ChatGTM

Michael Beck

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Business

The ChatGTM Podcast by Inc Tank GTM

1d ago

Kelly MacPherson | Becoming Anyway: Leadership, Doubt & Finding Your Confidence | ChatGTM | S2 E52

What if the leaders who seem most confident are fighting the same self-doubt as everyone else? Kelly MacPherson has led technology and transformation at some of hospitality's most recognizable companies, including Restaurant Brands International and Union Square Hospitality Group. But behind the commanding presence was a very different internal conversation. In this deeply personal episode of The ChatGTM Podcast, Michael Beck and Chad Horn reconnect with Kelly to explore her new book, Becoming Anyway, and the experiences that shaped the leader, mother, and person she's become. Kelly shares what it was like to build a technology career without a traditional technology background, take opportunities before she felt qualified, and discover that professional success doesn't eliminate personal insecurity. We explore the difficult decisions, mistakes, and sacrifices that rarely make it into executive biographies. From balancing motherhood with an ambitious career to learning when perseverance becomes staying too long, Kelly offers a refreshingly human perspective on leadership. We also get into the future of restaurant technology, why Kelly believes dashboards are failing operators, and how AI could finally deliver personalized, actionable insights instead of more reports. In this conversation: Why confidence and self-doubt can exist at the same timeTaking career opportunities before you feel readyThe personal cost of professional ambitionKnowing when to persevere and when to walk awayWhy trust and team chemistry matter more than individual brillianceThe leadership lessons Kelly learned from motherhoodWhy restaurant technology needs to rethink business processesThe meaning behind Becoming AnywayCONNECT WITH KELLY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-ann-macpherson-2aa8037/ Book: Becoming Anyway https://becominganywaybook.com Podcast: Becoming Anyway, with Kelly and Lauren EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to ChatGTM and reconnecting with Kelly 03:04 Why Kelly wrote Becoming Anyway 05:18 The confidence people see versus the doubt inside 08:52 The hardest stories to share publicly 11:37 Taking opportunities before feeling ready 14:44 The decisions that changed Kelly's career 17:24 Earning respect and establishing leadership presence 19:12 Why trust matters more than technical brilliance 21:03 Knowing when to walk away 23:01 Perseverance versus staying too long 26:23 The stories Kelly nearly left out 28:13 Motherhood and seeing life through Lauren's eyes 29:32 How writing the book changed family conversations 33:53 What restaurant technology leaders are getting wrong 35:04 Why dashboards aren't solving the real problem 38:35 Giving restaurant managers their time back 40:36 Learning to forgive your younger self 42:06 What Becoming Anyway really means 43:19 Seven rapid-fire questions 45:01 Where to find Kelly and her book 46:19 Final reflections and random acts of kindness JOIN THE CONVERSATION Have you ever taken a professional leap before you felt ready, or stayed somewhere longer than you should have? Tell us in the comments. Subscribe to The ChatGTM Podcast for candid conversations with the leaders, builders, and thinkers shaping hospitality, restaurant technology, and the future of business. Website: https://www.chatgtmpodcast.com The ChatGTM Podcast | The Industry, Unscripted. #KellyMacPherson #BecomingAnyway #Leadership #SelfDoubt #WomenInLeadership #HospitalityLeadership #ChatGTM
Oct 26

David Cantu & Matt Sundberg | Craftable & The Autonomous Restaurant | ChatGTM S2 E51

