Anybody who has listened to this show for any length of time knows that a recap show is a must for anybody who did not have a chance to attend OR did not have a chance to see all the sessions. Having said that, time is too short on this show to talk about every single fire chat, keynote and breakout session that was available, however, my colleague (Toby Malbec) and I dig into some interesting aspects of the show. Hopefully you will enjoy this quick 30 minute, jam packed episode of all the informative and fun stuff surrounding MURTEC. I have one more surprise for you related to the show so scroll down to find out what’s coming next week!How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected] Week’s ShowWhile at MURTEC , I had the honor to host a kickoff fire chat with Kevin Seo for a session on the metaverse and breaking it down to it’s basics and the power behind the potential of where this technology is headed and, most importantly, how it could potentially impact you in the restaurant and hospitality world. Shortly after the public session, I sat down with Kevin 1-on-1 and we had a discussion around this so that I could bring it to you here on The Tech Chef. Next Tuesday is a MUST HEAR episode!
32:5821/03/2023
TCP069: Critical KPI Tracking with Robert Peterson
I have to say, once again, that MURTEC was amazing in many ways. As a matter of fact, I had promised you a Toby and Skip MURTEC recap show, however, we had so many great networking opportunities and vendor discussions that we are still catching up from the show! Having said that, we WILL bring you that re-cap episode but it will have to wait another week. However, I am brining you another special episode today which I also recorded at MURTEC with my good friend, Robert Peterson to talk about some big announcements from the Restaurant Technology Network, especially the results of the KPI workgroup and other groups that Robert is heavily involved with.Robert Peterson…. Some know him as the Area Vice President for New Business of North America at Oracle Food and Beverage. Others, however, know him as a leader and a superstar of both the RTN and the IFBTA.Robert Peterson’s fervor for data governance has flourished during his 20 years in the restaurant industry. His career includes technical, sales, and strategic roles at various hospitality technology companies where he developed a deep understanding of the guest experience and its accompanying data flow.Today his passion to see operators succeed. He is also a contributing member of RTN’s Vendor Advisory Council. Another fact about Mr. Peterson is that he is an 80’s BMX World Champion, he can still be spotted in San Diego with one of his four children showing off on his bicycle. Or experimenting with plant-based recipes at home with his wife, Julie.Robert is such a dedicated individual and really cares about seeing technology not only progress in our industry but leading and pioneering a whole new era of how we think about the technology and data in the foodservice sector. I had such a good time catching up with Robert at the show… enjoy this chat I had with him while I was there.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpel/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
33:4014/03/2023
TCP068: Crafting a Digital Palate with Scott Lawton of bartaco
For all of you that saw me speak over the past couple of days, I hope you enjoyed yourselves. You were fun and engaged audiences! Web3 and the metaverse can really stoke different thoughts and emotions in people and I had fun exploring the technology as a whole with you and hearing YOUR thoughts on where this technology is headed. It is still the wild west out there when it comes to these topics, and we have yet to see where it all lands. Hopefully you had some good takeaways and are challenging yourself a little more now that you understand the technologies a little bit better.So here we all are at MURTEC. Hopefully you are all having a fantastic show and are winning lots of money here at the Paris Hotel in Vegas. The content of this show has been absolutely fantastic thus far and it has been a while since I have seen this many people at one of these shows. This might be the record for attendance to MURTEC!SToday on The Tech Chef, we will be talking about “Crafting A Digital Palette.” To talk about how he pulled this off, Scott Lawton the CEO and Co-Founder of bartaco joins the show. Bartaco is a coastal-inspired restaurant serving fresh, upscale street food in a relaxed environment. Scott has over twenty five years of leadership experience in the hospitality arena, and rejoined bartaco in 2020 under the new private ownership of L Catterton, where he oversees the concept’s overall vision and growth.That year, Lawton led the rollout of bartaco’s on- demand hospitality dining model, and continues to pave the way for other restaurant leaders looking to create a seamless guest experience. Under his leadership, bartaco was recognized by Hospitality Technology’s MURTEC Breakthrough Awards in 2022 for the restaurant’s signature “on-demand hospitality.”Prior to becoming CEO of bartaco, Lawton was Chief Operating Officer of Barteca, managing development, day-to-day operations and personnel recruitment. Lawton previously held key leadership roles with Tribeca Grill, Buckhead Life and Big Time Restaurants.If you have never eaten at bartaco before, do yourself a favor and check them out. Not only is the food amazing but the experience is a real treat as well. Something about being able to control your own experience through the ordering process to the payment at the end of your visit makes it special. Of course, as Scott talked about, hospitality and service is NOT compromised through these digital methods. Technology should never be used to replace hospitality and touch points. Hospitality is such an important part of the value
32:2407/03/2023
TCP067: Failure is NOT an Option with Chef Robert Irvine
The conference season has officially kicked in and I will be seeing many of you this next week. Starting off on Sunday, I will be speaking at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York that will be held at the Javits Center. I will be talking about how technology is changing the landscape of restaurants and digging into the world of web3 and how it could change the way you approach the concept of loyalty with your guest. If you are attending this show, I will be speaking at 3pm so make sure you don’t miss it!Without a moment to spare, I will be uttering my last words as I head out the door to catch a flight to Vegas. There I will see you at MURTEC at the Paris Hotel and be speaking at 1pm on Sunday. It is going to be an awesome Firechat where Kevin Seo, Co-Founder of Bored and Hungry, and I will be doing a session on the metaverse 101. It has evolved so much, just in the past few months, I can’t wait to share our thoughts on where it was and where it is going. A fascinating chat that is a must see and one that people will be talking about the rest of the conference.Big show today…. Big, big show. Did I mention this is a big show? He’s been here before and I am honored to have him back. Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine joins me for a riveting conversation about all the things that are going on in his life. Everything he does touches or contributes in one way or another to the Robert Irvine Foundation whose sole mission is to strengthen the physical and mental well-being of our service members, veterans, first responders and their families.Of course, we will be talking about his new book, Overcoming Impossible and having some very interesting conversations around his thoughts of how technology is a key element to success. We even go so far to discuss if AI is going to take over the human race…. Is it? Well, you will have to listen to find out. I really enjoy talking to Robert and I hope you also enjoy our chat.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpel/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
38:4128/02/2023
TCP066: Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: What is their secret sauce?
Well, I think I am finally done traveling for business for the year AND I believe I have been to my last two conferences of the year since we last chatted. I was down the road from my home here in Ft Lauderdale and attended HT-Next as well as the Immerse Global Summit. I have to tell you, both of these conferences were amazing and I spent the two days down in Miami conference hopping as they were both in the same building. To be honest with you, it was not my intention to go to the Immerse conference as it was not until I had checked into the hotel did I realize what it was. I had to walk past it every morning and kept seeing some pretty amazing vendors that were there so I looked it up online. It was all about virtual and augmented reality hardware and software. Most of the companies there, including universities were working on training tools for other industries. I had a fascinating time!Today, joining the show, is Sean Thompson, the IT Director for the fast-casual restaurant franchise Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. He oversees the business intelligence and data science team and the execution of Freddy’s global communications platforms. Thompson and his team work to deliver technology solutions to the restaurants as well as the franchise support teams, including construction, training, marketing, accounting, and operations. Recent projects have included a system-wide conversion to a universal Point of Sale, launching an all-new digital platform for ordering and loyalty, and starting up an internal support team for the more than 450 Freddy’s locations nationwide. Before Freddy’s, Thompson ran his consulting company and Managed Service Provider.All of us that follow the industry news know that seeing them in a headline, about once a week, is not uncommon. With their appetite for growth, what is it that makes the successful? What is their “secret sauce?”How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
33:1712/12/2022
TCP065: How to Build a Successful Tech Stack for Franchisees
I hope you had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving week last week. Hopefully you were able to get some extra time off to spend with your friends and family. I know that in our industries, that may have been your busiest time and that may not have been possible. For those of you lucky ones that DID have time off, now it is “go-time” to prepare for Christmas and the holidays next month. Since we last spoke I attended the Digital Signage Experience along with the Restaurant Finance and Development Conference. RFDC was probably one of the best showing of operators, at any one event, in a very long time. Lots of takeaways from that event and excellent networking in the beautiful Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. While I was there, I was able to sit down with a good friend of mind and talk about what it looks like to run a restaurant chain that is heavily franchised. The do’s and don’ts of a successful tech stack and how to properly get the buy-in for procuring and deploying new technology.Today, I am honored to have Zerrick Pearson, the Chief Information Officer for Five Guys Enterprises, L.L.C., a global company that operates more than 1750 franchise and company-operated restaurants domestically and internationally. Zerrick is responsible for developing and implementing information technology initiatives across the Enterprise. Having been born into the restaurant industry, Zerrick has been involved in restaurant operations for almost 25 years. Prior to his time with Five Guys, Zerrick held the position of Vice President of Information Technology with a publicly traded Washington, DC based Company. While there Zerrick managed all IT initiatives, bridging the gap between IT, Finance and Operations.Zerrick is a board member of the IFBTA, RTN and various other industry specific IT organizations. How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected] Week’s ShowI am traveling the majority of this week and I have yet to bring you the interview that I promised you, Leigh Gower, CTO at <a...
