Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Why Most Restaurant AI Is Just an If-Then Statement | Toby Malbec
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Why Most Restaurant AI Is Just an If-Then Statement | Toby Malbec
In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, host Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Toby Malbec, a 30+ year restaurant technology veteran who has led technology strategy for brands including Church's Texas Chicken, Subway, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Known in the industry as an "operational technologist," Toby shares why most of what restaurants call AI is really just if-then statements, why the industry's fragmented tech stack remains its biggest obstacle, and what it actually takes to deploy technology inside the four walls.
The conversation covers kiosks, drive-through voice AI, camera vision, and kitchen production, along with the real reasons these technologies succeed or fail in practice. Toby also dives into the franchise relationship, explaining how brands can collect and share data back to operators in a way that builds trust, and why the best technology decisions start with strategy, not a vendor pitch.
Whether you're a franchise operator modernizing your tech stack, a technology leader navigating buy-versus-build decisions, or a restaurant executive evaluating AI solutions, this episode offers a candid, experienced perspective on what works and what's worth waiting for.
Links:
Connect with Toby Malbec on LinkedIn: 🔗 / toby-malbec-8989322
Connect with Matt Wampler on LinkedIn: 🔗 / matthewjwampler
Learn more about ClearCOGS: https://www.clearcogs.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro & Coming Up
03:55 Welcome, Toby Malbec
05:07 What Is AI, Really?
06:44 Descriptive, Predictive & Prescriptive Analytics
10:11 Why Restaurant Data Doesn't Play Nice
14:15 AI Coding and Legacy Systems
18:19 Buy vs Build: Who Creates the Restaurant OS?
22:46 The Kiosk Debate
28:00 Drive-Through Voice AI
33:37 Evaluating Voice AI Vendors
38:46 Franchisees and Technology Decisions
44:31 Data Sharing and Franchisee Trust
51:52 Operational Efficiency in the Four Walls
57:35 Predictive Analytics That Work
1:01:13 How AI Changes the Restaurant Workforce
1:09:48 Advice on Deploying Technology
1:14:02 Where to Find Toby
View all episodes
By Matt WamplerIn this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, host Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Toby Malbec, a 30+ year restaurant technology veteran who has led technology strategy for brands including Church's Texas Chicken, Subway, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Known in the industry as an "operational technologist," Toby shares why most of what restaurants call AI is really just if-then statements, why the industry's fragmented tech stack remains its biggest obstacle, and what it actually takes to deploy technology inside the four walls.
The conversation covers kiosks, drive-through voice AI, camera vision, and kitchen production, along with the real reasons these technologies succeed or fail in practice. Toby also dives into the franchise relationship, explaining how brands can collect and share data back to operators in a way that builds trust, and why the best technology decisions start with strategy, not a vendor pitch.
Whether you're a franchise operator modernizing your tech stack, a technology leader navigating buy-versus-build decisions, or a restaurant executive evaluating AI solutions, this episode offers a candid, experienced perspective on what works and what's worth waiting for.
Links:
Connect with Toby Malbec on LinkedIn: 🔗 / toby-malbec-8989322
Connect with Matt Wampler on LinkedIn: 🔗 / matthewjwampler
Learn more about ClearCOGS: https://www.clearcogs.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro & Coming Up
03:55 Welcome, Toby Malbec
05:07 What Is AI, Really?
06:44 Descriptive, Predictive & Prescriptive Analytics
10:11 Why Restaurant Data Doesn't Play Nice
14:15 AI Coding and Legacy Systems
18:19 Buy vs Build: Who Creates the Restaurant OS?
22:46 The Kiosk Debate
28:00 Drive-Through Voice AI
33:37 Evaluating Voice AI Vendors
38:46 Franchisees and Technology Decisions
44:31 Data Sharing and Franchisee Trust
51:52 Operational Efficiency in the Four Walls
57:35 Predictive Analytics That Work
1:01:13 How AI Changes the Restaurant Workforce
1:09:48 Advice on Deploying Technology
1:14:02 Where to Find Toby