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

Most restaurants think online ordering is “solved”—orders are flowing, money’s coming in. But what if your off-the-shelf system is silently losing you sales? In this episode, we explore the ordering redirect problem: that moment when customers click “Order Now” and land on a third-party site instead of staying within your brand’s experience.

You’ll learn how this small UX flaw leads to major drop-off, why custom ordering systems outperform templates, and what leading brands are doing to convert more visitors into paying customers. Whether you’re a restaurant owner, CMO, or digital experience leader, this episode will help you rethink the role of tech in your guest journey—and give you a roadmap to double-digit growth.

🎧 Perfect for: restaurant marketers, hospitality tech teams, brand strategists

🔎 Keywords: restaurant tech, online ordering, digital guest experience, UX, brand loyalty, conversion optimization, restaurant growth, ecommerce for restaurants

Let’s keep guests in the building—and watch revenue soar.

Most brands don’t realize they’re sabotaging their own SEO and guest experience by letting third-party platforms host their location pages. In this episode, I break down why subdomains like locations.brand.com are killing your discoverability—and what to do instead.

You’ll learn:

• Why subdomains hurt your search rankings

• How to reclaim control over your digital guest experience

• The hybrid “built vs. bought” strategy that actually works

If you’re using platforms like Sochi, Chatmeter, or Momo, this episode is a must-listen. It’s time to treat your .com like the powerhouse it should be.

#RestaurantMarketing #SEO #DigitalExperience #BrandStrategy

What do you do when off-the-shelf tech doesn’t cut it? You build your own. Filippo Fiori, co-founder of Due Cucina and a former nuclear engineer, shares how they developed proprietary back-of-house software to perfect pasta timing and streamline operations. Learn how small teams can build smart, user-friendly tools that actually get used—and scale with intention.