Liz Williams started a paper route in 6th grade—little did she know she was already on her way to CEO! 📈🐔 Hear the inspiring (and hilarious) story of how Liz turned early entrepreneurial hustle into becoming CEO of El Pollo Loco. Watch the full conversation on Hospitality Hangout! #ElPolloLoco #HospitalityHangout…
Jimmy had ONE job! 😂 When Jeopardy asked about the famous Portland doughnut brand with the slogan "The Magic is in the Hole," our own Jimmy Frischling completely fudget it! Watch as Jimmy hilariously blanks on Voodoo Doughnut. Catch the full Voodoo Doughnut episode on Hospitality Hangout! #VoodooDoughnut #JeopardyFail #HospitalityHangout…
Big Chicken Joins Craveworthy Brands – Here’s What No One Else Is Telling You! On this episode of Hospitality Hangout, we explore the latest hospitality trends, strategies, and brand experiences with industry leaders Gregg Majewski and Josh Halpern. They take us behind the scenes of Big Chicken’s exciting move to…
Join Hospitality Hangout as Mike Fiato shares his powerful philosophy of hospitality, rooted in care, purpose, and emotional insight. Discover how a transformative trip to Disney shifted Mike's journey from restaurant owner to hospitality leader, sparking a passion for impactful guest experiences. Mike Fiato emphasizes empowering teams through meaningful training…
Will Brawley and ScheduleFly have proven success isn’t about size, it’s about authenticity, simplicity, and putting customers first. For over 15 years, ScheduleFly has empowered independent restaurants with easy to use scheduling software backed by unbeatable customer care. Will’s passion for hospitality goes beyond technology. He built ScheduleFly to support…
How did a sneaky dad lead to running Voodoo Doughnut? 🍩🧼 Chris Schultz, CEO of Voodoo Doughnut, reveals how his father tricked him into becoming a dishwasher—sparking a legendary hospitality career. From Starbucks and MOD Pizza to the wild world of Voodoo Doughnut, discover how unexpected beginnings lead to sweet…
Ever love doughnuts so much you'd say "I do"? 🍩💒 At Voodoo Doughnut, couples aren't just lining up for wild flavors—they’re tying the knot! CEO Chris Schultz shares the sweet story behind why doughnut weddings are trending at Voodoo. Catch the full interview on Hospitality Hangout for more tasty insights…
With a career spanning finance, operations, and brand leadership, Liz Williams knows a thing or two about shaking up the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry. She discusses the art of brand reinvention, sharing how El Pollo Loco is modernizing its look, embracing technology, and staying true to its bold, citrus-marinated flavors.…
In the latest episode of the Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Micha Magid, the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Mighty Quinn's, to explore virtual restaurants, nationwide delivery, and making the transition to digital. Mighty Quinn’s is a restaurant…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy'' and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy'' chat with Chris Campbell, CEO at Review Trackers to explore the importance of restaurant reviews. Campbell founded Review Trackers over ten years ago and helps over fifty thousand restaurants in thirty-five…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” take the show to the first in-person trade show, FSTEC 2021 where restaurants and technology connect. Schatzberg and Frischling chat with Wade Allen, senior vice president, head of innovation at…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Brita Rosenheim, Partner at Culterra Capital and Venture Partner at Better Food Ventures to explore restaurant technology. Rosenheim got started with an interest in the food world and…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Clayton Wood, Chief Executive Officer at Picnic, to explore solutions for solving labor shortages and automation in food preparation. Wood says when asked to share about himself, “So my…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Carissa De Santis, chief information officer at Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants to explore hospitality technology and what’s in the pipeline for Dickey’s Barbecue. De Santis talks about building Dickey’s…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Geoff Alexander, President and chief executive officer, to explore using dark kitchens to generate revenue. . Alexander talks about how he started back in 1993 with the privately…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Atul Sood, Chief Business Officer at Kitchen United to explore the multi-restaurant ordering experience. Sood shares his background that included leading global food delivery partnerships for McDonalds during…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy” chat with Kevin Tan, co-founder and chief executive officer at Snackpass to explore a social ordering platform for restaurants and the customer experience. Snackpass is the company Tan co-founded with Jamie…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy'' and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy'' chat with Nabeel Alamgir, chief executive officer and co-founder of Lunchbox about the current state of delivery and what the future will look like for restaurants. Alamgir who is on the 2021…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy'' and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy'' chat with Lindsey Hoell, founder and chief executive officer of Dispatch Goods about how restaurants can help reduce waste with reusable packaging. Hoell had a career in cardiac surgery first on the…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” were on the road and live at CES Las Vegas, where they chat with Michael Wolf, founder, chief executive officer, and editor in chief at The Spoon, Picnic’s founder and…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout, Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” and Sterling Douglass “The Technology Guy”, were on the road and live at MURTEC Las Vegas, where they chat with Phil Crawford, Chief Technology Officer at CKE Restaurants, Inc., Tom Seeker, Chief Information Officer at Earl Enterprises…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy'' and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy'' chats with Alonso Castañeda, vice president of brand development and strategy at Savory Restaurant Fund about finding emerging concepts and helping to develop the brand for fast growth. Castañeda says “the Savory…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy'' and Jimmy Frischling “The Finance Guy'' chat with Tim McLaughlin, co-founder chief executive officer of GoTab, Inc., about technology that can optimize daily operations, while improving communication between restaurant operators and their guests. McLaughlin talks about his background,…
In the latest episode of Hospitality Hangout podcast, Michael Schatzberg “The Restaurant Guy” and Jimmy Frischling “ The Finance Guy” chat with Rob Carpenter, founder and chief executive officer at Valyant AI about automated order taking for quick service restaurants. Carpenter says, “There's a little bit of a labor crunch…