RestroTech

restrotech

POS systems. Kitchen display screens. AI ordering. Loyalty platforms. Inventory tools. What actually works... not just what looks good in a demo.

에피소드

  1. 4일 전

    The One Decision We'd Never Let AI Make

    Episode 5. We got invited to speak at a local Economic Development Corp panel on AI in restaurants. Drew Lentz (The Wireless Nerd) moderated. What followed was a 90-minute conversation about why a small group of operators in the Rio Grande Valley is shipping more custom AI than a lot of startups, what we'd never let AI touch, and why 5 lawyers who understand AI will beat a firm of 100 who don't. #RestroTech #RestaurantTechnology #AI #PanelDiscussion #RGV Drew Lentz sits down with Bob Lozano (CEO), Genaro Alvarez (VP of Technology), John Zertuche (VP of AI), to talk through the real story behind what F&P Group is building. The bank reconciliation rebuild that took 10 hours of weekly work down to 10 minutes across 50+ bank accounts. The 126,000 accounting transactions we fed into AI to map out our own company. The brain we're building that ingests 400+ million lines of data so Bob can someday ask it "how did the Dairy Queen in Elsa do last Wednesday?" out loud. The mentorship from Kai Wolfe that shaped how we think about technology. And the answer every restaurant operator wants to know: what soft skills still matter when AI handles the rest? All data referenced in this episode is real internal work. Specific demos shown in earlier episodes use fake data, as always. 0:00 Welcome to the panel 3:01 "I sell ice cream" (Bob's intro) 4:12 Why we say we're not a tech company 7:30 What RestroTech is and why we started it 11:04 The technology chasm 20:02 The 10-hours-to-10-minutes bank story 22:54 18 months of accounting data, fed into AI 27:02 The one decision we'd never give to AI 30:26 What soft skills matter in the AI era 33:26 The Valley's brain drain and what we're doing about it 47:30 What infrastructure a modern restaurant actually runs on 49:19 Kai Wolfe and the mentorship that shaped us 53:21 The brain we're building 56:34 Why 5 AI-fluent lawyers beat 100 who aren't 1:18:00 What the next decade of operators will look like About Genaro Alvarez: VP of Technology at F&P Group. Nine years running tech across 40+ restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. Host of RestroTech. About John Zertuche: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company. About Drew Lentz (moderator): Known online as The Wireless Nerd. From the Rio Grande Valley. Worked on restaurant technology at Cisco Systems, Meta, and Amazon. Co-founder of Code RGV. About us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing. Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact. Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below.   💻 Watch now and stay ahead 📸 Follow Us on Instagram:   / restro.tech   🎶 Follow Us on TikTok:   / restro.tech   ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube:    / @restrotech     Produced by F&P Media RestroTech by F&P Media features candid conversations about restaurant technology, AI, and operations. The insights, opinions, and strategies discussed are based on individual experience and are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. They do not constitute professional business, technical, financial, or legal advice. Every operation is different; consult with qualified professionals before making technology or business decisions based on what you hear.

    1시간 23분

  2. 6월 25일

    How Our GMs Got 25 Minutes Back Every Day | MINI BYTES EPISODE 2

    Mini Bytes. Last week we built our own daily sales reports with AI in 30 minutes. This week Genaro hits the restaurants and asks the people actually using them. Five team members. Five different seats. One question every time: if I told you this was built with AI, would you believe me? #RestroTech #MiniBytes #RestaurantTechnology #AI #Operators Genaro goes behind the scenes at F&P Brands to see if the flash reports we built in Episode 4 are actually working in the field. Caro, a Schlotzsky's GM, is in the middle of Pizza Wednesday BOGO and shares how the daily report changes how she runs her shift. Lucy, the district manager, sees four restaurants in one inbox instead of four logins. Cory, a Dairy Queen GM, was logging into two platforms to pull the same numbers. Johnny, the Director of Operations for the DQ brand, oversees 30+ restaurants and reads everything by 9 AM. And Marcus, our VP of Operations, drops the line that ties the whole episode together: we all have invisible shovels, and this data gives us the coordinates of where to go digging. All data shown on screen is demo data. 0:00 Don't give your team a headache 0:21 Caro the GM: 20 to 25 minutes saved per day 2:49 Lucy the District Manager: same data, less time 4:35 Cory at DQ: 10 minutes saved across two platforms 7:39 Johnny the Director of Ops: 30+ restaurants at a glance 11:17 Marcus the VP of Ops: invisible shovels 14:26 Built in a couple of hours 14:38 Different seats, same information About Genaro Alvarez: VP of Technology at F&P Group. Nine years running tech across 40+ restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. Host of RestroTech. About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company. About us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing. Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact. Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below.   💻 Watch now and stay ahead 📸 Follow Us on Instagram:   / restro.tech   🎶 Follow Us on TikTok:   / restro.tech   ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube:    / @restrotech     Produced by F&P Media RestroTech by F&P Media features candid conversations about restaurant technology, AI, and operations. The insights, opinions, and strategies discussed are based on individual experience and are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. They do not constitute professional business, technical, financial, or legal advice. Every operation is different; consult with qualified professionals before making technology or business decisions based on what you hear.

