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PODCAST

Restaurant AI

Restaurant AI with Matt Wampler is your weekly deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence and its transformative impact on the restaurant and hospitality industry. Hosted by tech entrepreneur and industry insider Matt Wampler, this podcast explores how AI is reshaping everything from kitchen operations and customer service to marketing, labor management, and the guest experience. Whether you’re a restaurant operator, tech innovator, or hospitality enthusiast, each episode

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All Episodes

79:34

How Zhong Xu Built a $1.4 Billion Restaurant Tech...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/11/18

On this episode of The Restaurant AI Podcast, ClearCOGS co-founder and CEO Matt Wampler sits down with Zhong Xu, the visionary founder behind Deliverect, now valued at over $1.4 billion. Zhong opens up about the relentless execution and radical simplicity that powered Deliverect’s rise from a scrappy MVP to a global restaurant infrastructure platform used by thousands of brands.Zhong shares the unbelievable early story: validating the business before writing real code, onboarding 300 restaurants

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12:42

From Layoff to Legacy: How Charlie Eblen Built a BBQ...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/11/11

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, host Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Charlie Eblen — founder of Single Tree BBQ and host of Single Tree Nation on ESPN Radio — to share one of the most inspiring stories in hospitality.When the pandemic hit, Charlie lost his corporate job overnight. Instead of playing it safe, he followed his wife’s advice: “Go do what you love.” Out of a 26-foot food trailer and a few thousand dollars in savings, Single Tree BBQ was

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32:10

Maria Zhang: Building Empathetic AI for the...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/11/04

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, host Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Maria Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO of Polona, live from the 2025 CREATE Conference in Nashville. Together, they explore how artificial intelligence can enhance—not replace—the human touch that defines great hospitality.Maria shares her journey from leading engineering teams at Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo to launching an AI company purpose-built for restaurants. She discusses how her team

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62:52

Avi Goren: AI, Authenticity and How Restaurants Get...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/10/28

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, host Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Avi Goren, Co-Founder and CEO of Marqii — a leading platform helping restaurants manage their digital presence and reputation. Together, they unpack how AI and automation are reshaping discoverability in hospitality, from SEO and generative search to the role of accurate listings, reviews, and menus across every online channel.Avi shares insights from Marqii’s latest research showing

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71:36

Jacob Williamson: Racing, Data and the Human Edge in...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/10/21

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, hosts Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with professional racing driver and entrepreneur Jacob “Jake” Williamson, Co-Founder of GP Lab Motorsport and owner of multiple businesses spanning motorsports, catering, and more. Together, they explore the fascinating overlap between data-driven decision-making and instinct — from how predictive analytics shape Formula racing to how gut feel still defines performance behind the wheel.Jake

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76:44

Erin Levzow: Navigating the Future of Marketing with AI

Restaurant AI ·

2025/10/15

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, hosts Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, and Erin Levzow, an award-winning marketing innovator whose career spans brands like Wingstop, Del Taco, and the Museum of Ice Cream, dive deep into how AI and data are redefining restaurant marketing.From her start in Las Vegas casinos to leading marketing for national restaurant brands, Erin shares how hospitality’s most competitive environments taught her to think like a technologist. She

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65:18

Phil Crawford on Why Small Brands are Beating Big...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/10/07

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Phil Crawford, Global Head of Food and Beverage at Adyen. Known for his leadership at Shake Shack and CKE before moving into fintech, Phil shares why he made the jump from running restaurant tech to rethinking payments on a global scale.They dive into how AI is already reshaping payment optimization, fraud prevention, and customer insights, and why the “absence of problems” may be the truest

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96:13

Bill Lindsey on 50 Years of Restaurant Tech, Casino...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/09/30

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Bill Lindsey, Partner and Co-Founder of COGS-Well. Bill’s journey started as a dishwasher at Farrell’s Ice Cream and took him through the Las Vegas Strip—where he learned operations on casino floors, lived through federal raids at the Stardust, and watched “learned intelligence” evolve into the systems we now call AI.With five decades spanning kitchens, casinos, and code, Bill reflects on

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66:49

Joe Guszkowski on Cutting Through AI Hype and Finding...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/09/23

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Joe Guszkowski, Senior Editor at Restaurant Business. With years of experience reporting on the industry’s biggest shifts, Joe offers a journalist’s perspective on how artificial intelligence is reshaping restaurants—from the back office to the front of house.He unpacks where AI is making a real difference today, the challenges operators face in separating hype from practical value, and why

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83:23

Troy Hooper on Scaling Pepper Lunch and Staying...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/09/09

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, welcomes Troy Hooper, CEO of Hot Palette America and Pepper Lunch. With a career spanning three decades across kitchens, consulting, and global brand leadership, Troy offers a masterclass in how to scale an international concept without losing its soul.He shares the lessons learned from guiding Pepper Lunch’s North American expansion, where authenticity is the North Star, franchisees are true partners in

