Digital Hospitality

By Shawn P. Walchef

Digital Hospitality is an interview podcast series that explores the ways successful people have harnessed the power of the Internet and social media. The show is hosted by Cali BBQ Media Founder Shaw... more

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FAQs about Digital Hospitality:

How many episodes does Digital Hospitality have?

The podcast currently has 665 episodes available.

Digital Hospitality episodes:

July 01, 2026CREATE 2026: The Event for Emerging Restaurateurs | Chat w/ Sam Oches
Sam Oches, editor-in-chief of Nation's Restaurant News, joins Shawn Walchef to discuss what separates memorable restaurant brands from the rest. Drawing on 17 years covering the industry, Oches shares why storytelling, hospitality, and relationships matter as much as great food, how he defines an "emerging" restaurant brand, and why founders should never stop thinking like entrepreneurs. He also previews CREATE and explains why stepping outside your restaurant can be one of the best investments you make.
The Best Restaurant Brands Tell Better Stories – Sam Oches believes memorable brands don't stand out because of their menus alone. They build authentic stories, strong relationships, and a clear identity that customers and the industry remember.

An Entrepreneurial Mindset Doesn't End With Growth – Whether a brand has 10 locations or 2,600, the best leaders continue learning, adapting, and looking for new ways to improve their business.

Getting Out Of Your Restaurant Can Change Your Business – Conferences like CREATE give operators the opportunity to learn from experienced founders, build meaningful relationships, and discover ideas that are difficult to find while working inside the day-to-day operation.
Episode Links
For More Information On CREATE: https://informaconnect.com/create/

Register for CREATE: https://web.cvent.com/event/0ae8fbb0-16d7-4b45-868d-a81373bacf4b/register?RefId=CREATE26-website&rt=8s3c6PHeDEaFupHQqsmBmQ&utm_campaign=CREATE26&utm_medium=website&utm_source=digital

Sam Oches on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-oches-5923bb13/

Informa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/informa/
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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29min
June 30, 2026The Restaurant AI Lesson Every Operator Should Hear: A Chat w/ Conor Sheridan of Nory
Conor Sheridan, founder and CEO of Nory, explains why restaurants don't need more dashboards, they need better decisions. After leaving a career in quantitative finance to launch the fast-growing restaurant brand Mad Egg, Sheridan experienced firsthand how difficult it is to scale operations while maintaining consistency and profitability. This episode explores agentic AI, restaurant forecasting, demand planning, operational consistency, Toast integration, and why the future of restaurant technology will be defined by software that takes action, not just provides insights.
More Data Doesn't Create Better Decisions – Conor Sheridan built Nory after realizing restaurant operators were overwhelmed with dashboards but still lacked clear answers. He believes technology should tell operators what to do, not just what happened.

Restaurant Managers Need More Than Reports – Most managers are experts at hospitality, not finance or data analysis. Sheridan says AI should handle forecasting, labor planning, purchasing, and prep so teams can focus on guests.

The Future Of Restaurant AI Is Action, Not Insights – Sheridan believes the next generation of AI won't simply identify problems. It will automatically recommend and execute operational changes that improve profitability while keeping operators in control.
Episode Links:
Conor Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanconor/

Nory Online: https://www.nory.ai/

Nory on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asknory/

Nory on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@asknory

What's Cooking? | A Podcast from Nory: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-cooking-a-podcast-from-nory/id1825066598

Nory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asknory/?utm_source=linktree&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=linkedin
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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39min
June 29, 2026He Saw a Problem Every Parent Knows — Now Mick Carr Is Helping Restaurants Solve It
Mick Carr, founder and CEO of Grub Lab, believes restaurants have overlooked one of their biggest opportunities: creating better experiences for families. Drawing from his own experiences as a father, Carr explains why reducing the stress of dining with kids leads to happier guests, longer visits, and more repeat business. He shares how Grub Lab helps independent restaurants compete on experience, turning family meals into memorable moments that keep parents and children coming back.
Families Are Worth More Than a Kids Meal – Carr reminds restaurant operators to think beyond the price of a kids meal. A positive experience for one child can influence where an entire family chooses to dine again and again.

