Episodes
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Joining the show today, I am excited to have Troy Hooper, Chief Executive Officer at Hot Palette America. Troy Hooper joined Pepper Lunch as one of the three global business unit CEO’s for the brand, and oversees Pepper Lunch’s parent company in North America, Hot Palette America. Troy brings 30 years of unparalleled experience in hospitality, operations management and executive leadership to this role, which has fueled Pepper Lunch’s infrastructure development, growth efforts, and brand deliverables, creating a fruitful franchise model for the North American market.
Throughout his career, Troy has successfully built new concepts, rebranded existing restaurants, and improved well-established venues for iconic brands. Troy’s decades of experience and business acumen brings a breadth of knowledge to the rapidly growing global brand, Pepper Lunch.
By the way, I have some breaking news for you at the end of this episode so make sure you listen all the way through to make sure you don’t miss it!
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]
What’s up next?Next week is the one and only Geoff Alexander from Wow Bao. We all know both of these names very well. A man who had a vision, assembled an amazing team and has taken his vision to a whole new level! You think he is passionate about virtual brands? Well, you will have to tune in to hear him tell us what he REALLY thinks about the future of that side of the industry.
So, check out Hot Bytes on all of my social media channels and let me know what you think. I am very curious to see the reaction and see how sadistic you all really are!
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Back with us today is Managing Director of ConStrata Consulting, Mr. Toby Malbec. This episode is dedicated to the two hospitality shows that recently happened, the industry standard, HITEC, brought to you by HFTP, which was held in Toronto and the brand new Hospitality Show put on by AHLA in Las Vegas at the Venetian Hotel. Both of these shows happened at the same exact time, so Toby and I decided to divide and conquer as so many others did as well. Today’s recap will highlight overall arching themes, similarities as well as differences between the two shows. Enjoy!
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]
What’s up next?Next week I am excited to share the time I had to chat with Troy Hooper, CEO of Hot Palette America, best known for their outrageously popular and delicious restaurant, Pepper Lunch. Troy has quite a bit to share with us regarding the growth of the organization including building out a tech stack for an international operation. How is he going to pull it off? Tune in and find out!
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Episodes manquant?
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Joining the show today is our special guest, Nabeel, CEO and Co-Founder of Lunchbox. Nabeel was born in Bangladesh, moved to Kuwait 7 years later, and to Queens, New York 7 years after that. Nabeel began his career as the first busboy at the Bareburger flagship store in Astoria, and spent his free time devising marketing objectives for the CEO. In 2019 he founded Lunchbox, a next-gen online ordering company, that was built out of the frustration of trying to build his own digital ordering system at Bareburger. In just a short period, Lunchbox has established itself as the premiere product in the digital ordering space, partnering with industry leaders such as Firehouse Subs, Papa Gino’s, Clean Juice, Wings Over, Bareburger and more.
Today’s show is NOT about Lunchbox. It is about AI and the new, free AI application that can be found online to allow restaurants generate food pictures for their online ordering guests. We take this much further into the legalities around intellectual properties, regulation and the future of this technology.
We have some fundamental differences of opinion around the IP side of things but, at the end of the day, we are all trying to figure out where this all lands and are in it together.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]
What’s up next?Busy and crazy times in our industry right now. This also happens to be a very timely subject today, especially around the online ordering and virtual kitchen side of things as we are starting to see a slowdown in online ordering and a significant shakeup in that side of the industry. I would also love to hear your thoughts on where YOU think the digital restaurant is headed. I will be out at the new
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Joining the show today is Aaron Hoffman, Co-Founder & Head of Strategy at DeliverThat - a white label, last-mile delivery platform focused on catering delivery and setup. Aaron and I break down what a successful delivery operation looks like for your business: best practices, process changes, considerations for success and so much more. We will also dig deeper into the catering side of the restaurant business and how this can be a game changer if you not spending much time and effort to perfect that side of the business.
You will get lots of great juicy nuggets from this show. Bon Appetit! Oh, and by the way, Alan Hickey…. I hear Aaron is a better golfer than you. Just sayin’,..
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]
Next Week’s ShowNext week, I have Nabeel from Lunchbox joining us to talk about the new AI Food Generator application they developed, and we go pretty deep into the AI in general. Nabeel is a well known industry expert that people look up to and it was a privilege to have him join me. Certainly, an episode you won’t want to miss.
