The open feed is dead to Gen Z.
They view legacy platforms like Instagram and TikTok as the "vast everybody else." They see landscapes cluttered with ads and algorithms that serve the platform rather than the user.
They are fleeing to closed gardens. They are seeking intimacy. They are rewriting the rules of engagement.
This episode breaks down the recent report from Tumblr and Archrival and what it means for restaurant brand leaders.
We explore why high production value signals an advertisement to a Gen Z brain. We discuss the power of the "Insider" archetype over the paid influencer. We look at how digital tools must drive physical connection.
You have to stop treating digital channels as billboards. You have to start treating them as campfires.
Grab the second edition of Mass Behaving to go deeper into the psychology of belonging: https://www.bullhearted.co/mass-behaving-branding-archetypes-book
We are witnessing a critical failure in leadership when it comes to technology. Too many marketers and executives view tech as a siloed function rather than a foundational necessity.
In this episode, I am joined by Katherine Hubbard of Spotlight Analyst Relations to unpack the data behind this trend. We explore why industries like hospitality and healthcare are lagging behind. We discuss the financial bleeding caused by redundant SaaS tools and the psychological traps of survivorship bias that keep leaders making the same mistakes.
Katherine also pulls back the curtain on Analyst Relations to explain how major players like Forrester influence the market and how your brand can navigate that ecosystem.
This is a wake-up call for leaders who think they can ignore the technical side of the business.
#BusinessStrategy #MarTech #Leadership #SaaS #Marketing
Should you keep guest checkout hidden or activate it? For multi-unit restaurants (40+ units), the appeal of gathering data via forced account signups is clear, but the cost is massive.
Data shows that simple checkout is a top driver of purchase. Forcing a new customer to commit to an account before they trust your food or service is a costly mistake that leads to huge cart abandonment.
Learn why opening guest checkout is the crucial first step to earning their loyalty and how it can lead to results that soar higher like a 50% reduction in abandoned orders.
Got thoughts? Let us know if you think guest checkout should be killed, opened, or if there's a hybrid approach.
This episode of Little Raps dives into the books worth gifting to the restaurant leaders, entrepreneurs, and operators in your life. I unpack the titles that have inspired me, challenged my thinking, and strengthened how I approach brand, leadership, and growth.
You’ll hear my take on powerful works from friends and industry pros including David Feldman, Peter Lazar, Chip Klose, and Jason Brooks, along with insights behind my own books, The Bullhearted Brand and Mass Behaving.
If you want to fuel someone’s leadership journey with ideas that actually change how they show up, this list will get the job done. Tune in, take notes, and share the titles that shaped your year.
Restaurant leaders love to borrow moves from the big dogs. It feels safe. It feels validated. It also sends far too many brands straight into bad decisions. In this episode, Joseph breaks down how survivorship bias and confirmation bias collide to push operators into tech stacks, marketing programs, and partnerships they cannot sustain.
You will learn how to evaluate decisions from your own operational reality, how to avoid chasing “best in class” solutions that don’t fit your brand, and how to build a decision making process rooted in clarity instead of imitation.
If you’re navigating tech choices, evaluating partners, or pushing growth with a lean team, this episode will save you money, time, and regret.
Follow, share, and rate the show on Spotify to help more restaurant leaders make smarter decisions.
In this episode of Little Raps, Joseph shares insights from his talk at Branders Fest in New York City—where he unpacked why so many restaurant digital experiences fall flat and how to fix them. He breaks down seven essentials every brand should evaluate to drive more revenue, stronger loyalty, and happier guests. From site speed to seamless integration, this is your checklist for turning digital disappointment into delight.
Follow Little Raps for quick, strategic takes on branding, hospitality, and the digital experiences that move people—and profits.
AI isn’t coming to the restaurant industry. It’s already here, shaping how brands show up, operate, and grow. In this episode, Joseph Szala breaks down the real opportunities for restaurant brand leaders to adopt AI with purpose. Learn how to build visibility inside AI ecosystems, transform data into action, and use tools like GPT-5 to enhance—not replace—your brand’s story.
Whether you lead marketing, tech, or operations, this episode gives you a playbook for integrating AI without losing the soul of your brand.
