Digital Transformation: From a hospitality business to online retailer, how do you manage the change?The pandemic forced hospitality businesses to be more creative than ever, exploring new business models and in many cases revolutionising their online offering. In this session we take a look at some of the most innovative digital transformations in the industry - and what the future holds post-Covid.Chris Fletcher, Editor - Tech on toastSpeakersWilliam Connors, Director of IT Operations - PopeyesDub Lee, Systems Architect - Honest BurgersSteven Rolfe, Founder - pointOne EPoS

This week Chris talks to Allison Page, Founder & CPO of Seven Rooms.Allison Page is Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of SevenRooms, a data-driven operations, marketing and guest engagement platform that empowers hospitality operators to maximize revenue, build brand loyalty and enable personalized experiences. SevenRooms is venture-backed by Amazon, Comcast Ventures and Providence Strategic Growth, and has been named to Inc.'s annual list of Best Workplaces for 2020. The company's clients range from neighborhood restaurants to international, multi-concept hospitality groups including MGM Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Bloomin' Brands, Topgolf, Jumeirah Group, Wolfgang Puck and Live Nation. Since inception in 2011, Ms. Page has been responsible for driving product innovation, defining the company's product roadmap, vision and strategic positioning, and scaling the platform to over 250 cities worldwide. She holds more than a decade of experience as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry; launching, building and commercializing high-growth technology platforms across global restaurant, hotel and entertainment brands. She brings knowledge in the areas of technology, guest experience, guest engagement, CRM, marketing, loyalty, data analytics and consumer trends. Prior to founding SevenRooms, Allison started her career in investment banking at Credit Suisse. She holds a bachelor's degree in Finance & Real Estate from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and was named one of Hospitality Technology's 2019 Top Women in Restaurant Technology. She currently sits on the boards of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at Cornell University.During the chat we discuss:Allison's career and her path to founding seven rooms?Tech in the hospitality industry? Are we getting the most out of what is on offer?How operators create a smoother guest experience across establishments by making use of the latest technology.How brands leverage guest data to create personalised experiences that improve guest satisfaction and customer service.How operators level up their marketing strategy to both on and off-premises Tune in each week to the Tech on Toast podcast.

This week Chris meets the people in pink! Yes, that's right the team from sunday.Elisabeth Osmont d'Amilly is our guest and Elisabeth is the UK General Manager for sunday.About sunday:sunday - which lets you scan a QR code, split the bill with friends, and tip with quick clicks - has netted over a million unique users and signed up over 1,500 venues. Restaurants signed up so far range from chains to Michelin-starred eateries. The app is founded by and made for restaurateurs and investors including Jeremy King of London's Corbin & King empire.The app says it will help restaurants struggling with the ongoing hospitality staffing crisis, as it gives a 10% faster table turnover on average, and encourages higher tipping.During the chat we discuss:Elisabeth's journey from Banking to Deliveroo and then as UK General Manager of sundayThe challenges facing the industry and how tech can helpsunday's mission for the future, speeding up the process of operations in the hospitality Her love for travelWhy there aren't enough women in leadership roles in techTune in next week for more tech talk!

This week Chris talks with Carmen Mallo, Founder of REMS Hospitality.About REMS,"The concept of market share is present globally in most sectors. We used market share widely during our time in the hotel industry. On joining a restaurant group, we quickly decided that restaurants would benefit from using market share strategically by learning more about their competitors. This is why we created REMS, to help restaurants understand their competitors with the same degree of accuracy present within other industries.We care about helping restaurants to increase their performance. We are well placed to deliver this by having the right people, the right team, and the right users with us on this journey."During this episode we talk about:Carmen's Journey from Spain to the UK. learning English at Nandos & staying away from Spanish people!!Her career stretched from hotels to the Ivy group.The leap from full-time work to her own project!How market share has shaped revenue growth in the hotel sector and soon will in casual diningProducing a comp set that gives an advantage to all operators by location, demographic & brandHow data will empower businesses moving forward to become even more strategic and encourage businesses not to waste money but more importantly drive revenueConvincing ops to open their mind and really look at the marketplace and understand what part of the market share they own.Carmen jumping around her local park and learning Parkour!Join us every week for another Tech story!

