Tech on Toast

This week Chris meets Robin Chiang, Vice President of Global Sales & Services at ⁠OpenTable.⁠ OpenTable is a global leader in restaurant technology, with product innovation at its core. Founded in 1998 and based in San Francisco, California, OpenTable now powers hospitality at more than 55,000 restaurants worldwide, connecting more than 1.5 billion diners with restaurants every year. During the chat we discussed, Robins's view of the global market and of OpenTable's 25 year legacy in the knowledge of the industry. How building a restaurant first team is the key to serving the hospitality industry, enabling simple decision-making. Driving bums on seats to customers to ensure that an empty seat is filled at the touch of a button. Delivering business & visiting business customers to restaurants, which in turn drives higher spend. Utilising CRM to drive both new and previously visited guests back into your restaurant. How he has seen a 4% shift in online bookings since the pandemic. Phishing within the industry & protecting your restaurant data. How "In 90" bookings are increasing rapidly, tech is enabling customers to book rather than walk in and they like the security of knowing they can book Building pre-shift reports all over the world to set businesses up for success, bookings, frequency, menu availability & restaurant-focused information. And much more.... The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by ⁠REMS Hospitality⁠. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris meets Dan Brookman & Sam Brown from Airship & Toggle. " We send 49 million emails a month, my job is to get to people out dining in hospitality" Dan Brookman. If you have not met these two before, well, you are in for a treat. We had great fun chatting about all things marketing & even managed a Mr & Mrs. Quiz at the end of the podcast to check how much they really know about each other! During the episode we discuss, How airship & toggle came about and what they can do for your business Supporting & educating the industry around marketing through thick and thin ...and a pandemic. Email marketing, frequency, content, photography, and lots of nudging... Setting up your email marketing journeys and discussing how you are competing with every mail in your inbox, so every time your customer has a birthday and you are not talking to them, your competitors are. Supporting the accommodation sector and ensuring that customer data is captured by the hotel beyond just the lead person's name and email. Gifting, how hospitality is playing catch up in the world of gifting which is very exciting as the opportunity is huge! Staking your claim in every customer's digital wallet on their phone, every time your customer pays, you will be right there with them. Quoting Vic Searl on a regular basis! Building marketing campaigns with humor and very small budgets...oh and chico! Their unique relationship through a very chaotic 4 min quiz! And so much more, The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris meets Joel Satchi & Greg Gibbons. Joel is the co-founder of EmenuNow & Greg is the central operations director at The Big Table Group. During this episode we discuss, Joel's experience of traveling the world and experiencing hospitality in different countries but seeing the same customer service issues, Why Joel picked this industry to build a new product and how he has addressed his lack of experience in the industry by building a board of hospitality legends Supporting the whole industry with EmenuNow's tech, which can be plugged into any legacy tech, enabling all hospitality businesses with any EPOS to join in the digital revolution  Where the industry is at in terms of its tech deployment and the problems Greg is currently facing & how consistency is crucial in really impacting the way you do business Working closely with brands to build intuitive digital menus, pair food to drink, and understand the customer journey to provide a seamless experience. Hybrid ordering and why its really needed in the casual dining arena Improving the guest experience of allergen customers, staying safe all the time Moving spend in the right direction and actually improving the guest experience The arrival of Robots to the industry, the cost of them, and how the cynics may well be proved wrong as they become an important part of our restaurant teams. And much, much more..... The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks to Chris Joliffe, CRO at Kobas & Katie Rose, CFO at Market Halls.We bring together customer and supplier to talk about relationships. problem-solving and ensuring that the customer is not just supplied but supported.During the chat we also discuss:The most significant barriers facing Katie & Market Halls each day, and how  Market Halls seeing off those challenges?Building tech to suit food hall operationsThe view from the supplier side, how do you pivot to meet the operational problems these businesses face?The process Katie takes in procuring new tech and the relationship she wants with her suppliers.How tech and business should work together? How do you create a relationship built on trust and still get what you both want?Matching culture and purpose with suppliers, ensuring that growth is key but understanding priorities are key to building a long-lasting relationship.and much more.... The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week, Chris meets Chris Sanderson Founder of Limber.What is Limber?"This is gig economy 2.0. This isn’t about turning the world into temps. This isn’t