What if your restaurant's back office could practically run itself? For decades, restaurant technology has been great at telling operators what happened yesterday. But what if it could anticipate tomorrow, recommend the right actions today, and give operators back their most valuable resource? Time. Live from FSTEC 2026, ChatGTM host Michael Beck sits down with David Cantu, CEO of Craftable, and Matt Sunberg, Head of Product, to explore their vision for the fully autonomous restaurant back office. And we're not talking about another AI chatbot bolted onto legacy software. Craftable is reimagining how restaurants manage inventory, purchasing, forecasting, prep production, labor, and profitability by embedding AI directly into everyday operational workflows. IN THIS EPISODE: 🔹 The Autonomous Restaurant: Moving beyond dashboards and reactive reporting toward intelligent, proactive operations. 🔹 AI With Purpose: Why technology should simplify work instead of creating more of it. 🔹 Finding Hidden Margins: Identifying operational waste beyond traditional food and labor costs. 🔹 Solving the Adoption Problem: Why intuitive design matters as much as functionality. 🔹 The Vibe-Coding Debate: Just because AI can build software doesn't mean it should run your restaurant. 🔹 Protecting Your Data: The importance of security and responsible AI architecture. 🔹 Giving Time Back: Helping operators spend less time managing systems and more time leading people. Matt shares a powerful story about a customer who told him: "You saved my nights and weekends." That's what great technology should accomplish. Not more dashboards. Not more reports. Not more complexity. More time for the things that matter. MEET OUR GUESTS David Cantu | CEO, Craftable Matt Sunberg | Head of Product, Craftable 🌐 https://www.craftable.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to FSTEC 01:53 Meet David Cantu & Matt Sunberg 03:53 Their Journeys into Restaurant Tech 06:19 Reinventing the Back Office 08:45 The Autonomous Restaurant Vision 11:11 Building AI Around Operators 13:27 Solving Technology Adoption 15:43 Designing for Simplicity 17:37 Where Does the ROI Come From? 19:55 Finding Hidden Margin Leakage 22:22 Restaurant Industry Pressures 24:38 The Vibe-Coding Debate 27:00 AI Security & Data Protection 29:22 Integrations & Restaurant-Specific AI 31:28 Connecting Operations & Guest Experience 33:54 Giving Operators Their Time Back 36:00 Closing Thoughts ABOUT CHATGTM Hosted by Michael Beck and Chad Horn, ChatGTM brings you unscripted conversations with the people shaping the future of hospitality, restaurant technology, and business. The Industry, Unscripted. 🌐 https://chatgtmpodcast.com Subscribe and join the conversation. #ChatGTMPodcast #Craftable #RestaurantTechnology #RestaurantAI #FSTEC #HospitalityTechnology #RestaurantOperations
Oct 20

Jackie Walker | Why Digital Menu Boards Aren't Enough | ChatGTM S2 E50

What if your digital menu board is doing little more than displaying a prettier version of your printed menu? Jackie Walker, Chief Experience Officer at Creative Realities, joins Michael Beck on ChatGTM to explain why digital signage is about much more than screens. It's about understanding customers, influencing decisions, and creating experiences that people genuinely crave. Drawing on her work with major QSR brands, Jackie explores the science of craveability, contextual merchandising, customer empathy, and the untapped potential of digital menu boards. We dig into why the initial excitement around digital signage can fade, how brands can use motion, color, dayparting, and data to improve their merchandising, and why testing and learning should be part of an ongoing performance marketing strategy. Jackie also introduces Experience Intelligence, the consulting and creative capabilities within Creative Realities, and previews her Prosper Accelerate think tank session on reimagining the menu experience. And as AI takes on more of the creative process, what remains uniquely human? Jackie has some strong opinions about judgment, restraint, and why technology should never come before the customer. CONNECT WITH JACKIE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackieohare/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome and the power of craveability 02:38 Jackie's journey into digital experiences 06:26 Where Creative Realities operates 08:04 What makes an experience craveable? 09:42 Why contextual content matters 13:00 Personalization versus creepy 15:15 Designing for the customer's moment 16:21 Why restaurants need more than a digital menu 19:45 Motion, merchandising, and dayparting 21:24 Why digital menus need continuous testing 23:55 Adoption and franchisee challenges 24:46 Why the initial sales lift can disappear 26:15 Inside CRI's Experience Intelligence team 29:57 Jackie's Prosper Accelerate preview 32:37 The entire customer journey matters 33:48 AI, creativity, and human judgment 35:08 Jackie's legacy and making magic 36:14 Rapid fire: experience and surprise 37:19 Why the food in the bag matters most 38:33 Taco Bell and cultural relevance 40:41 Human connection versus technology 41:22 The surprising power of color 42:45 Prosper Accelerate and final takeaways 45:32 Jackie's colorful sign-off JOIN THE CONVERSATION Are your digital menu boards simply displaying products, or are they actively helping customers make better decisions? Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping hospitality, restaurant technology, and the customer experience. ChatGTM: The Industry, Unscripted. #JackieWalker #CreativeRealities #DigitalMenuBoards #DigitalSignage #Craveability #RestaurantTechnology #ChatGTM
Oct 16

