The Digital Restaurant
The latest on technology affecting the restaurant industry - for better and for worse.
Episodes
Restaurants have crossed a line.
AI adoption is accelerating. Digital sales are growing. Tech spend is rising.
But here’s the problem… very little of it is actually working.
In this episode, Carl sits down with Jen Kern (CMO at Qu) to break down the 2026 State of Digital Report and what it really tells us about the industry.
This is not a conversation about trends. It’s a conversation about execution.
Key themes include:
...Carl is joined by Rishi Nigam, CEO of Franklin Junction, to break down the most important stories shaping restaurants and consumer technology as we close out 2025. From GoPuff’s latest funding round to Cloudflare’s massive outage and the rising role of synthetic data, this episode looks at how operators should prepare for a rapidly changing year ahead.
Topics covered:
• GoPuff’s new funding and whether it s...
Special guest host Kim DeCarolis joins Carl for a lively dive into the week’s biggest restaurant and tech stories for the last episode in Season 2.
They start with American Express’s growing influence in restaurant loyalty and ask whether Amex has become the new partner of choice. Then they turn to Chipotle, where CEO Scott Boatwright is refocusing the brand around digital order accuracy — a move that says a lot abou...
Are delivery marketplaces like DoorDash and Uber Eats about to be disrupted by ChatGPT?
Carl welcomes Atul Sood, former McDonald’s and Kitchen United executive, to explore how AI and automation are reshaping the food world — from ChatGPT’s new app integrations to robotic hospital kitchens.
Together they cover:
- DoorDash’s new Dot delivery robot and smart scale (2m 15)
https://foodondemand.com/10012025/doordash-c...
This week on The Digital Restaurant, Carl is joined by Jeremy Julian, host of the Restaurant Technology Guys podcast and CRO of CBS NorthStar, for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of restaurant technology.
We dive into highlights from FSTEC, explore new benchmarks from InTouch Insight’s QSR report on voice AI & kiosks, and tackle the perennial build vs buy question that every brand faces. We also look at ...
This week, Carl welcomes special guest host Markus Pineyro of Oomi Kitchen to dive into five major stories shaping restaurants and technology.
- Is first-party delivery really the answer? We explore the economics, customer experience, and hidden costs behind running your own fleet.
- Burger King’s security scare: An ethical hacker exposes vulnerabilities at RBI. What lessons should operators learn about digital risk ...
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 pric...
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 backl...
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
• V...
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...
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.
- PO...
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 Na...
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 Partnershi...
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 fascina...
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.
...
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...
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 fut...
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 th...
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 Ex...
🚀 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 nex...
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