Forktales

In my chat with Greg, we unpack the launch of Tastemaker Acquisition and the interconnectivity of technology and behavior. We dive deep into the impact of technology on the industry and how pandemic accelerated adoption and behavioral shifts and so much more:

• The shortcoming of tacking on marketing features poorly. Letting bakers bake the bread.
• Stepping away from Cookies and traceability. How do we connect with people.
• The value exchange for knowing customers’ behaviors and likes.
• Discussed KitchenFund’s portfolio and lack of Full Service.
• The importance of the goodbye. Discussing how to give excellent experiences and working backward from the time when someone leaves. Collaborating between operations, marketing, and other stakeholders.
• Patron’s perceptual layer and their desired values and optics.

Curry Up NowGregory’s CoffeeSweetgreenBamboo SushiIndayByChloeeegee’s

They spend all of their days thinking about how they identify great concepts. Looking for authenticity.

Authenticity is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. You need this as a brand to exist.

It’s why we don’t get into starting restaurants. They invest in entrepreneurs that have a passion that emanates throughout the company.

They look for a maniacal customer base. They speak with their wallet.

NPS scores can be valuable because people promote concepts and restaurants unlike other industries.

How many times a customer comes back is a big indicator of a brand’s strength. 

Reactivation is critical (speaking to limited time offers’ power) – a key skill of any brand. Layer on technology to tell the guest about the new items (e.g. CRM/App.)

What you do with data is just as important as collecting it in the restaurant industry. Still trying to figure it out because it’s a multi-channel business.

There are differences in behaviors and how they acquire the food. Operators lose the behavior data when someone switches from drive-thru to indoor.

Tastemaker Acquisition’s launch is focused both on traditional growth restaurant brands and an avenue for looking at restaurant technology.

Tastemaker Acquisition is a SPAC looking for much larger restaurant companies in the billion-dollar range.

Checkmate – takes all of the delivery platforms and POS systems.

Wisely – take data from systems and make sense of the data for companies to review/evaluate.

A POS company is never going to be a good marketing company/platform. 

With cookies going away, we’re going to need more buy-in from the guest. Attract them and develop the relationship to order direct. Can’t be as sneaky. It was a Wild West for a while.

Loves Starbucks because they hit him up with drinks that he wouldn’t have thought about. Mixing things that already exist: Almond Milk with Honey. They know his ordering history.

Convenience has been important for years. The pie is just getting bigger. Full Service has gotten smaller however there are stories within that space that are important.

KF believes in experiential. Convenience and experiential are the things that matter moving forward.

Involved in Bamboo Sushi – full service but feels special. Use the term Party Sushi to give an elevated experie

Mr. Pogue warned me of his drive to have uncomfortable conversations about race, diversity and inclusion. It’s the right kind of uncomfortable though. One that challenges one’s own thoughts and ideas. A conversation that pulls no punches and gets it all out on the table.

James has a wealth of knowledge, insight, and passion for diversity and inclusion in the restaurant industry. In this episode, we unpack it all to dig deep into this ever-evolving topic and endeavor. 

Diversity – challenges in ideation, execution, etc.

Diversity – race, gender, age, sexuality, disability, ability, politics, religion, and socioeconomic , ALL OF IT (all different humans)

Overcoming the fear and apprehension of introducing/discussing diversity, esp. from leadership.

“Colorblindness” vs. “Hyper aware of color” and “Equality” vs “Equity”

Cancel Culture – an openness to conversations and apologies.

Approaching and navigating challenges and solutions in different solutions—Hispanic man conversation.

Breaking down the tunnel vision of people who can’t empathize/put themselves in other peoples’ shoes.

Bringing your whole self/identity to the table—beating up ideas with those different lenses.

Be the right kind of uncomfortable—that’s where the growth happens. Apply that to diversity.

Quotes to Quote:

“There’s a significant difference between the ‘want to’ and the execution.”

“We need to start to do some new things to get us to a new point of realization and understanding.”

“I don’t see diversity as necessarily a movement or a topic; it’s a consideration that I think is important for the growth and sustainability of organizations and humanity, you know, across the globe.”

“If we have not practiced having tough conversations around diversity inclusion advice, how can you therefore expect to be good at them? We are exactly where we are supposed to be given the amount of effort and practice and intention that we put into [it].”

“We have shifted from color blindness as being the pinnacle of not being racist to being hyper aware of color as being the pinnacle of not being racist.”

“I think oftentimes we start thinking about what we are going to do next without recognizing where we have been.”