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Joining the show today are two individuals who I am sure you have seen all over social media and at conferences if your business is restaurants and technology. Carl Orsbourn and Meredith Sandland join the show to talk about their new book, “Delivering the Digital Restaurant; The Path to Digital Maturity.” This falls on the heels of the must have book from last year, “Delivering the Digital Restaurant: Your Roadmap to the Future of Food.”
Meredith Sandland is the CEO of Empower Delivery, a software company that enables restaurants to profitably and sustainably serve off-premise demand. Meredith met with every major restaurant company, food-tech company, real estate company, and VC investor who is exploring the online food revolution. In Empower Delivery, she found what she had been looking for: a restaurant tech company built from the ground up to service the on-demand consumer. Prior to Empower Delivery, Sandland created and drove disruptive growth as Chief Development Officer at Taco Bell, America’s largest Mexican-inspired restaurant, and as COO at Kitchen United, a ghost-kitchen start-up that is rolling out nationally.
Carl Orsbourn is a global retail executive and board member whose experience spans blue-chip companies, disruptive start-up ventures, and restaurants. As COO of Juicer, Carl leads business development, partnerships, and operations for this innovative start-up supporting the development of dynamic pricing capability for restaurants. At Kitchen United, Carl established the operating model and led operations & customer success for one of the country’s foremost ghost kitchen providers.
Carl and Meredith serve as advisors and board members at several food-service and tech start-ups. They have been recognized as Power Players by Nations Restaurant News and Business Insider for their thought leadership in supporting restaurants to adapt to the challenges and opportunities offered through digitization, technology, and automation.
Don’t worry, this episode is not just a sales pitch for the book. We dig much deeper in conversation about things like figuring out what “digital” means to the restaurant industry, order throttling, dynamic pricing, converting 3rd party to a 1st party customers, the gig workforce and even talk about the good and evil of AI.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and... -
I have an unbelievable treat for you today with another industry rockstar; the man, that I have heard many times before, to have the Midas touch because he has the reputation that everything he touches turns to gold.
At this point, you are saying to yourself, “who is this person.” Today, the one and only, Chris Artinian joins us to talk about technology through the years and his personal formula for a successful organization. Chris serves as President & CEO at Condado Tacos and Tequila, an emerging NextGen growth brand that specializes in tacos, margheritas and tequilas, with expansion plans to expand up to 100 company owned and operated restaurants by 2026, as it expands to many new markets. Chris has over 30 years of restaurant and retail experience, with both private and public companies, and has extensive experience in restaurant and consumer services. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Another Broken Egg, Ted’s Cafe Escondido, and Condado Tacos.
Chris joined Condado Tacos to partner with the team in charting the next phase of meteoric growth. He continues to serve as an Operating Director at The Beekman Group, and prior to that lead TooJay’s Gourmet Deli, Bakery & Restaurant, serving as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he served as President and CEO of Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, and previously, was President and CEO of Morton’s Steakhouse, the largest fine dining brand in the world. Chris was a success story at Morton’s, starting in a back of the house kitchen position and rising through the ranks to eventually become the CEO of this leading publicly-traded steakhouse.
Throughout his career Mr. Artinian has been recognized for leveraging his deep operational experience in developing winning strategies and exceptional teams. Passionate about the restaurant business, Chris has provided key insight and commentary on the industry to numerous media outlets including CNBC, Fox Business and Bloomberg News, and is a sought-after guest speaker and panelist for industry conferences and events.
If anybody has industry chops, I can think of nobody better to bring on this show. We have some amazing conversation around some of the key elements he looks for and corrects when being involved with a new organization. Obviously, he is usually brought onboard to identify inefficiencies and other operational issues, make course corrections and create a plan to take that company to the next level. A key factor of this, obviously, is based around technology in today’s world. Trust, me, Chris can talk technology and I was fascinated with our engaging conversation. Please sit back, relax and enjoy and make sure you have a pen and paper handy to take some notes. You are about to hear from one of the industry greats.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: -
Today, I have another special guest that I recorded while I was at MURTEC recently. Kevin Seo and I had the opportunity to present a fire chat at the show on the Metaverse 101. I thought it only fair to sit down with him and record, 1-on-1, for all of you, our thoughts on this matter and share it here on this show.
