The Enterprise CTO Podcast

Before You Add Restaurant Tech, What Will It Replace? Convo w/ Jimmy Frischling and Michael Schatzberg

How do you know whether a new restaurant technology will actually help your team?

Jimmy Frischling and Michael Schatzberg of Branded Hospitality Group join Jim Balis on the Enterprise CTO Podcast. They discuss how their restaurants are using voice AI to handle calls and respond to private event inquiries, along with opportunities in personalized marketing and digital signage.

The conversation comes back to a practical test: Can the staff use the tool when the restaurant is busy? Frischling and Schatzberg explain why a successful pilot may struggle across hundreds of locations, how training affects adoption, and why operators should ask what a new system will take off the team’s plate before adding it.

• What You’ll Learn:
• How voice AI can free hosts to focus on guests in the restaurant
• Why faster responses can help restaurants capture private event inquiries
• What operators should test before rolling out technology across many locations
• How digital signage can help teams update menus and promotions quickly
• Why the cost of a tool includes the time staff spend learning and using it

Episode Links

• Branded Hospitality: https://brandedstrategic.com/
• Michael Schatzberg: https://brandedstrategic.com/teams/michael-schatzberg/
• Michel Schatzberg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesfrischling/
• Jimmy Frischling: https://brandedstrategic.com/teams/jimmy-frischling/
• Jimmy Frischling LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesfrischling/

What makes a restaurant technology investment worth the time and money for a large restaurant brand?

Jim Balis, Managing Director of Strategic Operations at CapitalSpring and co-host of the Enterprise CTO Podcast, joins Shawn Walchef for a look at how restaurant leaders evaluate technology across brands with hundreds of locations. For Balis, ROI comes down to saving time, reducing costs, and turning operational data into action. The conversation covers unnecessary platform changes, the need for dedicated AI expertise, what CTOs should prioritize during their first 90 days, and why technology companies must understand an enterprise brand’s problems before making their pitch.

Checkmate’s Digital Menu Boards

Checkmate’s digital menu boards help restaurants increase average check size by surfacing the right add-ons and offers at the right moment. In a recent 30-day test with a national QSR brand, average check size increased by nearly $1 per order, about a 6% lift, with no extra labor and no slower lines.

Learn more at https://www.itsacheckmate.com/blog/how-restaurants-can-finally-treat-digital-menu-boards-like-a-performance-channel

Episode Links

How do you scale restaurant technology across 2,200 locations while keeping operations simple?

Chris Noffze, Senior Operations Director at Gong cha Americas, joins Shawn Walchef and Jim Balis to share how the global beverage brand is bringing proven technology from international markets to the U.S.  From automated beverage systems and AI-powered decision making to kiosks and operational automation, Noffze explains why every technology investment begins with solving a real operational problem. He also shares how Gong cha pilots new technology, measures ROI, and scales the solutions that improve both the team member and guest experience.

Checkmate’s Digital Menu Boards

Checkmate’s digital menu boards help restaurants increase average check size by surfacing the right add-ons and offers at the right moment. In a recent 30-day test with a national QSR brand, average check size increased by nearly $1 per order, about a 6% lift, with no extra labor and no slower lines.

Learn more at https://www.itsacheckmate.com/blog/how-restaurants-can-finally-treat-digital-menu-boards-like-a-performance-channel

Episode Links

What does it take to modernize technology at a legacy restaurant brand while keeping operations simple for employees and guests?

Tim Newton, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Brand Operations at Long John Silver's, joins Shawn Walchef to discuss how better data, simpler systems, and thoughtful technology create better experiences for both operators and guests. Newton shares his perspective on using AI to make data more useful, preparing for voice ordering, why the best technology removes friction instead of creating it, and how building in public on LinkedIn has helped Newton connect with the next generation of technology leaders.

Checkmate’s Digital Menu Boards

Checkmate’s digital menu boards help restaurants increase average check size by surfacing the right add-ons and offers at the right moment. In a recent 30-day test with a national QSR brand, average check size increased by nearly $1 per order, about a 6% lift, with no extra labor and no slower lines.

Learn more at https://www.itsacheckmate.com/blog/how-restaurants-can-finally-treat-digital-menu-boards-like-a-performance-channel

Episode Links

• Tim Newton LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timnewton/

• Long John Silver’s: https://www.ljsilvers.com/

• Jim Balis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-balis-5879a34/

• Shawn Walchef LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpwalchef/

What does it really take to unify technology across nearly 900 restaurants operating under eight different franchise brands?

Isaac Morton, Vice President of Information Technology at Sizzling Platter, joins Jim Balis and Shawn Walchef to break down the realities of enterprise restaurant technology from the franchisee side. The conversation explores managing multiple POS systems, building centralized data infrastructure, simplifying reporting for operators, surviving a major ransomware attack, and using Vision AI to improve throughput, inventory, and operational decision-making across hundreds of locations.

What You’ll Learn:

Episode Links

Checkmate’s Digital Menu Boards

Checkmate’s Digital Menu Boards help restaurants increase average check size by surfacing the right add-ons and offers at the right moment. In a recent 30-day test with a national QSR brand, average check size increased by nearly $1 per order, about a 6% lift, with no extra labor and no slower lines. 

Learn more at https://www.itsacheckmate.com/blog/how-restaurants-can-finally-treat-digital-menu-boards-like-a-performance-channel

What happens when restaurant leadership, technology, and growth strategy all collide in one conversation? Troy Hooper, CEO of Pepper Lunch joins Jim Balis and Shawn Walchef for the debut episode of the Enterprise CTO Podcast. They discuss what today’s restaurant leaders need to understand about tech stacks, AI, vendor selection, and scaling systems across hundreds of locations. The conversation covers franchisee adoption, global expansion, and how strong operators use technology to create a real competitive edge. 

What You’ll Learn: 

• Why CEOs can no longer afford to ignore technology decisions 

• How enterprise brands evaluate software vendors before signing contracts 

• Why adoption matters more than buying the newest tool 

• How franchise systems balance innovation with operator ROI 

• Where AI is already creating real value inside restaurants 

Episode Links 

• Troy Hooper LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtroyhooper/ 

• Pepper Lunch Restaurants: https://www.pepperlunchrestaurants.com/ 

• Jim Balis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-balis-5879a34/ 

• Shawn Walchef LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpwalchef/ 

Checkmate’s Digital Menu Boards help restaurants increase average check size by surfacing the right add-ons and offers at the right moment. In a recent 30-day test with a national QSR brand, average check size increased by nearly $1 per order, about a 6% lift, with no extra labor and no slower lines. Learn more at https://www.itsacheckmate.com/blog/how-restaurants-can-finally-treat-digital-menu-boards-like-a-performance-channel

Enterprise CTO Podcast Trailer