Thirsty Thursday: Chowly CEO Sterling Douglass on Dynamic Pricing, SMB vs Enterprise, and AI for Restaurants

McDonald's NEXT: A Bet on Everything and What ArchIQ Means for the Rest of Us

McDonald's just rewrote their playbook. Here's what it really means for the restaurant tech industry. McDonald's unveiled McDonald's > NEXT — a sweeping new strategy covering menu upgrades, influencer marketing, restaurant redesigns, and a brand new AI operating system called ArchIQ. CEO Chris Kempczinski's message was blunt: "In a world where every restaurant is a swipe away, there is no such thing as second place." But here's the thing — McDonald's has been down this road before. Dynamic Yield. IBM. The Automated Order Taker. $300M acquisitions and viral drive-thru fails. So what's actually different this time? And more importantly — what does it mean for every operator, founder, and tech vendor competing in this space? In this episode of Modern Solutions for Modern Restaurants, Paul Molinari breaks down: 🍟 The four pillars of McDonald's NEXT — and the one most people are completely underrating. ArchIQ explained — why this AI operating system is a fundamentally smarter bet than what IBM tried to build. The honest retrospective — Dynamic Yield, AOT, McD Tech Labs, and the hard lessons from 2019–2024. The ripple effects — what this means for QSR tech vendors, franchisees, implementation partners, and operators at every level. The hospitality paradox — why the more automated McDonald's gets, the MORE important human connection becomes If you're in restaurant technology — building, selling, or partnering — McDonald's isn't just a case study anymore. They might be your next competitor.  More MSMR at https://popcorngtm.com [https://popcorngtm.com]

The Rise of Restaurant AI Data Intelligence Platforms with Eric Lehto of OpSage

Restaurant operators are sitting on more data than ever — and more confused about what to do with it than ever. In this episode of Modern Solutions for Modern Restaurants, Paul Molinari sits down with Eric Lehto, CEO of OpSage by CONVX [https://opsage.com], to cut through the noise around AI in restaurants and get honest about what it actually takes to make it work. Eric has spent years inside the data strategy conversations that multi-unit operators rarely share publicly — the ones where a single brand has 10 or 12 disconnected systems, two different POS platforms that don't talk to each other, soft drink flavors that only exist in inventory, and franchisee P&L reports arriving as manual spreadsheets. The data problem, he explains, is bigger and more expensive than most operators realize — and almost impossible to solve with legacy BI tools or general-purpose AI alone. 00:00 AI Promise vs Reality 01:33 Operator Data Chaos Story 06:10 Why Restaurant Data Is Hard 07:50 AI for Cleaning Data 08:28 Restaurant AI Needs Context 11:16 Why POS Cannot Solve It 12:39 Building AI Ready Data 15:22 Security and Zero Trust 20:53 Integration Expectations 24:46 Why Not Just ChatGPT 28:00 Monday Morning With AI 31:28 Ask Your Restaurant Anything 33:28 Final Advice and Wrap Up Episode links: OpSage: https://opsage.com [https://opsage.com] Eric Lehto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elehto/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/elehto/]

Why Everyone Should Work a Restaurant Job

Restaurant labor is an unparalleled growth engine for skill development and leadership. Whether you've worked a shift in a dining room or managed a busy kitchen, these transferable skills are invaluable in any industry. This episode challenges the misconceptions about restaurant jobs and highlights their role in fostering unmatched personal and professional growth. From teamwork to technology fluency, learn why your next great hire might just come from a restaurant background.

Coca-Cola Freestyle Is More Than a Soda Machine: APIs, Data, Custom Drinks & AI in the Restaurant Tech Stack

In this episode of Modern Solutions for Modern Restaurants, Paul Molinari of Popcorn GTM [https://popcorngtm.com/podcasts] talks with Coca-Cola’s Angela Diffly and Freestyle’s Anthony Bonitatibus about Coca-Cola Freestyle [https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/freestyle] as a connected restaurant technology platform, not just a touchscreen beverage dispenser. They explain how Freestyle functions as an insights engine that turns every pour into data operators can use, and how it can integrate via API with POS, loyalty, back-of-house systems, digital ordering, and first-party apps (with Wendy’s cited as an example). They discuss how Freestyle drives beverage volume through customization, offers hundreds of recipes and many zero-sugar options, and uses microdosing cartridge tech that saves back-of-house space and reduces crew burden. The conversation covers rapid promotion rollouts, custom flavors, “dirty soda” execution, an AI-driven Share a Coke Freestyle activation, and how partners use geographic and brand performance insights to merchandise and promote effectively.

Thirsty Thursday: Chowly CEO Sterling Douglass on Dynamic Pricing, SMB vs Enterprise, and AI for Restaurants

It's another Thirsty Thursday! Paul and Matt interview Sterling Douglass, co-founder and CEO of Chowly [https://chowly.com], about building the company over a decade from POS integrations into an off-premise platform serving 17,000+ restaurants and the shift from “tablet hell” to today’s dashboard overload. Sterling argues restaurants are embracing the AI wave and that open data access and APIs will beat walled gardens. He explains why Chowly chose to focus on the underserved SMB segment over enterprise, how third-party marketplaces can be partners while Chowly’s dynamic pricing helps operators protect margins, and what operators should look for in acquisitions, emphasizing real product integration and clear customer communication. Sterling also shares stories of SMBs using AI for targeted marketing, discusses Chowly’s platform additions (first-party ordering, loyalty, digital marketing), and previews his new “AI for restaurants” podcast with Aaron Newton of Thanx [https://thanx.com]. This episode is sponsored by OGC - visit: https://onegoalconsulting.com [https://onegoalconsulting.com]