Restaurant AI & Technology Report

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron chats with Donald Burns, a restaurant coach, speaker, and former restaurant owner. Burns works with independent operators to rebuild their brands, raise profits, and empower their teams.

Burns offers years of experience in the industry, and is currently working with a number of restaurants to address the coronavirus crisis. Barron and Burns discuss guest communication strategies, digital marketing, and the future of fine dining.

In this episode of The Barron Report—as part of a special series examining the economic impact of coronavirus on the restaurant industry—host Paul Barron sits down with Fred LeFranc, the chaos strategist and change agent for consulting company Results Thru Strategy.

LeFranc specializes in working with restaurants, investment firms, and other businesses to create brand-revitalizing strategies that promote healthy, long-lasting growth. Barron and LeFranc explore leadership tactics and damage control for companies hurt by the coronavirus crisis.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron sits down with Louis Basile, the president and co-founder of the Arizona-based restaurant and bakery Wildflower Bread Company. Basile has previously served in senior management positions for a number of companies, including Au Bon Pain and Coffee Plantation.

Basile co-founded Wildflower Bread Company with his wife, Tracy, in 1995. The chain has since expanded to sixteen locations situated throughout Arizona. Barron and Basile discuss the communication strategies, marketing techniques, and contingency plans Wildflower is implementing to handle the impact of coronavirus.

In this special episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron investigates the impact—both visible and behind-the-scenes—of coronavirus on the restaurant and hospitality business.

Operators across the globe are already facing a number of challenges within our current social, political, and economic climate. Barron explores some of the key steps Foodable is taking to help businesses during this coronavirus crisis, and provides data-based predictions for what lies ahead for the industry.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron sits down with Andrew Horowitz, the president and founder of Horowitz & Company. Horowitz is a registered investment advisor and has provided money management services for individual and corporate clients since the 1980s.

Horowitz & Company specializes in crafting results-oriented investment strategies that combine advanced technology with hands-on expertise. Barron and Horowitz explore how the coronavirus may shape the U.S. economy in the near future.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron chats with Erin Moran, the chief culture officer for Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). Moran previously served as the executive vice president of U.S. business for Great Place to Work.

As chief culture officer, Moran manages culture development—namely promoting a key value for USHG, enlightened hospitality—as well as all facets of the employee experience. Barron and Moran discuss culture building, the impact of technological advances, and culture challenges in the hospitality industry today.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron sits down with Chris Kerr, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Gathered Foods and its plant-based seafood brand, Good Catch. Kerr has been investing in the plant-based food segment for the past decade, and has been involved in the development of numerous plant-based companies including Beyond Meat, Daiya, and Alpha Foods.

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron sits down with Chris Baggott, the co-founder and chief executive officer of ClusterTruck. ClusterTruck is a delivery-only restaurant and software platform exclusively accepting orders in a six-minute driving radius. The restaurant serves dishes entirely made from scratch. Baggott has over twenty years of experience in data innovation, and previously co-founded data-driven marketing software pioneers ExactTarget and Compendium Software in the 2000s.

The next ten years will be without a doubt the defining point for hundreds of brands and more than 400K independent restaurants. That defining point is the shift to digital revenue. My research shows more than 95% of restaurants today are not prepared for what is about to hit them in the mouth in the area of digital revenue.

Guest: Donald Burns - The Restaurant Coach

In this episode of The Barron Report, host Paul Barron chats with Keith Ryu, the chief executive officer of hiring platform Fountain. Based in San Francisco, Fountain specializes in hourly workers, annually processing nearly one million applicants and 130,000 monthly hires. Recently featured on Forbes 30 under 30, Ryu co-founded the Series A-backed Fountain in 2014. With shifting workforce demographics, automation, and a growing gig economy, operators with an eye on the future need to invest in and leverage human resource technology to ensure steady growth.