

The Feed
HNGRY
The line between food and tech is increasingly blurring. The Feed is a series of in-depth conversations from Matt Newberg of HNGRY (hngry.tv) and food industry insiders who are leveraging technology to shape the way we eat.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 5, 2023 • 1h 6min
088- Optimizing restaurant pricing with Colin Webb of Sauce
Colin Webb is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sauce, a dynamic pricing engine that helps restaurants leverage their data to optimize their online sales. In this episode, we’ll chat about the history of dynamic pricing, how restaurants can double their profitability on third-party marketplaces, and how variable pricing can alleviate the many cost pressures facing food delivery.
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Aug 14, 2023 • 57min
087- Building America's online bakery with Ismail Salhi of Wildgrain
Ismail Salhi is the Co-Founder of Wildgrain, the first bake-from-frozen subscription food service for artisanal breads, pastries, and pastas. In this episode, we’ll chat about the current state of the over-commercialized American baked goods market, how Wildgrain bootstrapped itself to 44k paying subscribers, and its unique business model that taps into underutilized capacity of local bakeries.
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Aug 7, 2023 • 58min
086- Consolidating last-mile deliveries with Alex Blum of Relay
Alex Blum is the Founder & CEO of Relay, a last mile logistics company that consolidates restaurants delivery orders across every channel. In this episode, we’ll talk about how restaurants can save money by switching to self delivery, how Relay is able to more efficiently batch orders compared to DoorDash and Uber Eats, and the impact of the recent minimum wage legislation in NYC on the entire ecosystem.
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Jul 31, 2023 • 50min
085- Building "fermentation as a service" with Edward Shenderovich of Synonym
Edward Shenderovich is the Co-Founder & CEO of Synonym, a developer of shared and dedicated commercial-scale biomanufacturing facilities. In this episode we’ll talk about the myriad use cases for fermentation in pharmaceutical to textiles and food, how Synonym is creating a new asset class, and how “fermentation as a service” can unlock a wide range of applications we have yet to fully appreciate.
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Jul 24, 2023 • 55min
084- Bringing local markets into the e-commerce era with Bobby Brannigan of Mercato
Bobby Brannigan is the Founder & CEO of Mercato, a local marketplace highlighting over 1,500 top independent grocers and specialty stores in the US. In this episode, we’ll talk about how Mercato is able to quickly digitize merchants, the role of its unique marketplace alongside larger competitors, and how it strives to make grocery delivery profitable for its markets.

Jul 17, 2023 • 1h 6min
083- Digitizing restaurant procurement with Dante DiCicco of Zitti
Dante DiCicco is the Founder & CEO of Zitti, a company on a mission to bring radical transparency to the $300bn wholesale restaurant industry while streamlining vendor payments for operators. In this episode, we’ll talk about the current inefficiencies of pen-and-paper restaurant procurement, the competitive landscape of back-of-house technology companies, and the massive opportunity to create a comprehensive inventory, ordering, and accounts payable solution for small and medium sized restaurants.

Jul 10, 2023 • 53min
082- Building the consumer frontend for future foods with Ben Berman of Tomorrow Farms
Ben Berman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Tomorrow Farms, a CPG startup focused on building irresistible consumer brands around emerging platforms like precision fermentation and upcycling. In this episode, we’ll chat about why foodtech startups should focus on being B2B and R&D centric companies, the nuances behind precision fermentation dairy, and how Tomorrow Farms plans to build the Unilever of sustainable pantry staples.

Jun 26, 2023 • 58min
081- Uncovering the tensions in the restaurant industry with Jensen Cummings of Best Served Creative
Jensen Cummings is a fifth-generation Chef and Restaurateur turned consultant and media operator. In this episode, we’ll talk about where Jensen sees the biggest growth opportunities for restaurants, the tug of war between restaurateurs and tech companies, and the lens operators should use to evaluate new innovations like automation.
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Jun 19, 2023 • 54min
080- Empowering the next generation of culinary influencers with Kristen Barnett & Trevor Kerin of CCW
Kristen Barnett and Trevor Kerin are the Co-Founders of Culinary Creators Worldwide, a new agency focused on omnichannel activations for the next generation of culinary influencers. In this episode we’ll chat about the opportunity for influencers to work with brands, ghost kitchens, and tech firms to create tangible consumer experiences, the potential for grocers and restauranteurs to tap into such talent, and the key to successful partnerships in the space.
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May 22, 2023 • 1h 14min
079- Analyzing the current state of restaurant tech with Stefan Hertzberg of ItsaCheckmate
Stefan Hertzberg is the SVP of Growth at ItsaCheckmate, an integrator between POS systems and online ordering channels for QSRs like Wendy’s, Five Guys, and Jet’s Pizza. In this episode, we’ll talk about the recent M&A activity in the fragmented restaurant tech space, how operators can own their customer data on third-party delivery platforms, and the challenges facing many startups in the space.
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