Great Hospitality Removes Friction – From interactive entertainment to a more enjoyable dining experience, Grub Lab is designed to reduce the stress parents often feel when eating out with young children, giving families more reasons to stay longer and return.

Independent Restaurants Can Compete on Experience – Carr believes family-friendly experiences shouldn't be limited to large chains. Grub Lab helps independent restaurants create memorable moments that build loyalty while showcasing their own brand.
Episode Links:
Mick Carr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mick-carr1/
Grub Lab: https://www.grublab.co/us
Grub Lab on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grublab__
Grub Lab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grub-lab/
Grub Lab on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrubLab.io/
Grub Lab on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@grublab
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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16min
June 26, 2026Why This Investor Believes Restaurant Hiring Is Broken — and How Swob Is Fixing It
Steve Mandell, chairman and CEO of Game Plan Entertainment, explains why he became an advisor and investor in Swob after negotiating more than 1,000 licensing and brand agreements throughout his career. Drawing on decades of experience in sports, entertainment, and business, Mandell shares how he evaluates founders, why solving real problems matters more than chasing trends, and how AI is transforming restaurant hiring. This episode explores execution, curiosity, hiring innovation, and why the best operators never stop learning.
Great Companies Solve Real Problems – Steve Mandell has evaluated businesses throughout his career as an attorney, advisor, and investor. What convinced him to back Swob was not the technology itself, but its ability to remove friction from one of restaurants' biggest operational challenges: hiring hourly workers.

The Best Founders Listen Before They Build – Mandell believes successful entrepreneurs spend more time understanding customers than pitching solutions. He was impressed that Swob's founders listened to restaurant operators, identified the shortcomings of traditional hiring, and built a platform around those real-world pain points.

Execution Matters More Than Ideas – Throughout the conversation, Mandell returned to one theme: execution. Great ideas are common, but businesses succeed when they consistently solve customer problems. For Swob, that means helping restaurants hire faster through AI-powered matching, QR codes, and a hiring experience designed specifically for today's workforce.
Episode Links:
Steve Mandell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandell-steve-08011593/

Steve Mandell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevemandellgameplan/?hl=en

Stephanie Florio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-florio-51397765/

Alexander Florio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderflorio/

Swob: https://www.swobapp.com/

Swob Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swobapp/

Swob Tik Tok: https://www.instagram.com/swobapp/

Swob LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/swob-inc/?originalSubdomain=ca
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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25min
June 24, 2026He Wanted to Know Why Sales Were Down 30% — Now Brian Kelley Helps Restaurants Predict What's Next
Brian Kelley, founder and CEO of Butter AI, shares how his experience as a restaurant owner led him to build a platform that helps operators make faster, smarter decisions. What started as a search for answers behind sales fluctuations evolved into a tool that combines POS data, weather, sports schedules, reviews, reservations, and AI-powered insights. This episode explores predictive analytics, menu optimization, restaurant operations, and why technology should help managers spend more time leading people and less time staring at spreadsheets.
Managers Need Less Reporting, More Leading – Brian Kelley built Butter AI after watching restaurant managers spend too much time buried in spreadsheets and not enough time running the floor, coaching employees, and serving guests.

The Best Predictions Use More Than POS Data – Butter combines sales data with weather, sports schedules, reservations, reviews, and local events to help operators understand what happened yesterday and prepare for what might happen next.

Small Menu Changes Can Unlock Big Revenue – By comparing menus against local competitors, Butter helps restaurants identify pricing opportunities that can improve profitability without adding new menu items or increasing traffic.
Episode Links:
Brian Kelley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianckelley/

