In this episode of What’s Cooking? Chris Demery, CTO of Blaze Pizza, joins Conor Sheridan CEO and founder of Nory, to unpack the gritty realities of tech transformation in hospitality. From piloting new systems to navigating franchise complexity, Chris shares how Blaze Pizza balances innovation with profitability. Learn why the best restaurant tech isn’t flashy—it’s functional, scalable, and obsessively guest-centric.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

>> Why piloting tech in one, five, twenty, then 100 stores is critical to scale

>> How Blaze Pizza manages tech across franchisees of varying sizes

>> The role of AI in refining speed of service and off-premise convenience

>> Why collaboration—not control—is key to successful tech rollouts

>> Which restaurant metrics matter most to determine ROI

Meet our Guest 

Chris Demery, CTO of Blaze Pizza, brings over 30 years of experience in tech leadership across Domino’s, P.F. Chang’s, and now Blaze. He champions practical, scalable solutions that align with guest needs and franchise goals—delivering real value, not just new features.

About our Host 

Conor Sheridan is the founder and CEO of Nory, a pioneering AI platform helping hospitality brands run smarter, leaner, and more profitably. A former restaurateur himself, Conor blends operational grit with technological vision.

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