Kevin is truly a superstar in this space. He started in Fortune 500, leading to side hustling through e-commerce and into start-ups, always being the loudest brand voice in the room. Kevin left his corporate, white picket fence dream to chase something bigger than himself. Focusing on community building and innovation, teamed up with a couple of partners to create Bored and Hungry, Food Fighters Universe and Secret Sauce Society. Kevin is determined to create amazing memories for communities through branded concepts, food experiences and building unforgettable life changing technology.
You will quickly realize why Kevin is the Chief Megaphone and Co-Founder for these companies and why he is always the loudest voice in the room. I love his infectious laugh and I hope you enjoy this time I spend with him.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]
Next Week’s ShowNext week is another jam-packed episode with yet another, well respected, industry expert. I will keep it under wraps for now, which means you are going to have to tune in next Tuesday to find out who it is!
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Today, as promised, is our 2023 MURTEC recap show. It was a short two weeks ago we were gathered together at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas right in the middle of one of the best conferences I have been to in a very long time. Anybody who has listened to this show for any length of time knows that a recap show is a must for anybody who did not have a chance to attend OR did not have a chance to see all the sessions.
Having said that, time is too short on this show to talk about every single fire chat, keynote and breakout session that was available, however, my colleague (Toby Malbec) and I dig into some interesting aspects of the show. Hopefully you will enjoy this quick 30 minute, jam packed episode of all the informative and fun stuff surrounding MURTEC. I have one more surprise for you related to the show so scroll down to find out what’s coming next week!
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]
Next Week’s ShowWhile at MURTEC , I had the honor to host a kickoff fire chat with Kevin Seo for a session on the metaverse and breaking it down to it’s basics and the power behind the potential of where this technology is headed and, most importantly, how it could potentially impact you in the restaurant and hospitality world. Shortly after the public session, I sat down with Kevin 1-on-1 and we had a discussion around this so that I could bring it to you here on The Tech Chef. Next Tuesday is a MUST HEAR episode!
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I have to say, once again, that MURTEC was amazing in many ways. As a matter of fact, I had promised you a Toby and Skip MURTEC recap show, however, we had so many great networking opportunities and vendor discussions that we are still catching up from the show! Having said that, we WILL bring you that re-cap episode but it will have to wait another week. However, I am brining you another special episode today which I also recorded at MURTEC with my good friend, Robert Peterson to talk about some big announcements from the Restaurant Technology Network, especially the results of the KPI workgroup and other groups that Robert is heavily involved with.
Robert Peterson…. Some know him as the Area Vice President for New Business of North America at Oracle Food and Beverage. Others, however, know him as a leader and a superstar of both the RTN and the IFBTA.
Robert Peterson’s fervor for data governance has flourished during his 20 years in the restaurant industry. His career includes technical, sales, and strategic roles at various hospitality technology companies where he developed a deep understanding of the guest experience and its accompanying data flow.
Today his passion to see operators succeed. He is also a contributing member of RTN’s Vendor Advisory Council. Another fact about Mr. Peterson is that he is an 80’s BMX World Champion, he can still be spotted in San Diego with one of his four children showing off on his bicycle. Or experimenting with plant-based recipes at home with his wife, Julie.
Robert is such a dedicated individual and really cares about seeing technology not only progress in our industry but leading and pioneering a whole new era of how we think about the technology and data in the foodservice sector. I had such a good time catching up with Robert at the show… enjoy this chat I had with him while I was there.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: -
For all of you that saw me speak over the past couple of days, I hope you enjoyed yourselves. You were fun and engaged audiences! Web3 and the metaverse can really stoke different thoughts and emotions in people and I had fun exploring the technology as a whole with you and hearing YOUR thoughts on where this technology is headed. It is still the wild west out there when it comes to these topics, and we have yet to see where it all lands. Hopefully you had some good takeaways and are challenging yourself a little more now that you understand the technologies a little bit better.
So here we all are at MURTEC. Hopefully you are all having a fantastic show and are winning lots of money here at the Paris Hotel in Vegas. The content of this show has been absolutely fantastic thus far and it has been a while since I have seen this many people at one of these shows. This might be the record for attendance to MURTEC!S
Today on The Tech Chef, we will be talking about “Crafting A Digital Palette.” To talk about how he pulled this off, Scott Lawton the CEO and Co-Founder of bartaco joins the show. Bartaco is a coastal-inspired restaurant serving fresh, upscale street food in a relaxed environment. Scott has over twenty five years of leadership experience in the hospitality arena, and rejoined bartaco in 2020 under the new private ownership of L Catterton, where he oversees the concept’s overall vision and growth.