31:0329/11/2022
TCP064: Learn How To Set Healthy Boundaries With Your Vendors
This week I am here at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference and the Digital Signage Expo, here in Las Vegas. If you are at RFDC and are listening to this show, tomorrow, Wednesday, make sure you stick around and sign up and join the Technology Boot Camp where Zerrick Pearson, Galen Collins and myself will be teaching on various areas of technology in the restaurant industry. Get your certification while you are there… for free! Also, later in the day tomorrow, I will be speaking at the University of Las Vegas Hospitality College speaking with students there on “Restaurant and Hotel Technology.” That is going to be a blast and am really looking forward to that!I know this show was supposed to go live last week but we had to jump on the recap of MURTEC and, I promise you, this week’s show was worth the wait. As previously mentioned, living on the operator side for most of my life, I had a very defined methodology for maintaining vendor relationships. I would say they were more partnerships than anything. When you engage with a vendor you need to have buy-in from both sides and you have to willing to work together to make it a fruitful and long-lasting relationship. But what does that really mean? What do vendor’s think about us?My guest, for today’s conversation, is none other than Bob Gibson who is a seasoned veteran supporting Global Enterprise customers with complex Franchisor/Franchisee models, building out GTM strategies to support these relationships with his Hospitality, Retail, and Technology experience.With over thirty plus years Bob is a SAAS veteran who understands how to build systems to reduce churn while helping overall revenue growth and increasing net revenue retention. His areas of expertise include but are not limited to Strategic Selling models, Go to Market Strategies and execution, Customer Service team builds and execution, Support Desk build and execution and Thought Leadership. He has over 20 years of experience in point of sale and served in leadership roles at Micros, Oracle and JOLT. Bob now serves as President and Chief Operating Office at the ConStrata group that continues to shape the technology industry in the hospitality, food and beverage space.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: <a...
36:2915/11/2022
TCP063: MURTEC Executive Summit 2022 Recap
Last week’s Florida Restaurant and Lodging Associations Show was a huge success. I you didn’t get to hear me speak on web3, don’t fret, you will have many more opportunities in the near future and into 2023! From what I hear, the reports are in and it sounds like the MURTEC Executive Summit was a big hit as well! I wish I could have replicated myself and been at both places at once. I am sure you all missed “The Mayor of MURTEC!” Next big show for me is the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference and the Digital Signage Expo, both in Las Vegas in less than a week. If you are going to attend RFDC, make sure you stick around Wednesday morning and join the Technology Boot Camp where Zerrick Pearson, Galen Collins and myself will be teaching on various areas of technology in the restaurant industry. You can even get your certification at the end of the session. I hope that is reason enough to see you there!Today, we are going to switch things up a little bit as I had promised you a show with Bob Gibson, previously from Jolt and Oracle where we have a VERY interesting conversation on vendor / client relationships. However, given the fact that my colleague, Toby Malbec just attended the MURTEC Executive Summit, I thought I needed to jump on the opportunity to get a recap from him so he could fill us in on all the amazing things that I missed. I am sure not all of you were able to attend either so this will be very informative for all of usAs you know, I work side by side with Toby at ConStrata and why I love having him on the show is that we don’t always agree on things, which makes for a healthy conversation. Hey, if everybody thought the same, we would just be robots…. Hmmmm… that might actually be one of the subjects for the day. Regardless, those that know Toby, knows that this will be an engaging conversation with lots of good insight.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
37:2008/11/2022
TCP062: Metaversal - Curators of the Metaverse for Restaurants
Happening this week is the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Associations Show as well as the MURTEC Executive Summit. If you will be at the Florida show, remember, I will be speaking on web3 and how it is impacting the restaurant industry. Lots of fun, cool, interactive elements to this presentation so it would be worth your effort to come see it. And of course, the MURTEC Executive summit will be amazing, as it always is. There is always great content at that show and, from what I have seen, this one will be no exception. Please reach out to me later this week to tell me how it was and what your biggest takeaways were.As promised, today’s show is a continuation of last week’s show where I recorded this episode live at the Menches Bros. NFT minting party. I won’t go into detail about that as you can go back and listen to the previous episode. On site, however, a huge group from Metaversal, the company behind bringing this project to fruition, was onsite to help support the Menches Bros. team. While I was there, I was able to sit down some of the Metaversal team members including the CEO, Yosi Hasson, the creative director, Sam Brukhman and the project manager, Erin Thompson. Combined, this gave me the opportunity to learn more about the scope of what they do, what their vision is and how they are looking to help other small restaurant brands.They are new to our industries so this will be a great opportunity for you to get to know more about Metaversal, what they do and how they do it. Enjoy!How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
36:3401/11/2022
TCP 061: Menches Bros Is Now On The Blockchain!
Next week should be exciting for a couple of reasons: First, I will be speaking at the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Show in Orlando, Florida. For those of you that will be there, make sure you come see my session on November 3rd where I will explore how web3 is changing the landscape of restaurants. Don’t know what #web3 is? Want to learn more about NFTs, cryptocurrency and actually see the metaverse in action? Most importantly, do you want to know how this is impacting the hospitality industry from the large chains down to the “mom and pops?” This is the session you DON’T want to miss!Now, for those of you not attending, that probably means, if you are an operator, you will be at the MURTEC Executive Summit in Napa Valley. Why, oh why, did these two events have to happen on the same exact days? I have been waiting to go to Napa for that show for a couple of years now, ever since it was first announced during COVID. Oh well, you will all have a great time without me, I am sure. Just make sure you don’t have too much fun… you will make me even more jealous!The show today was recorded live at the Menches Bros. NFT minting party in Green, Ohio. Yep, you heard me right. This is the mom and pop that I have been talking about quite a bit lately and you have seen in the industry news channels. If you want to hear my original podcast about this initiative, go back and listen to Episode 58 where I have Dani Kimble, CMO for Menches Bros. on the show. During that discussion, she talked about her Uncle John. Well, I was fortunate enough to sit down with John Menches, CEO of Menches Bros. to go into more depth about this project and why they felt that this little hamburger joint was the perfect concept for a NFT project. During this conversation, I learned a whole lot more about John, the family and other interesting facts other than being the originator and creator of the hamburger back in 1885.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at <a...
29:1925/10/2022
TCP 060: Make Data-Driven Decisions For Your Restaurant
It’s been a little while since we last spoke as I have been traveling around like a madman with client work and lots and lots of shows. I saw quite a few of you at FSTEC in Dallas. It was a great show this year and certainly loved the venue. There was tons of energy out there on the trade show floor…. I think everybody was glad that things finally seem back to normal. The networking was some of the best I have experienced at a conference. Between vendor dinners and cocktail happy hours, this proved to be extremely beneficial to most, from what I have been told by some of my collegues.I think, from the sessions I was able to attend, one of the key takeaways is that the customer is still looking for change and their habits continue to evolve. Long gone are the days of what we considered conventional dining experiences. My advice to all of you is to stay on top of the current trends, evaluate them if they are a trend or a fad, and move forward, full force before you are the one that is left behind. Okay, I’ll step off my platform now.Today’s guest on this show has been a dear friend for quite some time. For some reason, we always “clicked” and I love nothing more to run into him at a conference so we can hash out the newest trends and also discussing how we can make our industry better. I really wanted to do an episode on real life data warehousing, data pipes and of course, visualization of that data. When I replayed back my history of conversations about these subjects, well, none other than Sterling Douglass came to mind. Sterling is the Co-Founder & CEO of Chowly, a leading point-of-sale integration company that enables restaurants to expand and maintain a diverse set of off-premise capabilities.Today Chowly processes over $1 billion in orders annually for its 12,000+ restaurant partners. With a focus on lean start-ups and building a business from scratch, Douglass thrives in environments defined by ambiguity and takes challenges head on while designing creative solutions to the hardest problems. He has a natural ability to grow a team and develop processes that are distinctive and unparalleled. Plus, his entire sales team could win offensive linemen of the year, just saying’.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all
36:1418/10/2022
TCP 059: The Future of Web3 Dining Is Here
So, what are we cooking up on today’s show? We’ll be taking a look at some groundbreaking restaurant technology news that happened last week. Our special guests will discuss how they are rapidly changing the industry one bit and byte at a time. So, whether you’re a tech novice or an expert… heck, you don’t need to understand technology at all as there’s something for everyone on today’s show as it is a super interesting topic and might open your mind to new possibilities that, just last week, you didn’t think was a reality or did not think would happen for many years to come.The company, Devour, is one brand focused on positively impacting restaurants and their fans. Their mission is to deliver web3 technology to delight guests, retain workers, and grow your brand. They are group of experienced restaurant technology professionals ready to change the web3 dining experience and guest engagement.We are lucky to have two of the co-founders from Devour on today’s show:The CEO and Co-Founder of Devour, Shelly Rupel brings 30-years of experience as a technology entrepreneur, strategic partnership leader and restaurant owner. Before Devour, she most recently was Sr Director of Strategic Partnerships at PAR technology. Overseeing teams that managed 150 Channel Partners and 200 Solution Integration Partners for the Brink POS division of PAR.Chad Horn is also a co-founder of Devour, creating the fusion between restaurants and the blockchain. He’s on the team making crypto and NFTs easy, accessible, and fun for restaurants and their fans.If you have been waiting for web3 to become a reality in the restaurant industry OR you thought it was a crazy idea and would never happen, it does not matter… this show is for both sides of that thought process.So are you excited yet? I know I am! I wasn’t kidding when I said I would be their first customer in The Verse when it launches in a few months. Just the thought of being able to virtually being able to order your food and have it show up the door is so Ready Player One. You know what, I finally feel like this industry is no longer the ones playing catch up!How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at <a...