This week Chris Speaks to Carl Holloway, Co- Founder of Rotaready.Rotaready is an Award winning staff rota software. Developed for hospitality, leisure and retail, Rotaready helps you schedule rotas, optimise wage spend, record attendance and approve timesheets for payroll."We used to work in pubs, bars, hotels, shops, and theme parks. And managing rotas, holiday accrual and timesheets was our least favourite thing. It took hours — people were still dissatisfied with their shifts and we were forever wrestling with our wage bill.Some places had "market leading" rota software, but it was slow and clunky — so rotas were still done on Excel and holidays on paper.We believed there should be a better way, so in 2015 we built Rotaready. Version 1.0 could build rotas automatically, had free mobile apps, integrated out-of-the-box with other systems and crucially, it was fun to use.We've continually innovated since then, but we haven't forgotten our roots — our customers shape our vision and our roadmap. Whether you're in head office or on the shop floor, we're here for everyone."In this episode :Carl moves from the stable world of finance to the diverse Hospitality industryWe talk through how the pair grew their idea & how quite quickly the realisation of the size of the problem was they were trying to fix!Tech in the hospitality industryGrowing a start-up built on referrals with just one (brilliant) salesperson!How Cross fit has taught Carl a whole new set of skills!Join us next week for our next episode.

This week Chris talks to the fantastic Romain Baron, Founder of Tonyorder.comMore about Tonyorder below:"Exchange growth insights with world-class food, beverage and venue marketers. Join our private Slack community for advanced venue growth marketing so that you can ask questions, get feedback, and leverage the knowledge of all major restaurants, bars, ghost kitchens, and social venues"Romain has vast experience in building communities and has set his sights on encouraging growth & skillset for the hospitality marketing community...During the episode we discuss:How small brands with big stories will win in 2022That marketing that comes across as "shouting" will not work anymore!The need for a " safe space" for marketers to grow and learn from their peersHow learning never stops, tech has enhanced us all to share more and to belong to an online communityHow powerful the slack community is versus the WhatsApp communityHow the industry is full of brilliant marketers but they need a place to belongThat no one has that "lightbulb" moment, ideas are formed from the inspiration that you have consumed that leads into that idea.Social listening should be at the top of every founder's agenda!!We discuss lots more and Romain is great fun ...so tune in!

This week we have a special episode to celebrate International Women's Day with the fabulous Katy Moses, Founder of KAM.About KAM"Research and insight experts, providing the tools to understand your customer's journeys. Using consumer and operator research and insights to help identify the ways in which your business can improve.Whether your customer is the end consumer, an independent retailer or a hospitality operator, understanding and influencing the customer journey is vital to any business. Marketing (product, price, place, and promotions) and people (field sales, BDMs, front-line staff, etc.) are the core elements at play. Our research and insight tools and services are designed to help you better understand why, where, and how to create impactful and engaging customer journeys."During our Chat we discussed:Katy's background in media publishing and the formation of KAMHow insight has been influenced by Tech over the past 5 yearsHow online focus groups have opened up a new arena to gain insightWhy suppliers entering the hospitality need to utilise insight to ensure they land their offering correctly!Katy's opinion on Tech in Hospitality and who will win going forwardA/B testing ....where Chris really shows his age!!A certain bike ride coming up on the horizon.....And you can donate here:https://pedallingforpubs.org.uk/