about digitizing the race to the bottom world of staffing agencies. This isn’t about random people turning up to shifts in pubs.This is empowering people to live a happy, flexible, and varied work life.This is making it easy, cost effective and viable for hospitality venues to access and work with this growing generation of flexible talent.This is about enabling hospitality venues to build consistent teams of flexible staff.This is the answer to fair and ethical gig work for those who say no to traditional employment."During the episode, we discuss:How the recruitment market has changed in the last 5 years?What hospitality gig workers bring to the industry & why they are so important?Being truly inclusive in your hiring processHow to overcome placing someone in a business without any training or induction?Enabling this generation to work flexibly and undo the old habits of the industry which is slowly adopting tech.The future of building flexible workforces, enabling businesses to support themselves through flexible teams & full-time teams working together.And much more..... The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks with Paul West, Founder & CEO of Ignite & FUSE.About Ignite & FuseIgnite is an integrated marketing agency fusing strategy, creativity, and technology for elite brands and leading hospitality businesses globally.Fuse houses 5 e-commerce products under one roof, pay and order at table, collection & delivery, event ticketing, gift vouchers & the ability to own your own online shop. All are designed by hospitality insiders, built on decades of digital experience, and used by industry giants.During the chat we discuss the following :How Fuse was formed during the pandemic through due to fragmented customer journeys that were causing problems both with the customer journey & operations.Leveraging your restaurant business through new revenue streams & customer orientated functionalityHow storytelling & customer journey are at the forefront of everything that fuse does as they understandExtending brands into lifestyle brands offering an at-home product through fuse technologyBuilding a seamless customer journey for brands that really care about the narrative, allowing them to own the customer experience and not feel like a third-party site.Driving revenue through frictionless experiences for your customers Capturing data from your customers which enables you to discover the true value of your guest and then reward them with loyalty.Keeping your data all in one place from one provider, avoiding spreading your data across multiple platforms to provide one single customer view.And much more...... The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris chats with Patrick Clover, Founder of Stampede.Stampede provides a range of digital tools for hospitality businesses to grow, by bringing back more customers, improving their reputation and saving them time along the way.Data-driven and cloud-based software that does the heavy lifting for owners, managers, operators and marketers. Our digital tools include compliant data capture, reputation management, gift cards, email and SMS marketing and presence analytics.During the Chat we discuss:How customer retention is the heart of growing any business & stampede is supporting that effort.How Connecting your data, and ensuring that it is useful is vital to then go back out and market to individual audiences.Some great examples of campaigns that have worked and returned 1000's of £££'s back to the top line!How technology can be used to gather customer feedback and use it to improve the restaurant's operations and customer engagementHow restaurants can use data and analytics to personalize their marketing efforts and target specific customer segmentsPatrick's view on the evergreen problems we face in our industry and how he plans to overcome them.....oh and reference to a great JFK speech!!Tune in next week for more! The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks with Dan Hudson, Founder & CEO of GIGL"Gigl was born out of the desire to bring recruitment into the 21st century. We wanted to make it simpler for companies and candidates to connect with one another, in a way that's truly engaging for everyone involved.We are not a recruitment agency. We are a technology platform that's fundamentally changing the way people find and apply for work.We recognise that you're so much more than a CV. Through video, gigl allows you to express your true self when finding work, saving you and the employer time and money!"During the episode we  discuss:Dan's career and what led him to found GIGL?What problems  GIGL are solving.How the next generation is changing the way we recruit through their consumption of tech.Setting expectations for job seekers with videos made by the actual person you will work withEradicating the CV for entry-level job seekersBeing listed in the top 100 fastest start-ups in London and launching in the USAnd much, much more. The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks with Victoria Searl, Headhawk & Founder of Datahawks.DataHawks are Hospitality and Retail Email Marketing Specialists & Vic is determined to empower all marketers to take their seat in hospitality boardrooms all over the UK.During the chat we discuss:Vic's mission is to connect people and two very impressive WhatsApp groups that are leading changeWhat hospitality data we are collecting & how is it used?How to organize data & ensure that it is valuable How to monetize that data?How to get the most from email marketing?Whether there Is there such a thing as good and  bad data & where does it come from The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

