Accelerate Restaurant Technology Podcast

When it comes to investing in foodservice and food related technologies, you may want to have a conversation with former NFL player Lamarr Houston who clearly has a taste for this! Lamarr joins Accelerate Host Rob Grimes to talk about how his athletic, business and entrepreneurial passions have come together to feed his inspiration and ideas that started early in his life.
Lamarr started angel investing with a former teammate, Dez Bryant, and currently has a small portfolio of seven companies - all with a different focus - from alcoholic beverage vending machines to mushrooms to semiconductors. When discussing his Liquor Software business BoxxTech, Houston says what originally was a traditional snack vending machine quickly evolved into a tech business when he realized what he was looking for didn’t exist.

“The consumer is there for the reason of the event and being that it's centered around that we want the customer to not be standing in a line for 45 minutes waiting for a drink” he says. They needed a quicker and more convenient way to get their beverages. But when it came to alcohol, age verification and limits on serving multiple drinks, also needed to be addressed.
If you want to hear Lamarr’s thoughts and advice on food-tech investing or learn more about Houston’s entrepreneurial beginnings and even personal favorite technology - listen to this episode of Accelerate.

The restaurant industry has traditionally been slow about adapting to the digital age.
Starting with the impact of COVID in changing the way restaurants operate, the industry turned to Delivery and eCommerce, and a new focus on Delivering Digitally. This business shift, brought about the birth of the Digital Restaurant Association (“DRA”) who recently announced its partnership and alliance with the IFBTA.

Host Rob Grimes, founder, and CEO of the IFBTA is joined by Joe Reinstein, Executive Director of the DRA in having a conversation that covers why Digital plays such an important and expanding role in today’s restaurant operations and why the IFBTA and DRA have come together to help restaurants thrive in the digital world.

As the IFBTA connects the entire restaurant technology ecosystem and the operators within it, Joe highlights that in addition to providing digital education, products and services, one of the key objectives of the DRA is to give restaurants a voice in public policy - noting third parties are now controlling new customers in the digital space. “If you think about before the pandemic, the restaurants were doing 8% of their sales through online delivery - now they’re doing 20-50% of their revenue through online ordering.”

Both organizations will kickoff the new partnership by hosting a joint Virtual Chapter Meeting and Restaurant Marketing Summit on July 25th to 27th.
If you want to hear more about the opportunities and challenges to the restaurant industry brought about by the industry’s Digital Revolution, and the roles the IFBTA and DRA play in support of this - listen to this episode of Accelerate.

It’s the end of Q2, and that means half the year is gone. A great time for reflection & planning for the future.

Host Rob Grimes shares his own reflections and recent observations on this week’s Accelerate podcast - noting 6 months of conversations and participating in industry events has given him a perspective on what’s coming the rest of this year and beyond.

Just based on physical presence at national events, “Robotics took the biggest space” mentions Rob. AI was also a central theme that took the spotlight at national and regional shows alike. While labor continues to be a main concern into the end of the year, data seems to indicate there’s some relief through leveraging the gig economy and a focus on better scheduling practices.

Considering both internal and external views of how to proceed, Rob suggests competitive analysis; being constantly aware of changes to the market, and to look at your TechStack holistically by putting everything on a whiteboard and seeing how the fit (or not) together. In terms of implementing new changes, whether those be technology or operational, give yourself 6 months to identify, research, review, select and test anything major. A structured process that defines the requirements, sets a reasonable gameplan and timeline, allows you to test thoroughly, and finally plan your launch, will help to ensure success.

Giving back to local communities has always been a key focus for hospitality and restaurant brands. This act of service can make a difference in local communities, it creates a connection between the guest and business.

Joining Accelerate host Rob Grimes this week is Michelle McCarthy, Executive Director of Round It Up America an application conceived and developed by leaders in the restaurant industry, to make it easier than ever to donate through POS connected technology. Michelle previously worked with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and COO for American Red Cross in Los Angeles, and has been able to leverage her experiences to support our industry.

Michelle gives credit to micro transactions as an easy way to get into giving back. “Even [employees] can participate because it isn't asking for them to write a big check. You know it's a small donation that goes a long way” she says, adding that this charity can be added easily as a new item to a menu at any business.

Charity is also a way to build morale within a company. Employees also want to feel like they’re making an impact with their work - and adoption of these giving back campaigns by employees and guests alike is the best way to make them successful.

If you want to hear about the ways that technology is changing the business of charity, and simple ways to get involved with giving back - listen to this episode of Accelerate.

Among the oldest mediums to predict the future of technology, books theorize where we might be headed, and one genre in particular has been a consistent predictor of the future and tech - science fiction. Science fiction has always pushed the boundaries of the current science that we think we know. Scientific thought beginning with theories, moving to research, confirming facts, and in the end, many ending up as reality.

Joining host Rob Grimes is W.L. Hoffman, the author of the Soulstealer War series. Coming from a law background, W.L. Hoffman eventually made a shift in his career after finding inspiration on the beach at the Jersey Shore, he followed his dreams and passion to start writing science fiction stories.

