Restaurant AI
Restaurant AI
Podcast Description
Restaurant AI with Matt Wampler is your weekly deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence and its transformative impact on the restaurant and hospitality industry. Hosted by tech entrepreneur and industry insider Matt Wampler, this podcast explores how AI is reshaping everything from kitchen operations and customer service to marketing, labor management, and the guest experience. Whether you’re a restaurant operator, tech innovator, or hospitality enthusiast, each episode delivers insights, expert interviews, and real-world use cases that help you stay ahead in a competitive and tech-driven landscape.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers a range of topics including AI's impact on labor management, kitchen operations, customer service, and technology integration in restaurants. For example, episodes discuss labor management innovations with 7shifts, scaling hospitality with AI agents, and the evolution of restaurant technology and its challenges, focusing on real-world use cases and expert insights.
Restaurant AI with Matt Wampler is your weekly deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence and its transformative impact on the restaurant and hospitality industry. Hosted by tech entrepreneur and industry insider Matt Wampler, this podcast explores how AI is reshaping everything from kitchen operations and customer service to marketing, labor management, and the guest experience. Whether you’re a restaurant operator, tech innovator, or hospitality enthusiast, each episode delivers insights, expert interviews, and real-world use cases that help you stay ahead in a competitive and tech-driven landscape.
In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, hosts Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, and Erin Levzow, an award-winning marketing innovator whose career spans brands like Wingstop, Del Taco, and the Museum of Ice Cream, dive deep into how AI and data are redefining restaurant marketing.
From her start in Las Vegas casinos to leading marketing for national restaurant brands, Erin shares how hospitality’s most competitive environments taught her to think like a technologist. She explains how restaurants can move beyond segmentation to true one-to-one marketing, where every guest interaction is informed by behavior, timing, and intent.
The discussion unpacks the rise of AI-powered multivariable testing, the importance of storytelling and emotional intelligence in modern marketing, and how women in leadership bring fresh perspective to brand strategy. Erin and Matt also explore the ethics of automation, the future of voice AI in drive-thrus, and why every modern CMO must be part data scientist, part storyteller.
Throughout, Erin emphasizes one key message: technology will keep changing but continuous learning, authenticity, and empathy will always drive the most meaningful connections between brands and guests.
Episode Links:
- Listen to Bite-Sized & Bossy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bite-sized-bossy/id1780866645
- Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjwampler
- Visit ClearCOGS: https://www.clearcogs.com
00:00 Intro
01:30 Welcome, Erin Levzow!
02:00 Marketing – Then and now
07:55 The future of marketing
09:50 Marketing as a franchisee
12:17 Maximizing the capabilities of restaurant marketing
14:20 Personalization
15:39 AI in restaurant marketing
17:32 AI for multivariable testing
20:26 Know the story you’re telling
23:35 Women in marketing
24:55 The new generation of marketers
26:22 The Mecca of marketing
29:38 “The jam study”
32:00 The danger of turning AI loose
37:40 AI’s impact on the restaurant industry
42:00 AI’s Role in Marketing and Customer Interaction
47:20 Tech consolidation
50:55 Data-focused approach and future-thinking
52:20 Byte-Sized & Bossy podcast
1:01:00 Advice for aspiring female executives
1:03:35 Authenticity in the workplace
1:08:34 Why aren’t there more women founders?
1:10:30 Manifesting confidence
1:12:50 Take the risk
1:16:14 Outro
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.