Hello, all 👋The tech on toast podcast returns with Carl Jacobs, Co-Founder & CEO at ApicbaseChris talks with Carl this week about how to drive more profit through your food business using technology.During the chat we discuss:👍The journey of Acipbase from kitchen hardware to kitchen management software👍Discuss why managing food cost is very complex and different ways to combat it👍How the cost of living crisis is providing another hurdle to operations & what levers the operator can pull to drive more profit?👍How tech alone will not fix your kitchen's problems, humans still have a huge role to play enabled by insight from tech.👍How kitchens have sat in a "digital desert" for years and continue to do so👍That everyone is talking about payroll driving costs up but food cost is our second biggest cost to manage, Carls's thoughts on why we should focus on it to really drive your business forward in 2023👍Building a tech stack, starting a restaurant chain from scratch what automation and cost-saving tools would you put in from the start?👍What excites Carl about the industry for 2023Tune in next week for more from the world of hospitality tech. The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris met Jennifer Johansson, Founder & CEO of Placed App."We put the job search back in your hands"Embrace the future of finding jobs and talent, through an app that connects the best people and employers in a brand new way"We match people, not PDFs"Say goodbye to CVs and hello to in-app quizzes that bring your skills and personality to life"We speak the language of the service industry"Tap into a platform built for your sector, made by people like youWhen Jennifer  worked within the Hospitality industry with brands such as Soho House, she noticed that there was a gap in the recruitment market that matched compatible candidates with compatible employers to ensure that positions are filled with people who are the right cultural fit. Find out how she launched Placed App to solve the problem.We had a great chat and covered the following subjects...Jennifer's background  in the industryNurturing the candidate's journey through techThe Placed App journeyDealing with the pandemic and learning about herself and her team The plans for the future Enabling brands to lead with their valuesAllowing brands to sell themselvesThe ability to tap into different markets to find the right candidateThe future of Placed appTune in next week for more.... The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris meets Holly J Smith, Co-Founder and CRO at GIGL."Gigl was born out of the desire to bring recruitment into the 21st century. We wanted to make it simpler for companies and candidates to connect with one another, in a way that's truly engaging for everyone involved.We are not a recruitment agency. We are a technology platform that's fundamentally changing the way people find and apply for work.We recognise that you're so much more than a CV. Through video, gigl allows you to express your true self when finding work, saving you and the employer time and money!"Holly thrives in the sales and commercial world, specialising in the FMCG & event industries. With over 15 years experience she is dedicated to her customers, brands and businesses to ensure the very best product & service is delivered to the market place.During the chat we discuss:Holly's journey so far with a very international spin!Her work for Glastonbury...living & working on a farm! ( Tractor passing by for authenticity!)GIGL's ability to reach the next generationResponding in real-time to applications Making recruitment fun and bringing the spotlight back to people!Making applying for a job accessible for all, so you can sell yourself not a piece of paper!The future of GIGL Running Charities, Running Marathons, and getting back on the hockey team!Enjoy! The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

Digital Transformation: From a hospitality business to online retailer, how do you manage the change?The pandemic forced hospitality businesses to be more creative than ever, exploring new business models and in many cases revolutionising their online offering. In this session we take a look at some of the most innovative digital transformations in the industry - and what the future holds post-Covid.Chris Fletcher, Editor - Tech on toastSpeakersWilliam Connors, Director of IT Operations - PopeyesDub Lee, Systems Architect - Honest BurgersSteven Rolfe, Founder - pointOne EPoS The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks to Allison Page, Founder & CPO of Seven Rooms.Allison Page is Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of SevenRooms, a data-driven operations, marketing and guest engagement platform that empowers hospitality operators to maximize revenue, build brand loyalty and enable personalized experiences. SevenRooms is venture-backed by Amazon, Comcast Ventures and Providence Strategic Growth, and has been named to Inc.'s annual list of Best Workplaces for 2020. The company's clients range from neighborhood restaurants to international, multi-concept hospitality groups including MGM Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Bloomin' Brands, Topgolf, Jumeirah Group, Wolfgang Puck and Live Nation. Since inception in 2011, Ms. Page has been responsible for driving product innovation, defining the company's product roadmap, vision and strategic positioning, and scaling the platform to over 250 cities