31:0512/07/2022
TCP058: From Mainstreet to the Metaverse: Inventors of the Hamburger To Launch NFT Collection
That’s right, you have found the Tech Chef Podcast. The one show out there you can count on for weekly insight, news and guests relating to the restaurant, hotel and hospitality industries. This is your host, Skip Kimpel, and it is great that you joined the show today. Welcome back to all the faithful TCP listeners and for those of your listening for the first time, it is a great privilege to have you here today. This is one of those shows you don’t want to miss as it is weekly and if you don’t subscribe or follow it in your podcast software or service, it is easy to forget and then you will miss some great content so go ahead and subscribe or follow this show now.For those of our listeners from the United States, I hope all of you have a fantastic long weekend celebrating our great Country with 4th of July celebrations. I am hoping you all stayed safe and enjoyed your time with friends and family. This is one of my favorite times of the year. As a kid, this was the day that we celebrated my grandmother’s birthday and I always had great memories of this day over the years.From Main Street to the Metaverse… that is the theme of today’s show. When I saw this company pop up in the national news last week, I knew I had to get them on this show. I reached out to them and Dani Kimble, CMO for Menches Bros. was just as exited to be on the show as I was to have her on.To understand the significance of this show you have know that this mom and pop hamburger restaurant, which has three units in Northeast Ohio, is the originator of the hamburger dating back to 1885…. That’s right, you heard me correctly and they have proof of that. Secondly, this little operation has taken on a NFT project that will take their company to a global level. These web3 initiatives are no longer for the big boys out there…. Dani and Menches Bros. are proving that anybody can play in this game.A friendly public service announcement: if you are listening to this show and the terminology web3, NFT or the metaverse are all foreign to you, push pause on this episode and go back and listen to episode 51 where I talk with Chad Horn from Devour about these technologies an break them down one by one into digestible chunks of information.Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program…..Our guest today, Dani Kimble, is the descendant of the inventor of the hamburger. Raised in the restaurant industry, Dani found a real passion for the marketing side of the business. Later in life, she pursued a career in marketing, eventually rising to be Chief Marketing Officer for an insurance firm – and always remained closely connected and ingrained in the family’s brand, story, and business. Dani now has her own marketing consulting company and works directly with Menches Bros. Restaurants on digital marketing and web3 strategy. She is the founder of the Lil Mench NFT project, partnering with Metaversal venture studio to expand her family’s restaurants into the...
37:3905/07/2022
TCP057: Digital Entirety Featuring Noah Glass, Founder and CEO of OLO
Welcome to The Tech Chef podcast! I’m your host, Skip Kimpel, and I’m here to take you on a ride of technology news related to the restaurant, hotel, and hospitality industries. For those of you returning, it is great to have you back and for those of you joining us for the first time, welcome to the show! I’m excited to have you here and please go ahead and hit that subscribe or follow button on your favorite podcast app or website.What a great episode we had last week with Ben Thein from Flytrex…. The drone delivery company you have been hearing quite a bit about over this past year. If you didn’t hear it, make sure you go back and listen to this show.Today, I have a guest that doesn’t really need any introduction. Noah Glass is the Founder & CEO of Olo, a leading open SaaS platform for restaurants that enables digital hospitality at every touchpoint. He is an industry visionary whose mobile ordering work pre-dates the iPhone, beginning with text message ordering on feature phones in 2005. Olo’s customer list includes over 600 of the most-loved enterprise restaurant brands. How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected] Week’s ShowI am currently in Orlando for HITEC this week and am hoping to grab some interviews from here. I am also working on a very interesting episode for next week…. let’s just say it revolves around NFT’s and how it can impact the casual operator. You don’t need to be a big fish to play in this market space! Those of you who are interested in Web3 technologies, this will be a great episode for you.
50:4428/06/2022
TCP056: Drone Delivery - The Facts with Ben Thein, COO of Flytrex
Hello everybody and welcome back to The Tech Chef! This is your host, Skip Kimpel and I am here to take you on a ride of technology news related to the restaurant, hotel and hospitality industry. Those of you returning, thank you for being a faithful fan and for those of you joining for the very first time, welcome! I am so glad you found this show. It is exciting to see how this show has grown so rapidly as your weekly industry resource. Again, those of you joining for the first time, please go ahead and hit that subscribe or follow button on your favorite podcast app or website. Exciting times we live in from a technology perspective and I certainly don’t want you to miss a single episode.I hope you enjoyed my special Father’s Day Episode last week. I know it was a little out of the ordinary but, you know what, it was one of the most listened to episodes in the past couple of years!Today, as promised, I have a show for you that I have been waiting to share with you for quite a while. I was fortunate enough to get Ben Thein, COO from Flytrex on the show. You all know how much of a fan I am of drone deliveries and where the industry is headed with it as well as the complications of bringing it to fruition. Well, I thought it only appropriate to get the leading company in the restaurant drone delivery market on this show to share where the industry stands and where it is headed with this cutting-edge delivery method.Ben is the COO of on-demand drone delivery company Flytrex, helping spearhead the drone delivery revolution. Flytrex provides a direct-to-consumer autonomous drone delivery service that lets retailers and quick-service restaurants cater to a wider customer base with faster, safer and more economical on-demand deliveries than ever before. In a nutshell, Flytrex is building the world’s first drone-based delivery service – cutting delivery costs and times by an order of magnitude in an (almost) infinite market. This is the company behind the recent publicity you have seen including El Pollo Loco, Papa Johns, Brinker, Jersey Mikes, Walmart and many more.By the way, this company didn’t just pop up out of nowhere, Flytrex Aviation Ltd was established in Israel in late 2013.I can’t wait for the day where drone delivery is a widespread technology that will help elevate the customer experience and shorten the wait times for food, to go from restaurant to dinner table. It is only a matter of time and it is companies like Flytrex that need to work with the FAA and complicated logistics to make this happen. It is coming folks, the question is when.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/skipkimpel"...
32:0821/06/2022
TCP055: Father's Day Special Featuring Al Kimpel
Well, hello strangers and welcome back for another episode of The Tech Chef. This is your host, Skip Kimpel and every week, it is my goal to bring you the latest and greatest restaurant, hotel and hospitality technology insights from thought leaders across these industry segments. I do have to apologize as this is normally a weekly show but there have been so many shows lately that I have had to travel quite extensively which caused me to miss a few weeks in-between. Having said that, we are back on track again with a bunch of new episodes in the can and ready to go.If this is your first time listening, make sure you hit the subscribe button, so you don’t miss a single episode and anybody who does that also gets to hear the show before anybody else knows about it. I saw many of you at the NRA show and it was so good to see this show come back in such a strong way. The amount of technology that was present was also quite impressive. Unfortunately, out of all the buildings that the show was located, I didn’t really get outside of the Tech Pavillion area. I know I missed a lot but, then again, I was there for the technology.Today is a special episode as this Sunday is Father’s day. I am fortunate enough to still be able to pick up the phone and talk my Dad whenever I want and ask him business advice as he had a successful 45 years in the work force and always has great advice for me.Recently, I was visiting him in Wisconsin and I came up with the idea to bring him on the show to talk about what it was like before technology and the transition into it over those many decades. While you are not going to hear ANY hospitality technology talk on this show, my father is a great story teller and he walks us through his career, the patents he received and being an eye witness to the infancy stages of technology as we know it today. How this show WILL relate to you is we will talk about forward thinking thought leadership, the importance of continuing to learn and educate yourself along the way and, most importantly, how to dress to impress.If I could only be as accomplished as my Dad when I finish my career. You know how many patents I have? Ah, that would be zero. It still fascinates me about everything he has done in his lifetime being 81 years young!I can’t wait to share this episode with you as it is near and dear to me but also gives you a good insight into the DNA that makes me who I am today.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at <a href="https://my.captivate.fm/ConStrata.io" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
26:4014/06/2022
TCP054: Increasing Revenue by Leveraging Guest Feedback with Zack Oates
For those of you that are regular listeners to The Tech Chef, thank you for tuning in again and welcome to all new subscribers. This is your number one resource for everything related to hospitality technology & strategy that will help the organization be more profitable while also being efficient! To ensure no episode goes unnoticed make sure you subscribe via your favorite podcast app/software service listed here on our website – It’s a pleasure having everyone with us as we continue providing high quality content each week.What a fun week out in Vegas at Food on Demand. I do have to say that the show was heavy on the supplier side but, regardless, it was a good time had by all and very productive from everybody told me. The next big conference is the NRA show in Chicago in less than 2 weeks. I am sure I will see most of you there. As always, it will be an excellent opportunity to network and get back to the largest restaurant show in the country. It has been a while since we have been there so it will be good to be back.Our guest today, Zack Oates is an author, husband, father, entrepreneur, and hot tub aficionado (but not in that order, necessarily). He grew up in restaurants before getting into startups. He was voted Top 100 Entrepreneurs, rang the NASDAQ bell, and has been to 50 countries. He went on over 1,000 dates before he got married and wrote a book, “Dating Never Works…Until it Does.” He currently is Founder and CEO of Ovation, the #1 restaurant feedback platform in America and host of “Give an Ovation: A Podcast for Restaurants.”I can’t tell you what fun I had having Zack on the show. This guy is a stand up guy that will do whatever it takes to help your brand be more successful. His passion and dedication is second to none and he always has your back when it comes to providing you positive ROI results.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
35:3010/05/2022
TCP053: Using Data to Convert Bodies Into Bits with Marcus Wasdin
