The Sound of Hospitality — How Ole & Steen Creates the Right Atmosphere
But what guests hear can also shape how long they stay, how comfortable they feel and whether they want to return. For Josh Pickens, president of Ole & Steen US, music is part of creating a consistent hospitality experience across the Danish bakery’s five New York City locations. During a conversation with Shawn Walchef on […]
Doubling Down at 48—How Scott Kleckner Built a Growing Catering Business
Scott Kleckner of Olive Wood Pizza talks about leaving the corporate restaurant world at 48 to bet on himself. Recorded at CREATE for Emerging Restaurants in Rancho Palos Verdes, Kleckner traces his path from renovating iconic venues such as Lambeau Field and Citi Field to acquiring a mobile wood-fired pizza catering company. After more than […]
Pitch The Tide – Mick Carr: CEO and Founder at Grub Lab
See the Family Behind the Kids’ Meal – Mick Carr encourages operators to look beyond the price of a single kids’ meal. A child’s preference can bring parents, siblings, and grandparents through the door, making the experience for kids an opportunity to earn the entire family’s business.Create Experiences Families Want to Repeat – Grub Lab […]
Turning Goals Into Rewards—How Pryze Helps Restaurants Improve Employee Performance
Tim Hylton of Pryze explains how gamification helps restaurants improve employee performance by turning business goals into achievable tasks and rewards. Recorded at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, Hylton outlines how points, recognition, and incentives such as paid days off can motivate employees to reach those goals. He highlights the value of partnerships […]
Turning Signals Into Sales—How Signal to Sale Helps Restaurants Find Catering Opportunities
Sylvester Raymond, creator of Signal to Sale, explains how his AI engine helps restaurants find catering opportunities and approach potential customers at the right time. Recorded at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, Raymond outlines how the tool identifies decision-makers, tracks buying signals, and gives sales teams context before they reach out. His approach […]
Building Before Growing—How Bushfire Kitchen Built the Foundation to Scale a Family Restaurant Brand
Oliver Barwin, CEO of Bushfire Kitchen, shares how he left Wall Street to lead his family’s restaurant business and grow it to 11 Southern California locations. From choosing a strategic capital partner to building the systems and team needed for expansion, he explains why a strong foundation comes before growth. With roughly half of sales […]
Turning A Garage Hobby Into A Business | Chat w/ Mark Ray of Stowe Cider
Most craft beverage operators want to grow their distribution footprint. The problem is that rapidly scaling production creates massive operational complexity. Someone has to track raw ingredients, manage batch fermentation, record packaging yields, and calculate true margins without letting anything slip through the cracks. For Stowe Cider, that operational wall became impossible to ignore. The […]
Pitch The Tide – Racquel Cable: Product Expert at Soundtrack
Racquel Cable, Product Expert at Soundtrack, pitched directly to a panel of restaurant operators on Pitch The Tide, sharing how the commercially licensed streaming service helps businesses create and manage the right music experience across their locations. The pitch led to a conversation about what operators need from a music platform, including centralized control, playlist curation, […]
Christian Mouysset Built Tenzo to Answer One Question: Where’s the Money?
The restaurants were busy. Customers were lining up, bringing their friends and buying into a fast-casual hummus concept that eventually grew to six locations. But when Christian Mouysset reviewed the numbers at the end of each month, he kept asking the same question. Where was the money? That frustration ultimately led Mouysset, a computer science […]
Showing Up Is 80% of Success — Laura Wilber Says Consistency Makes the Difference
Getting comfortable telling your story does not happen overnight. For Laura Wilber, it came from consistently showing up, raising her hand and getting involved. What started with listening to conversations during the Clubhouse days eventually led to becoming an active member of the Rising Tides community, leading conversations and speaking at industry events. “I believe […]