Andrew Davis | Why Thinking Outside the Box Is Killing Creativity | ChatGTM S2 E49

We've all been told to think outside the box. What if that's exactly what's holding our creativity back? Andrew Davis, bestselling author, former NBC producer, Muppets alumnus, and one of the most entertaining keynote speakers we've encountered, joins Beck and Chad on the ChatGTM Podcast to challenge everything we think we know about creativity. Fresh from his appearance at Prosper Forum, Andrew breaks down his Cube of Creativity, a practical framework for turning limitations into better ideas, sharper execution, and meaningful business results. We explore why successful companies can become less creative as resources grow, why killing two projects might be the smartest way to start one, and whether AI is helping us think better or simply produce more stuff. Then we get into the attention economy. Andrew explains why curiosity creates tension, why the payoff matters more than the click, and the two questions every content creator should ask before hitting publish. Along the way, there are Muppets, MacGyver, childhood puppet theaters, a spy novel in progress, and one marketing word Andrew would happily banish forever. Meet Andrew Davis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewdavishere Website and speaking events: https://www.akadrewdavis.com Books: https://www.akadrewdavis.com/books Chapters 00:00 Meet Andrew Davis: Creativity, Keynotes and the Muppets 04:44 How Andrew Accidentally Started Speaking 07:47 Authenticity and Finding Your Stage Presence 10:07 Why Thinking Outside the Box Gets It Wrong 12:53 The Four Constraints of the Cube of Creativity 15:22 Why You Must Eliminate the Unnecessary 17:14 Constraints vs. Excuses 21:15 Does AI Make Us Less Creative? 23:30 Why Successful Companies Lose Creativity 26:16 Boredom, Childhood and Imagination 30:20 How Committees Kill Creative Ideas 32:35 Applying Constraints to Restaurants 35:08 What Actually Earns Attention? 37:50 Will Human Experiences Become More Valuable? 40:31 Curiosity Gaps, Tension and the Payoff 43:02 When Clickbait Damages Trust 45:17 How a Keynote Evolves After 100 Performances 46:57 Rapid Fire with Andrew Davis 49:21 Where to Find Andrew and Final Thoughts Your turn: What's one thing you could eliminate today that would make room for something remarkable? Subscribe to ChatGTM for conversations with the people challenging conventional thinking across business, hospitality, technology, and leadership. https://chatgtmpodcast.com The Industry, Unscripted. #AndrewDavis #CubeOfCreativity #CreativeConstraints #CreativeThinking #ContentMarketing #AICreativity #ChatGTM
Oct 13

Hans Schatz | Relationships First, Business Second: The Cut+Dry Story | ChatGTM S2 E48

