The Simmer

Epizodes

• 
  Joel Montaniel, CEO, SevenRooms 11.08.2026 50min

  Would SevenRooms CEO Joel Montaniel have considered a delivery app an ideal acquirer when he started the reservations and customer relationship management platform in 2011? Probably not! But a year after DoorDash (which didn’t exist in 2011) acquired SevenRooms, its role inside the reservations industry is getting clearer. In this episode, we talk about consumer reservation fatigue, SevenRooms’ new, DoorDash-backed features, and Joel’s vision for a more open ecosystem.
• 
  Maddy Shannon, Head of Product, SpotOn 28.07.2026 39min

  Maddy Shannon started her career as a Bain consultant before pivoting to the back office at some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants. It’s given her a nuanced perspective on the right balance of tech and hospitality that we appreciate. In this episode, we discuss personalization, good restaurant AI, and the modern point of sale system as the technological heart of a restaurant. 
• 
  Randall Hom, Co-Founder & CEO, Hostie 14.07.2026 39min

  Hostie, an AI-powered “restaurant concierge” headquartered in the Bay Area, just announced $12 million in Series A funding. Randall Hom is Hostie’s co-founder and CEO. He’s also a San Francisco restaurateur who knows firsthand the challenges of engaging with human guests in the age of artificial intelligence. In this episode, we discuss guest preferences and engagement, AI for restaurants and “the city.” Which city? You’ll have to listen to find out. 
• 
  Reservations Wars, June Edition 23.06.2026 38min

  In this special episode, Kristen and Brandon discuss two major developments in the reinvigorated reservations wars: American Express moves to acquire European booking platform TheFork for $700 million and DoorDash-owned SevenRooms launches a tool (and a stake in the ground) to make it much easier for restaurants to aggregate reservations from multiple sources. Together, these moves represent a big shift in the business. When the Amex deal closes, it’ll have more bookable restaurants than OpenTable. Meanwhile, SevenRooms wants to force its competitors' hands, making it much easier for restaurants to use multiple booking channels. Watch this space!
• 
  Joshua Sharkey, Founder & CEO, Meez 16.06.2026 50min

  Kristen and Brandon have shaken out the cobwebs and are back with a new episode of The Simmer featuring friend-of-the-pod, Joshua Sharkey, founder and CEO of Meez, a culinary operating system and recipe management tool. Pre-Meez, Josh spent time in the kitchens of several restaurants, including New York’s Tabla and Bouley. In this episode, we cover recipe scaling and sourcing (and more nonsexy but totally essential back-office tech) plus a whole lot about AI and how it’s primed to change how we all interact with everyone and everything.
• 
  The Simmer Live: Judy Thelen, Co-founder and CEO, Beli 14.04.2026 41min

  A Simmer first! This LIVE edition was recorded on April 10 at the Boston University Hospitality Leadership Summit. We’re joined by Judy Thelen, co-founder and CEO of white-hot social restaurant list-keeping and recommendations app Beli. In this episode, we talk about professional criticism, Beli’s plans to work with restaurants, and its big bet that we really just want to hear from people we trust.
• 
  Noah Glass, CEO, Olo (Round 2) 07.04.2026 53min

  We love repeat guests on The Simmer! In his return to the podcast, Olo founder and CEO Noah Glass explains the next phase of his company’s evolution: the Olo Network. In this episode, we talk about Olo’s move from publicly traded company to privately held asset last year, plus the power of an ordering network and why Olo coined a new term — “second-party ordering” to describe its big bet on the future.
• 
  Sam Bakhshandehpour, President, Local Merchants, Bilt 31.03.2026 41min

  Former Jose Andres Group CEO Sam Bakhshandehpour recently joined Bilt, a $10 billion loyalty platform that rewards people for paying their rent and mortgage on Bilt cards, helping to fuel the so-called “points economy.” Recently, the company released a flashy video full of top-name chefs and restaurateurs to launch Bilt Hospitality, a kind of digital concierge service targeted at restaurants. But what is it, exactly? And how does it work? In this episode, Sam answers these questions and more — including when we might see a launch video with more than one woman in it. 
• 
  Ben Leventhal, Founder & CEO, Blackbird 10.03.2026 48min

  Ben Leventhal’s impact on the restaurant business can not be overstated. The serial founder  successfully launched (and exited) restaurant editorial network Eater and reservations service  Resy. Now he’s back with Blackbird, a loyalty and payments platform for the restaurant industry. In this episode we talk about evolving restaurant loyalty, the so-called “reservations wars” and, of course, some really great restaurants.
• 
  Pablo Rivero, CEO, Resy (round 2) 25.02.2026 37min