“One of the things that has happened is that we have begun to ignore the idea that diversity includes our white guy friends [and] colleagues…we have to respect what people bring to the table and to exclude that is to exclude a rich part of your history and how it has influenced your leadership.”

“The ideas that are generated by the [diverse Vigor] group are wealthier [than if we were a bunch of white bearded dudes.]”

“I’ve asked leaders this question: ‘Do you think that women bring something to the table strictly because they’re women?’ In a 99% clip the answer is yes, simply because they navigate the world as a woman they see things differently than their male counterparts… why is there a pause when it’s a Hispanic man?”

“I think it is important to put the lens on the individual. We spend a lot of time trying to critique the person across the screen or across the table, when the person we need to spend the most time with is in the mirror.”

“There are times when it’s important to be selfish, and if you’re trying to grow your organization and shift your leadership, this is one of those times.”

“I’m asking you in advance to tap me on the shoulder if you see me going the wrong direction and not seeing something…it’s amazing how forgiving people can be when they know that you are actually and really trying, authentically. It’s logical how unforgiving they can be when they know that you are not, and there’s too many of us that are not.”

“I’m driving this t

Mr. Pogue warned me of his drive to have uncomfortable conversations about race, diversity and inclusion. It’s the right kind of uncomfortable though. One that challenges one’s own thoughts and ideas. A conversation that pulls no punches and gets it all out on the table.

James has a wealth of knowledge, insight, and passion for diversity and inclusion in the restaurant industry. In this episode, we unpack it all to dig deep into this ever-evolving topic and endeavor. 

Diversity – challenges in ideation, execution, etc.

Diversity – race, gender, age, sexuality, disability, ability, politics, religion, and socioeconomic , ALL OF IT (all different humans)

Overcoming the fear and apprehension of introducing/discussing diversity, esp. from leadership.

“Colorblindness” vs. “Hyper aware of color” and “Equality” vs “Equity”

Cancel Culture – an openness to conversations and apologies.

Approaching and navigating challenges and solutions in different solutions—Hispanic man conversation.

Breaking down the tunnel vision of people who can’t empathize/put themselves in other peoples’ shoes.

Bringing your whole self/identity to the table—beating up ideas with those different lenses.

Be the right kind of uncomfortable—that’s where the growth happens. Apply that to diversity.

Quotes to Quote:

“There’s a significant difference between the ‘want to’ and the execution.”

“We need to start to do some new things to get us to a new point of realization and understanding.”

“I don’t see diversity as necessarily a movement or a topic; it’s a consideration that I think is important for the growth and sustainability of organizations and humanity, you know, across the globe.”

“If we have not practiced having tough conversations around diversity inclusion advice, how can you therefore expect to be good at them? We are exactly where we are supposed to be given the amount of effort and practice and intention that we put into [it].”

“We have shifted from color blindness as being the pinnacle of not being racist to being hyper aware of color as being the pinnacle of not being racist.”

“I think oftentimes we start thinking about what we are going to do next without recognizing where we have been.”

“One of the things that has happened is that we have begun to ignore the idea that diversity includes our white guy friends [and] colleagues…we have to respect what people bring to the table and to exclude that is to exclude a rich part of your history and how it has influenced your leadership.”

“The ideas that are generated by the [diverse Vigor] group are wealthier [than if we were a bunch of white bearded dudes.]”

“I’ve asked leaders this question: ‘Do you think that women bring something to the table strictly because they’re women?’ In a 99% clip the answer is yes, simply because they navigate the world as a woman they see things differently than their male counterparts… why is there a pause when it’s a Hispanic man?”

“I think it is important to put the lens on the individual. We spend a lot of time trying to critique the person across the screen or across the table, when the person we need to spend the most time with is in the mirror.”

“There are times when it’s important to be selfish, and if you’re trying to grow your organization and shift your leadership, this is one of those times.”

“I’m asking you in advance to tap me on the shoulder if you see me going the wrong direction and not seeing something…it’s amazing how forgiving people can be when they know that you are actually and really trying, authentically. It’s logical how unforgiving they can be when they know that you are not, and there’s too many of us that are not.”

“I’m drivin

I absolutely loved the conversation with Betsy Hamm of Duck Donuts. When I first met Betsy, she was in charge of marketing for the brand. Since that time in 2019, she has charged ahead in her leadership role. At the time of this episode, she served as COO of the organization and since recording, she has taken up post as CEO!

In this episode, we cover a number of topics facing Duck Donuts and the restaurant industry as a whole. She has fantastic insights from the perspective of a growing leader for a growing brand.

