Connectivity, Data & the Future of Hospitality Tech

From AI implementation to impact with John Raguin from CrunchTime, Tim Cross from Caffè Nero UK, and Andrew Winter from SSP Group plc

In this episode, we're joined by Tim from Caffè Nero, Andy from SSP, and John from CrunchTime for a no-nonsense conversation about AI in hospitality. What's actually delivering ROI, what's failed, and what the future looks like for operators on the ground. Less LinkedIn hype, more real talk. What's Actually Working AI forecasting is the clearest ROI win — CrunchTime saw adoption jump from ~1% to 50% of locations in 12 months Caffè Nero is piloting AI-driven stock availability and assisted ordering SSP is using AI for labor forecasting, trading hour optimization, and upsell recommendations The Data Problem Bad data kills AI results — CrunchTime's own support AI was 3% accurate until they cleaned up their data sources The sweet spot for forecasting data: 400 days (more doesn't meaningfully improve accuracy) 82% of UK operators use tech forecasting, but average accuracy is only 62% Change Management is the Hard Part John: The #1 reason implementations fail isn't the tech — it's change management in operations Andy: SSP is shifting from technology-led to business transformation-led change Keep humans in the loop — let GMs enrich AI forecasts, not just override them What's Coming Voice-based AI for managers: ask your phone for stats or tomorrow's forecast, no back-office report needed Managers move from the back office to the floor — John's timeline: 5–7 years for widespread adoption One Piece of Advice Each John: Pick a small pilot with engaged managers and start there Andy: Understand the business problem first — don't implement tech for tech's sake Tim: Find an internal AI subject matter expert; you don't need a Head of AI

Why "Just Get Some AI" Is the Worst Brief You Can Write, Rod Schneider, Workforce.com

Rod returns to the podcast after two years to discuss what has genuinely changed in workforce management, and what is simply being repackaged. A familiar pattern is playing out across the industry: leadership sees AI-branded software, decides it looks promising, and tasks an operations manager with finding it. One layer deeper, the desired outcome is rarely defined. The brief drives the purchase, rather than the problem. In this episode: * The Workforce.com origin story, from a university bar with questionable timesheet accountability and 30,000 pound punch-card scanners to a cloud-based product built around that problem * Why multi-region European payroll is so difficult, and how being built in Australia, home to some of the most complex earnings rules in the world, became a genuine competitive advantage * The decline of the detailed RFP, and why discovery conversations uncover the real requirement that documents cannot * The cost of poor alignment: mis-bought and mis-sold software, and how the sale gets celebrated while the operator's problem remains unsolved * A measured view on AI: bullish on accessibility, sceptical of "world first" claims for capability that has existed for years * The open question for the category: customisation in the operator's hands, or hardcoded into the system A practical, operator-first conversation for anyone evaluating workforce technology or trying to translate a vague AI mandate into a real outcome.

