👋 What’s this episode about?

Chris is joined by:

• Sasha (Product Marketing, Dojo)

• Chris (Côte Restaurant Group)

• Jack (Founder, Pizza Rover)

to talk about what seamless tech really means when you are in the middle of a busy service – not on a slide deck.

They cover how to cut friction for guests, keep systems reliable, use data and AI smartly, and still keep hospitality human.

• Friction and the “V” of guest anxiety

  • Guests are most anxious when they arrive and when they want to pay 😬

  • Waiting to sit, waiting to order, waiting to pay – still the big three problems.

  • Côte’s “V” model shows where tech can smooth those pinch points without forcing one way to pay.

• Integrations vs “too many apps”

  • Jack on the pain of stacking loads of niche tools that do not talk to each other.

  • When tech sits between you and the guest, direct feedback can drop – so you need data to fill the gap 📊.

• Reliability > shiny features

  • Sasha explains Dojo’s “always on” mindset, multiple fail-safes and 4G backup.

  • Downtime in payments, bookings or reservations during peak trading can cost a fortune – and trust.

• Data, loyalty and personalisation

  • Mass blast offers make guests feel spammed or even “ripped off”.

  • The panel talk about moving towards thousands of micro customer types and more personal contact 💌.

• Where AI actually helps (today)

  • Côte’s AI phone assistant “Joe” answers every call and recovers lost bookings 📞.

  • Biggest gains for now: phones, CRM, training, compliance and back-office efficiency – not robots replacing people on the floor.

• Future wishes & Christmas pressures

  • Jack wants AI and computer vision to take complexity out of the back office and compliance, not the warmth out of service.

  • Chris dreams of tech that simply understands how each guest likes to dine.

  • Sasha sees AI agents taking admin off managers so they can focus on people and culture 🎄.

If you are an operator wrestling with clunky systems, choosing between “all-in-one” and “best in class”, or wondering where AI genuinely fits in your world, this live episode will give you real stories, not theory.

Hit play, follow the show, and share it with a fellow operator who is currently at war with their tech stack 🔁💚

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