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In this episode of The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Emmy Award–winning storyteller Mike Duffy of Yum Crunch. Together they break down five timely stories shaping restaurants and tech:

• McDonald’s bets on web ordering through DoorDash—does convenience outweigh control?
• Yum Brands’ Byte platform fuels $9B in digital sales and rewrites the restaurant tech stack.
• Social listening lessons: Cracker Barrel’s backlash vs. KFC’s potato wedge comeback.
• Drone delivery’s tipping point—new FAA rules, Texas rollouts, pizza robots in LA, and the Ghost Kitchen 3.0 vision.
• The power and peril of influencers—when viral moments can make or break restaurants.

Tune in for insights on how digital disruption, AI, and influence are shaping the future of food.

00:50 – Big Macs without an app?
McDonald’s and DoorDash team up on a web-based ordering channel. Does this remove friction or hand too much control to a third party?

06:20 – How Byte is fueling Yum’s digital revolution
Yum Brands surpasses $9B in digital sales with its in-house AI platform Byte, reshaping marketing, operations, and delivery.

14:35 – Social listening: when to hear and when to act
KFC wins big with a potato wedge comeback while Cracker Barrel faces backlash over redesigns. Lessons in consumer engagement.

22:55 – Drone delivery is set to take off
Regulations shift, GoTo Foods tests drones in Texas, Serve robots deliver pizzas in LA, and Ghost Kitchens 3.0 may be on the horizon.

32:00 – Should operators be influencers?
The risks and rewards of social media influence: a San Francisco chef’s career collapses after a viral TikTok, while CPK and Pinky Cole show how to turn moments into opportunities.

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Carl returns from a July break with Bernadette Heier of Food on Demand to unpack five stories that signal where restaurant tech is heading next.

01:00 – Olo acquired by Thoma Bravo
• $2B all-cash deal
• A chance to reset outside the public markets
• Could this unlock faster innovation?

04:30 – OpenTable’s AI Concierge
• Built with OpenAI and Perplexity
• Answers 80% of diner questions
• Visibility now depends on how up-to-date your listing is

09:00 – Golden Corral’s Flybuy-powered pickup
• Off-premises rebrand: Golden Corral Favorites
• Flybuy tracks customer approach to time food perfectly
• Reflects the rise of drive-thru-style formats from legacy brands

12:05 – AEO: Answer Engine Optimization
• 70% of Google searches now end with no click
• Video builds audience—but not search visibility
• Q&A-style web content is the key to getting found by AI

18:20 – VenHub at LAX
• Automated grab-and-go using robotic arms
• $250K startup cost, $300M in preorders
• A new frontier in frictionless convenience

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This week on The Digital Restaurant, I’m joined by a new co-host — Alex, an AI avatar — as we break down five headlines showing how delivery, automation, and AI are shaping the next wave of restaurant operations:

01:10 – Olive Garden’s off-premise engine is humming
Uber Direct integration, buy-one-take-one offers, and nearly 7% same-store sales growth from delivery alone

05:25 – Yum China rolls out Q Smartt
 A voice-activated wearable assistant for managers, designed to surface operational insights in real time

11:05 – GPT failed at report building
 QSR’s Mary Pillow Thompson spent a weekend trying to automate daily ops. The issue wasn’t the model—it was the lack of orchestration

13:30 – DoorDash acquires Symbiosis for $175M
 A strategic bet on local commerce advertising, with closed-loop attribution from ad to order

17:45 – Coco raises $80M to scale delivery bots
 Semi-autonomous, human-guided, and aiming for 10,000 units deployed by 2026

Quote of the week:
 “Coco isn’t replacing humans — they’re redeploying them smarter.”

Full episode: https://thedigitalrestaurant.buzzsprout.com

#restauranttech #AI #offpremise #DoorDash #OliveGarden #CocoRobotics #YumChina #InvisibleTechnologies

Shoutouts:
 Zach Rash, Joey Simons, Sam Altman, Ryan Graves, Mary Pillow Thompson, Alex (AI co-host)

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What’s Inside This Episode?

00:00 – Live from the National Restaurant Show
Carl visits Chicago and joins Rich Faltot at Point B’s new Restaurant Technology Innovation Center.

01:00 – Why restaurant tech stacks are broken
Legacy systems, data silos, fragmented integrations, and the cost of doing nothing.

• POS replacements are “open heart surgery” for restaurants
• Transformation takes 18–36 months on average
• Success requires aligned leadership and future-facing thinking

06:00 – Customer obsession: the north star for tech decisions
Rich outlines how leading brands maintain focus—on the guest experience, not shiny tools.