    15분

  3. 6월 25일

    Your Restaurant Data Is Already There. Are You Using It?

    Episode 4. We canceled the paid dashboard software. We built our own with AI in 30 minutes. We tailored daily reports for every role on the team. No subscription. No logins. No spreadsheet juggling. Just the right number in the right inbox at the right time.   #RestroTech #RestaurantTechnology #AI #Dashboards #BusinessIntelligence   Genaro and John walk through the AI-built reporting layer that replaced a paid third-party software at F&P Group. The breaking point that pushed us to build it ourselves. Why a general manager doesn't need to be an accountant. The four-tier flash report system (GM, District Manager, VP of Ops, CEO). The CEO anomalies report we built in 30 minutes. A live demo of the web dashboard pulling real-time data. And why "80% of restaurants feel AI isn't important" misses the point: your data is already there. The question is what you're doing with it.   All data shown on screen in this episode is demo data. Nothing represents real account or sales figures.   Episode runtime is under 21 minutes. New shorter format for RestroTech.   0:00 We canceled the dashboard subscription 0:57 The problem with third-party vendors 4:26 What operators actually need to see 6:17 The GM daily flash report (demo data only) 8:27 The District Manager rollup 9:43 The VP and CEO consolidation 11:57 The CEO anomalies report (built in 30 minutes) 16:18 Why AI keeps failing for restaurants 18:55 Live web dashboard, live data 20:34 Your data is already there   About Genaro Alvarez: VP of Technology at F&P Group. Nine years running tech across 40+ restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. Host of RestroTech.   About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company.   About us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing. Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact. Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below.   💻 Watch now and steal what's working 📸 Follow Us on Instagram:   / restro.tech   🎶 Follow Us on TikTok:   / restro.tech   ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube:    / @restrotech

    21분

  4. 6월 11일

    We Cut 10 Hours of Bank Work to 10 Minutes a Week

    Episode 3. 50+ bank accounts. Multiple banks across Texas. One accounting team member spending 10+ hours a week reconciling balances by hand. We asked the banks if bank-to-bank automation was possible. They told us "not possible." So we built it ourselves.   #RestroTech #RestaurantTechnology #AI #Fintech #Automation   Genaro, John, and Bob get into the unglamorous, high-stakes work nobody talks about: moving cash between 50+ bank accounts across multiple banks for a multi-unit restaurant group. The tools we evaluated (Plaid, Stripe, bill.com, FedNow), the secure rails we actually built on (SFTP and NACHA), and a live walkthrough of our custom AI-powered mainframe pulling demo banking data, generating clearinghouse files, and pushing transfers in 10 minutes a week instead of 10 hours. Plus: the $40K-a-year solutions we walked away from, how AI note-takers changed how we document everything, why voice is the next frontier for restaurant operators, a call with a 500+ restaurant group facing the same problems, and why trust is the capital of the future.   All banking data shown on screen in this episode is fake demo data. Nothing represents real account information.   0:00 Should you trust AI with bank transfers? 0:42 The problem: 50+ accounts, 10+ hours a week 4:38 What we evaluated: Plaid, Stripe, FedNow, SFTP, NACHA 9:14 Building the AI solution on SFTP and NACHA 10:47 From 10 hours to 10 minutes 17:29 Inside the restaurant-level bank structure 24:13 The dashboard reveal (demo data only) 29:34 Bank transfers: generate, audit, approve, send 40:15 ROI: 300+ hours saved a year, nobody gets replaced 41:41 Why voice and AI note-takers are next 45:11 Trust is the capital of the future 46:52 The call with a 500+ restaurant group   About Genaro Alvarez: VP of Technology at F&P Group. Nine years running tech across 40+ restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. Host of RestroTech.   About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company.   About us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing. Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact. Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below.

    49분

  5. 6월 11일

    I Timed the #1 Drive-Thru in America | MINI BYTES

    Mini-vlog. Genaro visits the #1 Dairy Queen in America. Three weeks at the top of a national Speed of Service contest. Live drive-thru test, the morning huddle that keeps them there, and the tech inside that's holding the streak.   #RestroTech #DairyQueen #SpeedOfService #DriveThru #RGV   Genaro drops in on the F&P Brands Dairy Queen that's been holding #1 in the nation for three weeks straight. He times the drive-thru himself (no cars in front, full sparkler order, real stopwatch). He sits in on Maggie's 30-second morning huddle. He walks the whole drive-thru with her, sensor to screen to leaderboard. And he gets into why automated AI drive-thrus might be missing the actual point.   0:00 The fastest Dairy Queen in America 0:16 How the Speed of Service contest works 0:43 Timing the drive-thru live 1:18 Why tech can't replace hospitality 1:54 Inside Maggie's 30-second morning huddle 2:49 How this team got to #1 in the nation 4:28 Drive-thru walkthrough: sensor, screens, leaderboard 5:55 AI drive-thrus vs. human connection 8:03 Wrap-up   About Genaro Alvarez: VP of Technology at F&P Group. Nine years running tech across 40+ restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. Host of RestroTech.   About us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing. Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact. Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below.