  Big reservations news from American Express this week: this summer, restaurants on Tock will transition to Resy, marking the end of the Tock brand. On the first Simmer episode with a second-time guest, Pablo Rivero, Resy CEO / SVP and Head of Amex global dining, talks us through what’s changing at Resy — and what’s not. 
• 
  Maxx Freedman, Founder of Spice 10.02.2026 40min

  It’s been a minute (actually, years) since ghost kitchens and virtual brands dominated conversations about restaurant delivery. While those businesses have largely fallen out of view (with a few notable exceptions), restaurants still need a viable digital strategy. In this episode, we talk to Maxx Freedman, founder of Spice, a growth and marketing agency for restaurants, about what restaurants are asking for — and what they need — now. 
• 
  Welcome, 2026! 08.01.2026 34min

  In this special edition of The Simmer, Kristen and Brandon talk through that viral Reddit delivery post (and its aftermath), look back on what they got wrong (and right!) about 2025, and offer a few thoughts on the year ahead.
• 
  Jill Adams, Chief Marketing Officer, El Pollo Loco 16.12.2025 41min

  It’s a good time to be a chicken chain. New concepts are taking off and legacy brands, like the 50-year-old El Pollo Loco, are poised for serious growth. The fire-grilled chicken brand, currently open in eight states, is planning a larger expansion. In this episode, Jill Adams, the brand’s chief marketer, talks customer expectations, AI for better and more efficient marketing efforts, and why she’s optimistic restaurants will have a good 2026.
• 
  Avi Goren, Co-founder and CEO, Marqii 09.12.2025 44min

  It’s been almost a decade since Avi Goren launched Marqii to help restaurants get found on the internet. That challenge remains, but search and discovery methods and technology have changed… a lot. In this episode, we talk about discovery in the age of generative AI and the continued challenge of reputation management for restaurants.
• 
  Chris DeSaye, VP of Information Technology, Gibson’s Restaurant Group 02.12.2025 46min

  Longtime restaurant exec and OpenTable advisory board member Chris DeSaye knows the bookings business as well as anyone and has a clear view of what comes next. In this episode, we talk DoorDash, artificial intelligence, and, of course, the always-evolving reservations biz. 
• 
  Rachael Nemeth  Co-founder & CEO, Opus Training  04.11.2025 42min

  Rachael Nemeth runs a technology company, but she thinks like a hospitalitarian. Opus Training is a training operating system designed for multi-unit restaurants, helping empower front-line restaurant workers, including managers. In this episode, we talk about modern restaurant training, AI, and why the human touch is still supreme, even if the bots are helping. 
• 
  Elizabeth Tilton, Founder & CEO, Oyster Sunday and OS Benefits 21.10.2025 46min

  Elizabeth Tilton started her career cooking in New Orleans before moving to join the marketing team at Momofuku in New York City. Years later, she’s translated that back-of-house experience to her own consultancy, Oyster Sunday, which acts as a back office for restaurants across the country. That led to a second company, OS Benefits, which provides ACA-compliant health insurance and wellness benefits to independent hospitality businesses across the country. In this episode we talk through all the facets of dining out in 2025, and what we’re all excited for in the future.
• 
  Justin Falciola President, Americas, Deliverect  07.10.2025 51min

  Former restaurant executives make great restaurant technology executives. Why? They’ve seen the full picture. Before Justin Falciola joined Deliverect, he was a prospect, spending years working in tech at Papa John’s and later CKE Restaurants, parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. In this episode, we talk pizza, drive-thrus, AI, and new opportunities — plus, of course, DoorDash’s big reservations news!
• 
  Eli Feldman, Co-Founder & Partner, Shy Bird 23.09.2025 46min

  Eli Feldman runs Shy Bird, a restaurant with three locations in Boston. He’s also a tech early adopter and excited (and curious!) about how AI can reshape restaurants. In this episode, we talk about Eli’s recent AI hackathon for restaurants, what tools he finds especially useful, and how we might all reimagine the future of restaurants. 
• 
  The Simmer’s Summer Wrap-Up 19.08.2025 41min

  It’s a Kristen-and-Brandon summer special! The Simmer checks in on what Brandon dubs “reservation wars 3.0” as the biggest restaurant tech companies in the space — reservations and beyond — choose sides. In this episode we talk DoorDash, SevenRooms, Uber, OpenTable, Toast, Resy, Tock and more. The Simmer will return after Labor Day with more industry guests and insight.