Butter AI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/butterme-ai/

Butter AI: https://butterme.ai/

Butter AI Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butterme.ai/

Butter AI Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buttermeai

Butter AI YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ButterAI-e6o
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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...more
18min
June 22, 2026She Built the Tool She Wished She Had at Chipotle — Now Yusha Hu Is Helping Restaurant Operators Plan Ahead
Yusha Hu, founder of Sightline, shares how her experience in supply chain, procurement, and planning roles at Sweetgreen, Chipotle, and HelloFresh inspired her to build an AI-powered platform for restaurant operators. She discusses the growing complexity of restaurant supply chains, the challenges of manual reporting, and how better visibility can help teams spot problems earlier, reduce risk, and spend more time on strategic work instead of putting out fires.
Supply Chain Teams Need Better Visibility – Yusha Hu believes many restaurant supply chain teams spend too much time manually gathering information and reacting to problems. From distributor reports to inventory tracking, operators often lack a clear view of what's coming next. Better visibility allows teams to identify risks earlier and make smarter decisions before disruptions impact restaurants.

The Best Technology Comes From Real Pain Points – Before founding Sightline, Hu worked in supply chain leadership roles at Sweetgreen, Chipotle, and HelloFresh, after running her own food distribution company. The platform was built around problems she experienced firsthand, including hours of manual reporting, inventory management challenges, and the constant pressure of keeping restaurants stocked.

Partnerships Drive Better Results – Hu learned throughout her career that suppliers should be viewed as partners, not just vendors. Whether working with local farms at Sweetgreen or large national suppliers at Chipotle, she found that the strongest relationships come from understanding each other's businesses, sharing feedback, and working together to solve problems across the supply chain.
Episode Links:
Yusha Hu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yushahu/

Slightline OS: https://www.sightlineos.com/

Slightline OS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sightline-os/

Sightline SO Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560543863631

Yusha Hu Email: [email protected]
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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17min
June 19, 2026The Marketplace Every Restaurant Owner Needs: 86Deadstock
Jeremy Fitzgerald, founder of 86Deadstock, shares how his experience as a restaurant operator led him to build a marketplace designed specifically for the hospitality industry. From unused equipment and excess inventory to last-minute operational needs, Fitzgerald explains how restaurants can turn dead stock into cash, save money on supplies, and connect directly with other operators. He discusses the challenges of adoption, the importance of community-driven solutions, and why every restaurant is likely sitting on untapped value.
Every Restaurant Has Hidden Cash Flow – After years as a restaurant operator, Jeremy Fitzgerald realized many restaurants are sitting on thousands of dollars worth of unused equipment, inventory, and supplies. 86Deadstock helps operators turn forgotten items into revenue instead of letting them collect dust in storage rooms and warehouses.

Built By An Operator, For Operators – Fitzgerald created 86Deadstock after experiencing the problem himself, from restaurant remodels to running out of thermal paper during service. His goal is simple: create a trusted marketplace where restaurants can buy from and sell directly to other restaurants.

Community Creates Value – The success of 86Deadstock depends on participation. Fitzgerald believes the more restaurants that list equipment, supplies, and inventory, the more valuable the platform becomes for everyone. By connecting operators with suppliers and fellow restaurateurs, the marketplace helps the industry save money and solve problems together.
Episode Links:
Jeremy Fitzgerald LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-fitzgerald-4098982b6/

86Deadstock Online: https://www.86deadstock.com/

Jeremy Fitzgerald Email: [email protected]

86Deadstock Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/86_deadstock/

86Deadstock LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/86-deadstock-llc/

86Deadstock Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/86Deadstock
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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26min
June 17, 2026Sam Stanovich Explains What Made Atmosphere A Valuable Partner For Big Chicken
In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with Sam Stanovich, Senior Vice President of Franchise Development and Alliances at Craveworthy Brands, to discuss why Atmosphere became a valuable partner for Big Chicken. Stanovich shares how Atmosphere's restaurant-focused content helps keep guests engaged, creates consistency across locations, and delivers an entertainment experience built specifically for hospitality environments.
Entertainment Designed For Restaurants – Atmosphere gave Big Chicken access to content built specifically for hospitality environments, helping keep guests engaged during their visit.

Creating Consistency At Scale – As Craveworthy Brands grows, Stanovich looks for partners that can deliver a consistent experience across locations. Atmosphere helped simplify entertainment management while maintaining brand standards.

