Jordan Wolfe sits down with Josef Chen, founder & CEO of Kaikaku for an in-depth conversation on AI, robotics, and the future of restaurants. They dig into how disconnection and loneliness is our generation’s Black Death, what Josef is building, vertical-integration, and how a restaurant with a one-way mirror serves as his living laboratory.

Go eat at Common Room, Kaikaku’s 1st restaurant - https://www.eatcommonroom.com/Follow Jordan on X: https://x.com/jrwolfe

🔗 Follow Josef & Kaikaku:

• Josef on X: https://x.com/joseflchen

• Josef’s writing: https://josef.cn/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josef-chen/
• Kaikaku: https://kaikaku.ai

👉 Key Influences and Resources Mentioned:

• Josef Article: Alone Together: Disconnection Is Our Generation’s Black Death, https://josef.cn/blog/black-death
• Tai Lin, Managing Partner, Proterra Asia https://www.linkedin.com/in/taiclin/
• Podcast: Jack Altman’s New Podcast, Uncapped, https://open.spotify.com/show/25TNLkL7z6ogeWxchpRt17?si=4cc366c0307c446a

Resources listed in Josef’s essay:

• Social regulation of gene expression in human leukocytes: https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/gb-2007-8-9-r189
• Loneliness Matters: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Consequences and Mechanisms: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/45283426_Loneliness_Matters_A_Theoretical_and_Empirical_Review_of_Consequences_and_Mechanisms

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:06 Disconnection Is Our Generation’s Black Death

06:03 The Role of Food In Human Connection

06:56 Meaning Of Kaikaku

08:55 Living Laboratory Restaurant: Common Room

14:35 Fast Iteration Cycles Are Difference Between Life And Death

15:57 Vision For A Fully-Integrated Food Tech System

19:19 HPP Technology

20:37 Future of Automation in Restaurants

24:24 Importance of Fast Iteration Cycles

27:04 Team Behind Kaikaku

28:41 Definition Of A "Business in a Box”

31:22 Private Equity’s Impact On Hospitality

34:00 Robotics Ecosystems and Talent

39:14 Josef’s Personal Journey and Cultural Influences

45:49 Advice For Aspiring Robotics Enthusiasts

47:47 People And Resources That Influence Josef

52:31 Where To Find Josef

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