Episodes

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, the community reflected on the wins, lessons, and momentum that defined 2025 while looking ahead to what comes next. Operators, creators, technologists, and founders shared stories about growth, resilience, and the power of simply showing up, especially during busy and uncertain seasons. From building new ventures and giving back to local communities to embracing content, connection, and consistency, a clear theme emerged: progress i...

In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Alervio, to explore how personal health challenges inspired a new approach to allergen transparency in restaurants. Wood shares how sudden food allergies reshaped his relationship with dining out and revealed the hidden anxiety many guests carry to the table. The conversation unpacks California’s upcoming SB 68 allergen labeling law, why operators fear added complexity, and how technology can re...

In this episode of Pitch The Tide, Ward Olgreen, Chief Operating Officer at Red Onion ai, shares how decades of restaurant operations experience led him to reimagine how brands understand their data. From years spent running multi-unit restaurants to building analytics for enterprise operators, Ward explains why Red Onion was designed to peel back the layers of guest behavior, marketing impact, and operational performance. He breaks down how tying transaction data to real-world events helps oper...

CRS Hospitality is a group of 15 independent restaurant concepts across Champaign and Urbana, led by COO Kevin Hildebrand and grounded in a people first operating philosophy. Rather than forcing uniformity, CRS connects teams through shared systems that reduce friction while preserving each brand’s identity. Kevin’s path from golf to restaurants shaped his belief that strong hospitality comes from removing daily stress for managers and staff. That approach led CRS to adopt Kickfin, simplifying t...

Naming a restaurant feels personal, but it is one of the most strategic decisions an operator will ever make. In this episode, Shawn Walchef walks through the five names behind what is now Cali Barbecue, sharing the lessons learned from each iteration. From overly descriptive titles to names that created confusion, Walchef explains how memorability, clarity, and consistency ultimately won. Interview Takeaways: Make It Easy to Remember – A restaurant name only works if customers can say it, spe...

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Dean LaBay, the community focused on the power of storytelling as a tool for connection, growth, and trust. Participants shared how showing up honestly, learning in public, and telling imperfect stories can create real momentum in business and life. From personal experiences to professional lessons, the conversation reinforced a shared belief: when people participate, listen, and support one another, their stories lift the entire community. Interv...

Runbin Dong built Scale Social from a simple belief shaped in his family’s restaurant: hospitality starts with people, not platforms. After growing up working every job in the house, Runbin saw firsthand how trust, familiarity, and human connection drive real loyalty. Scale Social applies that same mindset to marketing by helping restaurants capture authentic customer content without asking guests to perform or post publicly. Interview Takeaways: Hospitality That Starts at Home – Runbin Dong’s...

In this episode of Pitch The Tide, Ben Roscillo, Director of Business Solutions at Factura.ai, shares how his background as a restaurant operator led him to tackle one of hospitality’s biggest headaches: accounts payable. From years of managing invoices by hand to building solutions for multi-unit brands, Ben explains why Factura.ai was designed specifically for restaurants at scale. He breaks down how automation and AI-driven invoice processing reduce errors, save time, and help teams grow with...

Shawn Walchef spent five years building a media company that made zero dollars while running a restaurant business at the same time. Quitting would have been reasonable. He did not. This story breaks down why consistency, repetition, and belief mattered more than early results. From recording podcasts above a butcher shop to publishing one hundred episodes with almost no audience, Walchef explains how skills, trust, and relationships compound quietly. Interview Takeaways: Start Before There Is...

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef and Troy Hooper, the community looked back at the wins, lessons, and momentum that shaped 2025 while setting intentions for the year ahead. Operators, creators, technologists, and founders reflected on what it means to grow through consistency, vulnerability, and showing up even when life and business feel chaotic. From launching new ventures to giving back locally, from shifting travel schedules to embracing content creation, each st...

Kevin Hildebrand is the Chief Operating Office of CRS Hospitality. He has spent his career helping operators cut through the noise and run restaurants with more confidence. In this Digital Hospitality episode, he shares the practical habits and systems that keep teams aligned, reduce stress, and make daily operations smoother. Kevin talks about the small adjustments that create big results, the importance of clear communication, and why consistency matters more than complexity. It is a grounded,...

has spent years building two things at the same time: a restaurant business and a media brand strong enough to attract the people most podcasters only dream about. Today, his guest list includes Shaquille O’Neal, Dana White, John Taffer and Chef Robert Irvine. None of it came from luck. It came from consistency, community, and the willingness to publish long before anyone was watching. Shawn Walchef has learned that getting celebrities onto your podcast has nothing to do with luck and everythin...