That year, Lawton led the rollout of bartaco’s on- demand hospitality dining model, and continues to pave the way for other restaurant leaders looking to create a seamless guest experience. Under his leadership, bartaco was recognized by Hospitality Technology’s MURTEC Breakthrough Awards in 2022 for the restaurant’s signature “on-demand hospitality.”
Prior to becoming CEO of bartaco, Lawton was Chief Operating Officer of Barteca, managing development, day-to-day operations and personnel recruitment. Lawton previously held key leadership roles with Tribeca Grill, Buckhead Life and Big Time Restaurants.
If you have never eaten at bartaco before, do yourself a favor and check them out. Not only is the food amazing but the experience is a real treat as well. Something about being able to control your own experience through the ordering process to the payment at the end of your visit makes it special. Of course, as Scott talked about, hospitality and service is NOT compromised through these digital methods. Technology should never be used to replace hospitality and touch points. Hospitality is such an important part of the value
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The conference season has officially kicked in and I will be seeing many of you this next week. Starting off on Sunday, I will be speaking at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York that will be held at the Javits Center. I will be talking about how technology is changing the landscape of restaurants and digging into the world of web3 and how it could change the way you approach the concept of loyalty with your guest. If you are attending this show, I will be speaking at 3pm so make sure you don’t miss it!
Without a moment to spare, I will be uttering my last words as I head out the door to catch a flight to Vegas. There I will see you at MURTEC at the Paris Hotel and be speaking at 1pm on Sunday. It is going to be an awesome Firechat where Kevin Seo, Co-Founder of Bored and Hungry, and I will be doing a session on the metaverse 101. It has evolved so much, just in the past few months, I can’t wait to share our thoughts on where it was and where it is going. A fascinating chat that is a must see and one that people will be talking about the rest of the conference.
Big show today…. Big, big show. Did I mention this is a big show? He’s been here before and I am honored to have him back. Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine joins me for a riveting conversation about all the things that are going on in his life. Everything he does touches or contributes in one way or another to the Robert Irvine Foundation whose sole mission is to strengthen the physical and mental well-being of our service members, veterans, first responders and their families.
Of course, we will be talking about his new book, Overcoming Impossible and having some very interesting conversations around his thoughts of how technology is a key element to success. We even go so far to discuss if AI is going to take over the human race…. Is it? Well, you will have to listen to find out. I really enjoy talking to Robert and I hope you also enjoy our chat.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: -
Well, I think I am finally done traveling for business for the year AND I believe I have been to my last two conferences of the year since we last chatted. I was down the road from my home here in Ft Lauderdale and attended HT-Next as well as the Immerse Global Summit. I have to tell you, both of these conferences were amazing and I spent the two days down in Miami conference hopping as they were both in the same building. To be honest with you, it was not my intention to go to the Immerse conference as it was not until I had checked into the hotel did I realize what it was. I had to walk past it every morning and kept seeing some pretty amazing vendors that were there so I looked it up online. It was all about virtual and augmented reality hardware and software. Most of the companies there, including universities were working on training tools for other industries. I had a fascinating time!
Today, joining the show, is Sean Thompson, the IT Director for the fast-casual restaurant franchise Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. He oversees the business intelligence and data science team and the execution of Freddy’s global communications platforms. Thompson and his team work to deliver technology solutions to the restaurants as well as the franchise support teams, including construction, training, marketing, accounting, and operations. Recent projects have included a system-wide conversion to a universal Point of Sale, launching an all-new digital platform for ordering and loyalty, and starting up an internal support team for the more than 450 Freddy’s locations nationwide. Before Freddy’s, Thompson ran his consulting company and Managed Service Provider.
All of us that follow the industry news know that seeing them in a headline, about once a week, is not uncommon. With their appetite for growth, what is it that makes the successful? What is their “secret sauce?”
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at -
I hope you had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving week last week. Hopefully you were able to get some extra time off to spend with your friends and family. I know that in our industries, that may have been your busiest time and that may not have been possible. For those of you lucky ones that DID have time off, now it is “go-time” to prepare for Christmas and the holidays next month.