Here we are, another week past and time for another edition of The Tech Chef. For those of you that are regular listeners, thank you for tuning in again and for those of you that are joining us for the very first time, a very big welcome to all of you. This is your number one resource for all things related to hospitality technology and strategy to make your organization a more profitable and efficient organization. To ensure you don’t miss a single episode, make sure you subscribe to our show via your favorite podcast app, software or service. It is a pleasure to have you with us here today. Trust me, you are amongst great company!I will be flying to out Vegas tomorrow for Food on Demand… look forward to seeing many of you there. The number of vendors and attendees that this show brings every year continues to impress me. I was at the very first show they had outside of Dallas and even year one, it was a substantial conference. Please come up and say “hi” when I see you there. I have quite a few people scheduled for interviews for this show so if you would like to be one of them, please ping me on LinkedIn or text me so we can set something up.Today we are privileged to talk to Marcus Wasdin. Marcus Wasdin serves as the General Manager of the PAR Data Central Business Unit. PAR Data Central, formally Restaurant Magic Software, is the Restaurant Back Office management suite that some of the world’s best-known restaurants use to manage operations. In this role, Marcus has responsibility for all aspects of the business unit. Most recently, Marcus served as the Chief Information Officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. At the Hawks, Marcus has responsibility for the technology, analytics and business strategy functions. Marcus led the technology/guest experience components of the $200 million renovation of State Farm Arena implementing $25 million in new technology in an 18-month period. In his tenure, the Hawks improved from 16th to 1st in overall guest experience and from 18th to 1st in in arena technology as compared to other NBA teams based on guest surveys.Prior to joining the Hawks, Marcus served in multiple executive roles for hospitality, software and technology companies where he proved to be a successful and driven business leader. Most recently, Marcus served as Chief Information Officer at Church’s Chicken. Marcus’ experiences also include time as Vice President of Marketing and Product Management as well as the Vice President of Sales Support for SumTotal Systems, a strategic Human Capital and Business Planning software provider. Marcus also serves as an advisory board member for Hospitality Technology Magazine which is the only media brand dedicated exclusively to covering technology trends and solutions in the lodging and food service industries.Marcus Wasdin graduated with honors from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: <a href="https://constrata.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
35:2903/05/2022
TCP052: Marketing Tech Talk with Rev
Welcome to The Tech Chef! This is your host, Skip Kimpel. If you looking for ways to improve your restaurant or hospitality business, this podcast is the perfect show for you. Every week, we talk to industry leaders and suppliers about the latest technology solutions that can help you run your business more efficiently. You’ll learn about everything from cloud-based POS systems to inventory management tools. There’s something for everyone on this show.You’ll be able to take your business to the next level as we provide valuable information that will help you make informed decisions about technology solutions for your company. Tune in every week for a new episode – it’s sure to be packed with information that will benefit you and your team. To make sure you don’t miss a single episode, make sure you subscribe to this show!I am currently in Atlanta at meetings but am really looking forward to seeing all of you at Food On Demand next week, for those of you that are going. You do realize we will be in Vegas during Cinco de Mayo, right? It is a good thing restaurant people don’t like to party and have a good time otherwise we would be in trouble! Moving on….While I was at RLC recently, I had a chance to sit down with Rev. David "Rev" Ciancio is a New York City restaurant owner and knows exactly how hard it is to operate and brand a hospitality business. He is a hospitality marketing consultant, customer and technology evangelist at Branded Strategic Hospitality, with more than 20 years experience in B2B digital marketing and business development, specializing in hospitality marketing, content, local SEO, reputation management and influencer marketing. He helps technology companies, brands and restaurants to acquire and retain customers.Rev is known as an “expert burger taster,” and believes that Pizza is a religion. What a fun guy to hang around. As you could tell, he has a pretty strong passion for what he does and how he does it. He really takes guest data to the next level. And you know what, he is a curious soul and you never know where you will see him next and what restaurant he might be recording his next Instagram or TikTok video at. Keep your eye out for him, he is everywhere!How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consulting" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
27:5426/04/2022
TCP051: Blockchain for Restaurants with Chad Horn from Devour
Welcome to another episode of The Tech Chef! This is your host, Skip Kimpel coming to you from beautiful and very warm South Florida. Thank you for continuing to listen to this show and for those of you that are hearing this show for the first time, welcome! Regardless of your listening frequency, if you have not done so already, please make sure you go to your podcasting platform and give us a 5 star review. It is because of your loyalty to this show that has allowed us to be the number one restaurant, hotel, and hospitality podcast on the market.On today’s show, I have Chad Horn. Chad is a Cofounder of Devour, creating the fusion between restaurants and the blockchain. He’s on the team making crypto and NFTs easy, accessible and fun for restaurants and their fans.This is a VERY interesting show and do a little bit of a deep dive on web 3.0 technologies, blockchain, crypto currencies, NFTs and the metaverse. The discussion is particularly relevant as Devour is solely concentrated on the restaurant industry.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected] Weeks ShowNext week I have a session for you that I was able to record with David “Rev” Ciancio… yep, the infamous Rev that you all follow on social media. Anytime I am around this guy, I am guaranteed to have an engaging conversation and an awesome meal.
34:3519/04/2022
TCP050: Growth Strategy with Abe Ng from Sushi Maki
Welcome to The Tech Chef! This is your host, Skip Kimpel coming to you from the Restaurant Leadership Conference here in the desert of Arizona. If this is your first time joining, you have found the industry’s most popular podcast related to the restaurant, hotel and hospitality industry. Make sure you don’t miss a show by subscribing to this show using your favorite podcast software or app. And for all of you that are returning to hear what I have to say this week, well, welcome back!Today I have a well-known South Florida operator on the show, Abe Ng, who is the founder and CEO of Sushi Maki – South Florida’s award-winning leader in innovative Japanese cuisine serving fresh, premium quality food throughout Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County. In this role, he oversees the strategic development and management of the 25 locations owned and operated under the Sushi Maki and Canton Chinese brand names, and is a partner with Whole Foods Markets for sushi stations in the South Florida Region stores.A Miami native, Ng serves on various boards, including the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau, National Christian Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters Miami, the Cornell University Hospitality Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, City to City Miami and the Florida Restaurant Association. Abe was recognized as one of the Miami Herald’s 20 Under 40 and the South Florida Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. Abe was recently honored as Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal and was a regional finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. In 2018, Sushi Maki was awarded Whole Foods Market Supplier of the year for the Florida Region.If you are ever in South Florida or simply flying through the Miami airport, make sure you try Sushi Maki for some really quality food. My wife and I went just the other night before this trip and was, once again, impressed by the flavor profiles and freshness of what we ordered.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected] Weeks ShowNext week I...
27:4212/04/2022
TCP049: Fireside Chat with Tim Tang
Welcome to The Tech Chef! This is your host, Skip Kimpel and we are all here again today to explore the world of restaurant, hotel and hospitality technology. I hope you have had a great week. I am actually on the road at the New England Food Show today and will hopefully have some fun things to share with you from my time up here in BostonWe had a last minute change in our guest for this weeks show but I promise you, you are going to LOVE this one! Our regularly scheduled guest will be on the show for a few weeks, don’t worry. Sherri Landry from CEC Entertainment will be worth the wait.Today, however is a special treat as Tim Tang joins The Tech Chef for a fireside chat. With a background in both engineering and human/organizational studies, Tim Tang has degrees on both sides of his brain. With over 20 years of professional experience in developing enterprise solutions, Tang is keenly interested in the intersection of technology and humanity. As a director at Hughes, Tang studies various enterprise markets (e.g. Restaurant, Retail, and Banking/Finance) to anticipate trends that will enable enterprise customers to fully unlock the business value of technology.He has such insight on our industry. I always enjoy the time I get to spend with Tim and his intriguing questions. I don’t think his mind ever stops!How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: http://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]’s it for this week. I will be seeing many of you at the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Arizona next week. I have several interviews lined up but if you are an operator and would like to come on this show, reach out to me ASAP so I can reserve a spot for you while we are out in the desert.Next Weeks ShowNext week will be a recap of RLC and we should be able to squeeze in a few surprise guests to say “hello.” I am off to have some clam chowder and lobster and enjoy my last day here in Boston so until next Tuesday, stay safe, stay healthy and stay hungry my friends.
33:1705/04/2022
TCP048: MURTEC 2022 Recap
Welcome to The Tech Chef! This is your host, Skip Kimpel. Remember me? Well, I am back! And I am so thankful for all of you listening to this show and being loyal to The Tech Chef! Since the last time we spoke I have been a busy guy. I changed positions recently and I am privileged to be the Principal of Independent and SMB consulting for ConStrata. For most of you ConStrata Consulting is a household name. I am responsible for heading up a new division of the company and the business development for the SMB marketplace.Today, Consultant Toby Malbec and I will be doing a recap of MURTEC 2022 which was held at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas just a couple of weeks ago. Normally, I would have released this show much sooner but I recently moved back down to South Florida so it took a while to get the studio setup again and in functional order to bring you a quality show.So many great things came out of this show, as we will talk about and I just want to say it was great to see all of you and all the great new friends and connections I made.How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: http://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected] is a wrap for today. Given my new job, I will be on the road quite a bit this year and will have the opportunity to be face to face with some amazing thought leaders. April 3rd, 4th and 5th I will be at the New England Food Expo in Boston followed by the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Arizona. Lots of content for this show coming your way. If you will be attending any of the major shows this year, let me know as I will be traveling with my portable studio and I would love to have you on the show. Please reach out to me to set something up.Next Weeks ShowNext Tuesday it is my honor and privilege to have Sherri Landry the Chief Marketing Officer for CEC Entertainment on the show. You best know CEC from one of their brands, Chuck E Cheese but have also launched several successful virtual brands in recent times. We will talk about all of that plus useful tools and services that can turn your marketing department into a powerhouse of information and success.
