Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast with Zack Oates
Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast is your backstage pass to the minds of hospitality leaders, innovators, and operators who are redefining what it means to serve. Hosted by Zack Oates, founder of Ovation, each episode dives into real-world tactics and inspiring stories from restaurant pros who know how to create five-star guest experiences—both in-store and off-premise. From fast casual to fine dining, catering to curbside, learn how to drive loyalty, empower your staff, and deliver hospitality that hits home. Whether you're a restaurant owner, operator, marketer, or tech partner, this podcast will leave you with practical insights and plenty of reasons to celebrate and Give an Ovation.
Episodes
David Youngberg, CEO of Stonefire Grill, and Matt Calabrese, CTO, join Zack Oates for a deep dive into what it actually takes to scale a restaurant brand without losing what makes it special. From feeding 5,500 guests in under an hour to building a business where catering drives over 20% of revenue, they share real operational insights from inside the brand.
Zack, David, and Matt discuss:
- How catering can become ...
Jessica Serrano, CMO of Bagel Brands, joins Zack Oates to share how marketers can better understand what makes a brand truly stand out. With experience across Burger King, Taco Bell, and Dig In, Jessica brings a sharp perspective on how guest insights shape strategy.
- Zack and Jessica discuss:
- Finding what makes your brand uniquely valuable
- Why scrappy guest research often beats big budgets
- How to balance data wit...
Zack Oates sits down with Steven Droulis, owner of Resto Vivaldi in Montreal, to explore how a family restaurant built an enormous online following while staying authentic to its roots. With hundreds of videos and hundreds of millions of views across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, Steven shares how consistency, authenticity, and educational content helped his restaurant break through on social media.
They discuss ho...
Zack Oates sits down with Chris Gannon, founder and CEO of Bolay, to discuss what it takes to build a restaurant brand that lasts. After more than a decade in business and over 20 locations, Chris shares lessons from navigating growth, challenges, and maintaining a strong culture.
They explore how guest experience is shaped through small moments, why hiring the right people is critical, and how recognition and celebr...
Zack Oates sits down with Danielle Mahon, founder and CEO of Topsail Steamer, to discuss how a simple seafood steam pot concept turned into a fast growing franchise brand. Danielle shares the origin story behind the idea, how she transitioned from corporate America into entrepreneurship, and what she learned while building a new restaurant category.
They explore the decision to grow through franchising, the experienc...
Zack Oates sits down with Kyle and Maggie Gordon, founders of Dillas Quesadillas, to discuss how they built a fast growing restaurant brand rooted in operational excellence and consistency. From bootstrapping their first location in Dallas to expanding to multiple locations across Texas, the Gordons share lessons from more than a decade in the business.
They explain how focusing on execution, attention to detail, and...
Zack Oates sits down with Dylan McDonnell, founder and CEO of Foodini, to discuss how restaurants can better serve guests with food allergies and dietary needs. Inspired by his own experience living with celiac disease, Dylan built Foodini to bridge the communication gap between restaurants and guests who need accurate allergen information.
They explore how technology can simplify allergen management for operators wh...
Zack Oates sits down with John F. Maggio of JM Enterprises to explore what it really takes to build enduring consumer brands. From co-founding Boulder Canyon Chips to working with brands like Justin’s, Duke’s Smoked Meats, Bigs Seeds, Jackson’s, Good Day Chocolate, and Cocktail Squad, John shares lessons from decades in CPG.
They discuss how restaurant brands should evaluate entering retail, why timing and category m...
Brandon Batt, Founder and CEO of The Tabletop Group, joins Zack Oates to break down why guest experience always starts with people. After spending more than a decade leading people strategy at Savory Fund, Brandon shares what he has learned about hiring leaders, investing time in the right team members, and building consistency that guests trust.
Zack and Brandon discuss:
- Why guest experience is the employee expe...
Zack Oates sits down with Dan Simpson, CEO of Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe, for a wide ranging conversation on leadership, fear, and building a truly people centered restaurant brand. Dan shares his unconventional path from founding a tech company to leading a growing hospitality brand and explains why technology should exist to remove friction, not replace human connection.
They discuss how fear can serve as a signal...
