Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast with Zack Oates

Send us Fan Mail

Ray Titus is the CEO of United Franchise Group and its affiliated companies. Ray has elevated franchising from a career to a calling. His philosophies on growth, positive attitude, and family, influence the core values that have driven success within the brands he has developed from conception to international expansion. Tune if to hear his keys to success and how they apply to you.

On this episode you'll learn from Ray about:

• Effective communication
• Lifelong learning
• Strategic planning 
• More!

Thanks, Ray!

Send us Fan Mail

After 27 years of delivering restaurant tech transformations for iconic brands including Friday's, Applebee's, Potbelly, CrunchTime, US Foods, Main Event, and Le Duff America, Tamy Duplantis is now the Founder and CIO of Return on Information. Return on Information helps to define and implement integrated technology stacks catered to your brand that enables you to excel in competitive digital environments.

On this episode, you'll learn from Tamy about:

• Importance of adaptation and change in tech
• Building your technology stack - layer by layer
• Role of POS in franchising
• More!

Thanks, Tamy!

Send us Fan Mail

This week's episode welcomes on Christine Staley, Founder and CEO of Magic City Hoagies. Magic City Hoagies is all about bringing a new and exciting approach to sandwiches. Christine does so effortlessly with her passion for spreading positivity and creative eye. One of her many strengths is her ability to align clients with the most suitable promotion/entrepreneurial campaigns needed to showcase their focused initiatives. With her wealth of content creation experience in home, culinary, lifestyle, branded media and medical arenas Christine excels at any creative challenge.

On this episode, you'll learn from Christine about:

• Catering success
• Building your brand image through social media 
• Growing into a multi unit business
• Effective follow ups 
• More!

Thanks, Christine!

Send us Fan Mail

This weeks episode of Give An Ovation welcomes on our very own Chief Experience Officer (CXO) and Co-Founder, Derek Morgan. Derek's expertise in product engineering and customer success enables him to speak as to why Call-to-Text is the most requested feature addition and how it helps our customers continue to win in the restaurant tech space. 

On this episode, you'll learn from Derek about:

• What is Call-to-Text
• The power of an omnichannel approach
• Creating consumer connection
• How to sign up for call-to-text
• More!

Thanks, Derek!

Send us Fan Mail

Ed Baklor is a former Disney/WestJet/JetBlue Executive with a solid business foundation focused on Operational Excellence and Guest Experience. Ed is skilled at curating an excellent guest experience from very little. Learn from his experience as a service expert in taking whatever is given you and crafting  an experience that will leave your guests wanting more.

On this episode, you'll learn from Ed about:

• Low cost exceptional guest experience
• Optimizing margins
• A culture of caring
• More!

Thanks, Ed!

Send us Fan Mail

Amir Hudda is a technology entrepreneur who has founded and grown four startups in the past 20 years. Amir’s passion has been to create and bring new technologies and products to market, his technology depth and business skills have helped launch innovative solutions that address critical business problems. Currently, Amir is the CEO of Qu (formerly Gusto POS), an enterprise-scale POS company focused on the fast-casual and quick-service restaurant industry. 

On this episode, you'll learn from Amir about:

• The importance of specializing
• Role of operations in order accuracy
• Loyalty solutions and builders
• More!

Thanks, Amir!

Send us Fan Mail

Sterling Douglass is the Co-Founder & CEO of Chowly, a leading restaurant technology company helping restaurants optimize off-premise sales and operations. 

Sterling began his career in data analytics as an actuary before founding Chowly. 
His entrepreneurial spirit drove him to make it simpler for small and mid-sized restaurants to leverage best-in-class technologies. Sterling currently serves on the President’s Club of FSTEC, Advisory Council of RTN, Venture Partner at Emerging Venture Capital, and is an active angel investor in early-stage restaurant technology startups. He’s also co-hosted and frequently appears on the Hospitality Hangout, Tech Chef, and Kitchen Obsessed podcasts. And was recently named one of QSR Magazine's “21 Digital Disruptors Shaping Restaurants in 2022.”

On this episode, you'll learn from Sterling about:

• Building a digital connection
• Off prem POS integration
• Fixing up online ordering
• More!

Thanks, Sterling!

Send us Fan Mail

On this week's edition of Give An Ovation, Carl Orsbourn and Meredith Sandland join us for another forward thinking and innovative episode. With the publication of their second book in the Delivering The Digital Restaurant series, The Path to Digital Maturity, Carl and Meredith impress the importance of taking your tech seriously. From interface to optimization, their expertise within the digital space is far reaching!

On this episode, you'll learn from Carl and Meredith about:

• Is third party for you?
• Tech resolving off-prem issues
• Internal processes that aid digital channels
• More!

Thanks, Carl and Meredith!

Send us Fan Mail

Nick Bogacz is the President/Founder of Caliente Pizza and Draft House. With over 20 years experience within the restaurant industry, Nick has held many positions has grown a business from the ground up. If you are an entrepreneur who enjoys the restaurant industry and are looking to build an enterprise, this episode is for you.

On this episode, you'll learn from Nick about: 

• Finding space to grow within your industry
• How to grow and empower your internal team 
• Pre-COVID service
• More!

Thanks, Nick!

Send us Fan Mail

Jeff Fenster is the Founder and CEO of Everbowl, a superfood bowl that encourages consumers to "unevolve™" - to live actively and eat "stuff that's been around forever™".  Fenster is serial entrepreneur whose expertise in curating real relationships has driven a strategy for success across his many business ventures/industries. Not afraid to fill the gaps and self assess, Fenster emulates purpose and progress within whichever industry he chooses to tackle. 

On this episode, you'll learn from Jeff about:

• Filling the gaps in your skill
• Importance of strong consumer relationships
• What proper coaching can do for you
• More!

Thanks, Jeff!