The Digital Restaurant
The latest on technology affecting the restaurant industry - for better and for worse.
Episodes
This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Jennifer Kern, CMO of Qu, for a fast-moving conversation about the headlines shaping restaurants, technology, and consumer behavior.
We kick off with a surprising stat: half of adults are ordering kids meals. (01:00) What does this say about QSR value wars, portion sizes, and how brands like CAVA and Starbucks are reframing value through experience, not just price?
...
In this episode of The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Emmy Award–winning storyteller Mike Duffy of Yum Crunch. Together they break down five timely stories shaping restaurants and tech:
- McDonald’s bets on web ordering through DoorDash—does convenience outweigh control?
- Yum Brands’ Byte platform fuels $9B in digital sales and rewrites the restaurant tech stack.
- Social listening lessons: Cracker Barrel’s backlas...
Carl returns from a July break with Bernadette Heier of Food on Demand to unpack five stories that signal where restaurant tech is heading next.
01:00 – Olo acquired by Thoma Bravo
• $2B all-cash deal
• A chance to reset outside the public markets
• Could this unlock faster innovation?
04:30 – OpenTable’s AI Concierge
• Built with OpenAI and Perplexity
• Answers 80% of diner questions
• Vis...
This week on The Digital Restaurant, I’m joined by a new co-host — Alex, an AI avatar — as we break down five headlines showing how delivery, automation, and AI are shaping the next wave of restaurant operations:
01:10 – Olive Garden’s off-premise engine is humming
Uber Direct integration, buy-one-take-one offers, and nearly 7% same-store sales growth from delivery alone
05:25 – Yum China rolls out Q Smartt
A v...
What’s Inside This Episode?
00:00 – Live from the National Restaurant Show
Carl visits Chicago and joins Rich Faltot at Point B’s new Restaurant Technology Innovation Center.
“We're stood in a room with 70 screens — and not one is for show.”
01:00 – Why restaurant tech stacks are broken
Legacy systems, data silos, fragmented integrations, and the cost of doing nothing.
- POS ...
This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by restaurant real estate expert and 10Rep founder Kyle Inserra. Together they explore the rise of kitchen automation, curbside robotics, and why DoorDash is pausing its Voice AI. Packed with insights from the National Restaurant Show, this episode covers the latest in tech, data, and operations shaping the restaurant world.
Timestamps:
00:00:40 – AI Dominates the Nati...
In this week’s episode of The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Alayna Sullivan, Senior Director of Corporate Comms at Olo, fresh from Food on Demand. Together, they cover five big stories shaping the restaurant and off-premise landscape, including DoorDash’s mega acquisitions, Chipotle's new catering pilot with Olo, and the rising footprint of Wonder.
Timestamps:
00:01:30 – Chipotle x Olo Catering Partnership
<...This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl and guest co-host Jason Berkowitz dive into:
- Qu's move toward smart kitchens with integrated IoT systems (0m 50s)
- A sharp reflection on the restaurant "disruptors" that weren't — from Zume Pizza to Ghost Kitchens (4m 35)
- Why Chipotle's negative sales aren't just about the economy — and how training and tech are key to recovery (11m 05)
- A fascinati...
This week, Carl is joined by Deborah Matteliano, the Global Head of Restaurants at AWS, for a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from tariffs and avocados to AI strategy, Seamless’s surprising comeback, and the limits of restaurant robotics. Drawing from her experience at Uber Eats and now at Amazon, Deborah offers sharp insights on how data, delivery, and design are reshaping the restaurant landscape.
To...
This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Yaro Tsyhanenko, founder of PickPad, to break down the headlines shaping restaurants and tech:
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: Meet guest host Yaro, CEO of PickPad
01:00 – Why did Yum Brands partner with Nvidia?
05:37 – What does Qu’s State of Digital 2025 Report reveal?
13:06 – Why did Starbucks acquire Empower Delivery?
18:47 – Are loyalty p...
Welcome to The Digital Restaurant! Carl is joined by Bernadette Heier, Managing Editor from Food on Demand, marking the first time a professional broadcaster joins the show.
[00:01:07] Planes, (Trains?) & Automobiles – A New Kind of Off-Premise? Shake Shack is expanding its partnership with Delta Airlines, bringing its brand to first-class passengers. As restaurants seek new ways to expand off-premise, is the futur...
Welcome to this week’s episode of The Digital Restaurant Podcast! Carl is joined by special guest Olga Lopategui, a leading expert in restaurant loyalty and digital engagement, to break down the latest innovations shaping the restaurant industry.
⏱ [01:07] – Just Salad Gets $200M Investment
- What makes Just Salad’s tech stack unique?
- How will this funding impact digital transformation in restaurants?
- Will they use the ...
Carl welcomes guest host Cijoy Olickal, a restaurant tech expert, to break down key industry trends.
🔹 2025 Restaurant Industry Outlook – $1.5T in sales, shifting consumer habits, tech’s impact on profitability, and labor challenges. Articles One, Two, and Three
🔹 Yum! Brands' Tech Strategy – Is building a proprietary tech stack the right move for a global franchise? Articles One and Two
🔹 Wonder’s Expa...
🚀 The Digital Restaurant Podcast - 100th Episode Special! 🎉
Welcome to a milestone episode of The Digital Restaurant! This is our 100th episode, and while it's a moment of celebration, it also comes with a bittersweet note—Meredith is off to Seattle to take on an exciting EVP role at Starbucks. We’ll miss her insights, but the show must go on!
In this episode, Carl Orsbourn takes the mic solo to explore the next ...
On today's episode of The Digital Restaurant, we dive into bold predictions for the year ahead, including the rise of Indian cuisine in delivery, the growing role of automated restaurant technology, and speculation on potential acquisitions and IPOs in the year ahead. We also reflect on last year’s forecasts to see how they held up.
🔔 Subscribe to The Digital Restaurant Podcast and follow us on Y...
This episode of The Digital Restaurant features Tony Illes, founder of Tony Delivers, a new food delivery service disrupting the Seattle market. The conversation delves into the impact of Seattle’s “Pay Up” legislation, which has reshaped the food delivery landscape, reducing delivery volumes for platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats. Tony shares his journey from a side hustle as a delivery driver to creating a busine...
In this festive episode, Carl and Meredith explore five transformative trends in the restaurant industry as we wrap up 2024. They kick things off by discussing how personalization is finally becoming a reality for big brands like McDonald’s and Yum! Brands, leveraging data to craft tailored offers for customers. The conversation then moves to the latest Toast Trend Report, revealing intriguing shifts in dining habits,...
In this episode of The Digital Restaurant, Carl and Meredith dive into the hottest topics shaping the future of the restaurant industry. From Touch Bistro’s bold 2025 State of Restaurants Report to the resurgence of ghost kitchens, the conversation explores how technology and innovation are redefining dining trends. The duo breaks down why AI adoption is critical for restaurants of all sizes and examines the latest ad...
In this episode of the Digital Restaurant Podcast, we dive into several key industry trends and developments. We discuss Wonder's surprising acquisition of Grubhub at a steep 91% discount, exploring how this deal could bolster Wonder's vision of a "super app" for mealtime. The conversation shifts to the growing impact of Ozempic on the restaurant industry, with discussions around how reduced appeti...
🔔 Subscribe to The Digital Restaurant Podcast and follow us on YouTube for more episodes that combine the love of food with the latest in technology. Your next restaurant tech adventure starts here!
📖 Get your copy of the Delivering the Digital Restaurant books at www.theDigital.Restaurant
🎤 Have Carl come and speak at your company conference! Learn more at www.theDigital.Restauran...
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