The Late Night Restaurant Podcast Show

Join Jay and Dom on The Late Night Restaurant Show as they sit down with Sharyar from Clara AI at 7 AM Pakistan time to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the restaurant industry. Discover how Clara AI is helping over 100 restaurants in Australia recover millions in lost revenue through intelligent call handling and automation.

AI Call Management Revolution

• How Clara AI has answered 425,000+ calls and recovered $...

On this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Show, Chef D joins us from a cruise ship to talk about his newest project Something Different, a one-seating-per-night restaurant already making waves in Cambridge and across Toronto. With decades of experience in the industry, Chef D offers sharp insights on innovation in the kitchen, the value of mentorship, and how to build something that lasts in a fast-changing food economy. Whether...

In this energizing episode of the Late Night Restaurant Show, Saawan Logan, founder of North Water, shares the story behind Canada's cleanest bottled water brand and what it really means to lead with authenticity. From serving water at the G7 to redefining what it means to be a modern leader, Saawan speaks openly about challenges, clarity, and why being real matters now more than ever. It's a conversation about values, visi...

Matt Wampler returns to the Late Night Restaurant Show for an unfiltered conversation on restaurant operations, tech overload, and how to fix the broken profit formula. From his early days running sandwich shops to leading a top restaurant tech company, Matt shares real strategies that work, why most AI hype misses the mark, and what operators should actually focus on. Insightful, honest, and packed with value for anyone in the ind...

Matt Plapp, founder of America's Best Restaurants, reveals the marketing strategies that have helped over 2,000 restaurants grow their sales. Learn the 3 critical tactics every restaurant must implement: customer data capture, strategic email/text marketing, and authentic video content that builds community connections.

Discover how one pizza restaurant generated $6,500 in sales from just $700 in Facebook ads, why storytelling b...

In this episode, Jay and Dom talk with the team behind Pivot, a Montreal restaurant tech company that's actually built by people who've worked in restaurants.

They get into one of the biggest headaches in the industry: scheduling, payroll, and trying to make five different systems talk to each other. The Pivot founders walk through how their AI scheduling works (it's literally one click), how tips and payroll sync up aut...

What do a rubber duck, local search optimization, and soggy burgers have in common? They all show up in this high-energy, no-fluff conversation with the legendary David Rev Ciancio aka Rev... restaurant owner, hospitality marketing expert, and unapologetic pickle-hater.

In this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Podcast, Rev spills the secret sauce on:

• The 67% rule that proves Google was built for restaurants

• Why most operators ...

In one of the most inspiring episodes of The Late Night Restaurant Podcast to date, we sit down with Brooks Kirchheimer, the visionary behind Utah’s celebrated Hill Top Hospitality Group. From playing pretend restaurant as a kid to running five thriving restaurants with a 300+ person team, Brooks’ story is a testament to what happens when you lead with heart, not ego.

We dive deep into:

• His people-first philosophy that includes p...

Rob Hood joins us for an honest conversation about the realities of modern hospitality. From dish pits in 1988 to executive leadership across Canada, Rob shares the journey that shaped his perspective on what truly matters in this industry.

We explore how technology is reshaping hotels—AI at the front desk, robotics in the kitchen, and evolving guest expectations. Rob explains which innovations actually improve the experience and wh...

Juan Cifuentes from MenuLink joins the Late Night Restaurant Show to discuss how his Toronto-based startup is helping restaurants reclaim revenue by slashing pickup order fees from 15-30% down to just 1%.

In this episode, Juan shares MenuLink's mission to give restaurants ownership over their revenue, explains the simple 5-minute signup process.

We dive into practical tips for restaurants using third-party platforms from proper...

Robin Apel, President at Barmetrix Vancouver, joins The Late Night Restaurant Podcast to reveal how restaurants are losing thousands of dollars every week without even knowing it.

Key Takeaways:

The Numbers Are Shocking

• One restaurant was losing $600/week on a single item (Kahlua in espresso martinis) due to bartenders overpouring by just a quarter ounce
• 15% of draft beer commonly goes unaccounted for - that's one in every seve...

This episode hits home. After 51 years in hospitality, Tom shares how burnout shaped his life and why he’s leading The Burnt Chef Project across North America. We talk about mental health in restaurants, leadership, loneliness, and the simple things that help like saying thank you, or texting someone, “You’re awesome.”

You’ll hear real talk about empathy, the pressure to be perfect, and how small acts change everything. Tom’s story ...

This episode hits a key issue in restaurants today. Tech adoption. Jay and Dominic sit with Jordan Boesch the CEO from 7shifts to break down the four stages of tech adoption from paper and gut feel to a connected tech stack that drives profit.

You will hear
• The four stages of tech adoption and where most restaurants sit today
• Why experience and intuition are not enough anymore
• How tech links to retention, labor contro...

In this episode, I sit down with industry legend Joyce Turchetti for a real conversation about what’s broken in hospitality and how to fix it. We talk about accountability, leadership, and what it takes to build restaurants that last. Joyce shares stories from the old days of New York nightlife, lessons from decades in the business, and the simple truth about why hospitality has to get back to its roots.

If you’ve ever worked a doub...

In this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Show, we sit down with Daren Schwengler, President at Specialty Beverage Solutions & Food Service Equipment.

Daren shares how he built his company from a $5,000 credit card and a single espresso machine into a coast-to-coast coffee solutions business. His journey covers the tough early years, the turning point that brought momentum, and how SBS now supports restaurants, cafés, and cha...

Jay and Domenic sit down late at night with Chef Michael Guerrieri for a raw, funny, and heartfelt conversation about life in the kitchen.

Chef Michael opens up about growing up in a family of bakers, why he chose cooking over baking, and how simplicity and culture shape the food he makes today.

They dive into bread traditions from Italy and Portugal, the art of olive oil, and why some old‑school methods still beat trendy shortcuts...

On this episode of The Late Night Restaurant Podcast, Jay and Domenic sit down with Karisa Marra from Square to dig into how modern POS systems are changing the game for restaurants.

Karisa shares her journey from working the floor in busy dining rooms to leading Square’s Canadian sales team, and she breaks down how today’s tech can give operators back entire days of their lives.

They talk about the real challenges restaurants face ...

This episode of The Late Night Restaurant Show is pure gold for anyone in foodservice. Jay, Dom, and Beck welcome Alton Watts, from Sysco Food Services, and the conversation swings from hilarious stories to hard‑earned lessons. Alton talks about growing up as the youngest of ten in Jamaica, learning to cook at his mother’s side, and eventually moving to Canada.

He shares how he stumbled into the kitchen world, turned a dishwasher s...