Stories and Lessons breaks down the modern tech, digital strategy, and operational insights reshaping the hospitality industry and beyond.
Here is some of what we learned this week:
LESSON: Close the Storytelling Loop
In 2017, when we first launched a podcast, I wrote restaurateur Danny Meyer’s name on the office whiteboard as a dream guest. That target was rooted in a decade of studying Meyer’s hospitality principles, from reading Setting the Table when opening Cali BBQ in 2008 to analyzing tons of his interviews over the years.
After years of building media partnerships and persistently following up with publicists, we finally booked Danny Meyer for an episode of Restaurant Influencers. I also secured an advance media copy of his new book from Penguin Random House, called, “What Could Possibly Go Right? The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture”.
When the book package arrived, we are at home with no production team. Instead of waiting for a polished production, we put the core principle of “Be The Show” into action with just a smartphone. My daughter Mila delivered the box, and my son Kalin picked up the camera: taking charge, directing the shoot, and capturing takes from two different angles.
After we posted the video, Danny Meyer commented on the unboxing and reshared it to his Instagram story. A simple smartphone video completed a storytelling loop nine years in the making, a real-world application of Meyer’s own philosophy of “collecting dots to connect dots.”
You do not need a full production crew to capture moments that matter. When a milestone or opportunity happens in your life, pick up your phone and document it as it unfolds. Authentic, raw storytelling builds real connections and gets noticed by the exact people you want to reach.
Watch the book unboxing video on Instagram here.
LESSON: Hospitality Is About People, Not Just Food
September 25 was National Food Service Worker Day—a nationwide moment created by Giving Kitchen honoring the people who power America’s dining rooms, bars, and kitchens.
Industry data shows that 2 out of 3 Americans have worked in food service at some point. That makes hospitality one of the most universal shared experiences in the country and a primary training ground for teamwork, work ethic, and leadership.
For 18 years in Spring Valley, Cali BBQ’s growth from a neighborhood barbecue joint into a media-led brand has depended entirely on its crew of cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, cashiers, catering teams, and managers. While restaurant technology and marketing drive growth, hospitality always comes back to human connections.
Every digital tool and operational strategy in your restaurant should serve one goal: making life easier for your team so they can deliver better hospitality to your guests. Recognize the people behind your business and build systems that support them.
LESSON: The Guest Experience Starts Before the Table
On our Restaurant Influencers series, hospitality entrepreneur Alan Clancy broke down how he built DÍON, an ambitious 18,000-square-foot rooftop restaurant overlooking Dublin. His core principle? Memorable hospitality isn’t created by one grand feature—it is built through a series of small, deliberate decisions before the food ever arrives.
Clancy obsesses over micro-friction points, even noticing if the front door feels a few pounds too heavy to pull. His sharpest operational hack is DÍON’s coaster system: one side signals to staff that a guest wants still water, while flipping it over signals sparkling. It quietly anticipates guest needs without disrupting their conversation.
Read the full Entrepreneur article and watch the interview here.
GET INVOLVED: Want to Co-Host Pitch the Tide?
Every Friday at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET, we host Pitch the Tide, a weekly live online show and Restaurant Technology Showcase.
Think of it as a Shark Tank-style format for hospitality innovation, but with one key difference: our sharks don’t bite. Tech founders and industry innovators present their sales decks and operational tools to receive real-time, supportive feedback from real restaurant operators.
We are actively looking for restaurant operators and industry leaders to join our panel as co-hosts!
If you run a restaurant and want to sit in the co-host chair, talk about the newest software and AI tools before everyone else, and offer constructive feedback to tech founders, we want you on stage with us.
Want to co-host an upcoming episode of Pitch the Tide? Drop us a note to let us know you’re interested.