This week Chris meets Roksolana Mykhailiuk , Digital Operations, Miss MilliesRoksolana was born and raised in Ukraine. Her family remain in Ukraine at this very hard time and we would be very grateful if you could spare anything to help families who are left behind and facing a very difficult situation, if you can help support them, please click the link below to support.Humanitarian aid for UkraineMore about Miss Millies:Miss Millie’s has been serving awesome chicken across the South West and Wales for over 30 years. But our roots in the fried chicken industry stretch back even further - to 1965 when our former Chairman, Harry Latham, set up KFC in the UK, alongside his partner Ray Allen. Harry then served as the Managing Director of KFC UK in the 1970’s before opening stores in 1988 in the South West under the Miss Millie’s brand.As Harry and his family were good friends with Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, he decided to name the new operation after the Colonel’s daughter, Mildred. The family owned and ran the chain up until it was bought by new management in 2019. Today, Miss Millie’s has 11 branches across the UK in Bristol, Weston-Super-Mare, Yate Billericay and Walthamstow - with more to come!As Miss Millies enters an exciting new era, with a new look, new menu, new restaurants, and a new leadership team, we are perfectly placed to expand our awesome brand, whilst always remaining true to our heritage - Carl Traill, Managing Director.During the Chat we discuss:Her journey from Ukraine working in Hotels and startups to London working for a fine dine brand before joining Miss Millies and writing her own job description!The role of a digital operations manager and her role in Miss MilliesHow Roksolana approaches purchasing technology and the thorough process of testing that needs to be followed!How listening to feedback from the team helped build the Miss Millies app.Building trust with the board to implement tech & ensure that the decision-making can be made to support digital transformation.We talk about much more.The episode was recorded before recent events in Ukraine and all of us at Tech on Toast and I'm sure all of you reading send our love to Roksalana, her family and all affected by the ongoing crisis.

This week Chris managed to record a podcast in person!Chris meets Simon Drake, General Manager of The Other House.More about The Other House"A Residents’ Club effortlessly combining home comforts and apartment-style living with hotel facilities. You can stay for a day or a year – think hotel meets members club. It is cool, intriguing, bold, and committed to sustainability. With everything at your fingertips on The Other House app, make it your other house for as long as you are in town."During the Chat we discuss:Simon's background and how a shiny Bentley convinced him a career in Hospitality was for him!The background of The Other house, its ethos, and how they plan to disrupt the hospitality industry with their unique approachThe technology that will see guests gain total control of their stay, whether it be heat mapping the gym so you know when to visit or simply checking you in whilst you are en route.How the design and build of a completely brand new platform integrated into the property management system will transform the guest experience.Delivering on the guest's demands through a technology lens, therefore putting the guest in control for example setting the AC on their bedroom whilst travelling back from work, turning the lights on, and ordering your dinner through one of the well-known food aggregators.Offering bespoke housekeeping to the residents through "Housekeeping lite"  so you, the guest, can choose how much of this service you want during your stay.How working with Route B to design and build their new App has enabled them to find a complete end-to-end specialist which has enabled them to connect 42 API's to their property management system.And so much more, you can see Simon & Naomi talking at Rooms101 on 15th March. Not to be missed!

This week Chris talks to James Gilbert & James Goldsworthry from Punch Pubs.James Gilbert  Head of Insights, Projects & Strategy at Punch Pubs & Co & James Goldsworthy, Head of Digital & Creative at Punch Pubs & Co.Punch is a multi-award-winning pub company in the UK with around 1,250 pubs in England, Scotland and Wales.We have established a resilient and well-invested pub estate through selective acquisition and disposal, with our vision being to run the best community pubs, driven by passionate local partners and publicans via our specialist multi-model platform that delivers the optimum return.Diversifying our business models ensures that every pub asset is utilised in the best possible way which ensures further opportunities for organic growth in our Leased & Tenanted estate whilst investing significantly to develop our Management Partnerships portfolio.Our strong suburban presence, flexible food offers and extensive outdoor trading areas, has allowed us to manoeuvre the business into the right position.During the chat we cover :The pair's background and how they ended up in Punch.How their careers have been led by technological advancementsHow building their own in house order & pay tech was a value add to the business Managing the customer journey through their own roadmap & how they convinced the leadership team to manage in-house rather than buy an off-the-shelf solution.Acting on their key stakeholder's adviceHow technology is an enabler, it gives us permission to make forward movements.Managing data & how to use it Privacy of data How pubs are driving loyalty not through tech but through community and being a key part of it