Listen to discover:
How AI search is changing visibility for multi-unit restaurant brands
The simple data systems that turn insights into weekly decisions
How to train GPT models to reflect your brand’s tone and personality
Why leadership must own AI strategy from the top
#RestaurantLeadership #AIinHospitality #RestaurantMarketing #GPT #BrandGrowth
Ever wonder why guests land on your ordering site, then vanish? It’s not a mystery—it’s cognitive overload. In this episode of Little Raps, Joseph Szala exposes how bloated digital menus, over-designed apps, and confusing checkout flows create mental friction that kills conversions.
What you’ll take away:
How digital confusion destroys guest trust
The 4 places where cognitive overload hits hardest
Simple ways to streamline your online ordering experience
Real-world UX tactics that actually drive sales
This is the episode every restaurant CMO, digital director, and founder needs in their ears.
🎧 Subscribe and stay sharp. Weekly drops that cut through the fluff and hit where it matters—brand, experience, and growth.
In this episode, Joseph Szala welcomes Warwick McLaren to 3Owl—and together, they unpack what restaurant brand leaders really need to hear right now. Warwick brings years of experience from Cisco, PepsiCo, and major MarTech deployments across the restaurant space.
They cover:
Why many brands are drowning in “technical debt”
How lean teams can actually get ROI from complex systems
The myths (and realities) of loyalty programs
Why hospitality—not tech—still drives true guest loyalty
If you’re leading a restaurant brand and feeling the weight of tech decisions, franchise pressure, or loyalty fatigue, this episode is packed with strategies to help your team soar.
Restaurant tech and marketing leaders: before you trim that digital experience (DX) budget, listen to this.
In this short, sharp episode, we challenge the common end-of-year impulse to “optimize spend” by cutting digital investments. Whether you’ve built a basic WordPress site or a custom, integrated ecosystem, the job isn’t done once it’s launched—it’s just taking flight.
🎯 Learn why the smartest operators double down post-launch
📊 How DX directly ties to revenue (with measurable ROI)
🛠️ What innovations you can’t afford to ignore
🚀 A real-world case from Krystal (yes, sliders!) that proves the power of frictionless guest engagement
This is your blueprint for staying ahead—not just keeping up. The digital experience is your modern storefront. Let it slide, and you’ll get overtaken.
🔔 Subscribe for more insights on restaurant innovation, marketing ROI, and smarter digital strategies.
Let’s soar into 2026 with smarter investments.
#RestaurantTech #DigitalExperience #QSRMarketing #BudgetPlanning #DXStrategy #RestaurantInnovation
Cracker Barrel brought back the old logo and calmed the pearl-clutchers. But let’s not get distracted. A rebrand won’t fix long wait times, food inconsistency, or a pricing perception gap. In this episode, I break down the real reasons Cracker Barrel is losing relevance—and what it needs to do to get back in the game.
We’re talking guest expectations by age group, the myth of the logo fix, and why value and speed are the critical pressure points for restaurant brands today. If you’re in restaurant leadership, strategy, or branding, this one’s for you.
Timestamps:
00:00 - The nostalgia bait-and-switch
01:35 - Why the rebrand happened in the first place
03:10 - What each generation really wants from Cracker Barrel
06:45 - Value and speed: the red thread
08:20 - Why logos don’t fix operational problems
10:05 - What Cracker Barrel needs to do next
12:30 - Your move: how restaurant brands can learn from this
Listen, like, and share if you’re building brands that actually matter.
Follow for bold takes on restaurant branding, business strategy, and leadership.
Out-of-the-box tech systems help restaurants launch fast. Online ordering, loyalty, location pages—they’re quick, functional, and affordable. But they’re not built to carry you forever.
In this episode, Joseph Szala unpacks the lifecycle of restaurant tech adoption:
Why out-of-the-box solutions are the right move early on
The tradeoffs every brand eventually faces
The $5M sales inflection point where custom experiences become critical
How to unify your digital experience to reduce friction, maximize pull-through, and build stronger guest relationships
If you’re leading a multi-unit brand or pushing digital transformation in restaurants, this episode will give you clarity on when to optimize, not just operate.
McDonald’s new DoorDash-powered ordering flow works like a charm… but not for brand building. I break down the experience in real time, calling out what’s smooth, what’s broken, and what it teaches every multiunit restaurant leader about protecting your brand in the age of tech partnerships.
