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, host Matt Wampler, Co-Founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, sits down with Josh Kopel, restaurateur, coach, marketing strategist, and founder of the Restaurant Scaling System.
Josh has built, scaled, and exited restaurants, including earning a Michelin star, but he’s blunt about what actually matters in this industry. From marketing myths to hiring systems powered by AI, this conversation dives into what separates restaurants that survive from those that scale.
Josh shares why most restaurants are stuck in “performative marketing,” how to think differently about social media, why chasing awards won’t buy you freedom, and how AI can dramatically improve hiring and delegation. They also unpack the hard truth about industry consolidation, what “strategic ignorance” really means for owners, and why better questions, not more effort, unlock growth.
Whether you’re an independent operator, founder, or scaling a multi-unit concept, this episode delivers sharp insights and practical frameworks you can apply immediately.
Episode Links:
Connect with Josh Kopel:https://joshkopel.comConnect with Matt Wampler:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjwamplerLearn more about ClearCOGS:https://www.clearcogs.com
Chapters:
00:00 Intro & Coming Up
01:53 Welcome Josh Kopel
03:03 No Marketing → Performative Marketing → Effective Marketing
03:39 Why Social Media Is Low Intent
07:54 Why a Michelin Star Didn’t Create Freedom
09:43 “Do What You Think Is Cool” Philosophy
16:04 Using AI to Hire Better Employees
18:19 Hiring for Natural Predisposition
26:59 The Industry Reckoning: Top 30% Will Cannibalize 90%
52:34 Strategic Ignorance Explained
1:06:46 Why Knowledge Alone Isn’t Enough
1:07:26 Final Advice for Restaurant Owners
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.