Instant Payments

Tal Clark

The Instant Payments Podcast is your go-to source for conversations at the intersection of innovation, payroll, and financial wellness. Hosted by payments industry veteran Tal Clark, the show explores how real-time disbursements, earned wage access, digital tipping, and modern payment technology are reshaping the way America gets paid. Each episode features thought leaders, operators, and innovators who are advancing how workers access and manage their money. Whether you're a business leader, payroll provider, or fintech pro, this show delivers valuable perspectives on the future of payments.

  1. 4d ago ·  Video

    Ep 13 Part 1: Restaurant Industry Trends with Industry Leader Melissa Doolin-Koehne

    Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, welcomes Melissa Doolin-Koehne, founder of Elevate 4 and chair of the Texas Restaurant Foundation, to discuss her restaurant-industry background and current work advising brands on purpose-driven growth. Melissa recounts being raised in the industry and launching Elevate 4. She highlights the Texas Restaurant Foundation’s ProStart Invitational, drawing 1,000+ high school competitors and offering scholarships. They discuss a “tepid” 2026 outlook amid inflation, tariffs, oil prices, and consumer trade-downs, emphasizing brand promise, value via experience, simplified operations, and employee-focused innovation starting with designing a great shift. 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast 00:40 Meet Melissa Doolin-Koehne 01:43 Melissa’s Restaurant Journey 03:12 Inside Black Box Intelligence 05:06 Texas ProStart Spotlight 07:47 Restaurant Industry Outlook 10:45 Why Some Brands Win 12:47 Employee Experience Innovation 15:02 Why Texas Leads Restaurants 17:35 Part Two Teaser and Wrap Instant Financial: instant.co Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/ Connect with Melissa Doolin-Koehne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-doolin-koehne/ References: Texas Restaurant Association: https://txrestaurant.org/ Texas Restaurant Foundation: https://www.txrestaurant.org/TRF/ Black Box Intelligence: https://blackboxintelligence.com/ Raising Cane's: https://www.raisingcanes.com/home/

    18 min

  2. May 27 ·  Video

    Ep 12: Research expert Jason Dorsey shares findings from restaurant workers study

    Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, interviews generational researcher and Center for Generational Kinetics president Jason Dorsey about CGK’s custom national study with Instant, “Underserved: The Financial Reality of America’s Hourly Restaurant Workers.” Jason explains the study’s Census-weighted methodology and discusses the perception gap between executives and frontline realities, noting leaders often view earned wage access (EWA) negatively while frontline managers want it. Key findings include 75% of restaurant workers living paycheck to paycheck and 61% skipping a meal in the last month due to lack of funds. They describe poor alternatives due to lack of choices such as overdraft and late fees, credit card cash advances, and payday lending, and urge leaders to read the research to understand how hourly restaurant workers are trying to navigate the economy. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:34 Jason’s Background and Intro to CGK 04:11 Study Setup and Method 07:27 Leadership Perception Gap 10:28 Most Shocking Findings 12:55 Generational Differences 16:12 Why EWA Matters 19:12 Costly Workarounds 21:28 Message to Leaders 23:49 Rapid Fire Questions 27:09 Closing and Resources Instant Financial: instant.co Center for Generational Kinetics: https://genhq.com/ Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/ Connect with Jason Dorsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondorsey/ References Free download of Underserved: The Financial Reality of America’s Hourly Restaurant Workers: https://www.instant.co/2026-restaurant-study/

    28 min

  3. May 13

    Ep 11 Part 2: Randstad CFO Ben Elliott discusses workforce trends around earned wages, digitization, and AI

    Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, continues the conversation with Ben Elliott, CFO of Randstad USA, on staffing trends and earned wage access. Ben says daily access to earned wages helps recruiting and retention, citing improved shift adherence and reduced call-outs/turnover, and notes the appeal extends beyond hourly workers to professionals. He also highlights workforce trends from the Randstad Work Monitor 2026 and Randstad’s digitization strategy, including the Randstad app for enrollment and job selection. Other themes include the importance of direct managers and work-life balance for retention, flatter career paths emphasizing horizontal experiences, increased client demand for identity verification to combat fraud, and careful AI use for efficiency and upskilling without bias in hiring decisions. Ben also shares career advice on volunteering, continuous learning, and mentoring. 00:00 Welcome Back and Setup 00:36 Talent Response to Daily Pay 02:31 Pitching Earned Wage Access 04:26 Instant Gratification and Not a Loan 05:20 Big Workforce Trends Now 09:46 Client Tech Demands and Verification 11:24 AI in Staffing and Compliance 14:41 Career Advice and Mentorship 16:57 Rapid Fire Round 19:16 Wrap Up and Where to Follow Instant Financial: instant.co Randstad: https://www.randstadusa.com/ Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/ Connect with Ben Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-elliott-0586202 References Stephen Covey: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stephen-R.-Covey/author/B000AQ2VAQBorn Fighting, by James Webb: https://a.co/d/04IvJJCa

    20 min

  4. Apr 29

    Ep 11 Part 1: Randstad CFO Ben Elliott on the Importance of Paying 70,000 Employees on Time

    Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, opens season two of the Instant Payments Podcast with guest Ben Elliott, U.S. CFO of Randstad, who leads the North America Financial Shared Services organization supporting $6B in operations. Ben explains how Randstad serves employers with flexible access to workers across industries and helps talent access jobs, skills, and reliable pay, noting Randstad puts 300,000+ people to work daily globally and 70,000+ in North America, split roughly 50/50 between commercial and professional staffing. He describes Randstad’s complex payroll operations across 40+ states, tracking timecards in near real time, running three weekly payroll cycles, and targeting accuracy. Ben discusses why Randstad implemented earned wage access with Instant in 2021, citing technology maturity, competitive demand, operational controls, and ease of enrollment. 00:00 Welcome to Season Two 00:45 Meet Ben Elliott 02:22 What Randstad Does 04:14 Randstad Scale and Staffing Mix 05:27 Ben’s Career Journey 07:49 Payroll Complexity and Systems 10:18 Payroll Cycles and Tracking 11:46 Defining Payroll Success 14:04 Why Earned Wage Access 16:47 Wrap Up and Where to Follow Instant Financial: instant.co Randstad: https://www.randstadusa.com/ Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/ Connect with Ben Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-elliott-0586202

    18 min

  5. Mar 18

    Ep 10 Part 2: How Instant Tipping and Wage Access Helps with Retention at Sun Holdings

    Tal Clark hosts part two of the Instant Payments Podcast with Laura McLand, VP of HR at Sun Holdings, a major U.S. restaurant group with 30,000+ employees, discussing HR trends including earned wage access and digital tipping. Laura says fast, fee-free access to tips improves satisfaction, and notes the shift from physical pay cards to mobile payments. She describes Sun Holdings’ efforts to position restaurant work as a career path, reporting retention improved by 20% over the last two years due to instant payments and greater employee engagement. She explains piloting new programs with one brand before scaling, outlines ROI-driven internal buy-in, and shares how AI is being used in recruiting and new payroll software for faster information retrieval. 00:00 Welcome Back to Laura 00:35 Instant Tips Impact 01:45 Beyond Plastic Cards 03:25 Turnover and Retention 05:39 Employee Engagement Focus in 2026 07:05 Rolling Out Instant Pay 08:45 Selling Value of Instant Payments To Execs 11:09 AI In HR Operations 13:19 Rapid Fire Q&A 15:51 Closing And Thanks Instant Financial: instant.co Sun Holdings: sunholdings.net Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/ Connect with Laura McLand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-mcland/

    16 min

  6. Mar 4

    Ep 10 Part 1: Earned Wage Access and Digital Tips at Scale for Sun Holdings’ 30,000+ Employees

