This is the Restaurant Technology Substack series where we give you insights and ideas to improve your operations with tech. Please subscribe and share this post.
You want to put your best foot forward whenever — and wherever — you interact with your guests.
Marqii has a prominent part on the tech stack for my restaurant Cali BBQ because it helps us get help understanding our data and take action on it.
“It’s about ensuring a good guest experience,” CEO Avi Goren told me in this conversation.
Are you a customer of Marqii? Let us know and we might feature your story.
TECH MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
What Happens When Google and the Restaurant Industry Come Together in NYC? Big Things.
Today’s most successful restaurants blend traditional hospitality with digital savvy. From managing listings to running YouTube campaigns, embracing tech doesn’t mean losing your identity—it means amplifying it to reach more people, more efficiently.
I traveled to New York City for a special purpose: to connect with other industry leaders (like Marqii’s Avi Goren) at the Restaurant Industry Influencer Summit, hosted at Google HQ. The invite-only event brought together top marketers, operators, tech leaders, and creators to explore how Google’s tools—from Business Profiles to YouTube—can help restaurants grow smarter and faster.
Another big topic was YouTube.
Both David “Rev” Ciancio and Troy Hooper underscored how underutilized YouTube still is by most restaurants—and how much opportunity is being left on the table.
Rev shared a lightbulb moment: “While Shawn was still on stage, I emailed our content creator and said, ‘Everything we’re doing for TikTok—we need to post on YouTube and Google Business too.’”
Troy echoed the sentiment, pointing out that YouTube is still the second-largest search engine in the world, and it’s time restaurants started treating it that way. “Most people treat YouTube as a content library. It should be a business engine.”
The energy in the room was undeniable: restaurants don’t just need to be online—they need to think like creators, partners, and digital marketers.
JOIN ME AT THE NATIONAL RESTAURANT SHOW
Here's why YOU should join me at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago this year from May 17-20.
Top Restaurant Leaders never miss this event. It is the number one place to network with the best minds in our business.
Leaving your restaurant and going to the Show is a great way to actually improve the operations of your business.
Check out over 900 product categories featuring the best-in-class food providers, beverage providers, technology partners, equipment manufacturers, and more.
Memories and mentors to last a lifetime. Some of my deepest friendships have come from strangers who are now friends because of this show!
NOTE: Use promo code SHAWN25 to save $25 off your registration before 5/9/2025.
This offer is exclusive to my subscribers and expires 5/9/25.
Share this post