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

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Zack Oates sits down with David Cole of i Fratelli Pizza to talk about building a restaurant brand that lasts. With nearly four decades in the business, David shares what it takes to grow from a small family operation to a multi-location brand while staying consistent.
Zack and David discuss:
 Why relationships are the foundation of any successful business
 How complaint recovery builds stronger customer loyalty
 The shift from phone orders to digital and third-party delivery
 Simple but effective ways to follow up with guests
 What operators should consider when expanding locations
Thanks, David!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cole-73227537/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/i-fratelli-pizza/about/
https://ifratellipizza.com/

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Zack Oates sits down with Scott Shotter of Teriyaki Madness to break down what actually makes restaurant brands stand out. With experience leading iconic brands like Moe’s, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, and Condado Tacos, Scott shares a practical perspective on building culture, simplifying operations, and creating experiences guests remember.
Zack and Scott discuss:
 How to identify and protect your brand’s DNA
 Why simplicity leads to better guest experience
 The role of culture in scaling restaurant brands
 How to create memorable in-store experiences
 Ways to bring hospitality back in a digital-first world
Thanks, Scott!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/linkedinscottshotter/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/teriyaki-madness/about/
http://www.teriyakimadness.com/

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Zack Oates sits down with Melissa Doolin-Koehne of Elevate Four to talk about what actually moves the needle in today’s restaurant environment. With decades of experience across operations, data, and leadership, Melissa brings a grounded perspective on what still works.
Zack and Melissa discuss:
 Why clarity around your value proposition matters more than ever
 The role of culture in driving guest experience
 Why investing in general managers delivers the highest ROI
 What tech companies get wrong when selling into restaurants
 How strong relationships shape long-term success in the industry
Thanks, Melissa!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-doolin-koehne/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate4/about/

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Zack Oates sits down with Sterling Douglass of Chowly to talk about why AI adoption in restaurants is accelerating faster than any previous tech wave. After years of slow adoption across online ordering, POS, and delivery, operators are now leaning in and moving quickly.
Zack and Sterling discuss:
 Why restaurants are embracing AI faster than past technology shifts
 How COVID changed the industry’s relationship with tech
 Practical ways to introduce AI into daily workflows
 Using guest feedback data to automatically detect and fix issues
 Why the first AI win changes everything for operators
Thanks, Sterling!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlingddouglass/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/chowlyinc/about/
https://chowly.com/

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Will Stewart, Founder and CEO of RightWork, joins Zack Oates to explore how labor decisions directly shape the guest experience. With a background as a data scientist at Starbucks, Will brings a unique perspective on how restaurants can use data to make smarter operational decisions.
Zack and Will discuss:
 Why labor should be seen as an investment, not just a cost
 How understaffing impacts both guests and employees
 The importance of scheduling with more granular data
 Why every location requires a different labor strategy
 How to balance profitability with guest experience
 Ways to scale consistency across multiple locations
Thanks, Will!
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-stewart-23339b66/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightwork-inc/about/
https://right.work/