Digital Hospitality

Digital Hospitality is an interview podcast series that explores the ways successful people have harnessed the power of the Internet and social media. The show is hosted by Cali BBQ Media Founder Shawn P. Walchef.

Digital Hospitality is a business podcast hosted by Shawn P. Walchef, with 600 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Shawn P. Walchef hosts Digital Hospitality, a business show with 600 episodes published.

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  Episode #697

  Keep Hospitality Human—How Jason Berry Uses AI to Free His Team to Focus on Guests

  Oct 5, 202619 min

  What does it take to grow a restaurant company while giving your team more time for guests? Jason Berry, co-founder of KNEAD Hospitality + Design, joins Shawn Walchef at the CREATE conference to discuss building a company with 1,000 employees and creating opportunities for them to advance. For Berry, AI earns its place by capturing reservations and handling routine tasks so staff can focus on hospitality. That same approach shapes his advice for owners: surround yourself with trusted experts, learn from their experience and stop trying to do everything yourself. Give Your Team More Time for Guests – Jason Berry uses AI phone answering to capture reservations and keep staff focused on the people walking through the door. He evaluates technology by the time it saves his team and the revenue it brings in. Create Opportunities From Within – Growing the restaurant group gives employees room to advance without leaving the company. Promoting from within and celebrating those promotions helps preserve the culture and shows others a future they can work toward. Know When to Ask for Help – Trying to handle construction, legal work or design yourself can lead to expensive mistakes. Berry encourages restaurant owners to hire trusted experts whose experience can prevent delays, save money and let owners focus on running their restaurants. Episode Links Jason Berry LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-berry-55822a/ KNEAD Hospitality + Design LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/knead-hospitality-&-design-llc/ KNEAD Hospitality + Design: https://www.kneadhd.com/ KNEAD Hospitality + Design Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kneadhd/?hl=en KNEAD Hospitality + Design Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KneadHD/ Where to find Cali BBQ Media Visit our Website Follow Restaurant Technology Substack Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Learn About our Media Services

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  Episode #696

  Give Operators Their Time Back—How Nory Automates Restaurant Decisions

  Oct 2, 202640 min

  How can restaurant technology solve bigger operational problems instead of responding to everyday frustrations? Raphaël Daverio , vice president of product at Nory , joins Shawn Walchef to explain how the company is building an AI operating system for multi-unit restaurants. Daverio shares how Nory turns restaurant data into proactive recommendations, allows operators to control the level of automation and explains the reasoning behind every suggested action. He also discusses Nory’s work with Dave’s Hot Chicken, the importance of measuring technology’s impact on margins and why restaurants should move beyond reactive software. Solve the Root Problem – Nory looks beyond everyday operational frustrations to understand the larger issues affecting a restaurant. By focusing on margins, guest satisfaction and employee experience together, the company can build technology that creates a measurable impact. Build Trust Before Automating – Restaurant operators can control how much responsibility they give Nory, beginning with proactive recommendations before moving toward automated decisions. Explaining the data behind each recommendation helps teams trust the system and increase automation over time. Turn Restaurant Data Into Action – Nory connects information across scheduling, inventory, ordering, forecasting and customer reviews. The platform uses that broader context to recommend actions that improve consistency, reduce unnecessary work and help multi-unit restaurant groups operate more profitably. Episode Links Raphaël Daverio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rapha%C3%ABl-daverio-48878850/ Nory Online: https://www.nory.ai/ Nory on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asknory/ What's Cooking? | A Podcast from Nory: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-cooking-a-podcast-from-nory/id1825066598 Nory on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@noryai Nory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asknory/?utm_source=linktree&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=linkedin   Where to find Cali BBQ Media Visit our Website Follow Restaurant Technology Substack Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Learn About our Media Services

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  Episode #695

  How Stage Theory Turns Content Into Community w/ David Meltzer

  Sep 30, 202619 min

  Waiting for more time or better content could be costing your business valuable connections. David Meltzer joins Shawn Walchef on Digital Hospitality to explain how entrepreneurs can turn everyday conversations into content and build relationships through storytelling. They discuss why quantity, speed and consistency improve quality, how one viewer can change your business, and why a small, engaged audience can matter more than thousands of social media followers who never take the next step. Make time by using what you already do - Meetings, coaching calls and everyday conversations can become podcasts, videos and social clips. Creating content starts with capturing the work and conversations already happening in your business. Quality comes through consistency - Waiting until your content is perfect delays the practice needed to improve. Producing more, moving faster and showing up consistently helps you become more comfortable and create better content over time. One meaningful connection can change your business - Shawn became David’s coaching client after watching a video with only a few hundred views. Reaching someone who takes action can be more valuable than attracting thousands of followers who scroll past. Episode Links David Meltzer Online: https://dmeltzer.com/ David Meltzer Podcast: https://dmeltzer.com/#podcast David Meltzer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmeltzer/?hl=en Where to find Cali BBQ Media Visit our Website Follow Restaurant Technology Substack Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Learn About our Media Services

