In this episode, Joseph Szala welcomes Warwick McLaren to 3Owl—and together, they unpack what restaurant brand leaders really need to hear right now. Warwick brings years of experience from Cisco, PepsiCo, and major MarTech deployments across the restaurant space.

They cover:

• Why many brands are drowning in “technical debt”

• How lean teams can actually get ROI from complex systems

• The myths (and realities) of loyalty programs

• Why hospitality—not tech—still drives true guest loyalty

If you’re leading a restaurant brand and feeling the weight of tech decisions, franchise pressure, or loyalty fatigue, this episode is packed with strategies to help your team soar.

Restaurant tech and marketing leaders: before you trim that digital experience (DX) budget, listen to this.

In this short, sharp episode, we challenge the common end-of-year impulse to “optimize spend” by cutting digital investments. Whether you’ve built a basic WordPress site or a custom, integrated ecosystem, the job isn’t done once it’s launched—it’s just taking flight.

🎯 Learn why the smartest operators double down post-launch

📊 How DX directly ties to revenue (with measurable ROI)

🛠️ What innovations you can’t afford to ignore

🚀 A real-world case from Krystal (yes, sliders!) that proves the power of frictionless guest engagement

This is your blueprint for staying ahead—not just keeping up. The digital experience is your modern storefront. Let it slide, and you’ll get overtaken.

🔔 Subscribe for more insights on restaurant innovation, marketing ROI, and smarter digital strategies.

Let’s soar into 2026 with smarter investments.

#RestaurantTech #DigitalExperience #QSRMarketing #BudgetPlanning #DXStrategy #RestaurantInnovation

Cracker Barrel brought back the old logo and calmed the pearl-clutchers. But let’s not get distracted. A rebrand won’t fix long wait times, food inconsistency, or a pricing perception gap. In this episode, I break down the real reasons Cracker Barrel is losing relevance—and what it needs to do to get back in the game.

We’re talking guest expectations by age group, the myth of the logo fix, and why value and speed are the critical pressure points for restaurant brands today. If you’re in restaurant leadership, strategy, or branding, this one’s for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 - The nostalgia bait-and-switch

01:35 - Why the rebrand happened in the first place

03:10 - What each generation really wants from Cracker Barrel

06:45 - Value and speed: the red thread

08:20 - Why logos don’t fix operational problems

10:05 - What Cracker Barrel needs to do next

12:30 - Your move: how restaurant brands can learn from this

Listen, like, and share if you’re building brands that actually matter.

Follow for bold takes on restaurant branding, business strategy, and leadership.