worldwide. She holds more than a decade of experience as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry; launching, building and commercializing high-growth technology platforms across global restaurant, hotel and entertainment brands. She brings knowledge in the areas of technology, guest experience, guest engagement, CRM, marketing, loyalty, data analytics and consumer trends. Prior to founding SevenRooms, Allison started her career in investment banking at Credit Suisse. She holds a bachelor's degree in Finance & Real Estate from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and was named one of Hospitality Technology's 2019 Top Women in Restaurant Technology. She currently sits on the boards of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at Cornell University.During the chat we discuss:Allison's career and her path to founding seven rooms?Tech in the hospitality industry? Are we getting the most out of what is on offer?How operators create a smoother guest experience across establishments by making use of the latest technology.How brands leverage guest data to create personalised experiences that improve guest satisfaction and customer service.How operators level up their marketing strategy to both on and off-premises Tune in each week to the Tech on Toast podcast. The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris meets the people in pink! Yes, that's right the team from sunday.Elisabeth Osmont d'Amilly is our guest and Elisabeth is the UK General Manager for sunday.About sunday:sunday - which lets you scan a QR code, split the bill with friends, and tip with quick clicks - has netted over a million unique users and signed up over 1,500 venues. Restaurants signed up so far range from chains to Michelin-starred eateries. The app is founded by and made for restaurateurs and investors including Jeremy King of London's Corbin & King empire.The app says it will help restaurants struggling with the ongoing hospitality staffing crisis, as it gives a 10% faster table turnover on average, and encourages higher tipping.During the chat we discuss:Elisabeth's journey from Banking to Deliveroo and then as UK General Manager of sundayThe challenges facing the industry and how tech can helpsunday's mission for the future, speeding up the process of operations in the hospitality Her love for travelWhy there aren't enough women in leadership roles in techTune in next week for more tech talk! The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks with Carmen Mallo, Founder of REMS Hospitality.About REMS,"The concept of market share is present globally in most sectors. We used market share widely during our time in the hotel industry. On joining a restaurant group, we quickly decided that restaurants would benefit from using market share strategically by learning more about their competitors. This is why we created REMS, to help restaurants understand their competitors with the same degree of accuracy present within other industries.We care about helping restaurants to increase their performance. We are well placed to deliver this by having the right people, the right team, and the right users with us on this journey."During this episode we talk about:Carmen's Journey from Spain to the UK. learning English at Nandos & staying away from Spanish people!!Her career stretched from hotels to the Ivy group.The leap from full-time work to her own project!How market share has shaped revenue growth in the hotel sector and soon will in casual diningProducing a comp set that gives an advantage to all operators by location, demographic & brandHow data will empower businesses moving forward to become even more strategic and encourage businesses not to waste money but more importantly drive revenueConvincing ops to open their mind and really look at the marketplace and understand what part of the market share they own.Carmen jumping around her local park and learning Parkour!Join us every week for another Tech story! The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris Speaks to Carl Holloway, Co- Founder of Rotaready.Rotaready is an Award winning staff rota software. Developed for hospitality, leisure and retail, Rotaready helps you schedule rotas, optimise wage spend, record attendance and approve timesheets for payroll."We used to work in pubs, bars, hotels, shops, and theme parks. And managing rotas, holiday accrual and timesheets was our least favourite thing. It took hours — people were still dissatisfied with their shifts and we were forever wrestling with our wage bill.Some places had "market leading" rota software, but it was slow and clunky — so rotas were still done on Excel and holidays on paper.We believed there should be a better way, so in 2015 we built Rotaready. Version 1.0 could build rotas automatically, had free mobile apps, integrated out-of-the-box with other systems and crucially, it was fun to use.We've continually innovated since then, but we haven't forgotten our roots — our customers shape our vision and our roadmap. Whether you're in head office or on the shop floor, we're here for everyone."In this episode :Carl moves from the stable world of finance to the diverse Hospitality industryWe talk through how the pair grew their idea & how quite quickly the realisation of the size of the problem was they were trying to fix!Tech in the hospitality industryGrowing a start-up built on referrals with just one (brilliant) salesperson!How Cross fit has taught Carl a whole new set of skills!Join us next week for our next episode. The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks