Jo Lambert, COO of Olo, joins Hospitality Hangout live from Prosper for a conversation about the future of restaurant technology, online ordering, loyalty, guest data, and the next chapter of digital hospitality.

Jo brings a unique background to the restaurant industry, with leadership experience across American Express, PayPal, Venmo, Yahoo, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, TechCrunch, AOL, and global consumer technology. In this episode, she shares why she made the move into restaurant tech, what drew her to Olo founder Noah Glass’ vision, and why the industry still has so much room to grow through better digital tools.

The conversation centers on Olo’s big bet: helping restaurants build stronger direct relationships with guests. Jo explains the Olo Network, the upcoming Olo App, and the idea of second-party ordering, a model designed to sit between first-party and third-party while helping restaurants keep guest data, protect margin, and create new demand channels.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode of Hospitality Hangout introduces Hospitality Insiders, a special segment built for deeper operator-to-operator conversations about ownership, capital, structure, people, and what it really costs to own the thing.

For this Hospitality Insiders conversation, Jimmy Frischling sits down with Nadeem Bajwa, co-founder and CEO of Bajco Group, one of the largest Papa Johns franchise operators in North America.

Nadeem’s story is often told as an American dream story: he came to the United States from Pakistan in 1991, washed dishes, delivered pizzas, and eventually grew into one of the largest Papa Johns franchisees in the system. But this conversation goes deeper than the origin story.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Hospitality Hangout, Ray joins the show live from The Prosper Forum in Orlando, Florida to talk about capturing the Friday Feeling and rebuilding one of casual dining’s most iconic brands from the inside out.

Ray shares how he moved from the kitchen to the boardroom, left Fridays as president, led other major restaurant companies, and returned to a brand he never stopped caring about. He talks about the work behind the comeback, including leadership, franchisee alignment, technology upgrades, off-premise, social media, hospitality, and an 85% menu refresh built around food the team can be proud to serve.

The conversation also gets into the bigger Fridays story: potato skins, Jack Daniel’s ribs, bar flair, striped uniforms, big appetizers, mocktails, GLP-1 dining behavior, delivery, Olo, global growth, and the brand’s goal of reaching 1,000-plus restaurants and $2 billion in annual revenue by 2030.

From the original singles bar to a global casual dining brand, this episode is about restoring the energy, hospitality, and social connection that made TGI Fridays famous, while building a version of the brand for the next generation.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jake Karls, co-founder and rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares, joins Hospitality Hangout for The Food Fluencers series to talk about the chocolate bar built for the 2 p.m. crash and the founder-led content strategy that turned a better-for-you snack into one of the most talked-about brands in CPG.

Jake shares how Mid-Day Squares started with Lezlie Karls making a cleaner afternoon chocolate snack for Nick Saltarelli, how the three founders began making bars by hand in a condo kitchen, and how they hand-delivered product while documenting the entire journey online.

Jake also talks about using social media as a competitive weapon, hiring a videographer before most people thought it made sense, turning a Hershey moment into a viral diss-track-style music video, building fans who fix shelves in grocery stores, and why the future belongs to brands that can earn attention and get customers to come back.

From functional chocolate and protein-packed snacks to Target, Whole Foods, Costco, offices, coffee shops, nostalgia flavors, food influencers, and the future of midday snacking, this episode is a look at how Mid-Day Squares turned a chocolate bar into a movement.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Kelly, Brand President of SONIC Drive-In, joins Hospitality Hangout for a conversation about drinks, drive-in culture, nostalgia, technology, and why SONIC still feels different.

John talks about the power of SONIC’s beverage platform, from cherry limeades and Refreshers to dirty soda, SONIC ice, and more than a million drink combinations. He also gets into the SONIC Smasher, value, mobile ordering, SONIC Rewards, third-party delivery, and the role of drive-in stalls in creating a guest experience that still feels personal.

The episode also explores how SONIC is thinking about AI and restaurant technology. John’s focus is on helping general managers make better decisions, improve speed of service, and run stronger restaurants without letting technology get in the way of hospitality.

From “newstalgia” to custom drinks, this is a look at how SONIC is keeping its brand fun, familiar, and different.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bruce Nelson has seen the restaurant business from almost every angle: dishwasher, cook, chef instructor, restaurant owner, operator, author, and fractional CFO.

On this episode of Hospitality Hangout, Bruce joins the show live from SpotOn Studios at the National Restaurant Association Show to talk about the financial side of hospitality and why great food, great service, and a busy dining room are not always enough to build a profitable restaurant.