34:0129/03/2022
TCP047: Out With The Old, In With The New
It has been a little while since we last had the opportunity to talk so I would like to start off by saying Thank you…. Thank you for continuing to support this show and tuning in today. For those of you joining us for the first time, go ahead and click subscribe or follow in your podcasting software so you don’t miss a single episode of the Tech Chef.Today’s theme is about “out with the old, in with the new.” Today’s show will be a very abbreviated show and we won’t have a guest on like we normally do. The show is all about what I have been up to and what is coming up!First and foremost, I am announcing here, for the first time, that I have spent my last days at 4R Restaurant Group and have moved on to a new company. I will always cherish my time at 4Rivers and all of the amazing team members that I had the opportunity to work with and the accomplishments we have fulfilled. I would also like to thank John Rivers for his leadership during the time I was working at his company. He is truly a lighthouse in our community. In regards to where I have landed, well, that is the big news I promised you today.I am officially announcing that I have joined Virtual Dining Concepts as the SVP of Technology. This is great step for me in my career as I help build, what I believe, is one of the most cutting edge concepts currently in the restaurant market space. So what is VDC and what are they all about, you ask? VDC offers restaurant owners an easy solution to generate more revenue out of your existing kitchens with minimal impact to current operations. Attract new customers with delivery-only menus using food delivery services. The magic of Robert Earl, who also owns Earl Enterprises, is that he has joined up with well-known celebrities and brands that will bring instant virtual kitchen success to your business. Brands such as NASCAR, Mr. Beast Burger, Bar Stool Bites, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown are just a small portion of the brands that are offered and there are so many more in the pipeline. If you are interested and would like more information on becoming a partner, please visit https://www.virtualdiningconcepts.com.So on the heals of that news, hopefully you are all getting ready for the MURTEC Executive Summit which will be from Wednesday through Friday, October 13-15th. Once again, out with the old, in with the new…… FINALLY we are meeting in person after…..how long? I will be speaking on Friday in a session called: Research Super Session Panel: HT’s 2021 Customer Engagement Technology Study featuring:– Daniel Connolly, Professor, Drake University– Marybeth Pearce, Executive Director, Comcast Business– Mike Maxwell, Chief Technology Officer, Hathway– Your’s trulyHotel & restaurant guests have ranked the tech-driven experiences that influence their willingness to spend — including mobility, off-prem solutions, and preferences around ordering and payments. Our panel will reveal the results of its annual Customer Engagement Technology Study, and ask us, as a panel of industry voices to weigh in on how these solutions can drive revenue in 2022 and beyond.If you have not signed up yet but would still like to attend, please make sure you visit https://www.murtecsummit.com/I truly hope you can join us this week in Orlando. With guest speakers such as Donald Burns, otherwise known as the Restaurant Coach as well as keynote speakers Ben Hall, CIO for Krispy Kreme and Paul Macaluso, President and CEO of Another Broken Egg, this particular year of the MURTEC...
08:5912/10/2021
TCP046: Industry Rockstar, Joe Tenczar, Co-Founder of Restaurant CIOs
MURTEC is next week, April 13th and 14th. Can you believe it is here already? You can register online right now at murtech.com. Pulling out the big guns today and digging in deep into some futuristic technology with my good friend, Joe Tenczar. Joe is a founding partner of Restaurant CIOs, a strategic advisory company where he and his CIO partners collaborate to help hospitality companies see their restaurant business through the eyes of seasoned CIOs. Joe is one of those Rockstar guests that you can only hope you get a chance to spend that much time with. Luckily, I have known Joe long enough to convince him to spend some quality time with us. I LOVE his futuristic view…. I can’t think of anyone more appropriate to have that type of conversation with.Joe Tenczar, Co-founder, Restaurant CIOs and CSO, Sonny’s BBQ Joe Tenczar is a founding partner of Restaurant CIOs, a strategic advisory company where he and his CIO partners collaborate to help hospitality companies see their restaurant business through the eyes of seasoned CIOs. Joe Tenczar also acts as the Chief Strategy Officer for Sonny’s BBQ, one of the largest and most popular barbecue restaurant companies in the country. Tenczar has also led the Technology, Marketing, Finance, and Purchasing areas for Sonny’s.Before Sonny’s BBQ, Tenczar was the global CIO for Hard Rock International, where he led the R&D and rollout of many innovative technologies that still affect Hard Rock guests and staff members. After beginning his career as a programmer and manager for financial software companies, Tenczar was a senior technology leader for the second largest arm of the Marriott Corporation. His specialties include a strategic focus on emerging technology’s place in hospitality. Tenczar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications and Computer Science from the University of Florida and a Masters of Business Administration from the Crummer Business School at Rollins College. He sits on the executive advisory boards for many industry groups, conferences, and cutting-edge hospitality technology companies.How To Contact MeComment hotline: 954-302-0851Website: https://SkipKimpel.com (show notes will be posted here)Instagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpel/Next Week’s Show…Next week I will be coving the MURTEC online conference and will have back to back episodes to cover both days….. Super stoked for next week’s events!
36:4306/04/2021
TCP045: Virtual Brands with Wade Allen and Pankaj Patra of Brinker International
MURTEC is less than a month away and it will be virtual this year, scheduled on April 13th and 14th. You can register online right now at murtech.com. This will certainly be an event that you don’t want to miss. Normally we would be at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas for this but obviously, this year needs to be different. I am fully confident we will be back in action in the very near future! Once again, to register online right now, go to murtech.comThis is a big episode today as we talk to TWO Rockstars from Brinker International that have made such a splash in our industry recently I can’t imagine NOT having them on this podcast! What Brinker has been able to accomplish in the virtual brand side of the industry is truly amazing. Both of the guests today have some great insight to share regarding a successful launch if you are considering doing this with your own organization.Wade Allen, SVP of Innovation for Brinker InternationalWade Allen is senior vice president of innovation at Brinker International, Inc. where he oversees culinary innovation, engineering, strategic growth and the development and execution of virtual brands. His team develops creative ways for Brinker and to leverage the consumer, social, economic and technological changes that are disrupting the restaurant industry for the good of Brinker’s Guests, Team Members and shareholders. During his tenure, Wade has held several leadership roles in technology, analytics and digital marketing, most recently as chief digital officer. He began his Brinker career in 2014 as vice president of digital Guest experience and analytics for Chili’s where he led the implementation and continued advancement of tabletop devices, My Chili’s Rewards and Chili’s mobile app and website. Prior to joining Brinker, Wade served as president of CouponFactory, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rockfish Interactive. He held positions as vice president of retail for Rockfish Interactive and as an account director/solution lead at the integrated marketing agency, RAPP, where he worked on a number of Brinker brands. Wade enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, reading about emerging technology, politics and history and stays active through participating in water sports, snow sports and other athletic activities. Wade serves on the digital innovation advisory council for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and is an active member of his church. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University. Pankaj Patra, SVP and CIO for Brinker InternationalPankaj Patra serves as senior vice president and chief information officer at Brinker International, Inc., where he oversees information technology and data security for Brinker and its restaurants brands. Pankaj is a longtime BrinkerHead and has served in multiple information technology leadership roles to help transform Brinker into a leader in restaurant technology. While his proudest moment is taking on his current role leading technology, he will always remember starting his IT days in a small closet developing software. Pankaj officially joined the Brinker family in 2012, but has a much longer history of about two decades working with the company through his previous roles at On the Border and Cognizant Technology Solutions. Pankaj and his wife have one son and the rest of his family resides in India, so he leverages technology to call them on the way to work every day. In his spare time, you can find him watching any sport – he loves them...
