Joseph Szala interviews Casey Terrell, CMO of Blaze Pizza, about the real forces shaping restaurant growth in 2026.

From GLP-1 drugs and shifting appetite patterns to digital ordering systems and marketing-operations alignment, this episode explores how restaurant brand leaders must rethink strategy to stay competitive.

Topics include:

• The impact of GLP-1 medications on restaurant traffic

• The myth of the “death of pizza”

• Digital infrastructure vs. marketing campaigns

• Why the traditional funnel no longer works

• How marketing, technology, and operations must align

If you’re a restaurant CMO, CTO, VP of Marketing, or multi-unit operator, this episode delivers practical insight into building scalable, modern restaurant brands.

Follow for more conversations on restaurant marketing, brand strategy, and digital systems.

Most restaurant tech stacks were built under pressure.

Speed mattered more than structure.

Now leaders are paying for it.

In this Little Raps episode, I break down how to think about intelligent tech stack consolidation without falling into the traps of bloated all in one platforms or fragmented best in class chaos.

We cover:

• Where all in one platforms create long term drag

• Why best in class stacks often collapse under their own weight

• How to consolidate where systems actually belong together

• When to curate for innovation instead of efficiency

• Why team size determines stack success more than features

We’ve entered a convergence era where ops tech and martech can no longer live in silos. Sustainable scale demands clarity, not accumulation.

This episode is for restaurant brand, marketing, and technology leaders who are ready to stop collecting tools and start building leverage.

The open feed is dead to Gen Z.

They view legacy platforms like Instagram and TikTok as the "vast everybody else." They see landscapes cluttered with ads and algorithms that serve the platform rather than the user.

They are fleeing to closed gardens. They are seeking intimacy. They are rewriting the rules of engagement.

This episode breaks down the recent report from Tumblr and Archrival and what it means for restaurant brand leaders.

We explore why high production value signals an advertisement to a Gen Z brain. We discuss the power of the "Insider" archetype over the paid influencer. We look at how digital tools must drive physical connection.

You have to stop treating digital channels as billboards. You have to start treating them as campfires.

Grab the second edition of Mass Behaving to go deeper into the psychology of belonging: https://www.bullhearted.co/mass-behaving-branding-archetypes-book

We are witnessing a critical failure in leadership when it comes to technology. Too many marketers and executives view tech as a siloed function rather than a foundational necessity.

In this episode, I am joined by Katherine Hubbard of Spotlight Analyst Relations to unpack the data behind this trend. We explore why industries like hospitality and healthcare are lagging behind. We discuss the financial bleeding caused by redundant SaaS tools and the psychological traps of survivorship bias that keep leaders making the same mistakes.

Katherine also pulls back the curtain on Analyst Relations to explain how major players like Forrester influence the market and how your brand can navigate that ecosystem.

This is a wake-up call for leaders who think they can ignore the technical side of the business.

#BusinessStrategy #MarTech #Leadership #SaaS #Marketing

Should you keep guest checkout hidden or activate it? For multi-unit restaurants (40+ units), the appeal of gathering data via forced account signups is clear, but the cost is massive.

Data shows that simple checkout is a top driver of purchase. Forcing a new customer to commit to an account before they trust your food or service is a costly mistake that leads to huge cart abandonment.

Learn why opening guest checkout is the crucial first step to earning their loyalty and how it can lead to results that soar higher like a 50% reduction in abandoned orders.

• Got thoughts? Let us know if you think guest checkout should be killed, opened, or if there's a hybrid approach.

This episode of Little Raps dives into the books worth gifting to the restaurant leaders, entrepreneurs, and operators in your life. I unpack the titles that have inspired me, challenged my thinking, and strengthened how I approach brand, leadership, and growth.

You’ll hear my take on powerful works from friends and industry pros including David Feldman, Peter Lazar, Chip Klose, and Jason Brooks, along with insights behind my own books, The Bullhearted Brand and Mass Behaving.

If you want to fuel someone’s leadership journey with ideas that actually change how they show up, this list will get the job done. Tune in, take notes, and share the titles that shaped your year.

Restaurant leaders love to borrow moves from the big dogs. It feels safe. It feels validated. It also sends far too many brands straight into bad decisions. In this episode, Joseph breaks down how survivorship bias and confirmation bias collide to push operators into tech stacks, marketing programs, and partnerships they cannot sustain.

You will learn how to evaluate decisions from your own operational reality, how to avoid chasing “best in class” solutions that don’t fit your brand, and how to build a decision making process rooted in clarity instead of imitation.

If you’re navigating tech choices, evaluating partners, or pushing growth with a lean team, this episode will save you money, time, and regret.

Follow, share, and rate the show on Spotify to help more restaurant leaders make smarter decisions.

In this episode of Little Raps, Joseph shares insights from his talk at Branders Fest in New York City—where he unpacked why so many restaurant digital experiences fall flat and how to fix them. He breaks down seven essentials every brand should evaluate to drive more revenue, stronger loyalty, and happier guests. From site speed to seamless integration, this is your checklist for turning digital disappointment into delight.

Follow Little Raps for quick, strategic takes on branding, hospitality, and the digital experiences that move people—and profits.