Episodes
Ep 50: Ellis Winstanley of Axial Shift, El Arroyo & More
When Ellis Winstanley and his wife, Paige, bought El Arroyo in 2012, they were buying more than just a popular local Tex-Mex restaurant. They were buying a brand that would become internationally recognized – thanks in large part to the restaurant’s witty marquee messages – despite only having a single location in Austin, Texas.
In this episode of Forktales, we talk with Ellis about El Arroyo and its iconic marquees. We also talk about Axial Shift, a software platform founded by Ellis that’s changing the way restaurants motivate and reward employees.
Ep 49: Alan Hickey / Founder of Vromo, Delivery Gamechanger
Third-party delivery is here to stay, but tools like VROMO allow restaurants to manage their own delivery fleets and take back ownership of the customer experience. That’s the dream that became a reality when Alan Hickey teamed with Brian Hickey (no relation) to create VROMO in 2016.
In this episode of Forktales, Alan and Joseph talk about the pandemic’s impact on delivery, the ROI with services like VROMO and exactly when we can expect to see pizza delivered by drones.
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.
EP 42 / Christopher Glenn / Founder & Executive Director of Bottleshare and a True Thriver
On January 6, 2018, Christopher Glenn closed up the taproom at Dry County Brewing in Kennesaw, Georgia and hopped in his Jeep for the drive home. While he was parked at an off-ramp, his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. After a long and painful recovery process, Christopher found his calling and created Bottleshare – a company that gives financial assistance to craft breweries in need. In this episode, Christopher shares his amazing comeback story, talks more about the life-changing work that Bottleshare does and shares a few of his favorite beers.
EP 41 / Myles Gift / VP of Operations at Wing Zone and Honey Q sauce fanatic
Myles knows wings. More importantly, as the VP of operations at Wing Zone – a restaurant with nearly 80 locations in 25 states – Myles knows how to make great wings on a large scale and serve them up in an atmosphere that makes customers want to come back for more. In this episode, we talk about the hiring and retention struggles facing restaurants and the importance of programs that make employees happy and motivated. We also chat about competing in a flooded wing market and we get a sneak peek at how Wing Stop is using robotics to change the wing-making game.
EP 40 / Alistair Levine / Business Development for KitchenSync and Optimizer of Restaurants
Alistair is a partner at KitchenSync, finance, HR, marketing, and advisory team behind some of the fastest-growing independent restaurant groups. He also owns seven restaurants in the San Francisco bay area. In this episode, we unpack what’s challenging the restaurant industry today for operators and owners, and how to tackle those challenges with fervor.
EP 39 / Chad Horn / Co-founder of Devour & Restaurant Crypto Pioneer
Chad is an absolute pioneer when it comes to cryptocurrency and NFTs in the restaurant space. In this episode, he takes the time to break down the basics of the blockchain, crypto and NFTs, how restaurants can capitalize, and what the future looks like in this space. It’s a brave new world and Chad’s company Devour is one you’ll hear about more and more.
