The Feed

Brandon Barton is the CEO of Bite, a digital ordering software startup specializing in dynamic drive-thru displays and kiosks for QSR and fast casual brands. In this episode, we’ll talk about the future of on-premise dining, how personalization is improving his customers’ top-line growth, and of course, his hot takes on the latest trends within the broader intersection of food and technology.

Na’ama Moran is the Co-Founder & CEO of Cheetah, a mobile app-based distributor to thousands of independent restaurants throughout the Bay Area. In this episode we’ll talk about the competitive landscape of digital players like Choco and Pepper, how the startup has begun acquiring traditional mom and pop distributors, and how it’s now leveraging machine learning to help restaurants maintain just-in-time inventory to reduce waste.

Marc Lotenberg is the Founder & CEO of Dorsia, a new reservations platform leveraging dynamic pricing to bring revenue management to the fine dining industry. In this episode, we’ll talk about what restaurants can learn from nightlife and travel industry pricing, the future of frictionless payments, and the walled garden of the reservation tech ecosystem.

Jordan Bramble is the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Local Kitchens, a next-generation food platform that helps local restaurants scale their pickup and delivery through a network of suburban-centric micro food halls. In this episode, we’ll chat about Local Kitchens’ proprietary tech powering its online and offline guest experiences, how it stands out from traditional ghost kitchens, and the future of food prepared outside the home.

Tyler Huggins is the Co-Founder and CEO of Meati, an alt protein startup creating fungi-based substitutes for chicken, beef, and more. In this episode, we’ll chat about the current state of modern consumers’ relationship to meat, how Meati is providing a superior alternative through its nutritional profile, and how it’s been able to attract a roster of culinary thought leaders in the industry.

Rishi Nigam is the Co-Founder & CEO of Franklin Junction, a marketplace of licensed  brands like Fuku, Milk Bar, and Nathan's Famous and 350+ global enterprise restaurant host kitchens that fulfill orders for delivery. In this episode, we’ll chat about how the platform identifies new opportunities for CPG and restaurant brands to scale delivery in new markets, how the economics work between various partners, and the technology it leverages to unlock incremental sales.

Zhong Xu, Co-Founder & CEO of Deliverect, discusses the latest virtual brand marketplace for restaurants, how Unilever uses it for on-demand ice cream stores, and maximizing digital upsells through aliases and tailored promotions.

Matt Jozwiak is the Founder & CEO of Rethink Food, a New York-based non-profit that has built a unique system that empowers local restaurants to provide nutritious ready-to-eat meals to local communities. In this episode, we’ll chat about how restaurants are donating surcharges from each check to feed local communities, how Rethink is building a marketplace to match local supply and demand for over 7mm meals, and how it’s rescued 1.2 million pounds of perfectly good food waste from some of the city’s best restaurants.

Josh Domingues is the Founder & CEO of Flashfood, a mobile marketplace that connects shoppers to discounted produce and fresh food from local grocers that would have normally been thrown out. If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest global emitter of greenhouse gasses behind the US and China. In this episode, we’ll chat about the inflationary pressures that are challenging food accessibility, how Flashfood is changing consumer behavior, and how grocers are leveraging the platform to drive more traffic to their stores.

Matt Mahar is CEO of Cana, the world's first molecular beverage printer (or Star Trek beverage replicator). The startup is creating its own "app store" of beverages, allowing anyone to download tea, coffee, juices, sodas, and cocktails for 29 cents to $2.99 per drink without any packaged waste. In this episode, we’ll chat about the science behind Cana’s secret sauce, the immense environmental impact of the bottled beverage industry, and the long tail of potential beverage creators. The future is now.