Browse every Hospitality Hangout episode featuring conversations with restaurant executives, hospitality innovators, and emerging industry leaders.

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Geoff Alexander, President and chief executive officer, to explore using dark kitchens to generate revenue. . Alexander talks about how he started back in 1993 with the privately held restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants that Rich Melman launched in 1971. He says that Lettuce Entertain You has created over two hundred and twenty different ...

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Clayton Wood, Chief Executive Officer at Picnic, to explore solutions for solving labor shortages and automation in food preparation. Wood says when asked to share about himself, “So my background I'm a mechanical engineer by training, I've worked in a bunch of industries including Aerospace renewable energy agriculture, robotics and after a series of st...

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Carissa De Santis, chief information officer at Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants to explore hospitality technology and what’s in the pipeline for Dickey’s Barbecue. De Santis talks about building Dickey’s virtual brands, the interest from franchisees around Wing Boss, and the decision to bring it to brick-and-mortar. They recently opened their first locati...

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Brita Rosenheim, Partner at Culterra Capital and Venture Partner at Better Food Ventures to explore restaurant technology. Rosenheim got started with an interest in the food world and left banking, she went to Italy to get a Masters in food communications. She is an investor and advisor, sharing her excitement for the innovation in technology. Rosenheim...

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” take the show to the first in-person trade show, FSTEC 2021 where restaurants and technology connect. Schatzberg and Frischling chat with Wade Allen, senior vice president, head of innovation at Brinker International, Inc., Derek E. Canton, chief executive officer and founder at Paerpay, Sterling Douglass, co founder and chief executive officer at Chowly, Inc., an...

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy'' and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy'' chat with Chris Campbell, CEO at Review Trackers to explore the importance of restaurant reviews. Campbell founded Review Trackers over ten years ago and helps over fifty thousand restaurants in thirty-five countries track and manage their customer feedback from websites like Google, Facebook, and Tripadvisor. When asked about what he thinks of restaurant opera...

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Tom Pickett, Chief Revenue Officer at DoorDash, to explore delivery and virtual cloud kitchens. Pickett is responsible for building out restaurant partnerships from big chains to mom and pops helping them become successful. Pickett says, “for the last year and a half we really have been working very closely with merchants to help them navigate the challe...

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Paul Allen, President and Cofounder at NextBite, to explore delivery only brands for restaurants across the country and how they can add value for these operators. Allen breaks down Ordermark and NextBite saying they are obsessed with developing technology and brands to help restaurants thrive, and that is their focus. He adds, what makes the company dis...

In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Marty Hahnfeld, Chief Customer Officer at Olo, to explore the future of delivery. “The things that are happening within our business right now happened a decade ago in the hotel industry,” says Hahnfeld, and the industry felt like they needed to deliver without understanding all of their options to have food delivered, letting an oversized number of con...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Tom Recine, the founder of Recine Hospitality, to explore the latest innovations in point of sales tech. “It’s not just a restaurant, it’s an experience,” says Recine. “And that’s what you have to create these days to attract attention. No one wants the same-old same-old.” Recine was a partner and the chief operating officer for Sugar Factory for ei...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Brandon Barton, the chief executive officer of Bite, to explore digital hospitality and improving the online ordering process. “We see an incredible amount of information that we’re helping restaurants to take and learn about their guests, and then personalize ordering experiences for them,” says Barton. “There’s more visibility into what options you...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Zachary Goldstein, the chief executive officer and founder of Thanx, to explore marketing and elevating the digital experience for consumers. “Generic, unpersonalized guest engagement just doesn’t cut it anymore,” says Goldstein. “You’ve got to know who your guests are, you’ve got to give them an easy sweep of digital tools to make those purchases, a...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Joshua Sharkey, the founder and chief executive officer of meez, to explore an exciting new tech solution for chefs. “The genesis of meez was the result of something terrible… I lost my [cooking] notebook,” says Sharkey. “As chefs, we don’t have the time to adopt these technologies that aren’t built to how we’re used to doing things. When I first cre...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Giancarlo Fiorarancio, vice president of Hospitality Technology/IT for the Howard Hughes Corporation, to explore technology and redevelopment in hospitality. Giancarlo Fiorarancio oversees the technology behind Howard Hughes Corporation’s hospitality division. Properties include hotels, restaurants, and event venues in The Woodlands, Las Vegas, and N...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Josh Goodman, the founder of PourMyBeer, to explore the latest in self-serve trends and developments in self-pour technology. With over 8,000 taps in 24 countries, PourMyBeer is an industry leader in self-pour technology, offering a next-generation system that facilitates quick, efficient access to beverages. Consumers simply pour their beer, wine, c...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Micha Magid, the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Mighty Quinn's, to explore virtual restaurants, nationwide delivery, and making the transition to digital. Mighty Quinn’s is a restaurant franchise that specializes in authentic, slow-smoked barbecue. The team prioritizes high quality ingredients, all-natural meats and poultry, and careful...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Abhinav Kapur, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Bikky, to discuss the best way for restaurants to understand, engage, and retain their guests. Bikky is the first CRM for restaurants that helps them power digital hospitality by providing the system of record for all of the restaurant's guest data. Bikky maps the guest footprint across...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Simon de Montfort Walker, the senior vice president and general manager of the Oracle Food and Beverage Global Business Unit, to explore how restaurant operators can leverage their tech to build and expand their business. Oracle Food and Beverage provides point of sale systems to restaurants as well as sports and entertainment venues across 160 count...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Savneet Singh, the chief executive officer of PAR Technology, to discuss how operators and companies can rethink tech to better serve the ever-changing needs of restaurants. PAR Technology is a global restaurant tech company and platform that creates innovative technology and hardware for operators to build their business and strengthen the bond betw...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Solomon Choi, the founder and chief executive officer of 16 Handles, to explore the digital side of hospitality. 16 Handles is a frozen dessert chain that specializes in innovative frozen yogurt, ice cream, and smoothies. Established in 2008, the New-York based chain offers a wide variety of fresh, quality, better-for-you flavors and toppings. “...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Steven Sperry, the founder and chief executive officer of Minnow, to explore the ins and outs of food safety. Minnow is committed to creating a better food delivery and pickup experience. Established in 2017, the company offers contactless Pickup Pods to ensure the process is safe, secure, and convenient for everyone. “Minnow is solving the last...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Kelly MacPherson, the chief technology officer of the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), to explore technology strategy in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group is best known for creating some of New York’s most acclaimed restaurants, cafes, and bars. The company is committed to providing outsta...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Phil Crawford, the chief technology officer of CKE Restaurants, to explore the ongoing digital revolution in the restaurant industry. CKE Restaurants is a Tennessee-based, privately held company that runs and operates Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. The two regional brands combined represent over 3,800 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 st...

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Victoria Vaynberg, the chief marketing officer of Resy, to explore how the company is rethinking and revolutionizing the hospitality experience with technology. Resy is a global dining platform that leverages state-of-the-art technology to better the restaurant and hospitality industry. Established in 2014, the app services over 5,000 restaurants...