Bruce shares how he opened his first restaurant at 22, copied a competitor’s menu, priced everything one dollar cheaper, and learned the hard way that restaurant math matters. He also discusses the failure that shaped his book, Restaurant Management: The Myth, the Magic, the Math, and why many operators understand the magic of hospitality before they fully understand the math behind profit.

The conversation explores menu pricing, restaurant profitability, debt restructuring, cash flow, POS systems, cloud-based restaurant technology, AI analytics, and the role of a fractional CFO in helping restaurants make better decisions. Bruce also explains why AI can be powerful for reporting, auditing, and analytics, but should never get between the operator and the guest.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kalei’s Kitchenette started at a farmers market table and grew into one of San Diego’s beloved Hawaiian-inspired restaurant and catering brands.

On this episode of Hospitality Hangout, Khara Mangiduyos, co-founder of Kalei’s Kitchenette, joins the show live from SpotOn Studios at the National Restaurant Association Show to share the story behind the family-owned concept she built with her husband, Chef Andy Mangiduyos.

From Huli Huli chicken and Kalua pork to Spam musubi, Hawaiian-style mac salad, Filipino hospitality, San Diego community events, and the power of solving real customer problems, this episode is a hometown hero story about food, family, technology, and aloha.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amir Harpaz, owner of The Mudpuppy at Cherokee Outdoor Resort, joins Hospitality Hangout live from SpotOn Studios at the National Restaurant Association Show to share how a seasonal lakeside restaurant in Tennessee became a real-world case study in restaurant AI, menu engineering, and operational efficiency.

The Mudpuppy is a dockside restaurant on Tellico Lake known for hot food, cold drinks, live music, boat-friendly dining, seafood, burgers, cocktails, and a laid-back lakefront experience. But behind the fun is a highly data-driven operator using technology to improve the business.

Amir explains how he and his team built Menu Mind, an AI-powered menu optimization tool trained on menu psychology research. Instead of raising prices, The Mudpuppy used AI to rethink menu layout, item placement, descriptions, visual presentation, and ordering behavior. According to Amir, the result was a major year-over-year sales lift with similar guest counts, proving that better menu design can have a real impact on restaurant performance.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rickey Booker, co-founder of Breakfast Brothers, joins Hospitality Hangout to share the real story behind the Dallas breakfast and soul food brand.

Rickey talks about growing up in Oklahoma City, starting in restaurants at 15, learning the business from the ground level, and eventually building a menu around chicken and waffles, catfish, wings, pork chops, breakfast favorites, and comfort food people kept coming back for.

The conversation follows the Breakfast Brothers journey from the original “Black Shack” trailer to nightclub kitchens, food trucks, restaurant locations, catering, and stadium work. Rickey also explains how getting shut down by the city helped him realize people were not just showing up for the party. They were showing up for the food.

This episode also gets into the operational side of building a restaurant brand. Rickey shares how technology, POS systems, reporting, QR codes, and the right partner helped him move from working in the business to working on the business. For operators trying to grow beyond one location, his story is a reminder that great food gets people in the door, but systems are what help a restaurant scale.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Barcelona Wine Bar has built its reputation on tapas, Spanish wine, small plates, and a dining room that feels more like a party than a traditional restaurant. But according to COO Amy Hom, the real engine behind the brand is people.

Live from the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, Amy returns to Hospitality Hangout to talk about hospitality culture, employee development, restaurant leadership, and how Barcelona Wine Bar keeps its experience fresh after 30 years.

Amy shares why the company “hires for the fun,” how heart checks help leaders understand what is really happening with their teams, and why every employee needs a development plan. She also explains how better training, stronger career paths, and emotional intelligence can reduce turnover and help restaurants scale without losing the human side of hospitality.

The conversation also explores Barcelona Wine Bar’s chef-driven model, its Spanish tapas and small plates experience, the strength of its wine program, the growth of Corsica Wine Bar, and why concepts built around sharing, connection, and flexible dining are especially relevant right now.

From tapas and wine flights to private dining, GLP-1 dining behavior, small plates, restaurant culture, and the future of hospitality careers, this episode is a look at how one of the industry’s most respected operators thinks about growth, fun, standards, and the people who make restaurants work.

Featuring Amy Hom, COO of Barcelona Wine Bar, on Hospitality Hangout.

Episode Credits:

• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: Three Cheers Creative

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.