The Hospitality Hangout | Restaurant Industry Trends & Hospitality Leaders

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Mike Bell, the chief executive officer of Miso Robotics, to explore how robot technology is transforming the restaurant and hospitality landscape.Miso Robotics is a robotic restaurant platform powered by artificial intelligence. The platform was created to support high-volume restaurant operators by making back of house processes safer, simpler, and seamless. Clients include CaliBurger, White Castle, and Levy Restaurants at Dodger Stadium.“There hasn’t been any real automation since the dishwasher,” says Bell. “Computer vision… is now available to the restaurant industry and it performs really well. The next wave of adoption for this technology is upon us.”“Flippy” is the platform’s autonomous robotic kitchen assistant. At present, the latest iteration of “Flippy” is a robotic arm that hangs from a frame right over a fry station at an existing restaurant, managing the dirty, repetitive, and often dangerous tasks that humans generally do not want to do.The goal for Miso Robotics was to humanize the robot for restaurant staff and make it like a colleague.“Flippy does a lot more than flipping burgers,” says Bell. “It is really hard for operators to recruit and retain people to do this job. It’s just not a job people generally want to do… it’s about $2500 for one shift—for one human being to stand over a fry station. So we thought, we’re going to provide our robots for the same amount of money.”Click here for more recovery and relief information for restaurant, hospitality and food service operators. And to keep listening, check out The Hospitality Hangout podcast on Spotify!This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with John Rigos, the founder and co-chief executive officer of Aurify Brands, to explore the culinary, marketing, and technology behind building a brand.Aurify Brands is committed to conceiving, building, and growing original concepts that last for the long-term. Their brands include Melt Shop, Little Beet, Table, Fields Good Chicken, and Five Guys. The goal is to foster brands with a great culture and lasting value that stay true to each business’s mission.“One of the nice things about how we’re structured as a platform is that we can pretty readily do a bolt-on acquisition to leverage the platform and integrate it into our portfolio more readily than a typical restaurant company,” says Rigos. “A typical restaurant company has a management team that supports the growth of the brand. We have that at each of the brand levels, but we also have this platform above them that supports the brand.”Aurify recently secured a major acquisition: Le Pain Quotidien. The popular chain was going to go bankrupt before the purchase.“We did pivot very strategically… we proactively started looking in the marketplace for brands that were great brands but were struggling on the liquidity side,” adds Rigos. “The company was sold to a private equity firm in 2016. In the ensuing years, some of the decisions at the management level crushed a lot of what made the brand special.”For Aurify, the bankruptcy was an opportunity for them to acquire the brand.“Either the company was going to go bankrupt or the company needed capital to take it through the bankruptcy process,” says Rigos. “The beauty of the bankruptcy process is it enables you to revisit your contracts. We started negotiating with all the landlords, as the bankruptcy process enables you to shed all the leases you don’t like… we felt really good being part of the solution that was going to be bringing back jobs and paying landlords and start paying suppliers.”Click here for more recovery and relief information for restaurant, hospitality and food service operators. And to keep listening, check out The Hospitality Hangout podcast on Spotify!This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Corey Manicone, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Zuul, to explore the growing popularity of ghost kitchens.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Troy Henikoff, the managing director of MATH Venture Partners, to offer best practices for investing, as well as advice for young entrepreneurs fundraising for their new business.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Jordan Boesch, the chief executive officer of 7shifts, to explore how the restaurant and hospitality industry has evolved over the course of the pandemic.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Steve Elinson, the worldwide head of restaurants and foodservice for Amazon Web Services (AWS), to explore what Amazon offers restaurants today.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Andrew Feigenson, the new chief executive officer of Personica, to explore the relationship and connections between hospitality, tech, and finance.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Andrew Nash, the chief executive officer at Targetable, to explore two-for-one branding and rethinking your digital advertising strategy.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Chris Webb, the chief executive officer and co-founder of ChowNow, to explore how restaurants today are enhancing and elevating their online ordering system.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Kimberly Grant, the co-sponsor and chief strategy officer at FAST Acquisition Group, to explore her rise in the restaurant industry, and what lies ahead for FAST.