The AI Understanding Gap: Why Restaurant Leaders Are Afraid to Start

Restaurant leaders have moved past curiosity and into something more unsettling: they understand enough to know AI is powerful, but not enough to know where to start. That fear, shared openly by CEOs at industry conferences, is driving a new wave of urgency around AI strategy.

Adam Brotman and Andy Sack break down this understanding gap with real conversations from restaurant C-suites. They introduce Forum3's Speed, Order, Aim methodology: build proficiency quickly, stack rank your opportunities, then identify the one or two unlocks that were impossible before this technology existed.

From drive-through voice AI versus in-app ordering to store manager empowerment and P&L optimization, this episode maps the restaurant industry's highest-value AI opportunities and makes the case that getting started matters more than getting it perfect.