We are witnessing a critical failure in leadership when it comes to technology. Too many marketers and executives view tech as a siloed function rather than a foundational necessity.

In this episode, I am joined by Katherine Hubbard of Spotlight Analyst Relations to unpack the data behind this trend. We explore why industries like hospitality and healthcare are lagging behind. We discuss the financial bleeding caused by redundant SaaS tools and the psychological traps of survivorship bias that keep leaders making the same mistakes.

Katherine also pulls back the curtain on Analyst Relations to explain how major players like Forrester influence the market and how your brand can navigate that ecosystem.

This is a wake-up call for leaders who think they can ignore the technical side of the business.

#BusinessStrategy #MarTech #Leadership #SaaS #Marketing

Should you keep guest checkout hidden or activate it? For multi-unit restaurants (40+ units), the appeal of gathering data via forced account signups is clear, but the cost is massive.

Data shows that simple checkout is a top driver of purchase. Forcing a new customer to commit to an account before they trust your food or service is a costly mistake that leads to huge cart abandonment.

Learn why opening guest checkout is the crucial first step to earning their loyalty and how it can lead to results that soar higher like a 50% reduction in abandoned orders.

• Got thoughts? Let us know if you think guest checkout should be killed, opened, or if there's a hybrid approach.

This episode of Little Raps dives into the books worth gifting to the restaurant leaders, entrepreneurs, and operators in your life. I unpack the titles that have inspired me, challenged my thinking, and strengthened how I approach brand, leadership, and growth.

You’ll hear my take on powerful works from friends and industry pros including David Feldman, Peter Lazar, Chip Klose, and Jason Brooks, along with insights behind my own books, The Bullhearted Brand and Mass Behaving.

If you want to fuel someone’s leadership journey with ideas that actually change how they show up, this list will get the job done. Tune in, take notes, and share the titles that shaped your year.

Restaurant leaders love to borrow moves from the big dogs. It feels safe. It feels validated. It also sends far too many brands straight into bad decisions. In this episode, Joseph breaks down how survivorship bias and confirmation bias collide to push operators into tech stacks, marketing programs, and partnerships they cannot sustain.

You will learn how to evaluate decisions from your own operational reality, how to avoid chasing “best in class” solutions that don’t fit your brand, and how to build a decision making process rooted in clarity instead of imitation.

If you’re navigating tech choices, evaluating partners, or pushing growth with a lean team, this episode will save you money, time, and regret.

Follow, share, and rate the show on Spotify to help more restaurant leaders make smarter decisions.

In this episode of Little Raps, Joseph shares insights from his talk at Branders Fest in New York City—where he unpacked why so many restaurant digital experiences fall flat and how to fix them. He breaks down seven essentials every brand should evaluate to drive more revenue, stronger loyalty, and happier guests. From site speed to seamless integration, this is your checklist for turning digital disappointment into delight.

Follow Little Raps for quick, strategic takes on branding, hospitality, and the digital experiences that move people—and profits.

AI isn’t coming to the restaurant industry. It’s already here, shaping how brands show up, operate, and grow. In this episode, Joseph Szala breaks down the real opportunities for restaurant brand leaders to adopt AI with purpose. Learn how to build visibility inside AI ecosystems, transform data into action, and use tools like GPT-5 to enhance—not replace—your brand’s story.

Whether you lead marketing, tech, or operations, this episode gives you a playbook for integrating AI without losing the soul of your brand.

Listen to discover:

• How AI search is changing visibility for multi-unit restaurant brands

• The simple data systems that turn insights into weekly decisions

• How to train GPT models to reflect your brand’s tone and personality

• Why leadership must own AI strategy from the top

#RestaurantLeadership #AIinHospitality #RestaurantMarketing #GPT #BrandGrowth

Ever wonder why guests land on your ordering site, then vanish? It’s not a mystery—it’s cognitive overload. In this episode of Little Raps, Joseph Szala exposes how bloated digital menus, over-designed apps, and confusing checkout flows create mental friction that kills conversions.

What you’ll take away:

• How digital confusion destroys guest trust

• The 4 places where cognitive overload hits hardest

• Simple ways to streamline your online ordering experience

• Real-world UX tactics that actually drive sales

This is the episode every restaurant CMO, digital director, and founder needs in their ears.

🎧 Subscribe and stay sharp. Weekly drops that cut through the fluff and hit where it matters—brand, experience, and growth.

In this episode, Joseph Szala welcomes Warwick McLaren to 3Owl—and together, they unpack what restaurant brand leaders really need to hear right now. Warwick brings years of experience from Cisco, PepsiCo, and major MarTech deployments across the restaurant space.

They cover:

• Why many brands are drowning in “technical debt”

• How lean teams can actually get ROI from complex systems

• The myths (and realities) of loyalty programs

• Why hospitality—not tech—still drives true guest loyalty

If you’re leading a restaurant brand and feeling the weight of tech decisions, franchise pressure, or loyalty fatigue, this episode is packed with strategies to help your team soar.