He references how Jules Verne, a science fiction writer in the 1880’s, “accurately depicted a sub that had all the aspects of nuclear technology.” Combining the aspects of observation and creativity is a key component to the sci-fi genre. It’s also why many times the prediction becomes reality.

Relating to the restaurant industry, W.L. Hoffman advises thinking outside of the box. Observe patterns and adapt your ideas of technology to create a better and more unique experience.

If you want to explore the world of science fiction, and its impact of the present and the future, you don’t want to miss this Accelerate conversation with W.L. Hoffman.

What inspires technology? The simple answer is that people look towards technology that makes their lives easier and/or more enjoyable. If people don’t buy-in to technology, if they’re not enthusiastic about it, then it’s not going to be used – Accelerate host Rob Grimes included!

On this week’s episode of Accelerate, Rob explores some of the personal technologies he’s invested in and how these technologies are shifting to accommodate his individualized preferences which also find their way into technology adoption within the hospitality industries. In many ways people are trying to simulate their preferred technology they get at home in their restaurant and hospitality experiences.

For example, voice control is a technological innovation that people are using at their home or on-the-go. This is translatable to the experiences one might get when they go into the hospitality industry, where they will begin to expect universal voice integration within the technologies used by both customers and operators.

If you want to learn more about the symbiotic relationship between our personal desires and technological advancements as well as Rob’s own personal inspirations, listen to this episode Accelerate.

Partnerships are the backbone of any great organization and it’s with those partners that you can provide stellar service and offerings for operators of all sizes locally, regionally, and nationally. This is where the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) supports the Vendors of tech and their channels of Value-Added Resellers (“VAR’s”) throughout the foodservice, hospitality, and retail industries. In its 75th year, the RSPA provides leadership, training and support to it members in order to provide the best solutions to the operators who need them.

On this week’s episode of Accelerate, host Rob Grimes has a conversation with Jim Roddy, CEO of the RSPA where they discuss the impact, opportunities and ways that operators can engage with RSPA members. They also discuss the newest partnership between the RSPA and IFBTA.

Technology predictions from the 20th century are starting to take shape now in 2023. In the cartoon “The Jetson’s” (which aired in 1962) there were many artificial intelligence, automation, self-driving technologies, etc. which do exist in some form today while others are still under development. So how are people able to make such bold, yet accurate predictions with technology?

This week, Accelerate Host and IFBTA CEO Rob Grimes, explores predictive programming impacts technology innovation, starting out as an idea in someone’s “mind’s eye” and is influenced by other technologies, industries, ending up in Cartoons, TV and in the Movies.

In comparing how robots will do the work of their masters, Rob references a popular scene from the movie ‘The Surrogate.’ “Bruce Willis sits in a chair and his surrogate goes out and does work for him, whether those are robotics or holograms”. Space exploration, robots, automated food, none of these are new ideas - but they are quickly becoming our reality in 2023.

If you want to learn more about the different ways that entertainment media has influenced and predicted current and future technology innovation and trends, check out this episode of Accelerate.

The symbiotic relationship between the foodservice and hospitality industries is one that stretches back centuries. In fact, before the onset of Inn’s in the 1800’s (the first lodging facility for tourists), locals used to let travelers rest on kitchen floors and extra spaces during their journey. Food, beverage and rest (Eat, Drink and Sleep), have always gone hand in hand.

In this episode of Accelerate, host and IFBTA CEO Rob Grimes, has a conversation with Mike Blake, Chief Technology Officer of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).

Mike discusses AHLA’s role within hospitality, defining best practices and serving as a focal point for over 80% of franchised hotels which are represented. “I always used to tell people that I could troubleshoot a room whether the room is in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur or Wichita, Kansas, they all are pretty much set up very similarly when it comes to the technology,” Mike mentions, referring to the consistent global standards of the hospitality industry.

Rob and Mike also announced the new partnership between the IFBTA and AHLA - discussing how each organization are experts in their respective industries, and how the partnership will enhance the AHLA’s offerings in F&B technology content, education and networking for their Hotelier and Supplier members, at the same time making available to IFBTA members the resources of America’s largest hotel association.

If you want to hear more about the dynamic environment within Lodging and F&B technologies, and hear more about the new AHLA and IFBTA’s partnership, you don’t want to miss this episode of Accelerate.

Whether in a good or bad economy, the tech within the foodservice and hospitality industries always tends to do well. Many good tech ideas have come and gone - but why is that? Join Accelerate host Rob Grimes this week as he focuses on the things that could have been, and shares his 'tech peeves' on tech that should have taken advantage of other existing technologies to be more successful.
"Some new industry technologies come about due to spur of the moment needs and are silos and one-off's. Due to their lack of integration into the other systems we use, they go by the wayside."

If you want to join the conversation and hear more about the challenges Rob has seen in the industry over the years, and the considerations to think of going forward, then this episode of Accelerate is for you.