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Alex Canter, the chief executive officer of Ordermark and Nextbite, to explore the rise of virtual restaurant concepts in the industry.Where Ordermark helps brick-and-mortar stores make the transition to digital, Nextbite focuses on an altogether different type of clientele: virtual restaurant concepts.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Ivan Matkovic, the founder and chief executive officer of Spendgo, to explore the ins and outs of cultivating customer loyalty.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Andrew Smith, the managing director of Savory Fund, to explore the ins and outs of fundraising in hospitality.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Bo Peabody, the Co-Owner of Mezze Restaurant Group and Executive Chairman of Seated, to explore the ins and outs of digital hospitality. This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Zack Oates, the founder and chief executive officer of Ovation, to explore how operators can improve the guest experience at their restaurants.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Barry Herbst, the vice president of The Elliot Group, to explore hiring and retention as it relates to executives and other key members of your staff.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Eric Smith, the founder and chief executive officer of Clockedin, to explore how the gig economy can move forward after the pandemic.Clockedin is a labor network platform designed to connect workers with organizations so as to cultivate short term and long term employment relationships. Workers can unearth opportunities and build their career, while companies can optimize interactions, convert human capital, and simplify operations.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Michael Jacober, the founder and chief executive officer of Blanket, to discuss finding human capital solutions in the digital world for restaurant operators struggling amidst the coronavirus crisis.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Brian Anton, the managing director of Citibank, to explore the financial future of restaurants.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Stas Matviyenko, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Allset, to discuss making pickup contactless and implementing new technology in the midst of a pandemic.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Christian Rivadalla, the chief information officer and co-founder of SoftPoint, to discuss how—in the midst of the pandemic—the company has worked to transition businesses into a contactless or off-premise sales model.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Steven Simoni, the chief executive officer of on-demand ordering platform Bbot, to discuss the growing popularity of contactless technology in light of the pandemic.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” sit down with Jason Sherman, the founder and chief executive officer of TapRm, to explore the revolutionary rise—and potentially lucrative future—of beverage e-commerce in the wake of coronavirus.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this first part of the two part series around the rise in beverage e-commerce of the Hospitality Hangout Podcast, Michael Schatzberg Schatzy “The Restaurant Rabbi” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Nick Buzzell, chief executive officer and chairman of NBTV, to discuss new means of navigating digital ordering and virtual beverage and food experiences during and after the Coronavirus crisis.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the final part of this four part Coronavirus series of the Hospitality Hangout Podcast, Michael Schatzberg Schatzy “The Restaurant Rabbi” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Sterling Douglass, founder and chief executive officer of Chowly, to discuss innovative ways around operating during the Coronavirus crisis.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In part three of this four part Coronavirus series of the Hospitality Hangout Podcast, Michael Schatzberg Schatzy “The Restaurant Rabbi” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Alan Hickey, chief executive officer of Vromo, to explore insights and ideas around new ways of operating during the Coronavirus crisis. This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In part two of this four part Coronavirus series of the Hospitality Hangout Podcast, Michael Schatzberg Schatzy “The Restaurant Rabbi” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Yaniv Nissim, chief executive officer and founder of GoParrot, to explore insights and ideas around new ways of operating during the Coronavirus crisis. This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In part one of this four part Coronavirus series of the Hospitality Hangout Podcast, Michael Schatzberg (Schatzy) “The Restaurant Rabbi” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Alex Blum, chief executive officer of Relay Delivery to explore a new means of operating amid the Coronavirus crisis.This syndicated content is brought to you by Branded Strategic Hospitality. Episode Credits:Sponsored by: DirecTVProduced by: Branded Hospitality MediaHosted by: Michael Schatzberg, Jimmy FrischlingProducer: Julie ZuckerCreative Director: Adam LevineShow Runner: Drewe RaimiPost Production: Three Cheers Creative www.thehospitalityhangout.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.