Diego Vega & Rory at Rye Energy, The Hidden Cost That's Eating Your Margins

Energy is the line on the P&L that nobody owns and everybody pays for. In this episode, Chris sits down with Diego Vega, Founder and CEO of Rye Energy, and is later joined by Rory, Head of Operations and ex-chef, to crack open a category most operators have been forced to ignore. Why this conversation matters Hospitality consumes three to four times more electricity per square foot than the average business. A coffee shop, per square foot, burns more energy than a petrol station. And yet, energy procurement remains one of the most opaque, broker-led, deliberately complex purchases an operator makes. Diego compares it to where payments sat five years ago, before Dojo and the new wave of providers pulled back the curtain. Rye is doing the same for multi-utilities. What Rye actually does Rye is a platform that unifies data and contract terms across electricity, gas, water (and soon waste) for multi-site operators. Three core jobs: procurement, real-time monitoring via meter data, and bill validation. It benchmarks your sites against each other (Manchester vs Leeds vs London) and against sector peers, so you finally know what good looks like. The 40% problem Only 40% of your energy bill is the actual commodity. The rest is non-commodity transmission costs, levies and fees financing the renewable transition. Lock in the best unit rate you like; the hidden cost stack is where margins quietly disappear. The cheapest kilowatt hour is the one you don't use, and reducing usage compounds savings because it pulls down the non-commodity charges too. The surprise finding from 100+ live sites Diego went in expecting efficiency to be the headline win. It wasn't. The bigger unlock has been growth. Operators trying to open 5, 10, 17 sites a year keep getting stuck on single-phase to three-phase upgrades, undersized meters, and MEP plans that don't match the kitchen they're trying to run. Nobody on the team owns this, and a £50k landlord capex contribution rarely covers it. Rye is quietly removing that drag on growth pipelines. Rory on what operators get wrong After eight years in energy and a previous life in kitchens, Rory has seen the patterns. The biggest culprits: HVAC and extraction systems left running on poorly configured timers, sucking money overnight. Defrost cycles spiking load profiles at 3am for no operational reason. Sites moving in and forgetting to sort utilities until the supplier starts chasing debt. The fix is process, not heroics. Rye builds an average load profile per site (half-hourly), overlays what good looks like, and quantifies the gap in pounds. Same shape, different scale. The well-run site becomes the playbook for the rest of the estate. The macro picture nobody's planning for Three major shocks in six years: Covid (demand-side), Ukraine, and now Iran (supply-side). Jet fuel reserves reportedly down to three weeks of supply heading into summer. Energy crises become food crises through fertiliser and transport costs. Wheat, rice and coffee feel it next. Diego's point: in the next 18 months, regulatory changes around half-hourly data access could cut costs by 40-50% for operators who know how to act on it. Most won't, because nobody on the team is watching. When to act If you're 6-12 months out from contract end, that's the window. Rye tracks the wholesale market up to a year ahead of your renewal and moves when the dip is right, rather than letting brokers run the clock down on you. The commercial bit Rye only charges once it starts saving you money. Book a call, get a demo, see where the gaps are before committing anything. Find Rye Website: https://rye.energy Marketplace: https://www.techontoast.co.uk/marketplace

Roger Wade: The Man Behind Box Park on Building Brands That Actually Last

Chris sits down with serial entrepreneur Roger Wade, the man behind one of the UK’s original streetwear brands and the creator of the world’s first pop-up mall. From getting fired three times before the age of 22 to building Box Fresh, launching Box Park, and now reshaping hospitality real estate with Box Kitchen, Roger shares the lessons, mistakes, and mindset that have shaped his journey. This is a conversation about brand, resilience, physical retail, and why most businesses are solving the wrong problems. * Why getting fired early might be the best thing that ever happens to you * The real reason Box Fresh worked — and why Roger sold too cheap * How a simple idea turned into Box Park, the world’s first pop-up mall * Why food became the hero and retail fell away * The three reasons people go into business — and which one actually matters * Why physical retail still beats online (and it’s not even close) * How Box Kitchen is changing the economics of hospitality development * The truth about raising money and why it’s often overrated * How AI is levelling the playing field for creative entrepreneurs Early Life & Mindset * Fired from three jobs before 22 * Realisation: “If I don’t employ myself, no one else will” * A near-death experience at 16 that shaped his outlook Building Box Fresh * Started in Greenwich and Camden markets * One of the UK’s original streetwear brands * Learned the hard way: brand is everything Creating Box Park * Built from shipping containers with no blueprint * Food operators became the unexpected winners * Community-first approach in Shoreditch and Croydon * Scaled to millions of loyal customers via the Black Card The Business Frameworks * 3 reasons to be in business: Ego, Money, Legacy * 3 pillars of a brand: Product, Traffic, Delivery Retail Reality Check * Online conversion: 1–2% * Physical retail: closer to 10% * Why the high street still matters more than people think Box Kitchen & What’s Next * Modular kitchens, bars, and hospitality infrastructure * Built for developers and operators * Far stronger returns than traditional real estate Lessons from Failure * The eBay keynote disaster * Why raising money isn’t success * “Profit is sanity, turnover is vanity” * “You make money by seeing something that’s growing and growing with it.” * “Raising loads of money means nothing. You’ve got debt.” * “If you’re not special to your customer, you won’t exist.” * “Profit is sanity, turnover is vanity.” * “I learned my best lessons from my biggest mistakes.” This episode is powered by Lightspeed Commerce — the POS and payments platform built for modern hospitality. From tableside ordering to fully integrated front and back of house, Lightspeed helps operators deliver faster, smarter service when it matters most. If you want, I can tighten this into a more punchy, SEO-led version or a YouTube cut as well. 🎙️ Tech on Toast Podcast – Roger Wade (Full Episode)Episode SummaryWhat You’ll LearnKey MomentsStandout QuotesSponsor