📄 Spotify Description (Optimized for discovery + listens)
Full custom websites deliver the highest revenue potential for restaurant brands—but they can also overwhelm budgets and timelines. In this episode of Little Raps, we unpack a phased build strategy that lets you:
Move off monolithic platforms without disruption
Add guest-facing features in stages
Boost transactions and AOV faster
Perfect for multi-unit restaurant brand leaders who want digital transformation without the wait.
If your restaurant brand is operating with a split-site digital experience—like marketing.com linked to orders.brand.com—you’re not alone. But before you invest in a full custom digital build, you need to capture the right data today to prove ROI tomorrow.
In this episode, we break down:
Why revenue alone isn’t enough
Key metrics every restaurant brand should benchmark now (AOVs, conversion rates, drop-offs)
How cross-domain tracking across marketing and ordering sites unlocks real performance insights
A proprietary Olo-to-GA integration that delivers a frictionless analytics setup
This is must-know info for restaurant CMOs, marketing directors, and digital leads at multi-location brands aiming to validate growth and make smarter, data-backed decisions.
📈 Ready to become the rockstar your brand needs?
💬 Drop your questions below or connect with us directly.
⭐ Follow & rate us—your support helps us keep creating.
Most brands obsess over drive-thru and print menus—but leave their online menus untouched. In this episode, Joseph Szala unpacks why that’s a missed opportunity, and how classic menu engineering principles can drive real gains in digital ordering. Tune in for tips, examples, and ideas you can apply right now to your digital experience.
Where restaurant brands go to sharpen their edge. This show is your go-to source for digital strategy, AI-driven search, local SEO, and guest experience insights—all tailored for multi-unit restaurant leaders.
We skip the fluff and get straight to what works. Hear real-world tactics, brand success stories, and expert advice on the tools and strategies fueling today’s most innovative restaurant brands.
🎙️ SEO & AI Search Strategy
🎙️ Loyalty & Guest Engagement
🎙️ Mobile Tech & Ordering Innovations
🎙️ Digital Experience That Drives ROI
Ready to take flight? Hit follow and let’s soar.
What’s truly holding women back in the restaurant industry—and what’s propelling them forward? In this candid conversation, Betsy Hamm, former CEO of Duck Donuts and host of the Loud & Lifted podcast, joins us to explore the momentum behind women in leadership roles.
Together, we unpack:
Internal roadblocks (like imposter syndrome and self-doubt)
The real dynamics behind “the boys’ club”
Why women often struggle with visibility and self-advocacy—and how to change that
How leaders can build stronger, more connected teams across every level
Expect unfiltered perspectives, strategic takeaways, and unexpected lessons about navigating leadership, ambition, and the evolving restaurant landscape. No sugar-coating. Just sharp insights and actionable ideas for anyone looking to lead with purpose—whether you’re at the ground floor or aiming for the C-suite.
Let’s take flight together.
Most restaurant brands treat typography like an afterthought—and it’s killing their digital experience. In this episode, I break down why readability drives conversion, how licensing can become a legal landmine, and why your go-to font might be doing more harm than good (looking at you, Brandon Grotesque).
Whether you’re running a single shop or scaling a national brand, this is the typography gut check you didn’t know you needed.
Takeaways:
How bad fonts slow down customer decisions
What font licenses actually cover (and what they don’t)
When to invest in a custom typeface—and why it’s worth it
#TypeMatters #RestaurantBranding #DesignStrategy #UX #RestaurantMarketing
What happens when a beloved brand like Duck Donuts teams up with 3Owl for a full-stack digital transformation? A frictionless, mobile-first website that delights users and drives measurable growth.
In this episode, we break down the strategy, tech stack, and UX thinking behind the new DuckDonuts.com — including:
Why 1.9-second load times matter more than ever
How smart defaults and custom donut builders boost AOV
The role of Olo, Radar, and other tech partners in seamless integrations
Real results: 10%+ revenue lift (and counting)
This is more than a redesign. It’s a strategic leap that’s paying off in performance, guest satisfaction, and long-term digital flexibility.
🔗 Visit duckdonuts.com to experience it for yourself.
💬 Got thoughts? We’d love to hear from you.
#EcommerceStrategy #DigitalExperience #RestaurantTech #UXDesign #3Owl #DuckDonuts