Since we last spoke I attended the Digital Signage Experience along with the Restaurant Finance and Development Conference. RFDC was probably one of the best showing of operators, at any one event, in a very long time. Lots of takeaways from that event and excellent networking in the beautiful Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. While I was there, I was able to sit down with a good friend of mind and talk about what it looks like to run a restaurant chain that is heavily franchised. The do’s and don’ts of a successful tech stack and how to properly get the buy-in for procuring and deploying new technology.
Today, I am honored to have Zerrick Pearson, the Chief Information Officer for Five Guys Enterprises, L.L.C., a global company that operates more than 1750 franchise and company-operated restaurants domestically and internationally. Zerrick is responsible for developing and implementing information technology initiatives across the Enterprise. Having been born into the restaurant industry, Zerrick has been involved in restaurant operations for almost 25 years. Prior to his time with Five Guys, Zerrick held the position of Vice President of Information Technology with a publicly traded Washington, DC based Company. While there Zerrick managed all IT initiatives, bridging the gap between IT, Finance and Operations.
Zerrick is a board member of the IFBTA, RTN and various other industry specific IT organizations.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at [email protected]
Next Week’s ShowI am traveling the majority of this week and I have yet to bring you the interview that I promised you, Leigh Gower, CTO at
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This week I am here at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference and the Digital Signage Expo, here in Las Vegas. If you are at RFDC and are listening to this show, tomorrow, Wednesday, make sure you stick around and sign up and join the Technology Boot Camp where Zerrick Pearson, Galen Collins and myself will be teaching on various areas of technology in the restaurant industry. Get your certification while you are there… for free!
Also, later in the day tomorrow, I will be speaking at the University of Las Vegas Hospitality College speaking with students there on “Restaurant and Hotel Technology.” That is going to be a blast and am really looking forward to that!
I know this show was supposed to go live last week but we had to jump on the recap of MURTEC and, I promise you, this week’s show was worth the wait. As previously mentioned, living on the operator side for most of my life, I had a very defined methodology for maintaining vendor relationships. I would say they were more partnerships than anything. When you engage with a vendor you need to have buy-in from both sides and you have to willing to work together to make it a fruitful and long-lasting relationship. But what does that really mean? What do vendor’s think about us?
My guest, for today’s conversation, is none other than Bob Gibson who is a seasoned veteran supporting Global Enterprise customers with complex Franchisor/Franchisee models, building out GTM strategies to support these relationships with his Hospitality, Retail, and Technology experience.
With over thirty plus years Bob is a SAAS veteran who understands how to build systems to reduce churn while helping overall revenue growth and increasing net revenue retention. His areas of expertise include but are not limited to Strategic Selling models, Go to Market Strategies and execution, Customer Service team builds and execution, Support Desk build and execution and Thought Leadership.
He has over 20 years of experience in point of sale and served in leadership roles at Micros, Oracle and JOLT. Bob now serves as President and Chief Operating Office at the ConStrata group that continues to shape the technology industry in the hospitality, food and beverage space.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: -
Last week’s Florida Restaurant and Lodging Associations Show was a huge success. I you didn’t get to hear me speak on web3, don’t fret, you will have many more opportunities in the near future and into 2023! From what I hear, the reports are in and it sounds like the MURTEC Executive Summit was a big hit as well! I wish I could have replicated myself and been at both places at once. I am sure you all missed “The Mayor of MURTEC!” Next big show for me is the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference and the Digital Signage Expo, both in Las Vegas in less than a week. If you are going to attend RFDC, make sure you stick around Wednesday morning and join the Technology Boot Camp where Zerrick Pearson, Galen Collins and myself will be teaching on various areas of technology in the restaurant industry. You can even get your certification at the end of the session. I hope that is reason enough to see you there!
Today, we are going to switch things up a little bit as I had promised you a show with Bob Gibson, previously from Jolt and Oracle where we have a VERY interesting conversation on vendor / client relationships. However, given the fact that my colleague, Toby Malbec just attended the MURTEC Executive Summit, I thought I needed to jump on the opportunity to get a recap from him so he could fill us in on all the amazing things that I missed. I am sure not all of you were able to attend either so this will be very informative for all of us
As you know, I work side by side with Toby at ConStrata and why I love having him on the show is that we don’t always agree on things, which makes for a healthy conversation. Hey, if everybody thought the same, we would just be robots…. Hmmmm… that might actually be one of the subjects for the day. Regardless, those that know Toby, knows that this will be an engaging conversation with lots of good insight.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: -
Happening this week is the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Associations Show as well as the MURTEC Executive Summit. If you will be at the Florida show, remember, I will be speaking on web3 and how it is impacting the restaurant industry. Lots of fun, cool, interactive elements to this presentation so it would be worth your effort to come see it. And of course, the MURTEC Executive summit will be amazing, as it always is. There is always great content at that show and, from what I have seen, this one will be no exception. Please reach out to me later this week to tell me how it was and what your biggest takeaways were.