Relationships first. Business second. What if the biggest competitive advantage in foodservice distribution isn't technology, but the relationships behind it? Hans Schatz, Executive Vice President of Cut+Dry, joins Michael Beck and Chad Horn on The ChatGTM Podcast to explore how one company is transforming foodservice distribution while investing in the people who make the industry work. From unified digital commerce and Yes Chef AI to helping independent distributors compete, Hans explains how Cut+Dry is reducing friction, improving operations, and connecting manufacturers, distributors, and restaurant operators. We also explore RESERVE, Cut+Dry's gathering in Napa Valley, and why building a meaningful community is every bit as important as building great technology. Because the future of foodservice isn't just about better software. It's about what we can accomplish together. IN THIS EPISODE • Why relationships come before business • Helping independent distributors compete • Yes Chef AI and distributor intelligence • Simplifying manufacturer programs and billbacks • Reducing friction across foodservice distribution • The vision behind RESERVE Napa • Why showing up matters MEET OUR GUEST Hans Schatz | Executive Vice President, Cut+Dry LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hans-schatz/ Cut+Dry: https://cutanddry.com/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Opening banter and introduction 01:45 Why relationships still drive foodservice 04:01 Introducing Cut+Dry 04:35 What Cut+Dry does and the problem it solves 11:52 Helping independent distributors compete 12:59 Yes Chef AI and distributor intelligence 19:27 Simplifying manufacturer programs and billbacks 20:23 AI, automation, and operational efficiency 27:54 Building technology with distributor partners 28:17 Going beyond software to support the community 29:10 Why Cut+Dry invests in relationships 30:18 Relationships first, business second 32:10 Why showing up matters 39:16 Creating meaningful community experiences 40:15 The ChatGTM Rapid Fire 42:07 Final thoughts and closing WATCH. LISTEN. FOLLOW. ChatGTM Podcast: https://chatgtmpodcast.com Subscribe to Substack: https://inckey.substack.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/chatgtm-podcast/ ABOUT CHATGTM Hosted by Michael Beck and Chad Horn, The ChatGTM Podcast brings candid conversations with the leaders shaping restaurants, hospitality, technology, and business. Produced by Inc Tank GTM: https://inctankgtm.com JOIN THE CONVERSATION What matters more when choosing a technology partner: the capabilities of the platform or the relationships behind it? Tell us in the comments, subscribe, and share this episode. The ChatGTM Podcast | The Industry, Unscripted. Know What's Next. #CutAndDry #HansSchatz #FoodserviceDistribution #RestaurantTechnology #ChatGTM
Oct 5

Peter Riggs | What If Restaurant Employees Were Paid to Think Like Owners? | ChatGTM S2 E47

What if the key to better restaurant performance isn’t asking hourly employees to “think like owners,” but actually paying them like owners? In this episode of the ChatGTM Podcast, Michael Beck and Chad Horn sit down with Peter Riggs, Founder of WaveWage, to explore what happens when frontline restaurant employees share in the upside they help create. Peter’s idea started with a moment almost every operator will recognize. About 30 minutes before closing, he watched a restaurant employee turn away customers who were ready to spend money. For the employee, another table meant more work. For the operator, it meant lost revenue and potentially a lost customer. Peter’s question was simple: What if the employee actually benefited from that sale? That became the foundation for WaveWage, a performance-pay platform designed to connect hourly employees with measurable sales performance. Peter shares how incentives can change frontline behavior, how restaurants can reward incremental revenue without destroying margins, and why the last hour of business could potentially become one of the most profitable hours of the day. We also get into restaurant technology itself, including why great software still fails inside restaurants, how WaveWage approaches integrations and gamification, and what technology founders consistently misunderstand about operators. One of Peter’s best observations: “Just because your tech works doesn’t mean we can put it to work.” CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to ChatGTM 03:09 Meet Peter Riggs 04:28 From restaurant operator to technology founder 07:42 The truth about restaurant employee engagement 10:16 What is WaveWage? 11:01 The restaurant moment that sparked the idea 14:34 The dreaded last-minute customer 15:11 Incentivizing the entire restaurant team 17:03 Finding hidden performance gaps 19:07 Why nobody built WaveWage before 21:10 Making incentives visible and engaging 22:45 Employee badges, recognition and portable reputation 25:11 Avoiding unintended consequences 25:44 AI-generated incentive rules and confidence scores 28:36 Can employees change restaurant operating hours? 29:27 How do you prove an incentive actually works? 32:01 Can employees make more while restaurants make more? 35:13 POS, payroll and restaurant-tech integrations 36:58 What restaurant-tech companies misunderstand 40:06 What Peter now understands about tech founders 41:29 Selling WaveWage to his toughest critic: himself 42:27 Rapid Fire 43:20 Customers walking in two minutes before closing 44:08 The restaurant metric operators aren't measuring 44:33 What restaurant work needs to fix 45:31 Closing thoughts and what comes next Learn more about WaveWage: https://wavewage.com Peter Riggs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-riggs-495b274/ If conversations like this get your gears turning, subscribe to the ChatGTM Podcast on YouTube and follow us wherever you get your podcasts. What do you think: Should hourly restaurant employees share directly in the upside when they help generate incremental revenue? #PayThemLikeOwners #PeterRiggs #WaveWage #RestaurantEmployees #RestaurantPerformance #RestaurantTechnology #ChatGTM
Sep 29

