In the back-of-house chaos of the restaurant world, there’s one thing you can always count on finding: a tech closet that looks like it lost a fight with a bowl of spaghetti. Tangled wires, stacked legacy systems, and just enough duct tape to keep things limping along. Dan Diaz has seen it all — and […]

Shawn Walchef has a front-row seat to the future of restaurants—and he wants operators to start thinking differently. The founder of Cali BBQ and host of Restaurant Influencers has spent years interviewing hundreds of leaders across the industry. The message is clear: the playbook has changed. Success in 2025 isn’t just about great food or […]

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, the community explored the quiet power of asking for help—and why it’s often the smartest move in business and in life. From a LinkedIn post that led to an unforgettable culinary tour in Istanbul, to founders opening up about mentorship, fundraising, and even emotional recovery, the […]

Most restaurant operators do not set out looking for a CFO. They are too busy running shifts, managing people, and trying to make the numbers work. But as the business grows, the cracks start to show — invoices get missed, payroll gets tight, and the monthly P&L shows up too late to fix anything. That […]

In this latest Coaching Call with entrepreneur, podcast host, and mentor David Meltzer, host Shawn Walchef discusses the power of storytelling, technology, and what Meltzer calls “Stage Theory.” But this wasn’t just a conversation about content strategy—it was about legacy. The Stage Theory Stage Theory is simple in concept but profound in practice: capture your […]

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, the community dug into the real-world magic of ChatGPT—how AI is reshaping everyday life, one prompt at a time. From travel planning and recipe hacks to video edits, customer service, and even heartfelt family conversations, the group shared powerful, personal stories about AI as a tool […]

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, Shawn Walchef brought his kids to the mic—and, in the process, offered a heartwarming reminder of what fatherhood looks like in real time. Claw World There was no script. No production plan. Just two excited kids, a handful of plushies, and a dad with enough curiosity to let […]

Shawn Walchef wants every business owner to understand one thing: B2B content isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential. From his base at Cali BBQ in San Diego, Walchef has turned his restaurant into a content machine, showing that the future of marketing lies not in polished ads but in real stories that build trust. “It’s […]

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, the community gathered to unpack the art of corporate content—how to break free from the expected and craft stories that stick. From product launches to purpose-driven brands, the conversation explored how businesses can infuse personality, authenticity, and even a dash of humor into their messaging. The group […]

Maria Zhang, the co-founder and CEO of Palona AI, is no stranger to scaling technology. With a background that includes leadership roles at Tinder, Instagram, and Meta, Zhang knows how to build products that impact millions. Now, she’s setting her sights on transforming the restaurant industry through AI. Palona AI emerged from Zhang’s vision to […]