As promised, today’s show is a continuation of last week’s show where I recorded this episode live at the Menches Bros. NFT minting party. I won’t go into detail about that as you can go back and listen to the previous episode.
On site, however, a huge group from Metaversal, the company behind bringing this project to fruition, was onsite to help support the Menches Bros. team. While I was there, I was able to sit down some of the Metaversal team members including the CEO, Yosi Hasson, the creative director, Sam Brukhman and the project manager, Erin Thompson.
Combined, this gave me the opportunity to learn more about the scope of what they do, what their vision is and how they are looking to help other small restaurant brands.
They are new to our industries so this will be a great opportunity for you to get to know more about Metaversal, what they do and how they do it. Enjoy!
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at -
Next week should be exciting for a couple of reasons: First, I will be speaking at the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Show in Orlando, Florida. For those of you that will be there, make sure you come see my session on November 3rd where I will explore how web3 is changing the landscape of restaurants. Don’t know what #web3 is? Want to learn more about NFTs, cryptocurrency and actually see the metaverse in action? Most importantly, do you want to know how this is impacting the hospitality industry from the large chains down to the “mom and pops?” This is the session you DON’T want to miss!
Now, for those of you not attending, that probably means, if you are an operator, you will be at the MURTEC Executive Summit in Napa Valley. Why, oh why, did these two events have to happen on the same exact days? I have been waiting to go to Napa for that show for a couple of years now, ever since it was first announced during COVID. Oh well, you will all have a great time without me, I am sure. Just make sure you don’t have too much fun… you will make me even more jealous!
The show today was recorded live at the Menches Bros. NFT minting party in Green, Ohio. Yep, you heard me right. This is the mom and pop that I have been talking about quite a bit lately and you have seen in the industry news channels. If you want to hear my original podcast about this initiative, go back and listen to Episode 58 where I have Dani Kimble, CMO for Menches Bros. on the show. During that discussion, she talked about her Uncle John. Well, I was fortunate enough to sit down with John Menches, CEO of Menches Bros. to go into more depth about this project and why they felt that this little hamburger joint was the perfect concept for a NFT project. During this conversation, I learned a whole lot more about John, the family and other interesting facts other than being the originator and creator of the hamburger back in 1885.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at -
It’s been a little while since we last spoke as I have been traveling around like a madman with client work and lots and lots of shows. I saw quite a few of you at FSTEC in Dallas. It was a great show this year and certainly loved the venue. There was tons of energy out there on the trade show floor…. I think everybody was glad that things finally seem back to normal. The networking was some of the best I have experienced at a conference. Between vendor dinners and cocktail happy hours, this proved to be extremely beneficial to most, from what I have been told by some of my collegues.
I think, from the sessions I was able to attend, one of the key takeaways is that the customer is still looking for change and their habits continue to evolve. Long gone are the days of what we considered conventional dining experiences. My advice to all of you is to stay on top of the current trends, evaluate them if they are a trend or a fad, and move forward, full force before you are the one that is left behind. Okay, I’ll step off my platform now.
Today’s guest on this show has been a dear friend for quite some time. For some reason, we always “clicked” and I love nothing more to run into him at a conference so we can hash out the newest trends and also discussing how we can make our industry better. I really wanted to do an episode on real life data warehousing, data pipes and of course, visualization of that data. When I replayed back my history of conversations about these subjects, well, none other than Sterling Douglass came to mind. Sterling is the Co-Founder & CEO of Chowly, a leading point-of-sale integration company that enables restaurants to expand and maintain a diverse set of off-premise capabilities.
Today Chowly processes over $1 billion in orders annually for its 12,000+ restaurant partners. With a focus on lean start-ups and building a business from scratch, Douglass thrives in environments defined by ambiguity and takes challenges head on while designing creative solutions to the hardest problems. He has a natural ability to grow a team and develop processes that are distinctive and unparalleled. Plus, his entire sales team could win offensive linemen of the year, just saying’.