• The best operators spend time in-store, watching, listening, learning
• Every tool must make things easier for the team and better for the customer

13:00 – Point B’s ‘Digital Safari’ and art-of-the-possible workshops

• Real-world immersion through drive-thru, kiosk, and delivery UX testing
• Cross-industry inspiration (NASCAR, Disney) drives better solutions

20:00 – Inside the tech center
Carl takes a walking tour of the new Tech Center, featuring:

• Multiple full-stack POS environments: Toast, PAR, Qu, Aloha and more
• Integrated back-of-house systems: Restaurant365, SynergySuite, Decision Logic
• Training and deployment environments built for test, learn, and change management

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This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by restaurant real estate expert and 10Rep founder Kyle Inserra. Together they explore the rise of kitchen automation, curbside robotics, and why DoorDash is pausing its Voice AI. Packed with insights from the National Restaurant Show, this episode covers the latest in tech, data, and operations shaping the restaurant world.

Timestamps:

00:00:40 – AI Dominates the National Restaurant Show

• AI matures beyond hype as operators start real implementation
• Back-of-house robotics everywhere—from fryers to vid machines
• Tariff uncertainty stalls investment for some tech vendors
   🗨️ “I saw so much automation for the back of house—everyone was there this year.” — Carl

00:05:10 – AutoLane Launches Curbside OS for Autonomous Pickup

• Think of it as air traffic control for self-driving food pickups
• Testing in SF and Austin ahead of Tesla robo-taxi launches
• Cuts pickup time from 2 minutes to 1 — massive implications
   🗨️ “It’s choreography for self-driving cars—and it's coming fast.” — Carl

00:09:40 – Wingstop Goes All-In on Smart Kitchens

• Proprietary AI forecasts demand and halves cook times
• Rollout success across franchise system — rare in the space
• Shows power of in-house tech stacks over integrations
   🗨️ “Wingstop isn’t trying to beat the competition—they’re trying to beat themselves.” — Kyle

00:12:10 – DoorDash Trend Report: Robots, TikTok & Global Palates

• Men more likely to trust AI-cooked meals; Gen Z shops by photo
• Garlic naan, pad thai, miso soup among top 10 DoorDash orders
• Half of users take 5–10 minutes deciding what to eat
   🗨️ “If you aren’t in the carousel, you’re not in the consideration set.” — Carl

00:20:00 – DoorDash Pauses Voice AI, Names Preferred Tech Partners

• Voice AI project shelved—for now—due to underperformance
• Integration partners now include Toast, Square, Otter, Checkmate
• More scrutiny coming for tech vendors to meet Doordash standards
   🗨️ “Most GenAI projects fail because they’re poorly tested—DoorDash just pressed pause.” — Carl

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🔔 Subscribe to The Digital Restaurant Podcast and follow us on YouTube for more episodes that combine the love of food with the latest in technology. Your next restaurant tech adventure starts here!

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In this week’s episode of The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Alayna Sullivan, Senior Director of Corporate Comms at Olo, fresh from Food on Demand. Together, they cover five big stories shaping the restaurant and off-premise landscape, including DoorDash’s mega acquisitions, Chipotle's new catering pilot with Olo, and the rising footprint of Wonder.

Timestamps:

00:01:30 – Chipotle x Olo Catering Partnership

• Chipotle pilots Olo’s Catering Plus with promising early features
• Average catering check size = $350+
   🗨️ “We are going to see more and more improvements when it comes to the digital interface for catering.” — Carl

00:05:00 – DoorDash Acquires Deliveroo & SevenRooms

• $5B+ in acquisitions as DoorDash shifts toward platform dominance
• SevenRooms' CRM tools broaden DoorDash’s value prop
   🗨️ “DoorDash is betting the next wave of restaurant tech is about owning the guest journey.” — Carl

00:10:20 – Huddle House’s Off-Premise Reboot

• Three new footprints designed for off-premise and drive-thru
• Even breakfast gets a modern makeover
   🗨️ “This is a blueprint for aging brands to boost frequency and convenience.” — Alayna

00:13:20 – Black Box Data: Industry Outlook

• Traffic down, oversaturation looming, value now a critical consumer trigger
   🗨️ “When joy is greater than fear, economic growth begins.” — Lisa Miller (via Carl)

00:21:35 – Wonder Raises $600M, Hits $7B Valuation

• Rapid expansion plans, full-stack food experience, and smart acquisitions
   🗨️ “Wonder is playing in spaces like ghost kitchens that haven’t worked for others—yet investors are all in.” — Alayna

👉 Follow, rate & review wherever you listen, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube!

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🔔 Subscribe to The Digital Restaurant Podcast and follow us on YouTube for more episodes that combine the love of food with the latest in technology. Your next restaurant tech adventure starts here!