    8분

  6. 5월 28일

    Restaurant Operators Using AI Will Be Untouchable in 12 Months

    Episode 2. Why the hell should a restaurant owner be using AI? No fancy words. No corporate fluff. Just the answer, from a group running 40+ restaurants across the Rio Grande Valley. #RestroTech #RestaurantTechnology #AI #Claude #RGV Genaro, John, and Bob get into how AI actually runs a multi-unit restaurant group day to day. How we found Claude (and how Claude found us), why one person shipping with AI beats fifty who don't, the Scale AI story behind a billion-dollar legal department, how we cut bank reconciliation across 50 accounts from 7 hours a week down to 30 minutes, and why Bob's mom thinks AI is texting her. 0:00 Why the hell should a restaurant owner use AI? 0:33 How AI found us in 2022 2:20 Don't let technology change your identity 8:40 Open the laptop. Be curious. 13:44 We're not a tech company. We flip burgers. 15:54 The TI-83 calculator analogy 18:04 How AI runs every department 23:32 The Scale AI story (80% legal, billion-dollar company) 25:33 5 AI Lawyers beat 50 Lawyers without AI 32:25 The domino effect for other operators 36:17 Is your data safe? 41:11 Bank transfers: 7 hours to 30 minutes a week 45:53 A normal Tuesday About Genaro Alvarez: VP of Technology at F&P Group. Nine years running tech across 40+ restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. Host of RestroTech. About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company. About us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing. Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact. Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below.

    47분

  7. 5월 26일

    We Hit #1 in 600+ Restaurants With a 2-Hour AI Build

    Episode 1. Genaro, John, and Bob get into where restaurant tech is actually going, and the 2-hour Claude Code build that has one of our McAllen, TX restaurants sitting at #1 in the nation with the fastest drive-thru in the country. #RestroTech #RestaurantTechnology #AI #DriveThru #rgv  The AI drive-thru. Voice vs. the data layer underneath. Why "API" is now the only word anyone says. The Fast Lanes & Lemonades dashboard, built in under two hours, no API access, just a scheduled email and Claude Code. The "80% of restaurant owners find no value in AI" stat and why it's wrong. Consolidating 162,000 journal entries into one mainframe the team can actually use. Push notifications that change behavior. And a phone call between G and John that ended with Bob standing in front of a painting he didn't know was there. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to RestroTech 00:25 — Going digital vs. craving the physical 01:38 — AI in the drive-thru: more than just voice 05:29 — Hospitality vs. efficiency: finding the middle 05:58 — "AI won't replace people. It'll replace people who don't use AI." 08:00 — Meet the hosts: backgrounds 09:15 — Tech vs. AI: API everywhere 13:28 — Crypto, collectibles & the attention economy 18:41 — Fast Lanes & Lemonades: the contest that started it all 21:00 — Building a #1-in-the-nation dashboard with Claude Code in under 2 hours 23:37 — Why 80% of restaurant owners are wrong about AI 29:16 — Becoming a first-time dad & launching this podcast 32:56 — The painting and the leap of faith 35:05 — Humility: the most underrated skill in restaurant tech 37:55 — The Mainframe: consolidating 40+ restaurants' data 41:49 — Cash over/short & reconciling data across systems 44:23 — RestroTech Awards (sneak peek) 50:09 — 162,000 journal entries: data as a database 51:50 — What's next: new episodes every week About Genaro Alvarez: VP of Technology at F&P Group. Nine years running tech across 40+ restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. Host of RestroTech. About John: VP of AI at F&P Group. Background in game design and software. Now leads AI implementation across the company. About us: Bob Lozano is the CEO of F&P Group, a company involved in restaurant management, commercial real estate, and digital marketing. Coming from a family of franchise owners, he's a passionate entrepreneur who builds successful businesses and creates positive company cultures. Bob is dedicated to exceeding expectations and making a positive impact. Interested in starting, growing, or improving your work with multi-unit franchises? Learn more below. 💻 Watch now and steal what's working 📸 Follow Us on Instagram:   / restro.tech   🎶 Follow Us on TikTok:   / restro.tech   ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube:    / @restrotech

    54분
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소개

POS systems. Kitchen display screens. AI ordering. Loyalty platforms. Inventory tools. What actually works... not just what looks good in a demo.

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    restrotech
  • 방송 연도
    2026년
  • 에피소드
    7
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