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 Digital RestaurantRethinking the Restaurant Tech StackSend us a textWhat’s Inside This Episode?00:00 – Live from the National Restaurant Show Carl visits Chicago and joins Rich Faltot at Point B’s new Restaurant Technology Innovation Center.“We're stood in a room with 70 screens — and not one is for show.”01:00 – Why restaurant tech stacks are broken Legacy systems, data silos, fragmented integrations, and the cost of doing nothing.POS replacements are “open heart surgery” for restaurantsTransformation takes 18–36 months on averageSuccess requires aligned leadership and future-facing thinking“The best stack isn’t best...
2025-06-0929 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 Writer's LensEP73: "Robin Hood" and the False Virtue of Stealing From the RichRobin Hood is a beloved, if not timeless, character that has become part of American folklore. Though the character's origins cannot be found in American culture, the idea of an outlaw who steals from the wealthy and gives to the poor has inspired numerous adaptations over the years. From Disney's animals-only musical, to the comedic "Men in Tights", Robin Hood challenges its viewers to consider what it means to stand up to those in power. Moreover, to stand up to those who hoard their riches and refuse to share the wealth.
But is the idea of Robin H...
2020-10-2528 minThe Writer's LensEP71: "Tombstone" and The Necessity of Law and OrderTombstone is one of my favorite movies of all time. Which is saying a lot as I'm not the biggest fan of western films. Packed with an ensemble cast, Tombstone tells the story of Wyatt Earp, his brothers, Doc Holliday, and the cowboy gang whose hatred for law and order clashes with the Earp brothers and Holliday.
This episode explores Wyatt Earp's quest for a rich and exciting life while ignoring his past as a peacemaker. Can he actually achieve a life of fine wine and riches without law and order? This arc of human experience will b...
2020-08-2320 min