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  Episode #694

  People First, Tech Second—How Michel Falcon Is Scaling Brasa Peruvian Kitchen Without Losing Its Soul

  Sep 29, 202626 min

  How can a restaurant operator scale a multi-location brand without sacrificing authentic human connection in a digital world? Michel Falcon , CEO of Brasa Peruvian Kitchen , joins Shawn Walchef on Digital Hospitality to share his playbook for building a people-first culture in the restaurant industry. Falcon explains how he modernizes onboarding for tech-savvy employees to keep turnover low, uses tools like Incentivio and Toast to build customer loyalty, and carves out time every Friday to personally email his most frequent guests. He also argues against automating food assembly, showing why technology should streamline back-of-house operations—such as sales tax and inventory—so employees can focus on real face-to-face hospitality as the brand expands across North America. Use Technology to Support Humans, Not Replace Them – Falcon advocates using automation strictly behind the scenes to eliminate repetitive administrative tasks—like sales tax processing and inventory counting—freeing up managers and staff to deliver genuine face-to-face hospitality. Nurture Employee Loyalty Through Modernized Systems – To maintain near-zero turnover in an industry known for churn, Brasa Peruvian Kitchen designs digital-first onboarding and mobile learning experiences tailored to younger, tech-savvy team members. Build Direct, Personal Relationships with Top Customers – Instead of relying solely on automated marketing sequences, Falcon blocks out time every Friday to personally email his most frequent guests from his own inbox to thank them, creating lasting brand loyalty and meaningful personal connections. Episode Links Michel Falcon Website: https://michelfalcon.com/ Falcon Leadership Academy: https://michel-s-site-7878.thinkific.com/courses/teamsbymichelfalcon Michel Falcon Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelfalcon/?originalSubdomain=ca Michael Falcon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelfalcon/?hl=en Michel Falcon Blog and Podcast: https://michelfalcon.com/blog/ Brasa Peruvian Kitchen: https://brasaperuvian.com/ Brasa Peruvian Kitchen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brasaperuvian/?hl=en Brasa Peruvian Kitchen TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brasaperuvian Where to find Cali BBQ Media Visit our Website Follow Restaurant Technology Substack Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Learn About our Media Services

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  Episode #693

  From Morning Coffee to Happy Hour: How Colada Shop Sets the Mood With Music

  Sep 28, 202625 min

  Daniella Senior built Colada Shop to be a place people could visit throughout the day, from morning coffee to lunch and happy hour. On Digital Hospitality , she talks with Shawn Walchef about the café’s unexpected start, its expansion into an airport and the details that make guests feel welcome. Music is one of them. Across seven locations, Colada Shop uses Soundtrack to create playlists that fit each shop and change with the time of day. Chefs, baristas and café associates all contribute songs, making the music part of the team’s culture as well as the guest experience. Build for the whole day - Senior designed Colada Shop so guests could come in for coffee, return for lunch and stay for cocktails. That approach also suits the airport location, where travelers need different things throughout the day and the café can serve them without changing its concept. Let each shop shape the music - Colada Shop uses Soundtrack to adjust playlists for each location and time of day. Chefs, baristas and café associates suggest songs and speak up when something no longer fits. Their input helps the music reflect both the people working there and the guests who spend time there. Protect the experience as you grow - Senior was hesitant to open an airport location until she found a partner that would give the brand enough attention. Colada Shop remains involved in decisions about vendors, menu items and the way the space operates because an airport guest’s experience still shapes how they see the brand. Episode Links Colada Shop: https://www.coladashop.com/ Colada Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ColadaShop Daniella Senior Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniellasenior/?hl=en  Soundtrack: https://soundtrack.io/ Where to find Cali BBQ Media Visit our Website Follow Restaurant Technology Substack Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Learn About our Media Services

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