Connectivity, Data & the Future of Hospitality Tech

Host: Chris FletcherGuests: * Liz McKinnon – Strategic Accounts, Sky Business (13+ years at Sky) * Jatin Chandwani – Chief Product & Growth Officer, Byte by Yum (overseeing KFC, Taco Bell, Habit Burger & Pizza Hut's SaaS platform) Recorded live on stage, this episode dives deep into how reliable connectivity has become the backbone of modern hospitality operations — from QSR chains to stadia. The conversation covers how real-time data, AI-driven automation, and seamless guest experiences are all dependent on getting the fundamentals of connectivity right. 1. The Three C's of Connectivity (Liz McKinnon) * Coverage – ensuring your restaurant has signal everywhere it needs * Capacity – handling the growing volume of data traffic * Connectivity – making it fit for purpose and reviewing it continuously, not just at install 2. Connectivity as a Data Continuity Engine (Jatin Chandwani) * Connectivity has evolved from a utility (like water or electricity) to a mission-critical data pipeline * Without it, team members work blind and guest experience suffers immediately * Digital orders (mobile app, aggregators, kiosks) can make up 30–60% of revenue — all dependent on connectivity 3. Speed, Taste & Experience in QSR * The challenge of serving fresh food (e.g. KFC's 15-min cook time) to customers who expect it in 2 minutes * Technology and data forecasting are key to managing this tension * AI forecasting for inventory and labor scheduling has delivered measurable improvements 4. Real-Time Data & Agentic AI * Moving from "dashboard era" (acting on yesterday's data) to agentic workflows (acting within the shift) * Fryer data, hot-hold systems, sales data and customer data combined = next best action in real time * Properly connected stores can improve performance by 10–20% * Kill switches and guardrails are essential — AI governance must be built in from day one, not added later 5. Guest WiFi as a Business Channel * "Snacking data" — QSR customers connect briefly; stadia customers stay for hours; both need seamless WiFi * Guest connectivity supports app check-ins, order status, and acquisition/retention * WiFi splash pages can drive promotions, loyalty sign-ups, and personalized messaging 6. GDPR & Consent> "Bad consent kills good data. Good consent builds long-term customer relationships." — Jatin Chandwani * GDPR is not a constraint — it's a trust engine * Sky supports customers with a robust framework to handle data collection properly * Targeted, meaningful consent leads to better, more relevant customer conversations 7. The Future: Unified Ecosystems * Operators must move away from point solutions toward unified, connected ecosystems * AI + connectivity together will automate mundane tasks, reduce team cognitive load, and elevate the customer experience * "We're moving from the age of dashboards to the age of agent workflows for specific business outcomes." — Jatin Chandwani * "You cannot function without connectivity." — Jatin Chandwani * "It's not install and forget — you put it in and you re-look at it." — Liz McKinnon * "We were dropping money on the floor because of poor connectivity." — Chris Fletcher * "Humans are craving more human connection — tech should free up your team to provide that." — Jatin Chandwani 1. Treat connectivity like labour and food cost — it belongs at the boardroom table 2. Review and right-size your connectivity estate regularly as your tech stack evolves 3. Build redundancy and failover into your solution — downtime is immediately visible in sales 4. Partner with your connectivity provider; it's an evolving relationship, not a one-time install 5. Start collecting consented, structured data now — it's the foundation for everything AI will enable Powered by Sky Business.