Instant Payments

Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, welcomes Spencer Baumhower, president of Aloha Hospitality, a family-owned Alabama restaurant group founded in 1981 by Spencer’s father, former Alabama and Miami Dolphins player Bob Baumhower. Spencer shares that he joined Aloha in 2008 as a busser and worked through roles including server, bartender, general manager, COO, and president, now helping lead about 1,000 employees across 1...

Host Tal Clark continues a conversation with restaurant technology leader Marcus Wasdin about AI in restaurants, including lessons from launching Par’s Coach AI to let operators ask natural-language questions across data sources, such as optimizing operating hours for profit. Wasdin discusses the need to minimize AI “hallucinations” with guardrails while keeping the product usable. They examine drive-thru voice AI...

Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, interviews Marcus Wasdin, founder of the Wasdin Company, about restaurant transformation and AI adoption. Wasdin recounts entering restaurants through Church’s Chicken, serving as the Atlanta Hawks’ first CIO during a $200M arena renovation that led to top NBA guest experience ratings, and later running a restaurant tech business line before moving into advisory work. They discu...

Host Tal Clark continues his conversation with Melissa Doolin-Koehne of Elevate 4 about advocacy for women in restaurant leadership and building purpose alongside profit. Melissa cites industry stats showing women are about 33% of executives but only 10% of CEOs. They also talk about restaurant industry challenges. She explains that cutting training or wages may save money short term but erodes brands, urging servant leadership and...

Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, welcomes Melissa Doolin-Koehne, founder of Elevate 4 and chair of the Texas Restaurant Foundation, to discuss her restaurant-industry background and current work advising brands on purpose-driven growth. Melissa recounts being raised in the industry and launching Elevate 4. She highlights the Texas Restaurant Foundation’s ProStart Invitational, drawing 1,000+ high school competitors a...

Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, interviews generational researcher and Center for Generational Kinetics president Jason Dorsey about CGK’s custom national study with Instant, “Underserved: The Financial Reality of America’s Hourly Restaurant Workers.” Jason explains the study’s Census-weighted methodology and discusses the perception gap between executives and frontline realities, noting lead...

Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, continues the conversation with Ben Elliott, CFO of Randstad USA, on staffing trends and earned wage access. Ben says daily access to earned wages helps recruiting and retention, citing improved shift adherence and reduced call-outs/turnover, and notes the appeal extends beyond hourly workers to professionals. He also highlights workforce trends from the Randstad Work Monitor 2026 and Rands...

Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, opens season two of the Instant Payments Podcast with guest Ben Elliott, U.S. CFO of Randstad, who leads the North America Financial Shared Services organization supporting $6B in operations. Ben explains how Randstad serves employers with flexible access to workers across industries and helps talent access jobs, skills, and reliable pay, noting Randstad puts 300,000+ people to work daily g...

Tal Clark hosts part two of the Instant Payments Podcast with Laura McLand, VP of HR at Sun Holdings, a major U.S. restaurant group with 30,000+ employees, discussing HR trends including earned wage access and digital tipping. Laura says fast, fee-free access to tips improves satisfaction, and notes the shift from physical pay cards to mobile payments. She describes Sun Holdings’ efforts to position restaurant work as a caree...

Host Tal Clark interviews Laura McLand, VP of HR at Sun Holdings, a franchise operator with 1,250+ locations across 32 states, 13 brands, and 30,000+ employees. Laura describes moving into HR through payroll, then joining Sun Holdings to unify previously fragmented HR, payroll, and benefits teams and improve speed and consistency of employee support. She explains how payroll is organized by brand type with shared resources for simi...

In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, continues the discussion with Stephanie Callihan, CFO of Cotton Patch Cafe, about the transformative impact of instant digital payments in the restaurant industry. Stephanie shares insights on how Cotton Patch's adoption of Instant Pay for both tips and wages has significantly boosted employee satisfaction, reduced turnover, and streamlined p...

In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark talks with Stephanie Callihan, finance leader at Cotton Patch Café, about navigating payroll, compliance, and retention in a large hourly workforce. Stephanie shares her career path through restaurant finance, Cotton Patch’s people-first culture, and how digital tipping helped the brand preserve daily pay while reducing operational risk. The conversation highligh...

In this bonus episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, and Heather Heebner, head of compliance at Instant Financial, discuss the CFPB advisory opinion released December 23, 2025. The conversation delves into the current regulatory environment of earned wage access (EWA) at both the federal and state levels, the history of advisory opinions from the CFPB, and the implications for employers a...

In this episode of the Instant Payments podcast, host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, continues the conversation with Britt Landrum, CEO of Landrum, Inc. They discuss the impact of AI on staffing, including Landrum's AI, 'Abby,' for recruiting. The conversation extends to the evaluation of tools like payroll cards and earned wage access for worker impact and business ROI. Britt touches on Landrum, Inc.'s industry reach, recent...

In this episode of the Instant Payments podcast, host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, interviews Britt Landrum, CEO of Landrum, Inc — two companies based in Pensacola, Fla. Britt shares insights on the history of his family staffing and PEO business, the technological advancements in staffing and HR, and the importance of earned wage access for hourly workers. They explore the impact of AI on employment, the adaptability...

In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, continues the conversation with Matt Umholtz, President of AllianceHCM, delving into the labor challenges faced by the restaurant industry. The discussion navigates the importance of an 'hourly first mindset,' career advancement opportunities, and the role of training in reducing turnover rates among young workers. They explore the benefits of ear...

In this episode of the Instant Payments podcast, CEO Tal Clark interviews Matt Umholtz, President and CRO of AllianceHCM. They discuss Matt's journey from working in high-end kitchens to becoming a leader in payroll and HR technology. The conversation highlights key industry challenges such as labor and food costs, turnover rates, and the importance of specialization in multi-unit restaurant operations. Matt shares insights on how ...

In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, continues the conversation with Kep Sweeney, CEO of PDQ Restaurants. They delve into the business environment of the quick-service restaurant (QSR) space, discussing the handling and implications of tips, employee compensation, the free market, and industry trends. Kep and Tal also explore the challenges distressed restaurant brands face, com...

In this episode of the Instant Payments podcast, host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, interviews Kep Sweeney, the CEO of PDQ Restaurants. Kep shares his extensive background in the restaurant industry, from working in kitchens as an executive chef to transitioning to an analyst role on Wall Street and ultimately leading PDQ restaurants. The discussion covers PDQ's business model, its focus on quality, workforce management, and...