Ty Bennett | Why Working Harder Won’t Make You a High Performer | ChatGTM S2 E46

What if high performance isn’t about working harder, but learning to work deeper? Bestselling author, entrepreneur and leadership speaker Ty Bennett joins Michael Beck and Chad Horn on ChatGTM S2 E46 to unpack what actually drives sustainable high performance. We first met Ty at Prosper Accelerate, where he turned his keynote into an experience by bringing his sons on stage to tackle a Ninja Warrior obstacle course. It became a live lesson in preparation, resilience, adaptability, trust and helping people accomplish things they didn’t think were possible. chad-ty-beck Now Ty takes us inside the research behind his new book, Redefining High Performance. His research identified five key drivers: preparation, consistency, adaptability, motivation and connection. One of the biggest takeaways challenges hustle culture: sustainable high performance has more to do with working deeper than simply working harder. chad-ty-beck We also get into fear of failure, comparison, feedback, burnout, trust, parenting, hospitality leadership and why consistency beats occasional intensity. Then we turn to AI. Ty believes that as AI makes information and good copy easier to create, human story, empathy and genuine connection become even more valuable. chad-ty-beck And if you’re heading to Prosper Accelerate, this conversation gives you a taste of the energy and thinking Ty brings to the stage. CONNECT WITH TY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tybennett Redefining High Performance: https://tybennett.com/product/redefining-high-performance/ Website: https://tybennett.com/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to ChatGTM 00:38 Meeting Ty at Prosper Accelerate 01:13 The Ninja Warrior Keynote 02:34 Welcome Ty Bennett 03:42 How Ninja Warrior Took Over the Bennett Family 05:05 Turning a Speech Into an Experience 05:49 Performing Under Pressure 06:25 Relaxed Intensity 07:44 Competing Without Comparison 08:25 When One Brother Gets the Opportunity 10:23 Leadership Lessons From Family 11:33 Redefining High Performance 15:38 What Creates a High Performer? 16:12 The Research Behind High Performance 17:00 The 5 Drivers of High Performance 18:44 Preparation Changes Everything 20:23 Where Real Confidence Comes From 20:48 High Performance Without Burnout 21:32 Work Deeper, Not Harder 22:42 Health, Recovery & Performance 24:48 Why Hospitality Produces Great Leaders 25:16 We’re All in the People Business 26:30 Empathic Drive 27:37 Why High Performers Plateau 28:16 The 3 Barriers to High Performance 29:42 How We Get in Our Own Way 30:17 Trust Is the Currency of Leadership 31:19 How Leaders Earn Trust 32:10 Leadership Through Example 33:35 Rebuilding Lost Trust 34:34 Escaping the Failure Factory 34:55 Failure Is Part of Your Best Work 35:51 Consistency Beats Intensity 37:43 Success Begets Success 38:16 Does Work-Life Balance Exist? 41:21 AI & High Performance 41:33 Why AI Makes Human Stories More Valuable 43:20 Empathy in an AI-Driven World 43:43 Confident Curiosity 44:42 Rapid Fire 46:18 One Word for Great Leadership 46:26 Great Leaders Make People Feel Important 46:34 The Best Stories Begin With Connection 46:36 Closing Thoughts & Prosper Accelerate 48:19 Wrap Are you working harder, or have you learned how to work deeper? ▶️ Subscribe to ChatGTM for conversations with the people building what’s next in leadership, hospitality, technology, AI and GTM. #ChatGTM #TyBennett #ProsperAccelerate #HighPerformance #Leadership #AI
Sep 21