38:2230/03/2021
TCP044: Industry Rockstar, Toby Malbec, Managing Director for Constrata Technology Consulting
As a reminder, MURTEC is only about a month away and it will be virtual this year, scheduled for April 13th and 14th. I had somebody that was new to the industry ask me what MURTEC meant…. It is short for the Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference. You can register online right now at murtech.com. If you go online you can check out the schedule of events and start planning on attending sessions that peak your interest and don’t’ forget about the interactive happy hour at the end of the day on the 13th!Today is another addition to my Rockstar Series. Toby Malbec manages the day-to-day operations for ConStrata and works personally with many of ConStrata’s top clients to help them leverage their technology investments and bring measurable results to the company’s business operations.We have some interesting topics we will be talking about today from virtual kitchens, where restaurants are headed from a technology front, loyalty, 3rd party delivery and we will even touch on the current hiring landscape and what it looks like from a restaurant technology professional. As always, Toby has great insight and perspective and I am so happy he took the time to share his ideas with all of us today.Toby Malbec, Managing Director for Constrata Technology ConsultingToby manages the day-to-day operations for ConStrata and works personally with many of ConStrata’s top clients to help them leverage their technology investments and bring measurable results to the company’s business operations. Toby Malbec is an “operational technologist” who brings over thirty years of technical and operational expertise to his clients. He began his career in the hotel industry coming up through the operations ranks before getting into the technology domain as hotels were first beginning to embrace the value of technology as a mainstream affordable operational tool. He was responsible for the design and development of some of the first PC-based Property Management Systems for small to mid-sized hotels as well as working on the design of early touchscreen-based POS systems. After ten years in hospitality, Toby was recruited into retail by Saks Fifth Avenue to head up their CRM initiatives and was responsible for designing and managing the development of several key applications including Saks Trak and their E-Client Book.In 2004, Toby assumed the role of Vice President of Business Development for Springer-Miller Systems, one of the premier hotel software companies in the world with applications designed for the resort and high-end luxury properties. In 2008, he joined the IPC (Independent Purchasing Co-Operative), the franchisee-owned arm for Subway restaurants, and was responsible for building and managing the team to build the in-house proprietary restaurant technology platform that would create a standard POS and technology platform for all restaurants worldwide. Subway is the world’s largest restaurant chain with over 35,000 units in over 100 countries. Malbec is a 1985 graduate of the University of Vermont and is completing his MBA at the Isenberg School of Business at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.How To Contact MeComment hotline: 954-302-0851Website: <a href="https://skipkimpel.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
44:2116/03/2021
TCP043: Marketing Technology with Mike Vichich, CEO of Wisely
Greetings, my Tech Chef family and welcome to another weekly dose of restaurant, hotel and hospitality technology information and updates. We talk weekly to industry influencers and vendors that are making a difference in our industries. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to today’s show and if you are joining us for the very first time, please go ahead and hit that SUBSCRIBE button anywhere you are finding this show. We literally are on every possible podcast channel you could think of including a spot on the HospitalityTech.com website, thanks to our partnership with Hospitality Network and the Restaurant Technology Network.Ready for MURTEC? Well, MURTEC is ready for you so it is time to sign up today! CLICK HERE register now. This year it will be held April 13th and 14th as a virtual event. Restaurant technology moved swiftly from business enabler to operational savior, as the pandemic forced the foodservice industry to innovate overnight. In the wake of rapid digital transformation, MURTEC is helping restaurants fully embrace the potential of new technologies.How have the strong survived, and which changes are here to stay? How can restaurants shed the shadows of stagnation in favor of innovation as the new industry benchmark? These are the questions MURTEC will answer for restaurant technology leaders as we explore THE BIG SHIFT. The Restaurant Technology Network, today is announcing a project we have been working on for quite a while now, the Menu Synchronization Standard. They encourage anyone in the restaurant industry whose solutions share or consume menu data to join us and embrace the industry’s newest standard to ease system integration and facilitate smooth communications.Register Now Mike Vichich, CEO and Co-Founder of WiselyMike Vichich is Wisely’s CEO and Co-founder. Wisely enables restaurants to personalize every aspect of their guest experience in the restaurant and online. Wisely’s solutions —waitlist & reservations, table & order management, CRM & marketing automation, guest sentiment, and CDP — have attracted innovative brands both large and small, including bartaco, California Fish Grill, Chuy’s, First Watch, Global Franchise Group, Lazy Dog, P.F. Chang’s, Sonny’s BBQ, Wings Etc., and many more. Mike was also recently named one of the most influential solutions providers in the country according to Nation’s Restaurant News readers (Feb 2021). Mike grew up as a server, and after college worked on customer acquisition and retention at Accenture, where his clients included American Express and Microsoft. He lives in Ann Arbor, MI with his wife and two sons.Twitter: @mikevichichLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikevichich/Wisely Website & Social Handleswww.getwisely.comLinkedIn: @WiselyIncTwitter: <a...
32:2509/03/2021
TCP042: Industry Rockstar, Karen Bird, CIO for Hooters of America
I don’t know if you saw it this week but the National Restaurant Association decided to postpone their show, yet again. This means that the soonest they will be getting together as a conference will be 2022. Who would have guessed that one year ago! On the flip side, living here in Orlando, White Castle is in the process of building their largest “castle” and before they opened, they decided to launch a ghost kitchen to feed the need of everybody craving their food. In just a few hours they had to shut it down due to demand. A few days later, they opened it up again only to permanently close down their ghost kitchen until their restaurant fully opens. They are going to KILL IT here in Orlando!!!We had Mike and Susan from White Castle on a couple of months again and they are both rock stars in the industry. Speaking or Rockstars, let’s get into today’s episode.Karen Bird, CIO for Hooters of AmericaKaren Bird, Chief Information Officer for Hooters of America is accountable for the strategy and execution of technology systems and services for multiple Brands and all functional areas within the company. She has responsibilities for both corporate and franchised departments within the overall organization. Karen joined the Hooters of America executive team in July 2017.From late 2011 through July 2017, Karen served as the Vice President, Information Technology for Buffalo Wild Wings. In this role, Karen was responsible for establishing the technology architecture and framework that delivered all core business information to the Buffalo Wild Wings Enterprise. She was instrumental in the development of the strategic plan that delivered a unified technology platform for over 1200 company-owned and franchised restaurants and the delivery of an enterprise service platform for the automation of data integrations. Prior to joining Buffalo Wild Wings, she served as the technology executive for a number of casual dine and quick service restaurant chains. Her prior history includes CIO for Whataburger Restaurants, VP of Restaurant Information Solutions for Brinker International, Vice President of Business Systems for Advantica Restaurant Group, and Director of Retail Technology Solutions for Dunkin Brands. Karen started her career as a restaurant-level employee at Burger King. After two years in restaurant operations there, she moved into store accounting services and ultimately into various roles within the Information Systems department that helped build her technology expertise.Karen received a B.S. in Business Management and graduated with Honors from the University of Phoenix, Boston in 2006. She currently serves on the Board of the International Food & Beverage Technology Association (IFBTA) and has previously served on the North Memorial Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors in Minnesota, the NCR Technology Advisory Board, and co-chaired the Franchisee Technology Subcommittee for Buffalo Wild Wings, North America. How To Contact MeComment hotline: 954-302-0851Website: https://SkipKimpel.com (show notes will be posted here)Instagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpel/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
42:2802/03/2021
TCP041: Industry Innovator, Alex Canter, CEO of Ordermark
For those of you joining us for the very first time, you are in the right place if you want to learn more about these industries from a technology perspective. Season 1, we had a blast and had some many awesome guests on the show, Season 2 we are stepping up our game and it will not disappoint. If you have not done so already, please hit the subscribe button in your favorite podcast listening software now. This will make sure you don’t miss a single episode and you are always on top of the latest topic and news.Our guest today has been in the news quite a bit lately. If you have been at ANY restaurant technology conference over the past couple of years, you have probably seen him speak. Alex Canter, CEO and Co-Founder of OrdermarkAlex is a restaurant industry innovator, in-demand speaker, and passionate advocate for restaurant operators and workers. He was raised in the kitchen of the world-famous Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles, where he and his team invented Ordermark.A fourth-generation restaurateur, the restaurant business has been in Alex’s blood for over 85 years. In addition to being the visionary and leader of Ordermark, Alex is active with the Techstars network and enjoys mentoring other restaurant technology entrepreneurs and occasional angel investing. He is a 2019 recipient of the Forbes 30 Under 30 and Fast Casual Executive’s Top 25. Alex previously led several technology ventures and most recently, Ordermark announced the close of its $120M Series C funding round led by Softbank and returning investor, Act One Ventures.How To Contact MeComment hotline: 954-302-0851Website: https://SkipKimpel.com (show notes will be posted here)Instagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpel/Next Week’s Show…Next week is a special treat as I have one of our Rockstars guests, Karen Bird, CIO for Hooters of America. If you don’t know her name, you either are brand new to the industry or instead of knowing who the Rockstar’s are, you have been living under a rock! She is always a sought-out speaker at conventions and there is a reason for that, obviously. I can’t wait to share with you our conversation about their new fast casual concept, Hoots. By the way, this is the first podcast she has every done so there is reason alone to listen to next week’s show.
43:5023/02/2021
TCP040: What hotels can learn from restaurants - from HT Next 2020
I made a promise to you last year about digging more into the hospitality and hotel side of the equation and today is the start of that. For those of you joining for the first time, please go ahead and hit the SUBSCRIBE button right now so you don’t miss a single episode. If you are joining us for the first time or have been listening to us since the beginning, please consider leaving us a positive review on your podcast feed, wherever you listen to us.Today we talk about moving away from your main brand to survive through these times of COVID and beyond. Flexibility is so important during these times. Some of the areas we will cover to begin the conversation of bridging the gap between restaurants and hotels are food lockers, virtual kitchens and ghost kitchens. These are all items that a hotel may not have thought about and maybe might also give some thought to a restaurant that might have a connection with a hotel to dig into the concept of utilizing their kitchens.Remember, the success behind any brand that is trying to launch a ghost or virtual kitchen is the proximity and the radius of their kitchen to their ideal target group. More than likely, hotels fit that criteria, therefore, are a perfect criteria for this type of concept.Today is unusual due to the fact I am being interviewed instead of me interviewing somebody else. This was recorded for the Hotel Next conference that went live in the early part of December. I just receive permission to release this to all of you so I wanted to share it because there is good use case scenarios on both sides of the business.HT Next 2020The world may have changed, but the spirit of hospitality is still driven by trust, comfort and excellent service. Technology is now more important than ever beforein fulfilling that mission as we work together to incorporate new paradigms for health and safety into those core beliefs. This years HT-NEXT presented HOTEL NEXT, a simulated hotel experience built for the “new normal” complete with operational areas like a lobby, guest room, back office, plus an exhibit hall, auditorium and more. HOTEL NEXT featured smart sessions with the most well-respected technology titans in the industry. They cover today’s hottest industry topics including touchless experiences and transactions, safety and cleanliness, data analytics and so much more! Produced by Hospitality Technology in partnership with HTNG, HT-NEXT brings together top hotel IT leaders and technology solutions, plus executive research, and industry work groups. HOTEL NEXT is not just another video call or webinar. You’ll be able to fully interact with attendees in real-time and have meaningful one-on-one conversations. You never know who you will meet at HOTEL NEXT, but it is guaranteed to make an impact.For more information, visit: https://www.ht-next.com How To Contact MeComment hotline: 954-302-0851Website: <a href="https://skipkimpel.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
14:1109/02/2021
TCP039: State of the Industry with Tom Bené, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association
This is the first time we are speaking in 2021 and I am hoping you are all hanging in there. So much has happened since the last time we spoke but I am so excited you decided to join me today for season 2 of the Tech Chef. Those of you joining for the first time, please go ahead and hit the SUBSCRIBE button right now so you don’t miss a single episode. The Tech Chef Podcast has become the best and hottest new place to get all of your restaurant and hospitality technology information and has been doing so since early last yearLooking at this year’s production schedule, I have so many amazing guests lined up for you including some celebrity appearances. Once again, unless you hit the subscribe button, you have a chance of missing some pretty awesome subjects and great giveaways…. That’s right! Anybody listening to this show knows that I love to give things away!So let’s start of season two with a heavy hitter, shall we?Tom Bené, President and CEO of the National Restaurant AssociationTom Bené is President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association—the Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing the nation’s restaurant and foodservice industry—and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.Prior to assuming this role in June 2020, Tom served as Chairman, President & CEO of Sysco Corp., the world’s largest foodservice distributor, where he had previously served as COO, President of Foodservice Operations, and Chief Commercial Officer.Prior to Sysco, Tom served as President of Pepsi-Cola Foodservice and held a variety of senior leadership roles over his 23-year career with the company, including President of PepsiCo North America and SVP of Sales & Franchise Development.Tom earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and currently serves as a member of the University of Kansas’ Business School Advisory Board. He is Past Chair of the American Beverage Association and has served on the Executive Committee of the Women’s Foodservice Forum.Today he is going to give us the status of the state of the industry and what we can expect in 2021, especially from an advocacy point of view. What Tom has to say affects all of us so this is a show you don’t want to skip through. How To Contact MeComment hotline: 954-302-0851Website: https://SkipKimpel.com (show notes will be posted here)Instagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpel/Next Week’s Show…Next week, we have yet another great guest lined up for you, so you must toon in to find out more but in the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy and stay hungry my friends.