Fred LeFranc and Kristina Wiltsee join Zack Oates to discuss leadership, decision making, and alignment in today’s restaurant and hospitality environment. As co hosts of The Executive and the Mystic podcast, they share how leaders can balance execution with intuition while building clarity, confidence, and stronger teams.
Zack, Fred and Kristina discuss:
- Why intuition is already driving executive decisions
- How...
Chris Stevenson, Founder of The Empower Group, joins Zack Oates to explore what it really takes to create guest experiences people remember. Drawing from his background in fitness, hospitality, and live entertainment, Chris shares why empowering teams, simplifying processes, and focusing on service recovery can dramatically improve loyalty and engagement.
Zack and Chris discuss:
- Why memorable experiences matter m...
Carl Orsbourn of Invisible joins Zack Oates to unpack what AI really means for restaurant operators and guest experience. Rather than chasing hype, Carl explains how AI can be used practically to support teams, reduce friction, and create better outcomes for both guests and employees.
Zack and Carl discuss:
- Why AI should support people instead of replacing them
- How operators can use AI to remove busywork from tea...
Brian Fauver, Partner at Hargett Hunter Capital Management, joins Zack Oates to share how investors evaluate restaurant brands through the lens of guest experience. With nearly two decades of experience investing in hospitality, Brian explains why authenticity, hospitality, and emotional connection matter just as much as unit economics when building brands that last.
Zack and Brian discuss:
- Why restaurants create...
Zack Oates sits down with Geoff Henry, President of the Americas at Gong cha, to talk about what it takes to build and scale a global beverage brand. With leadership experience at Coca Cola, Jamba Juice, and now Gong cha, Geoff shares how personalization, quality, and data shape the modern guest experience in beverage concepts. The conversation explores why bubble tea has become a defining category for younger consu...
Andrew Pudalov, founder and CEO of Rush Bowls, joins Zack to talk about how he left a high pressure finance career to build a brand centered on real ingredients and genuine guest connection. After years in global trading, Andrew wanted a more meaningful path and a healthier lifestyle for his family, which led to the creation of Rush Bowls more than 20 years ago.
Zack and Andrew discuss:
- How a major career pivot l...
In this episode of Give an Ovation, Zack talks with Frank Paci, CEO of Newk's Eatery, about what truly drives guest experience in a world of dine in, to go, delivery, and catering. Frank shares lessons from leading brands like Burger King, Pizza Hut, McAlister's, Corner Bakery, and Einstein Bros., and how those insights shape Newk's today.
Zack and Frank discuss:
- How convenience and consistency sti...
Gregorys Coffee is everywhere right now, and founder and CEO Gregory Zamfotis joins Zack to talk about what it really takes to scale a coffee brand without losing its soul. From mall food courts to multi market growth with Craveworthy Brands, Greg shares how he thinks about speed, quality, and culture in every store.
Zack and Gregory discuss:
- Why franchising is the right next step for Gregorys Coffee
- How to deliv...
Zack Oates sits down with Brianne Harvey, founder and CEO of Break Bread Consulting, to talk about tech that lifts hospitality without getting in the way. Brianne shares how to “bolt on” experts for system launches, train your team to own it, and use simple tools to create memorable moments.
Zack and Brianne discuss:
- Reservation notes that make guests feel known
- When to bring in a fractional implementation team
- A...
Zack sits down with Kayla Dillon, fractional CMO and brand consultant, to talk about why guest expectations have shifted from hospitality to humanity. Kayla explains how to pick technology that fits, set it up the right way, and connect ops, marketing, and tech so the guest actually feels known. They dig into loyalty, behavior based rewards, and the role of AI in making personalization practical.
Zack and Kayla discu...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
When a group of women from all over the country realise they all dated the same prolific romance scammer they vow to bring him to justice. In this brand new season of global number 1 hit podcast, The Girlfriends, Anna Sinfield meets a group of funny, feisty, determined women who all had the misfortune of dating a mysterious man named Derek Alldred. Trust Me Babe is a story about the protective forces of gossip, gut instinct, and trusting your besties and the group of women who took matters into their own hands to take down a fraudster when no one else would listen. If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show, our charity partners NO MORE have available resources at https://www.nomore.org. To learn more about romance scams, and to access specialised support, visit https://fightcybercrime.org/ The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/. You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Trust Me Babe completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “iHeart True Crime+, and subscribe today!
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!