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, the community turned Thanksgiving into a deeper conversation about what hospitality really looks like beyond the meal. Members reflected on honoring family traditions, creating space for overlooked voices at the table, preparing teams for the chaos of holiday service, and carrying gratitude through health scares, career pivots, and personal reinvention. Stories ranged from family moments to behind the scenes glimpses of restaurant li...

KNOW founder and CEO Krish Sridhar joins Shawn Walchef to share how a simple digital checklist grew into a platform used by millions of frontline workers across the world. Krish explains why hospitality teams need intuitive, mobile tools that remove friction and create clarity, how AI should stay invisible, and why KNOW builds features directly with operators. This episode reveals how better workflows, communication, and daily structure can transform frontline performance in any multi unit busin...

In this episode of Pitch The Tide, Charlie Eblen shares how Single Tree BBQ grew from a food truck into a rising Tennessee brand built on family, community, and purpose. After losing his job in 2020, Charlie committed to building something of his own and turned Single Tree into a destination for real barbecue and real connection. Today he is raising 5 million dollars to open a flagship location, expand into new markets, and bring more people into Single Tree Nation. Charlie explains why the hear...

Shawn Walchef shares the biggest lessons he has learned serving on the Toast Customer Advisory Board. From seeing how deeply Toast invests in customer success to understanding the power of real feedback loops, Walchef explains why every operator benefits from joining a larger community. He also reflects on how peers, storytelling, and brand advocacy helped shape his restaurant and media business. For Walchef, progress accelerates when operators learn together and choose to get involved. Intervi...

Jason E. Brooks steps in this week for Shawn Walchef as he leads a deep conversation about one of the most overlooked challenges in hospitality tech: the last mile. A keynote speaker, longtime operator, and industry veteran, Jason breaks down why tools that look perfect in a demo often struggle once they hit the chaos of real operations. He explores the gap between idea and execution, the friction points that derail adoption, and the misunderstandings that operators and tech builders often have ...

On the roof of Amazon’s Santa Barbara campus ahead of the Palm Tree Music Festival, eero Executive Vice President Mark Sieglock highlights why reliable connectivity is now core to modern hospitality. Sieglock has been with eero for ten years, joining before its first product launch in 2016. Since then, eero has expanded to tens of millions of homes and businesses in 28 countries while staying focused on consistent, secure coverage. Interview Takeaways: Connectivity That Meets Operators Where T...

In this episode of Pitch The Tide, Brenda Saunders shares how Trakr is making inventory simpler for every restaurant that’s still stuck with clipboards and spreadsheets. As the founder and CEO, Brenda built Trakr to solve a universal operational headache: inconsistent, time-consuming, error-prone counts that throw off ordering and create waste. Trakr gives teams a mobile app that lets them count by area, tap or scan items, track movement, and see exactly what’s on the shelves across every locati...

Shawn Walchef explains some core concepts that will allow you to 10X Your Media Output Right Now! Shawn Walchef is the owner of Cali BBQ Media and a leading voice in the restaurant and hospitality industry. He’s built a successful BBQ brand by embracing "Digital Hospitality"—helping restaurant owners think like media companies to stay relevant in the modern age. As the host of the Restaurant Influencers podcast, Shawn interviews top industry leaders, sharing insights on branding, technology, and...

In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, , the conversation focused on stepping out of your comfort zone and why growth only happens when you do. From live reports at RFDC in Las Vegas to community members sharing their own real-world stories, the group explored how discomfort fuels learning, leadership, and momentum. Operators talked about walking hallways to shake hands with industry titans, advisors opened up about reinventing careers through new technology, and creators...

Ty Wilson and James Tice grew up in restaurants long before they entered banking and technology, giving them a shared understanding of the financial pressure operators face. That experience led them to build Tab Commerce, a finance platform designed specifically for the realities of hospitality. From higher limits to flexible payment terms and real-time visibility, Tab gives operators clarity and control that traditional tools lack. At Create in Nashville, Wilson and Tice opened up about their m...

In this episode of Pitch The Tide, Beth Hussey, founder of Shifty, steps up to share how her platform is transforming restaurant training and retention. A lifelong operator turned tech founder, Beth built Shifty to solve one of hospitality’s biggest pain points: high turnover and inconsistent onboarding. Her solution replaces clunky binders and outdated manuals with a mobile app that makes training fast, interactive, and fun through checklists, flashcards, and real-time feedback. Designed by som...

In this latest Coaching Call with entrepreneur, podcast host, and mentor David Meltzer, host Shawn Walchef explores how motivation, inspiration, and consistency shape lasting success. From Meltzer’s “Stage Theory” and his advice to “be the show, not the commercial,” to lessons on discipline, accessibility, and the power of storytelling, this episode blends wisdom with real-world examples. Meltzer shares why he wakes up at 4 a.m., how he stays inspired, and what he calls the “Middle Reliever Mind...