to the fantastic Romain Baron, Founder of Tonyorder.comMore about Tonyorder below:"Exchange growth insights with world-class food, beverage and venue marketers. Join our private Slack community for advanced venue growth marketing so that you can ask questions, get feedback, and leverage the knowledge of all major restaurants, bars, ghost kitchens, and social venues"Romain has vast experience in building communities and has set his sights on encouraging growth & skillset for the hospitality marketing community...During the episode we discuss:How small brands with big stories will win in 2022That marketing that comes across as "shouting" will not work anymore!The need for a " safe space" for marketers to grow and learn from their peersHow learning never stops, tech has enhanced us all to share more and to belong to an online communityHow powerful the slack community is versus the WhatsApp communityHow the industry is full of brilliant marketers but they need a place to belongThat no one has that "lightbulb" moment, ideas are formed from the inspiration that you have consumed that leads into that idea.Social listening should be at the top of every founder's agenda!!We discuss lots more and Romain is great fun ...so tune in! The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week we have a special episode to celebrate International Women's Day with the fabulous Katy Moses, Founder of KAM.About KAM"Research and insight experts, providing the tools to understand your customer's journeys. Using consumer and operator research and insights to help identify the ways in which your business can improve.Whether your customer is the end consumer, an independent retailer or a hospitality operator, understanding and influencing the customer journey is vital to any business. Marketing (product, price, place, and promotions) and people (field sales, BDMs, front-line staff, etc.) are the core elements at play. Our research and insight tools and services are designed to help you better understand why, where, and how to create impactful and engaging customer journeys."During our Chat we discussed:Katy's background in media publishing and the formation of KAMHow insight has been influenced by Tech over the past 5 yearsHow online focus groups have opened up a new arena to gain insightWhy suppliers entering the hospitality need to utilise insight to ensure they land their offering correctly!Katy's opinion on Tech in Hospitality and who will win going forwardA/B testing ....where Chris really shows his age!!A certain bike ride coming up on the horizon.....And you can donate here:https://pedallingforpubs.org.uk/ The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris meets Roksolana Mykhailiuk , Digital Operations, Miss MilliesRoksolana was born and raised in Ukraine. Her family remain in Ukraine at this very hard time and we would be very grateful if you could spare anything to help families who are left behind and facing a very difficult situation, if you can help support them, please click the link below to support.Humanitarian aid for UkraineMore about Miss Millies:Miss Millie’s has been serving awesome chicken across the South West and Wales for over 30 years. But our roots in the fried chicken industry stretch back even further - to 1965 when our former Chairman, Harry Latham, set up KFC in the UK, alongside his partner Ray Allen. Harry then served as the Managing Director of KFC UK in the 1970’s before opening stores in 1988 in the South West under the Miss Millie’s brand.As Harry and his family were good friends with Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, he decided to name the new operation after the Colonel’s daughter, Mildred. The family owned and ran the chain up until it was bought by new management in 2019. Today, Miss Millie’s has 11 branches across the UK in Bristol, Weston-Super-Mare, Yate Billericay and Walthamstow - with more to come!As Miss Millies enters an exciting new era, with a new look, new menu, new restaurants, and a new leadership team, we are perfectly placed to expand our awesome brand, whilst always remaining true to our heritage - Carl Traill, Managing Director.During the Chat we discuss:Her journey from Ukraine working in Hotels and startups to London working for a fine dine brand before joining Miss Millies and writing her own job description!The role of a digital operations manager and her role in Miss MilliesHow Roksolana approaches purchasing technology and the thorough process of testing that needs to be followed!How listening to feedback from the team helped build the Miss Millies app.Building trust with the board to implement tech & ensure that the decision-making can be made to support digital transformation.We talk about much more.The episode was recorded before recent events in Ukraine and all of us at Tech on Toast and I'm sure all of you reading send our love to Roksalana, her family and all affected by the ongoing crisis. The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris managed to record a podcast in person!Chris meets Simon Drake, General Manager of The Other House.More about The Other House"A Residents’ Club effortlessly combining home comforts and apartment-style living with hotel facilities. You can stay for a day or a year – think hotel meets members club. It is cool, intriguing, bold, and committed to sustainability. With everything at your fingertips on The Other House app, make it your other house for as long as you are in town."During the Chat we discuss:Simon's background and how a shiny Bentley convinced him