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all -
So, what are we cooking up on today’s show? We’ll be taking a look at some groundbreaking restaurant technology news that happened last week. Our special guests will discuss how they are rapidly changing the industry one bit and byte at a time. So, whether you’re a tech novice or an expert… heck, you don’t need to understand technology at all as there’s something for everyone on today’s show as it is a super interesting topic and might open your mind to new possibilities that, just last week, you didn’t think was a reality or did not think would happen for many years to come.
The company, Devour, is one brand focused on positively impacting restaurants and their fans. Their mission is to deliver web3 technology to delight guests, retain workers, and grow your brand. They are group of experienced restaurant technology professionals ready to change the web3 dining experience and guest engagement.
We are lucky to have two of the co-founders from Devour on today’s show:
The CEO and Co-Founder of Devour, Shelly Rupel brings 30-years of experience as a technology entrepreneur, strategic partnership leader and restaurant owner. Before Devour, she most recently was Sr Director of Strategic Partnerships at PAR technology. Overseeing teams that managed 150 Channel Partners and 200 Solution Integration Partners for the Brink POS division of PAR.
Chad Horn is also a co-founder of Devour, creating the fusion between restaurants and the blockchain. He’s on the team making crypto and NFTs easy, accessible, and fun for restaurants and their fans.
If you have been waiting for web3 to become a reality in the restaurant industry OR you thought it was a crazy idea and would never happen, it does not matter… this show is for both sides of that thought process.
So are you excited yet? I know I am! I wasn’t kidding when I said I would be their first customer in The Verse when it launches in a few months. Just the thought of being able to virtually being able to order your food and have it show up the door is so Ready Player One. You know what, I finally feel like this industry is no longer the ones playing catch up!
How To Contact MeWebsite: https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)Website: https://ConStrata.ioInstagram: https://instagram.com/skipkimpelTwitter: https://twitter.com/skipkimpelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipkimpelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/constrata-consultingYou can also hear all these new episodes on the ConStrata website at ConStrata.ioEmail me at -
That’s right, you have found the Tech Chef Podcast. The one show out there you can count on for weekly insight, news and guests relating to the restaurant, hotel and hospitality industries. This is your host, Skip Kimpel, and it is great that you joined the show today. Welcome back to all the faithful TCP listeners and for those of your listening for the first time, it is a great privilege to have you here today. This is one of those shows you don’t want to miss as it is weekly and if you don’t subscribe or follow it in your podcast software or service, it is easy to forget and then you will miss some great content so go ahead and subscribe or follow this show now.
For those of our listeners from the United States, I hope all of you have a fantastic long weekend celebrating our great Country with 4th of July celebrations. I am hoping you all stayed safe and enjoyed your time with friends and family. This is one of my favorite times of the year. As a kid, this was the day that we celebrated my grandmother’s birthday and I always had great memories of this day over the years.
From Main Street to the Metaverse… that is the theme of today’s show. When I saw this company pop up in the national news last week, I knew I had to get them on this show. I reached out to them and Dani Kimble, CMO for Menches Bros. was just as exited to be on the show as I was to have her on.
To understand the significance of this show you have know that this mom and pop hamburger restaurant, which has three units in Northeast Ohio, is the originator of the hamburger dating back to 1885…. That’s right, you heard me correctly and they have proof of that. Secondly, this little operation has taken on a NFT project that will take their company to a global level. These web3 initiatives are no longer for the big boys out there…. Dani and Menches Bros. are proving that anybody can play in this game.
A friendly public service announcement: if you are listening to this show and the terminology web3, NFT or the metaverse are all foreign to you, push pause on this episode and go back and listen to episode 51 where I talk with Chad Horn from Devour about these technologies an break them down one by one into digestible chunks of information.
Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program…..
Our guest today, Dani Kimble, is the descendant of the inventor of the hamburger. Raised in the restaurant industry, Dani found a real passion for the marketing side of the business. Later in life, she pursued a career in marketing, eventually rising to be Chief Marketing Officer for an insurance firm – and always remained closely connected and ingrained in the family’s brand, story, and business. Dani now has her own marketing consulting company and works directly with Menches Bros. Restaurants on digital marketing and web3 strategy. She is the founder of the Lil Mench NFT project, partnering with Metaversal venture studio to expand her family’s restaurants into the...
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