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

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Andrew Pudalov, founder and CEO of Rush Bowls, joins Zack to talk about how he left a high pressure finance career to build a brand centered on real ingredients and genuine guest connection. After years in global trading, Andrew wanted a more meaningful path and a healthier lifestyle for his family, which led to the creation of Rush Bowls more than 20 years ago. 

Zack and Andrew discuss:

• How a major career pivot led to Rush Bowls
• Why Andrew left Wall Street to build something meaningful
• What sparked Andrew’s shift from finance to food
• How Andrew transitioned from trading floors to real food
• The turning point that led to creating Rush Bowls
• Why Andrew chose to build a brand instead of staying in finance

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-pudalov-07697010/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rush-bowls/
https://rushbowls.com/franchise/research-us/our-story
https://www.instagram.com/rushbowls/?hl=en

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In this episode of Give an Ovation, Zack talks with Frank Paci, CEO of Newk's Eatery, about what truly drives guest experience in a world of dine in, to go, delivery, and catering. Frank shares lessons from leading brands like Burger King, Pizza Hut, McAlister's, Corner Bakery, and Einstein Bros., and how those insights shape Newk's today.

Zack and Frank discuss:

•  How convenience and consistency still win in 2025
•  Designing systems that are simple for teams to execute
•  Turning catering into paid sampling for the brand
•  Using guest feedback to fix the “leaky bucket”
•  Recovering guests and lifting online ratings
•  Why great experiences start with the right people

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-paci-8b1a56a/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/newks-eatery/about/
https://newks.com/
https://www.instagram.com/newkseatery/?hl=en

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Gregorys Coffee is everywhere right now, and founder and CEO Gregory Zamfotis joins Zack to talk about what it really takes to scale a coffee brand without losing its soul. From mall food courts to multi market growth with Craveworthy Brands, Greg shares how he thinks about speed, quality, and culture in every store.

Zack and Gregory discuss:

•  Why franchising is the right next step for Gregorys Coffee
•  How to deliver specialty coffee at real New York speed
•  Dropping beloved donuts to bake fresh in store
•  Developing team members who care as much as you do
•  Using guest feedback to stay ahead of competitors

Thanks, Gregory!

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-zamfotis-65589112/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/gregorys-coffee/
https://gregoryscoffee.com/
https://www.instagram.com/gregoryscoffee/?hl=en

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Zack Oates sits down with Brianne Harvey, founder and CEO of Break Bread Consulting, to talk about tech that lifts hospitality without getting in the way. Brianne shares how to “bolt on” experts for system launches, train your team to own it, and use simple tools to create memorable moments.

Zack and Brianne discuss:

•  Reservation notes that make guests feel known
•  When to bring in a fractional implementation team
•  Authenticity over automation in guest experience
•  Answering every call with call-to-text or routing
•  Small surprises that drive repeat orders

Thanks, Brianne!

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannemharvey/
https://www.breakbreadconsulting.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/break-bread-consulting/about/

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Zack sits down with Kayla Dillon, fractional CMO and brand consultant, to talk about why guest expectations have shifted from hospitality to humanity. Kayla explains how to pick technology that fits, set it up the right way, and connect ops, marketing, and tech so the guest actually feels known. They dig into loyalty, behavior based rewards, and the role of AI in making personalization practical.

Zack and Kayla discuss:

•  Human connection over perfection
•  Choosing tech that matches readiness
•  Behavior and interest based loyalty
•  AI that supports real personalization
•  Connecting ops, marketing, and tech
•  Why setup beats shiny features

Thanks, Kayla!

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayladdillon/

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Zack sits down with Geoffrey Toffetti, CEO of Frontline Performance Group, to talk about why the guest experience can never exceed the employee experience. Geoffrey explains how clear standards, consistent measurement, and coachable behaviors turn service into revenue. He shares practical ways to set expectations, train for the right language, and use recognition and incentives that actually drive results.

Zack and Geoffrey discuss:

•  Frontline culture as the brand experience
•  Reward, recognition, and accountability
•  From selling to serving with better recommendations
•  Leaderboards and measurement that lift performance
•  Setting clear standards leaders can enforce
•  Simple recognition rituals that build team pride

Thanks, Geoffrey!

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gtoffetti/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontline-performance-group/about/
https://www.instagram.com/frontlineperformancegroup/
https://frontlinepg.com/

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Zack sits down with Peter Gaudreau, CEO of Tacodeli, to talk about scaling a beloved founder-led brand while protecting what matters most. Peter shares how ingredient integrity, empowered managers, and thoughtful packaging make hospitality show up both on premise and off. A real service recovery story shows what guest care looks like in action and how feedback fuels better leadership. 

Zack and Peter discuss:

•  Balancing founder DNA with growth
•  Why ingredient quality is a hospitality choice
•  Designing catering and to go that presents well
•  Training managers to own service recovery
•  Using feedback to set weekly priorities
•  Tenure, consistency, and trust

Thanks, Peter!

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-gaudreau-0b357521/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/tacodeli/
https://www.instagram.com/tacodeli/
https://www.tacodeli.com/

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Zack sits down with Melissa Richards-Person of Third Arm Consulting to unpack brand DNA and why it is the root of lasting guest experience. From Papa John’s transformation to creating signature moments guests remember, Melissa shares how clear voice, authentic behavior, and fast service recovery turn problems into loyalty. Zack and Melissa discuss brand DNA, founder led brands, garlic sauce lessons, the peak end rule, and how real time feedback can coach teams while winning back guests. Practical, specific, and immediately usable.

 Zack and Melissa discuss: 

•  Authenticity and brand DNA
•  Founder-led brand evolution
•  The power of small gestures like garlic sauce
•  Behavioral science behind peak and end moments
•  How feedback turns into training opportunities
•  Why clarity in tone beats friendliness every time 

Thanks, Melissa!

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-richards-person-3rdarm/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/third-arm-consulting/
https://www.getathirdarm.com/

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Zack sits down with Pedro Uchôa, founder and CEO of TAP, the Brazilian fast casual bringing bold flavor and genuine hospitality to New York and Miami. They discuss TAP’s Perfect Pitch win, the importance of culture-driven leadership, and how small personal touches create big loyalty.

Zack and Pedro discuss:

•  Authenticity that guests can feel
•  Personalization at the counter and beyond
•  Fast casual speed in a New York minute
•  Feedback loops that level up managers
•  Storytelling inside the four walls

Thanks, Pedro!

Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/uchoapedro/
https://www.instagram.com/uchoa__pedro/?hl=en
https://www.linkedin.com/company/eat-tap/
https://www.instagram.com/eat_tap/?hl=en
https://www.eattap.co/

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Zack Oates sits down with Rachael Nemeth, CEO of Opus Training, to talk about turning frontline training into real-time performance. Rachael explains why most brands don’t have a completion problem — they have an adoption problem — and how Opus makes training inclusive with instant mobile access and automatic translation. She shares how Opus pairs with Ovation to detect issues early and push targeted refreshers before they become revenue problems.

Zack and Rachael discuss:

• Training as the foundation of guest experience
• Adoption vs completion and mobile-first access
• Using AI to detect anomalies and intervene with training
• Closing the loop between marketing promises and ops delivery
• Real-time, location-specific refreshers that lift accuracy and service

Thanks, Rachael!

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-nemeth/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-so/
https://www.opus.so/about-us