a career in Hospitality was for him!The background of The Other house, its ethos, and how they plan to disrupt the hospitality industry with their unique approachThe technology that will see guests gain total control of their stay, whether it be heat mapping the gym so you know when to visit or simply checking you in whilst you are en route.How the design and build of a completely brand new platform integrated into the property management system will transform the guest experience.Delivering on the guest's demands through a technology lens, therefore putting the guest in control for example setting the AC on their bedroom whilst travelling back from work, turning the lights on, and ordering your dinner through one of the well-known food aggregators.Offering bespoke housekeeping to the residents through "Housekeeping lite"  so you, the guest, can choose how much of this service you want during your stay.How working with Route B to design and build their new App has enabled them to find a complete end-to-end specialist which has enabled them to connect 42 API's to their property management system.And so much more, you can see Simon & Naomi talking at Rooms101 on 15th March. Not to be missed! The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks to James Gilbert & James Goldsworthry from Punch Pubs.James Gilbert  Head of Insights, Projects & Strategy at Punch Pubs & Co & James Goldsworthy, Head of Digital & Creative at Punch Pubs & Co.Punch is a multi-award-winning pub company in the UK with around 1,250 pubs in England, Scotland and Wales.We have established a resilient and well-invested pub estate through selective acquisition and disposal, with our vision being to run the best community pubs, driven by passionate local partners and publicans via our specialist multi-model platform that delivers the optimum return.Diversifying our business models ensures that every pub asset is utilised in the best possible way which ensures further opportunities for organic growth in our Leased & Tenanted estate whilst investing significantly to develop our Management Partnerships portfolio.Our strong suburban presence, flexible food offers and extensive outdoor trading areas, has allowed us to manoeuvre the business into the right position.During the chat we cover :The pair's background and how they ended up in Punch.How their careers have been led by technological advancementsHow building their own in house order & pay tech was a value add to the business Managing the customer journey through their own roadmap & how they convinced the leadership team to manage in-house rather than buy an off-the-shelf solution.Acting on their key stakeholder's adviceHow technology is an enabler, it gives us permission to make forward movements.Managing data & how to use it Privacy of data How pubs are driving loyalty not through tech but through community and being a key part of it The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks with Kim Teo, CEO & co-founder of Mr Yum.Born in Singapore, spending her teens and 20s in Australia and spending her time between LA, London, and Melbourne, Kim Teo was appointed Mr Yum CEO in 2018. Mr Yum is a mobile payments and growth platform that has revolutionised the way people order food and drinks at hospitality and entertainment venues and now has more than 13 million global users. A passionate advocate for women taking leadership roles in technology and business, bringing big ideas to life and creating a dynamic company culture is the energy that drives Kim and turns work into play. Having recently closed the company’s recent record-breaking funding round, which was Australia’s largest Series A for a female-led company, when not working on Mr Yum you’ll find Kim watching Australian Rules Football, at the gym, or visiting the latest Mr Yum hotspot. During the chat we discuss:• Kims journey and lessons learned along the way to growing Mr Yum• The lack of female CEO's in Tech and why that might be?• Growing a global team and giving autonomy.• How to grow adoption rates with your customers and their teams • Whether the industry is getting it right in terms of tech and the role both the suppliers and the operators have to play. • The values of Mr Yum and how Kim believes " running towards fire " is key to any business as it grows quickly• The difference between the markets in Australia and the UK• The latest developments in data and how we can empower the servers at the table to personalise the experience Tune in every week for your weekly fix of Tech on Toast. The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks to John Mason, learning guru and founder of Sideways.Since moving to London from his native New Zealand John has been obsessed with learning after struggling with learning in the early years of his life.  