    Host Tal Clark interviews Laura McLand, VP of HR at Sun Holdings, a franchise operator with 1,250+ locations across 32 states, 13 brands, and 30,000+ employees. Laura describes moving into HR through payroll, then joining Sun Holdings to unify previously fragmented HR, payroll, and benefits teams and improve speed and consistency of employee support. She explains how payroll is organized by brand type with shared resources for similar brands. Tal and Laura discuss Sun Holdings’ use of Instant Financial since 2021 for digital tips and earned wage access, and emphasize immediacy and mobile, 24/7 access as key to employee financial wellness. This episode is a great conversation around how one of the country’s largest restaurant groups prioritizes financial access. 00:00 Introducing Today’s Guest, Laura McLand 01:38 Laura’s Career Path: From First Payroll Role to HR Leadership 03:35 Joining Sun Holdings: Fixing a Fragmented HR/Payroll/Benefits Org 05:02 Managing 13 Brands at Scale 06:40 What Makes Sun Holdings Special 07:59 Supporting 30,000 Employees 10:00 Modern Pay in Action: Digital Tips + Earned Wage Access 12:25 Meeting Employees on with 24/7 Tools 14:49 What’s Next and Wrap-Up Instant Financial: instant.co Sun Holdings: sunholdings.net Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/ Connect with Laura McLand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-mcland/

    17 min

  7. Feb 18

    Ep 09 Part 2: The importance of both instant pay and tips for Cotton Patch Café

    In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, continues the discussion with Stephanie Callihan, CFO of Cotton Patch Cafe, about the transformative impact of instant digital payments in the restaurant industry. Stephanie shares insights on how Cotton Patch's adoption of Instant Pay for both tips and wages has significantly boosted employee satisfaction, reduced turnover, and streamlined payroll processes. They explore the benefits of providing daily access to earnings and discuss how this system supports career advancement within the company. Additionally, Stephanie reveals her personal passion for equestrian sports and forecasts technology trends that could shape the future of restaurant operations. The episode concludes with a look at 2026 growth for Cotton Patch Cafe. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:26 Digital Tips and Employee Satisfaction 02:22 Transition to Instant Pay 07:07 Regulatory Landscape and Earned Wage Access 11:44 Future of Restaurant Technology 14:38 Stephanie's Equestrian Passion 17:42 Rapid Fire Questions 20:07 Conclusion and Farewell Instant Financial: instant.co Cotton Patch Cafe: https://cottonpatch.com/ Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/ Connect with Stephanie Callihan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniecallihan/

    21 min

  8. Feb 4

    Ep 09 Part 1: Managing Instant Pay While Scaling Operations with Stephanie Callihan of Cotton Patch Café

    In this episode of the Instant Payments Podcast, host Tal Clark talks with Stephanie Callihan, finance leader at Cotton Patch Café, about navigating payroll, compliance, and retention in a large hourly workforce. Stephanie shares her career path through restaurant finance, Cotton Patch’s people-first culture, and how digital tipping helped the brand preserve daily pay while reducing operational risk. The conversation highlights why listening to employees, simplifying manager workflows, and modernizing pay systems are critical to retention and guest experience. 00:00 Welcome and Stephanie’s career journey in restaurant finance 03:28 Cotton Patch Café culture, awards, and growth focus 06:31 Payroll compliance and the realities of an hourly workforce 09:05 Retention strategies and strengthening management coverage 12:03 The decline of cash and the challenge of daily tip payouts 14:30 Preserving daily pay through digital tipping 17:01 Operational efficiency, security, and auditing benefits Instant Financial: instant.co Cotton Patch Cafe: https://cottonpatch.com/ Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/ Connect with Stephanie Callihan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniecallihan/

    20 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

The Instant Payments Podcast is your go-to source for conversations at the intersection of innovation, payroll, and financial wellness. Hosted by payments industry veteran Tal Clark, the show explores how real-time disbursements, earned wage access, digital tipping, and modern payment technology are reshaping the way America gets paid. Each episode features thought leaders, operators, and innovators who are advancing how workers access and manage their money. Whether you're a business leader, payroll provider, or fintech pro, this show delivers valuable perspectives on the future of payments.

Information

  • Creator
    Tal Clark
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Instant Payments
  • Show Website
    Instant Payments