42:4902/02/2021
TCP038: Year In Review - 2020
What a year it has been! This episode covers the best of the best over the past 6 months since this podcast started. It is filled with a star studded array of industry professionals not only talking about COVID but the industry as a whole including strategy moving forward which should not be missed! Thank you so much to all of our guests this past year along with our podcast sponsors who made this show the success it has been.Highlighted in this episode:Episode 10: Rom Krupp, CEO of onedine : https://bit.ly/3oEl4fEEpisode 19: Carol Dover, CEO & President of Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association : https://bit.ly/2MUsgGpEpisode 35: Phil Crawford, CTO for CKE Restaurants, Inc. : https://bit.ly/3sjYz1WEpisode 15: Susan Carroll-Boser / Michael Guinan of White Castle: https://bit.ly/3scT0lEEpisode 12: Charles Guzzetta, President of BurgerFi : https://bit.ly/35vOiFWEpisode 26: Motivational Speaker, Jim Knight, : https://bit.ly/35zEM4AEpisode 29: Mike Wills, CEO of Apex Supply Chain Technologies, LLC : https://bit.ly/3bBm4gOEpisode 18: Doug Smith: https://bit.ly/38CNJMHEpisode 21: Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine : <a href="https://bit.ly/2XyT7tL" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
46:2129/12/2020
TCP037: The Reason for the Season with John Rivers, CEO of 4R Restaurant Group
Now, you know this show is driven by industry technology topics, today is a little step out of the ordinary as we begin to finish out this year. When I started planning a few months ago about who I wanted on the show for my Christmas Episode, I couldn’t think of any person I would rather join me more that John Rivers, the Founder and CEO of 4R Restaurant group, more well known under the 4Rivers BBQ name. Just by coincidence he also happens to be my boss and fearless leader.You have all heard me talk, multiple times, about this amazing company and this electric brand. I am hoping that after today, you will begin to understand the passion and success behind what it is today. And make sure you stick to the end of the interview as John has a very special holiday recipe to share with you.John Rivers, CEO and Founder of 4R Restaurant GroupRetiring as president of a $1.5 billion dollar company, John Rivers left a career of twenty years in Healthcare to pursue a lifelong dream of opening a restaurant. In 2009 John created his first concept, 4 Rivers Smokehouse, which quickly became one of the fastest growing restaurants in the southeast. With seventeen locations in Florida and Georgia, the success and popularity of his 4 Rivers Smokehouse and his second and third concepts, the Southern-inspired COOP, and Latin influenced Cantina Barbacoa at Disney Springs have garnered national recognition. MSN named 4 Rivers as the #1 BBQ restaurant chain in the country, Southern Living dubbed 4 Rivers as the top BBQ in the South, and Nation’s Restaurant News recognized 4 Rivers as a top five breakout brands. Restaurant Business named John as one of the Power 20 Leaders in the restaurant industry, Orlando Magazine included him among Orlando’s “50 Most Powerful, 15 to Watch”, the OBJ named John the Philanthropist of the Year, and John has twice been named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. John has twice been invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City and has enjoyed participating in Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival for the last 8 consecutive years. He has appeared on numerous television shows and has been featured in national publications including Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, USA Today, Business Insider and Cooking Light Magazine. John authored his first book, “The Southern Cowboy Cookbook” and launched a line of retail and manufactured products currently enjoying shelf space at Publix & Costco and being distributed nationally by partners such as Sysco & US Foods.A graduate of Florida State University College of Business, where he serves on the Board of Governors, John chairs both the 4R Foundation and the 4Roots Farm and is co-founder of Winter Park’s largest culinary festival; “Cows ‘n Cabs”. John lives in Winter Park with his wife Monica and two children, Jared and Cameron where he serves on the boards of numerous school, church, and charity organizations. How To Contact MeComment hotline: 954-302-0851Website: https://SkipKimpel.com (show notes will be posted here)Instagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpel/Next Week’s...
01:05:3522/12/2020
TCP036: Powerhouse Partnerships, Hospitality Technology and Restaurant Technology Network
Strong partnerships are a hard thing to find. Today we talk with Abby Lorden, Vice President & Publisher of Hospitality and Co-Founder of the Restaurant Technology Network along with Angela Diffly, also Co-Founder of the RTN. These two individuals and the two networks are making a huge impact in our industry and the Tech Chef is proud to be part of their efforts.Listen to how the RTN can add to your professional toolset and help you become a stronger industry leader.Abigail Lorden, Publisher HT, Co-Founder, RTNAbigail Lorden is a brand leader with deep domain expertise in technology and business trends for hotels and restaurants. She heads up the highly influential B2B media brand Hospitality Technology (HT) including its flagship events MURTEC and HT-NEXT. In 2019, she co-founded the membership community Restaurant Technology Network, which brings together restaurant operators and technology suppliers to solve industry challenges.In her role at HT, Abigail leads a talented team of editors, revenue drivers, researchers, marketers and community influencers. Her background as HT’s editor-in-chief for more than 10 years gives her extensive insight into consumer and B2B technology trends for the hospitality industry. Known for innovative new launches, throughout her tenure she has created a variety of valuable resources for the hotel and restaurant industry, including the virtual event experience Restaurant Next (in 2020), HT-NEXT, an industry event for hotel technology executives (in 2017, produced in partnership with HTNG), and spearheaded HT’s highly-successful market research and analysis arm. Angela Diffly, Co-Founder, RTNAs co-founder of the Restaurant Technology Network, Angela Diffly credits her constant curiosity for all-things technology as the driving force along her largely restaurant and retail-focused career path. In her current role, she advocates for the RTN community by creating value for members and sharing RTN technical achievements with the industry at large. How To Contact MeComment hotline: 954-302-0851Website: https://SkipKimpel.com (show notes will be posted here)Instagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpel/Next Week’s Show…I have a couple of different shows that I am considering for next week. I have too much good content and not enough time! Stay tuned this next week on social media for a hint of what will be dropping live next week!
36:5915/12/2020
TCP035: Drive through technology and strategy with CTO Phil Crawford from CKE Restaurants
We have all seen how successful restaurants that have drive throughs have been during COVID. Want to get in on this revenue stream or just want to improve on what you have? Joining me today is the CTO from CKE Restaurants, Phil Crawford to discuss the different technology and with the strategy to make sure your efforts are yielding profitable results.
28:4408/12/2020
TCP031: What we are thankful for
17:0526/11/2020
TCP030: Food Lockers -2- Customer food pickup logistics - Special guest, CEO from Minnow
35:1324/11/2020
TCP029: Food Lockers -1- The next big trend for off-premise? Special guest, CEO from Apex
Quick announcement: December 1-3, Hospitality Technology in conjunction with HTNG is presenting Hotel Next, a simulated hotel experience built for the “new normal” complete with operational areas like a lobby, guest room, back office, plus an exhibit hall, auditorium and more. HOTEL NEXT will feature smart sessions with the most well-respected technology titans in the industry. The will cover today’s hottest industry topics including touchless experiences and transactions, safety and cleanliness, data analytics and so much more! To register, go to ht-next.com. #HTNEXTWith ToGo Technologies on last week, we talked about one of the partners they integrate with, Apex Supply Chain Technologies. If you have ever been to a Little Caesars Pizza and have seen or interacted with their heated food lockers, you have experienced Apex products.Today, I am excited to have Mike Wills, Chief Executive Officer, Apex Supply Chain Technologies, the world’s leading provider of self-serve automation solutions for a wide range of applications in the foodservice, retail and b-to-b markets. Wills joined Apex in 2016 following a career of more than three decades in the Enterprise Mobility industry, where he held leadership and officer positions with organizations including Motorola, Zebra, Intermec, Avery Dennison and Honeywell.This is a two part series and we will explore, together, everything you need to know about the food locker industry. We will discuss their core business and how this trending technology will change not only your restaurant business off-premise strategy but also discover how hotels can benefit from their products as well.Mike Wills, Chief Executive Officer, Apex Supply Chain TechnologiesMike Wills is CEO of Apex Supply Chain Technologies, the world’s leading provider of self-serve automation solutions for a wide range of applications in the foodservice, retail and b-to-b markets. Wills joined Apex in 2016 following a career of more than three decades in the Enterprise Mobility industry, where he held leadership and officer positions with organizations including Motorola, Zebra, Intermec, Avery Dennison and Honeywell. Wills is an active board participant, serving on industry standards boards and associations along with higher education boards. He is also an independent Board of Directors member for EdgeIQ Incorporated, an edge analytics IoT company based in Denver, Colorado.Wills earned a BS/BA from Taylor University and an MBA from Central Michigan University. He holds Intellectual property filings in the field of RFID in both the USPTO and ETC (US patent #7,245,227).Contest Alert: DTiQ’s Massive Giveaway!Our biggest promotion yet! DTiQ is giving away one year of auditing services, analytics and video reporting FREE! Included is an NVR and POE that turn your surveillance footage and transaction data into immediate insights to stop theft, enhance your customer experience and prevent loss! One lucky winner will walk away with this and the name will be announced on our Thanksgiving Day bonus episode. You can earn entries every single day. What are you waiting for? Start getting your entires in now! CLICK HEREIncluded in this prize...