John had no confidence when it came to his early years in work and still to this day John believes that peer-to-peer learning helped him, good people taking time to help him learn sales calls, talk to new clients, and basically deal with the world of work that school hadn't prepared him for.John believes that " everyone is good at something " and with all the technology at our fingertips now we should share what we are good at, sideways lets you do that.In this episode we cover :Why asking for help at work  is absolutely crucial Banking knowledge is key to ensuring when our mentor leaves a role we can still keep learning and growing.Giving permission to ask, allowing your people to ask questions and get the help that otherwise stunts personal and company growthHow video can be the key to learning How good content is crucial for encouraging younger learnersGood retention is directly linked to training.Learning created by the employee for the employee, learning how they want to learn NOT how our generation think they should learnPersonalised training, how matching existing content to peers can help the heroes teach their colleagues.Building a community around learning, The People collective.If you want to ask for help, John is available belowEmail: john@sideways.aiWeb: https://sideways.ai/Dedicated hospo site : sideways.ai/hospitality (coming in a week or two) Books mentioned :Give and Take - Why helping others shape our success. Adam Grant All you have to do is Ask. Wayne BakerThere are loads more...so tune in and come and meet John. The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris chats to Angus Jackson, Co- Founder of Storekit.About Storekit, "Storekit is the easiest mobile ordering system for venues, designed to get your customers ordering more. We formally launched in 2021, although we’ve been working in hospitality software for a little while longer. We’re a team of 25, based in London, and ready to take on the world."In this episode we cover :Angus's background and the "pivot" that brought about StorekitRecognising that the "Shopify for Hospitality" didn't exist, so went about creating it!Recruiting a team of Hospitality people to speak the same language and support implementation with their customersEncouraging collaboration with suppliers to help speed up the integration processUsing digital ordering to benefit the customer, ensuring that speed is key in this frictionless experience and not " hijacking the checkout" with logos and grabbing data.Encouraging the operations team to be involved in the buying process of tech, whilst supporting marketing delivering the brand experience & explaining that the operational strategy has to sit alongside the digital strategy.we discuss that one of the evergreen problems tech cant fix is people and how the industry needs to keep this particular challenge at the top of the agenda!Tune in every week for more episodes from Tech on Toast The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris talks to Tech connectors Eva Fayemi & Ruben Westmeijer from Bond Connect.About Bond Connect:The influencers that really count are micro-communities. The Bond Connect platform enables you to find and connect to a global network of qualified professionals and products in Hospitality and Travel Tech open to collaborate, share knowledge and support each other. There are 500+ people engaging on BC, connect with them and expand your network.The dynamic duo joins us from their base in Lisbon, Portugal and we talk all things Tech. Eva & Ruben work in the hospitality & travel tech sectors and share their insight on the following :Landing tech in  a hotel environment building a community around their productWhy using external consultants to help land your new purchase can be vital as the buying process is complex but so too is the initial period of adoption.Ensuring adoption and ROI on tech in hospitalityBuying specific SaaS models to focus on Niche operational issuesUsing Tech to support human performance, not diminish itThese guys are great and share the same passion as Tech on Toast, connecting people with technology. 2022 is all about working together and i for one am looking forward to our first European Tech on Toast brunch in Lisbon.  The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week chris talks to Dub Lee, Systems Architect at Honest Burger.Dub is a self-confessed tech nerd ( like me!) and has spent his career to date building systems that enhance and support company cultures 🔧.We had a fantastic discussion around all things tech and I started to understand why the team at Honest Burger is having so much success around their culture & people, its because they care deeply about how their people are communicated with & that they feel valued, and with 98% employee  engagement with their chosen tech they are getting a lot of things right,Now they are a brand hosting their own Tech Stack with its own API.Also in the episode we discuss :Workplace by META and how Honest are using this tech to drive engagement and how "bot" building is driving engagement Encouraging employee usage and listening to feedbackBuilding from scratch realising that not one size does actually fit all!Creating tech that fits company values Getting any iteration of their product into the user's hands and learning from their reactions.Where Dub got his name from! The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.

This week Chris chats to William Connors, Director for IT operations at Popeyes.William has spent 30 years working within the restaurant industry and applied his technical and operational experience as a member of Ring International Holdings, working with Popeyes Louisiana Chicken and Burger King brands.We cover off in our chat  William's Specialties:• Quick & table service • Processes & controls • IT sourcing• Training & support • Social Marketing • IT project management• Wireless technology • EFT (credit card integration) • Inventory management • Delivery integration• AR menus • PCI compliance • Mobile ordering & paymentWilliam talks through his career to date, his views on operations accepting technology, and his thoughts on what's coming up next in the world of Hospitality technology. The Tech on Toast podcast is powered by REMS Hospitality. Benchmark your restaurant across other venues securely and gain market share.