Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast with Zack Oates

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Brandon Batt, Founder and CEO of The Tabletop Group, joins Zack Oates to break down why guest experience always starts with people. After spending more than a decade leading people strategy at Savory Fund, Brandon shares what he has learned about hiring leaders, investing time in the right team members, and building consistency that guests trust.
Zack and Brandon discuss:
 Why guest experience is the employee experience in public
 Where leaders should invest their time
 How consistency builds trust with guests
 Focusing on strengths instead of only fixing problems
 Why people drive the last foot of the guest experience
Thanks, Brandon!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-c-batt/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-tabletop-group/
https://thetabletopgroup.com/

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Zack Oates sits down with Dan Simpson, CEO of Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe, for a wide ranging conversation on leadership, fear, and building a truly people centered restaurant brand. Dan shares his unconventional path from founding a tech company to leading a growing hospitality brand and explains why technology should exist to remove friction, not replace human connection.
They discuss how fear can serve as a signal instead of a blocker, why consistency has become the new luxury for guests, and how listening to feedback at scale helps operators fix broken processes instead of blaming people.
Zack and Dan discuss:
 Fear as a leadership signal
 Why consistency builds trust
 Using technology to amplify hospitality
 Listening to every guest
 Fixing systems instead of people
Thanks, Dan!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-simpson-8aa1bb3/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/taziki's-mediterranean-cafe/
https://www.tazikis.com/

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Fred LeFranc and Kristina Wiltsee join Zack Oates to discuss leadership, decision making, and alignment in today’s restaurant and hospitality environment. As co hosts of The Executive and the Mystic podcast, they share how leaders can balance execution with intuition while building clarity, confidence, and stronger teams. 
 Zack, Fred and Kristina discuss: 
 Why intuition is already driving executive decisions
 How leaders break out of analysis paralysis
 The role of alignment in high pressure leadership
 Why self awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence
 How leaders create clarity for their teams during uncertainty
Thanks Fred and Kristina!

Links:
https://www.theexecutiveandthemystic.com/
https://www.instagram.com/theexecutiveandthemystic/
https://www.youtube.com/@ExecutiveandMysticPodcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/2JFumYZRzULtYveqUzN4e5
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredlefranc/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinawiltsee/

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Chris Stevenson, Founder of The Empower Group, joins Zack Oates to explore what it really takes to create guest experiences people remember. Drawing from his background in fitness, hospitality, and live entertainment, Chris shares why empowering teams, simplifying processes, and focusing on service recovery can dramatically improve loyalty and engagement.
Zack and Chris discuss:
 Why memorable experiences matter more than perfection
 How empowerment improves both employee and guest satisfaction
 What easy, effective, and enjoyable really looks like in practice
 Why service recovery creates stronger loyalty than flawless service
 How data helps brands move from feel to real decisions
Thanks, Chris!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensonempowers/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/theempowergroup/about/
https://www.youtube.com/@theempowergroup

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Carl Orsbourn of Invisible joins Zack Oates to unpack what AI really means for restaurant operators and guest experience. Rather than chasing hype, Carl explains how AI can be used practically to support teams, reduce friction, and create better outcomes for both guests and employees.
Zack and Carl discuss:
 Why AI should support people instead of replacing them
 How operators can use AI to remove busywork from teams
 Where AI can improve consistency and execution
 What restaurant leaders often misunderstand about automation
 How thoughtful AI adoption can elevate the guest experience
Thanks, Carl!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlorsbourn/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/invisible-technologies-inc-/about/
https://invisibletech.ai/