53:3217/11/2020
TCP028: Advanced Online Ordering with Shaun Shankel, CEO of ToGo Technologies
Today I have yet another trusted partner on to discuss how they can turn around your online ordering strategy to a winning and powerful relationship. I, personally have used ToGo at the last two companies I have been at with HUGE success. ToGo is a restaurant e-commerce platform that enables customers to order directly from your custom mobile app or website. It’s incredibly powerful, and amazingly simple to use.To talk about this I have Shaun Shankel, Chief Executive Officer at Fresh Technologies and ToGoTechnologies. This show will run a little longer than normal but we have so many important things to discuss that could change your off premise strategy!Shaun Shankel, CEO of ToGo TechnologiesShaun Shankel is a highly successful entrepreneur, CEO and CTO with over 20 years of experience in the hospitality, technology, and entertainment industries. He has particular expertise in vision focused executive leadership, employee and culture growth, agile software development, systems integration and bottom-line revenue growth.Shaun’s unique blend of business acumen, artistic soul and technological expertise give him an uncanny ability to clearly identify opportunities, even in the most unorganized and disparate of systems, navigate challenges and pinpoint successful paths to a profitable reality. Shaun has done this repeatedly, raised millions in private equity and led multiple companies to profitability.As the CEO of Fresh Technology, Shaun has inspired a culture of success. Under his guidance, the company has built a proprietary suite of vertically integrated software and hardware hospitality products that optimize operations, production and customer engagement. From raw materials, inventory tracking and invoice administration to labor management, kitchen automation and online ordering, Fresh’s software uses predictive analytics and machine learning to control costs and grow sales. This system manages over $350MM in annual revenue and has been proven to add 3%-5% points in EBITDA to its restaurants.Harvesting the immense amount of data generated from the thousands of locations using Fresh’s software, Shaun is evolving Fresh Tech’s platform to more precisely predict customer purchase habits based on the time of day, physical location and product mix to tap into new areas of profitability.In addition, Shaun also serves as CTO for Fresh Hospitality brands including Taziki’s Mediterranean Café, Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, I Love Juice Bar and Taco Mac, to name a few. In this role he leads a battalion of software developers, systems architects, network technicians and help desk engineers overseeing an ecosystem of AWS servers, ioT devices, and secure payment processing networks.Prior to taking the helm at Fresh, Shaun had an extremely successful career in the music industry writing and producing for some of the biggest artists in the pop, gospel and country music markets. Selling over seven million albums and singles, Shaun had 12 #1 hits and song placements in over 18 film and television campaigns.Contest Alert: DTiQ’s Massive Giveaway!Our biggest promotion yet! DTiQ is giving away one year of auditing services, analytics and video reporting FREE! Included is an NVR and POE that turn your surveillance footage and transaction data into immediate insights to stop theft, enhance your customer experience and prevent loss! One lucky winner will walk away with this and the name will...
50:2510/11/2020
TCP027: The Power of POS Integrations Featuring Omnivore with Matt Haselhoff
Welcome to this weeks show, podcast family! Today is my Election version of the Tech Chef. I was looking at my podcast statistics the other day and realized we have thousands of listeners in over 40 countries! I find that fascinating. Having said that, if you are listening from the good old US of A and have not gone out and cast your vote yet, please do so! It is such an important part of who we are as Americans and especially this election. Also, if you are additionally listening from Florida, make sure you vote NO on amendment 2, the $15 minimum wage amendment that is on your ballet. This will crush the hospitality industry to the point of no return. To learn why, go to www.Ammendment2HurtsYou.comI have been looking forward to today’s episode from the time I conceived the Tech Chef Podcast. I think that what Omnivore offers is so critical to a restaurant’s tech stack that I knew they had to be part of this journey with me. With their new Menu Management System, they really have a game changer on their hands.So who is Omnivore and what do they do?Omnivore empowers restaurant brands to digitize their guest and operational experience in a meaningful and sustainable way. They deliver an end-to-end suite of solutions built on data and insights that help optimize the essential elements of the digital restaurant experience; online ordering, pay at table, 3rd party delivery, reservations, loyalty, inventory, labor and analytics. All of these solutions completely integrate into the restaurant POS system for operational efficiency, future agility and leveraging of data.Matt Haselhoff, Chief Revenue Officer for OmnivoreJoining me to discuss this is Matt Hasselhof, a 20+ year veteran of digital technologies serving the restaurant industry. Over the past 4+ years, Matt has served as the Chief Revenue Officer for Omnivore. Prior to his role at Omnivore, he also served under several industry advisory boards that have helped restaurants navigate to technologies that drive additional revenue & efficiencies. Contest Alert: DTiQ’s Massive Giveaway!Our biggest promotion yet! DTiQ is giving away one year of auditing services, analytics and video reporting FREE! Included is an NVR and POE that turn your surveillance footage and transaction data into immediate insights to stop theft, enhance your customer experience and prevent loss! One lucky winner will walk away with this and the name will be announced on our Thanksgiving Day bonus episode. You can earn entries every single day. What are you waiting for? Start getting your entires in now! CLICK HEREIncluded in this prize package:1 free year of DTiQ Video Reporting, Analytics & SmartAudits™1- DTiQ 10TB NVR1- 16-CH POE or Analog Encoder1- Uninterruptable Power SupplyInstallation of all of the above to existing IP or HD Analog cameras and configuration of system.Video & Cloud ServicesData ServicesVideo Analytics2 SmartAUDITS per monthHardware & Install Total Value: $2,100Video Reporting & Analytics Total...
33:0603/11/2020
TCP026: Bonus Episode - Motivational Speaker, Jim Knight Unplugged
Today I have Jim Knight who needs no introduction to many of you. Motivational speaker, author and podcast host, Jim and I have a BLAST talking about things like, oh I don’t know, mullets, spider cuisine (yes you heard that right) and of course Jim’s Thought That Rocks! Speaking of rockin’ this Certified Rock Star has a lot to share and we are going to have a fun time doing it. https://www.knightspeaker.com Jim KnightA Training & Development veteran for 30+ years, Jim Knight facilitates on a variety of interactive topics, including sessions around amping up organizational culture, world-class differentiated service, building rock star teams, hiring & retaining “rock stars”, employee branding, performance management and philanthropy.Jim cut his teeth in the training field through the Hospitality industry, starting out in the snack bar at Gatorland Zoo, as a restaurant staff-level employee for Olive Garden and then as a host & manager at Hard Rock Cafe. He eventually became the head of the School of Hard Rocks, running point on all global learning & development functions for Hard Rock International. Although part of a small training group that supported all cafe, hotel & casino properties, Jim Knight’s role at Hard Rock involved many facets of organizational training, including: creating/managing all staff & management training materials & programs, facilitating its corporate university, overseeing management training locations, producing training videos, directing company e-Learning initiatives, facilitating leadership transitions and traveling to properties to deliver on-site classes & measure standards.Jim has put his experience and creativity to work, which has consistently developed cutting-edge training concepts. During his time with the Hard Rock brand, his team won coveted video Telly Awards (“Guest Service” in 2000, “Menu Rollout” in 2007, “Harassment & Discrimination Prevention” in 2008), garnered Training Directors Forum’s 1998 prize for “Reengineering Training” and won Brandon Hall’s Gold Best in Class Award for their “Service Recovery” e-Learning course. Jim Knight was also recognized by Training Magazine as representing one of the Top 125 training companies in the world out of all industries & businesses. Jim has since been featured in Forbes Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Nation’s Restaurant News, Business News Daily and Fox Business News.Jim has a music degree in Vocal Performance & Education and taught in the Florida public school system for 6 years, before catching the “hospitality bug”. He is a lifetime member of CHART (an Association of Hospitality Trainers), previously sat on the Certification Governing Board of the National Restaurant Association and started a local networking group (The Training Summit: CHART’s 1st Regional Training Forum) with over 100 active members in Central Florida, to share best practices and discuss common issues with other industry professionals. Networking is a big part of his success.Jim is the Owner & CEO of Knight Speaker, which positions him to facilitate at any association or company event, in any industry, as a keynote or breakout speaker. He is also the best-selling author of Culture That Rocks: How to Revolutionize Your Company’s Culture, now in its 2nd edition, which was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the “5 Books That Will Help You Transform How You Do Business”. Along with his business partner, Brant Menswar, Jim also hosts a weekly leadership podcast called, Thoughts That Rock, which includes a rock star guest and presents 2 life-changing pieces of advice in 30 minutes. Finally, Jim and Brant offer a leadership training program called, Certified Rock Star, as an edu-taining,...
45:2629/10/2020