Marketing is KEY to the growth of a brand both from a consumer perspective as well as operationally.

Having a great team = success!

Operation teams are just as important in marketing efforts as the marketing team since they’re the ones who execute and activate ideas on premise—success comes from everybody being on board and invested in an idea.

Great products are not enough, you need to be able to pitch and empower your brand (ur kids r cute but someone out there thinks they look like a cow’s butthole.)

Online ordering is a b*tch for everyone an evolving process:)

Making it easy for customers!

Duck Donuts rebranding just before the pandemic (plans to roll it out end of first quarter of 2020) focusing on being DUCKLISH*, i.e. nobody can duplicate the duck. Using the duck more visually, utilizing “duck-in” language (stupen-DUCK). Watching franchisees provide donuts to people during COVID led to the “Sprinkle Happiness” campaign.

What’s the future for DD?

• Starting 2022, accelerate per year growth with a GOAL of 50 stores/year.
• Non-traditional locations are a big focus (ref: Calif. store that is outdoors and in a container!)
• Markets that might need backfilling, and targeting markets that are likely to be successful.
• More food trucks slated—being more mobile and getting to where the customer is vs. waiting for them to come back to the store.
• Emphasising convenience—maybe a drive thru locations? Pop-ups?
• Improve UX when ordering online.

I absolutely loved the conversation with Betsy Hamm of Duck Donuts. When I first met Betsy, she was in charge of marketing for the brand. Since that time in 2019, she has charged ahead in her leadership role. At the time of this episode, she served as COO of the organization and since recording, she has taken up post as CEO!

In this episode, we cover a number of topics facing Duck Donuts and the restaurant industry as a whole. She has fantastic insights from the perspective of a growing leader for a growing brand.

Marketing is KEY to the growth of a brand both from a consumer perspective as well as operationally.

Having a great team = success!

Operation teams are just as important in marketing efforts as the marketing team since they’re the ones who execute and activate ideas on premise—success comes from everybody being on board and invested in an idea.

Great products are not enough, you need to be able to pitch and empower your brand (ur kids r cute but someone out there thinks they look like a cow’s butthole.)

Online ordering is a b*tch for everyone an evolving process:)

Making it easy for customers!

Duck Donuts rebranding just before the pandemic (plans to roll it out end of first quarter of 2020) focusing on being DUCKLISH*, i.e. nobody can duplicate the duck. Using the duck more visually, utilizing “duck-in” language (stupen-DUCK). Watching franchisees provide donuts to people during COVID led to the “Sprinkle Happiness” campaign.

What’s the future for DD?

• Starting 2022, accelerate per year growth with a GOAL of 50 stores/year.
• Non-traditional locations are a big focus (ref: Calif. store that is outdoors and in a container!)
• Markets that might need backfilling, and targeting markets that are likely to be successful.
• More food trucks slated—being more mobile and getting to where the customer is vs. waiting for them to come back to the store.
• Emphasising convenience—maybe a drive thru locations? Pop-ups?
• Improve UX when ordering online.

In this episode, I sit down with Kelli Valade, fearless leader of Black Box Intelligence. Black Box Intelligence is a fantastic data resource for the restaurant industry covering workforce, guests, financials, and consumer insights. We talk about how restaurants are restorative experiences, how the restaurant industry pivoted during the pandemic, and what’s on the horizon for the industry as a whole.

Kelli brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the world and on this episode with what’s happening in the restaurant industry today and what’s about to come.

How can restaurants market themselves more effectively? How can they position their brands to come out of the pandemic swinging? Ms. Valade and I cover these topics and more in 30-mins of fun, insightful conversation.

Production Note: We experience a few technical difficulties in this episode and there may be pauses in our interaction. Thank you for understanding.

In our inaugural episode, I speak with Sam Slaughter. Sam is an author of a fantastic drinks recipe book, a copywriter at Vigor, and a lover of cheeseballs. We have a relaxed and fun chat about the state of spirits and drinking culture and dive into the story behind his episode image.

Sam has played a major role in the creative outputs at Vigor, but that’s not the only part of his story. Sam has served as a spirits critic for major magazines, a bartender for reputable bars, and even wrote a book that seeks to capture the hearts of everyone born in or near the 90’s. In this episode, we cover many bases on the state of the beverage industry, what’s trending, and great ideas. We also have a lot of laughs.

Take a look at Sam’s book on Bookshop.org: Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum?: And Other Cocktails for ’90s Kids

Support the good people at Utz and their yummy cheeseballs.