Toby Malbec | Why Restaurant Tech Vendors Need to Stop Working Alone | ChatGTM S2 E45

Restaurant technology doesn't fail in isolation. When one part of the ecosystem breaks, the operator feels all of it. Toby Malbec, one of the restaurant industry's most respected technology leaders, joins Michael Beck and Chad Horn on the ChatGTM Podcast to talk about partnerships, trust, restaurant technology ecosystems and why vendors need to stop making operators referee their problems. After decades advising and leading technology strategy for brands including Subway and Church's Texas Chicken, Toby now serves as VP of Partnerships at Qu, where he's bringing an operator-first perspective to the vendor side of the table. His philosophy is simple: restaurant managers aren't IT integrators. When POS, payments, loyalty, inventory, digital ordering or another system fails, operators shouldn't have to figure out whose fault it is. The partners should. Toby calls it removing the F-word: friction. The conversation explores what separates an integration from a true partnership, why relationships still matter in technology buying, what startups get wrong when approaching enterprise partners, and why best-of-breed technology only works when vendors take shared responsibility for the operator experience. And when asked who wins the future of restaurant technology, Toby's answer cuts through the AI noise: “Embrace humanity and leverage AI where applicable.” CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to ChatGTM 01:24 Meet Toby Malbec 02:45 Toby's Move From Church's to Qu 04:49 Seeing Restaurant Tech From Both Sides 06:44 Who Owns the Problem When Tech Breaks? 07:07 Stop Making Operators Referee Vendors 08:12 Removing the F-Word: Friction 08:55 Why Qu Invested in Partnerships 11:29 Partnerships Are Built Between People 14:40 Getting Vendors to Play Together 17:12 When the Operator Pays for Bad Partnerships 18:39 Prioritizing the Restaurant Tech Ecosystem 20:11 Consulting Without Having a Dog in the Hunt 20:57 What Startups Get Wrong Approaching Qu 21:56 Finding the Right Integration Partners 22:26 Could Qu Become a Restaurant Tech Incubator? 23:43 Building a Partnership Mindset Across Qu 24:06 Balancing Profit With the Long Game 26:05 Best-of-Breed Without the Headaches 26:19 Are RFPs Still Working? 27:00 Capabilities Get You In. Relationships Matter. 27:58 Why Buying Restaurant Tech Isn't Just About Price 29:28 How Do You Measure Partnership Success? 31:00 When the Market Says a Partnership Isn't Working 31:12 Bringing Consulting Into Partnerships 32:19 Why Toby Chose Qu 32:45 Why Qu Is at an Inflection Point 34:22 A-Players Still Have to Fit Together 34:39 Rapid Fire With Toby 34:53 One Quality Every Great Partner Needs 34:54 Handshake or Contract? 34:59 What Instantly Earns or Loses Trust? 35:15 A Restaurant Brand Toby Admires 35:29 Why Toby Has a “Crush” on P. Terry's 36:11 The Future of Restaurant Technology 36:32 Why ChatGTM Wanted This Conversation 37:02 Giving Back to the Restaurant Industry 37:29 Closing Thoughts 38:49 Operators Rule Where should responsibility fall when multiple technology vendors are involved and something breaks? Tell us in the comments. ▶️ Subscribe to ChatGTM for conversations with the operators, founders and technologists building what's next in restaurants, hospitality, technology, AI and GTM. Know What's Next. #ChatGTM #RestaurantTechnology #RestaurantTech #HospitalityTechnology #RestaurantIndustry #StrategicPartnerships #RestaurantOperations #AI #IncTankGTM

The ChatGTM Podcast by Inc Tank GTM

Creator

Michael Beck
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

54
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2026 Michael Beck
Show Website

ChatGTM