EP48
When Brian and his entrepreneurial partner Justin saw an armored car pull up to a restaurant in San Francisco to drop off cash to pay employee tips at the end of each shift, they knew a change had to be made. That’s how Kickfin was born. In this episode, Joseph and Brian talk about how Kickfin is revolutionizing the way restaurants pay its employees, tip-shaming and why workers in the hospitality industry really are essential employees.
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Forktales is a podcast and video series that feeds the food, beverage, restaurant, and hospitality industries with insights, innovations, and incredibly entertaining stories. Each episode we interview the industry's leaders from veterans to the up and comers, to get a glimpse of trends, trials, tribulations, and more.
Ep 48 / Brian Hassan / Cofounder of Kickfin & Gratuity Guru
When Brian and his entrepreneurial partner Justin saw an armored car pull up to a restaurant in San Francisco to drop off cash to pay employee tips at the end of each shift, they knew a change had to be made. That’s how Kickfin was born.
In this episode, Joseph and Brian talk about how Kickfin is revolutionizing the way restaurants pay its employees, tip-shaming and why workers in the hospitality industry really are essential employees.
Ep 47 / David Abes / Founder of DASH Hospitality & Atlanta Industry Veteran
David Abes started in the hospitality industry as a dishwasher. Thirty-two years later, he’s the owner of DASH Hospitality Group, a management and consulting company for start-up and existing restaurants, hotels, and other food and beverage services.
In this episode of Forktales, Joseph and David dish on technology’s role in the restaurant industry, the hallmarks of a bad restaurant general manager, how restaurants can use social media effectively and why ooey, gooey, realistic food photos are almost always a great idea.
Ep 46 / Brett Spiegel / Cofounder & COO of Koala, Digital Ordering Mastermind
Brett Spiegel is a man who’s dedicated to creating a seamless, streamlined online ordering experience for restaurants. That’s why he co-founded Koala, a company that provides a premium digital ordering experience for more than 4,000 restaurant locations nationwide.
On this week’s Forktales, Joseph and Brett talk about the value of a branded online ordering experience, the importance of recognizing and embracing convergence in the restaurant industry and the exhaustive nature of epic European honeymoons.
Ep 45 / Richard Pennock / Brand Strategy & Fractional CMO
Richard came to America from the U.K. in 2006 and has been leading brand strategy revolutions ever since. Now based in Austin, Texas, his recent experience includes turns as the senior director of marketing of Tacodeli where he led a very successful brand evolution and as the VP of marketing for Freebirds World Burrito.
In this episode Richard shares his thoughts on brand strategy and its role in the brand building and brand evolution process and how technology is shaping modern marketing. He also waxes nostalgic about amazing meals at small mom-and-pop restaurants in Italy.
Ep 44 / Gonca Esendemir / Co-founder of Flatbread Grill & Thumb Bread®, Social Media Maven
Gonca is the co-founder and CMO of Flatbread Grill, a fresh casual Turkish Mediterranean concept conceived and developed by Gonca and her two sisters in 2007. The sisters built Flatbread Grill and launched the CPG brand, Thumb Bread, inspired by their Turkish roots and the work ethic instilled in them by their family.
In this episode of Forktales, Joseph and Gonca talk about the hard work of launching a brand, taking risks on social media, and whether Lebanese hummus really is the best hummus in the world.
Ep 43 / Tommy Yionoulis / Cofounder of OpsAnalitica & Data Lovin’ Operations Expert
In the restaurant industry, data is king. And if data is king, Tom Yionoulis and Opsanalitica are the king-maker. Opsanalitica is an operations data platform that helps restaurants manage and measure human activity and avoid missing the “little things” that can impact profitability.
In this episode, we dive deep on data and its impact on restaurant profitability and talk with Tom about how restaurant owners and managers can put data and analytics to better use to boost the bottom line.