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62:01

PredictHQ Co-Founder Campbell Brown on Forecasting...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/09/02

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Campbell Brown, Co-Founder and CEO of PredictHQ, to explore how artificial intelligence and real-world event data are transforming restaurant forecasting and operations. Campbell shares the story of building PredictHQ from its early days in New Zealand to becoming the “demand intelligence” engine for global brands like Chipotle, Domino’s, and Wingstop. He explains how everything from Taylor

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66:48

Carl Orsbourn: Navigating the Restaurant Tech Revolution

Restaurant AI ·

2025/08/26

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearCOGS, sits down with Carl Orsbourn, Co-Author of Delivering the Digital Restaurant, Host, The Digital Restaurant Podcast, SVP, Invisible AI, to explore how artificial intelligence and digital transformation are reshaping the restaurant industry.Carl shares the story behind writing Delivering the Digital Restaurant during the pandemic, why his follow-up book focuses on the long game of digital maturity, and how

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63:07

Bite CEO Brandon Barton on The Next Era of Guest...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/08/19

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearCOGS, sits down with Brandon Barton, CEO of Bite, to explore how kiosk ordering, AI, and deep restaurant experience are shaping the future of guest interactions.Brandon shares his 25-year journey from bussing tables in Brooklyn to running the dining room at a Danny Meyer restaurant, making the leap to restaurant tech at Avero, and eventually leading Bite—a software company bringing “e-commerce on a touchscreen”

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77:46

Niko Papademetriou on Turning Restaurant Struggles...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/08/12

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearCOGS, sits down with Niko Papademetriou, Co-Founder of Qu POS, to trace his unconventional path from investment banking to owning a massive Dupont Circle restaurant, and eventually leading growth at one of the industry’s top enterprise POS providers. Niko shares candid stories from the trenches of restaurant ownership—navigating failing equipment, oversized kitchens, payroll pressure, and learning to become a

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80:09

Wow Bao CEO Geoff Alexander on Turning a Struggling...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/08/05

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearCOGS, sits down with Geoff Alexander, CEO of Wow Bao, to unpack the remarkable story of how a small fast-casual concept became a national brand available in 15,000 grocery stores, 500 hot vending machines, and dozens of non-traditional locations—all without traditional funding.Geoff shares how he took over Wow Bao with three underperforming units and turned it around by embracing early technology adoption, from

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92:09

Danny Klein on Why Truth Matters More Than Ever in...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/07/30

In this episode of the Restaurant AI podcast, Matt Wampler, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearCOGS, sits down with Danny Klein, Editorial Director of QSR Magazine, for a wide-ranging conversation on the evolving role of journalism in the restaurant industry, the rise of AI-powered tools, and the importance of trust in a saturated media landscape. Danny shares his unexpected journey from sports writing to restaurant trade journalism, how QSR Magazine builds and protects editorial trust, and what it means

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20:56

Michael Ungaro: From Fish Market to Media Company to...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/07/22

Live from the floor of the 2025 National Restaurant Association Show, Restaurant AI host Matt Wampler sits down with Michael Ungaro, third-generation owner and visionary behind the iconic San Pedro Fish Market. In this wide-ranging and entertaining conversation, Michael shares how a family-run seafood operation turned into a cultural phenomenon—with over 3,000 seats, a hit streaming series, and a savvy embrace of digital innovation.From the surprising power of Facebook comments to battling IP

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84:37

Rudy Miick – Designing Restaurants That Restore the...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/07/15

In this thought-provoking episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler sits down with Rudy Miick, Founder and President of The Miick Companies, for a deep dive into what makes restaurant culture truly transformative—and how technology fits into the equation.With over four decades of experience shaping restaurant brands from the inside out, Rudy shares why restaurants are more than food and service—they’re leadership laboratories, soul-restoring spaces, and the stage for daily human

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83:56

Justin Foster – Building Voice AI for the Chaos of...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/07/08

In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt sits down with Justin Foster, Co-Founder and CRO of Incept AI, for a deep and technical dive into the future of Voice AI in restaurants, particularly in the drive-thru environment.With years of experience in both restaurants and AI, Justin brings rare insight into what it really takes to build voice technology that works in the chaotic, noisy world of restaurant operations. Matt presses Justin on the tough questions—what’s real, what’s hype, and

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24:36

Jordan Boesch - Streamlining Restaurant Workflows,...

Restaurant AI ·

2025/07/01

Live from the floor of the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, Restaurant AI host Matt Wampler sits down with Jordan Boesch, CEO of 7shifts, for an energizing conversation about the evolution of labor management. With 7shifts powering 1 in 9 U.S. restaurant workers, Jordan shares how his team is moving the industry beyond spreadsheets—building intelligent workflows that streamline scheduling, payroll, compliance, and communication. They dig into the rise of cross-training, the need

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24 results

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