Solving Real Operational Problems – Stanovich believes the best technology partners solve specific challenges without adding complexity. Atmosphere fit naturally into restaurant operations and was easy for teams to adopt.
Episode Links:
Entertainment Designed For Restaurants – Atmosphere gave Big Chicken access to content built specifically for hospitality environments, helping keep guests engaged during their visit.

Creating Consistency At Scale – As Craveworthy Brands grows, Stanovich looks for partners that can deliver a consistent experience across locations. Atmosphere helped simplify entertainment management while maintaining brand standards.

Solving Real Operational Problems – Stanovich believes the best technology partners solve specific challenges without adding complexity. Atmosphere fit naturally into restaurant operations and was easy for teams to adopt.
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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15min
June 15, 2026She Oversees 2 Million Pounds of Cooking Oil a Day — And Most Restaurants Never Think About It
Alissa Partee, CEO of Restaurant Technologies, shares how automating cooking oil management helps restaurants reduce labor, improve safety, and operate more efficiently. From real-time oil monitoring and just-in-time deliveries to leading a company serving more than 45,000 restaurant locations, Partee explains why some of the biggest operational challenges in hospitality happen behind the scenes and how technology can help operators focus on what matters most: serving guests.
Technology Beyond Software – Restaurant Technologies helps operators automate cooking oil management through real-time monitoring, automated delivery, and waste oil collection, allowing teams to spend less time on manual tasks and more time serving guests.

The Challenge of Change – Partee explains why restaurants often struggle to adopt new solutions, even when they solve clear operational problems. Success comes from making change simple and supporting operators every step of the way.

Leading From the Frontline – After starting as Chief People Officer and rising to CEO, Partee learned that taking care of employees closest to the customer is one of the most important drivers of long-term growth and success.
Episode Link
Alissa Partee LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissapartee/

Restaurant Technologies: https://www.rti-inc.com/

Restaurant Technologies LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/restaurant-technologies-inc-/

Restaurant Technologies Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restauranttechnologies/

Restaurant Technologies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restauranttechnologiesinc

Restaurant Technologies YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RestaurantTechnologies
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
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18min
June 12, 2026Chicken Salad Chick Grew to 335 Locations. Makayla Ekiss Says Catering Execution Helped Fuel the Expansion
Makayla Ekiss, leader of off-premise growth at Chicken Salad Chick, shares how the 335-unit brand is scaling catering without sacrificing operations. From moving managers out of delivery vehicles and back into restaurants to building a trusted partnership with DeliverThat, Ekiss explains why execution matters more than marketing when it comes to growing catering sales. She also discusses Chicken Salad Chick's rapid expansion, creating buy-in around off-premise channels, and how great hospitality turns first-time catering customers into lifelong fans.
Execution Drives Catering Growth – Makayla Ekiss believes successful catering programs are built through consistency, not marketing. Customers remember when restaurants solve problems, deliver on time, and exceed expectations. Those experiences create repeat business and turn catering customers into long-term advocates.

Delivery Partners Can Unlock Growth – As Chicken Salad Chick expanded catering, managers were spending too much time out of the restaurant making deliveries. Partnering with DeliverThat allowed operators to focus on running the business while maintaining a high standard of service for catering guests.

Off-Premise Creates New Opportunities – Catering and third-party channels are more than additional revenue streams. Ekiss explains that off-premise growth can create new career paths for team members, help restaurants promote from within, and give operators additional ways to scale without sacrificing hospitality.
Episode Links:
Makayla Ekiss LinkedIn: https://chickwww.linkedin.com/in/makayla-ekiss-973306196/

Chicken Salad Chick: https://www.chickensaladchick.com/

Chicken Salad Chick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chickensaladchick/

Chicken Salad Chick Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chickensaladchicktok

Chicken Salad Chick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chicken-salad-chick/

DeliverThat Online: https://www.ideliverthat.com/

DeliverThat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deliverthatco/

DeliverThat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeliverThat
Where to find Cali BBQ Media
Visit our Website
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Learn About our Media Services
...more
16min

FAQs about Digital Hospitality:

How many episodes does Digital Hospitality have?

The podcast currently has 665 episodes available.