Carl Orsbourn and Meredith Sandland, contributors to Nation’s Restaurant News’ Speakerbox byline series and authors of the books “Delivering the Digital Restaurant” and “The Path to Digital Maturity,” joined NRN live at our recent CREATE Experience in Palm Springs, recording episodes for their podcast The Digital Restaurant.
In the next episode — the third of eight bonus episodes where they explore with special guests each chapter of “The Path to Digital Maturity” — Orsbourn and Sandland interview Andrew K. Smith, cofounder and managing partner of Savory Fund, about mastering the art of data.
Smith’s unique insights stem from an impressive blend of tech and restaurant industry experience and bring to light the enormity and complexities of data management spanning across multiple restaurant brands. Could data be the new oil? Orsbourn, Sandland and Smith navigate this intriguing landscape, tackling brand consolidation trends, the evolution of restaurants into e-commerce entities, and the art of breaking down vast data sets into actionable decision-making commodities.
They also dive into the heart of guest acquisition and marketing strategies in the restaurant industry. Discover how the apparent burden of marketplace fees transforms into an ingenious marketing cost for potential customers and the role of A/B testing in guiding marketing expenditure. Listen closely as Smith unveils the pivotal role of technology in growing a business and his personal journey of leveraging a suitable tech stack to fuel brand growth. He paints a vivid picture of how tech innovations heighten efficiency profits and foster a more targeted marketing approach.
Stream the episode below. For the first episode on how to be found on DoorDash, click here, and for the second on converting fans through first-party channels, click here.
AUTHOR BIO
Meredith Sandland and Carl Orsbourn are co-authors of “Delivering the Digital Restaurant: Your Roadmap to the Future of Food” and “Delivering the Digital Restaurant: The Path to Digital Maturity.” After each spent 20-plus years in corporate strategy and retail food, Meredith and Carl each concluded that food in America was changing. They left their corporate jobs in search of innovation that would transform the restaurant industry. Ghost kitchens, virtual brands, digital marketing, the gig economy and lean operations are at the heart of the future they envision. Carl is the COO of Juicer, a restaurant dynamic pricing company. Meredith is the CEO of Empower Delivery, software that powers delivery-centric kitchens. Subscribe to their newsletter and podcast at deliveringthedigitalrestaurant.com.
