Shows
The Digital RestaurantWhy Agile Marketing is the Essential Restaurant Skill in the Digital AgeSend us a textThis week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Jennifer Kern, CMO of Qu, for a fast-moving conversation about the headlines shaping restaurants, technology, and consumer behavior.We kick off with a surprising stat: half of adults are ordering kids meals. (01:00) What does this say about QSR value wars, portion sizes, and how brands like CAVA and Starbucks are reframing value through experience, not just price?Next, we examine Chipotle’s partnership with Zipline (05:00), which involves testing drone delivery in Dallas. Is th...
2025-09-0227 min
The Digital RestaurantBeware, Be Kind of Viral InfluencersSend us a textIn this episode of The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Emmy Award–winning storyteller Mike Duffy of Yum Crunch. Together they break down five timely stories shaping restaurants and tech:McDonald’s bets on web ordering through DoorDash—does convenience outweigh control?Yum Brands’ Byte platform fuels $9B in digital sales and rewrites the restaurant tech stack.Social listening lessons: Cracker Barrel’s backlash vs. KFC’s potato wedge comeback.Drone delivery’s tipping point—new FAA rules, Texas rollouts, pizza robots in LA, and the Ghost Kitchen 3.0 vision.The power and peril of inf...
2025-08-1845 min
The Bar Business Podcast: Smart Hospitality & Marketing Secrets For Bar & Pub OwnersStop Labor Leaks: Preventing Time Theft & Maximizing Bar Profits with Cijoy OlickalAre your employees secretly draining your profits? The hidden costs of labor inefficiencies might shock you.Every bar owner knows that labor costs are a huge part of the budget—but most don’t realize just how much money is slipping away due to time theft, clock milking, and scheduling inefficiencies.In today's episode:Discover how tracking minor labor discrepancies can save thousands every year.Learn why "buddy punching" and clock milking are bigger threats than you think—and how to stop them.Find out how better guest interactions can boost check averages without annoyi...
2025-04-0932 min
CULINARY MECHANIC#58 : Optimizing Restaurant Labor with Cijoy OlickalIn this episode of CULINARY MECHANIC, Simon Zatyrka sits down with Cijoy Olickal, COO of GM Pilot, to explore how innovative tech solutions are transforming restaurant management. From his unexpected entry into the hospitality industry to developing game-changing labor optimization tools, Cijoy shares how his background in management consulting led him to create solutions that give restaurant GMs back their most valuable resource: time. Discover how the right data can uncover hidden labor costs, improve efficiency, and help recognize top-performing team members—all while allowing managers to get back on the floor where they belong. This conversation de...
2025-04-0841 min
The Digital RestaurantWhy does Yum want to own the tech stack - with guest host Cijoy OlickalSend us a textCarl welcomes guest host Cijoy Olickal, a restaurant tech expert, to break down key industry trends.🔹 2025 Restaurant Industry Outlook – $1.5T in sales, shifting consumer habits, tech’s impact on profitability, and labor challenges. Articles One, Two, and Three🔹 Yum! Brands' Tech Strategy – Is building a proprietary tech stack the right move for a global franchise? Articles One and Two🔹 Wonder’s Expansion – Mark Lore’s meal kit & marketplace strategy—how does it compare to DoorDash and Uber Eats? Articles...
2025-02-1733 min
The Late Night Restaurant Podcast ShowRevolutionizing Restaurant Management with Cijoy Olickal of GM PilotIn this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Show, we sit down with Cijoy Olickal, the innovative mind and COO behind GM Pilot, a platform revolutionizing restaurant operations. Cijoy shares his journey from engineering to hospitality tech, his insights on leveraging automation to enhance profitability, and how GM Pilot is empowering general managers to focus on what matters most. Packed with humor, wisdom, and actionable takeaways, this is a must-listen for anyone in the restaurant industry!
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2025-01-2559 min
Business, Brains & the Bottom LineEp. 110: Cijoy Olickal and GM Pilot Save Big with Smart Workforce ManagementJoin us as we dive into the transformative journey of Cijoy Olickal, COO of GM Pilot, who brings his impressive tech leadership background to tackle one of the restaurant industry’s biggest challenges: labor inefficiency. In this episode, Cijoy explains how GM Pilot helps large restaurant chains cut unnecessary wage expenses by identifying bad actors, highlighting high performers, and ultimately fine-tuning workforce schedules for peak performance. With a unique three-phase approach and a free, in-depth analysis of historical labor spending, GM Pilot shows how restaurants can save significantly while improving customer satisfaction. Tune in to explore the cutting-edge approach to...
2024-11-0633 min