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This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl and guest co-host Jason Berkowitz dive into:

• Qu's move toward smart kitchens with integrated IoT systems (0m 50s)
• A sharp reflection on the restaurant "disruptors" that weren't — from Zume Pizza to Ghost Kitchens (4m 35)
• Why Chipotle's negative sales aren't just about the economy — and how training and tech are key to recovery (11m 05)
• A fascinating new look at menu personalization trends with EveryBite data (17m10)
• How technology can — and should — help restaurants become more sustainable (23m 20)

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🔔 Subscribe to The Digital Restaurant Podcast and follow us on YouTube for more episodes that combine the love of food with the latest in technology. Your next restaurant tech adventure starts here!

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This week, Carl is joined by Deborah Matteliano, the Global Head of Restaurants at AWS, for a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from tariffs and avocados to AI strategy, Seamless’s surprising comeback, and the limits of restaurant robotics. Drawing from her experience at Uber Eats and now at Amazon, Deborah offers sharp insights on how data, delivery, and design are reshaping the restaurant landscape.

Topics include:

• 1m 15: How Chipotle’s avocado strategy is shielding it from tariff turbulence
• 9m: Why Grubhub's Revival of Seamless Could Be Wonder's Secret Weapon
• 16m 55: The real reason Kernel scrapped its robots
• 22m 20: The DoorDash + Domino’s partnership.
• 30m: Boston's permit requirements on the delivery companies.

If you're serious about restaurant tech and the off-premise channel, this one’s a must-listen.

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🔔 Subscribe to The Digital Restaurant Podcast and follow us on YouTube for more episodes that combine the love of food with the latest in technology. Your next restaurant tech adventure starts here!

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This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Yaro Tsyhanenko, founder of PickPad, to break down the headlines shaping restaurants and tech:

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: Meet guest host Yaro, CEO of PickPad
01:00 – Why did Yum Brands partner with Nvidia?
05:37 – What does Qu’s State of Digital 2025 Report reveal?
13:06 – Why did Starbucks acquire Empower Delivery?
18:47 – Are loyalty programs evolving or stuck in the past?
26:02 – Could Bolt disrupt Uber and DoorDash in North America?
30:00 – What is PickPad, and how is it improving restaurant pickup?

🔥 Topics covered:

• Yum’s push into site-level AI
• Why loyalty without data is just a discount
• How fast casuals are quietly overtaking QSRs in digital
• Empower Delivery’s big leap into Starbucks
• Bolt’s entry into Canada — and what it signals for North America
• A smart startup (PickPad) fixing off-prem chaos with sensors + ML

Support the show

🔔 Subscribe to The Digital Restaurant Podcast and follow us on YouTube for more episodes that combine the love of food with the latest in technology. Your next restaurant tech adventure starts here!

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Welcome to The Digital Restaurant! Carl is joined by Bernadette Heier, Managing Editor from Food on Demand, marking the first time a professional broadcaster joins the show.

[00:01:07] Planes, (Trains?) & Automobiles – A New Kind of Off-Premise? Shake Shack is expanding its partnership with Delta Airlines, bringing its brand to first-class passengers. As restaurants seek new ways to expand off-premise, is the future in the skies—or even on freeways?

[00:03:04] Dashboard Dining: The Rise of In-Car Ordering – SoundHound AI partners with Chrysler, Hyundai, and Kia to bring voice ordering into vehicles. while the team explores how Mavi shares insights into how personalized ordering could reshape the drive-thru experience.

[00:04:29] Is Tech Fatigue Real? Some operators are reassessing their technology investments. McDonald’s pulls back on voice AI, and Chipotle’s Autocado robot returns to the lab. Are restaurants overwhelmed, or is the industry just demanding stronger ROI?

[00:10:15] Wonder Acquires a Media Powerhouse – Wonder, fresh off acquiring Grubhub, now buys Tastemade. With 160 million social followers, this move could redefine how food content drives sales.

[00:13:07] Starbucks Rethinks Store Design – As mobile pickup surges, Starbucks looks to rebalance digital and in-store orders. What can the industry learn from their approach?

[00:19:24] Agentic AI in Restaurants – Yum Brands is testing AI-powered restaurant managers through its Byte AI Restaurant Coach, signaling a shift toward automated decision-making in fast food.

[00:22:32] Food On Demand Conference Preview – Bernadette shares why Food on Demand (May 5-7 in Las Vegas) is the must-attend event for off-premise and restaurant technology leaders.

🔊 Listen now to stay ahead in restaurant innovation!

#Restaurants #OffPremise #AI #DriveThru #TechFatigue #FoodOnDemand #Wonder #Starbucks #ShakeShack

Support the show

🔔 Subscribe to The Digital Restaurant Podcast and follow us on YouTube for more episodes that combine the love of food with the latest in technology. Your next restaurant tech adventure starts here!

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