2 min read
The Power of Reciprocity
There’s a reason guests feel compelled to tip a little extra when a server goes above and beyond—or
Last week, wrapped up. All beef, no filler.
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The Crossover
Friends of Branded!
Happy Saturday and I hope you had a great week.
There are multiple meanings across different contexts
3 min read
Restaurant Marketing – Turns Out We’re Doing it Wrong!
(but there's a huge opportunity here...)
After attending a ridiculous number of trade shows and conferences (8 so
3 min read
Unlocking the Power of Restaurant AI: Transforming Guest Acquisition in the Digital Age
Bi-line: Michael L. Atkinson: ResTech Entrepreneur, Investor, and Co-founder of ARI Venture Studio | @michaelatkinson | michael@arivs.ai.
Hi again! Today
2 min read
Elevate Your Thinking to Solve Bigger Problems
Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” That
4 min read
20 Psychology-Driven Tactics to Engineer Restaurant Menus That Actually Work
When we talk about what makes a great menu, the conversation often stops at formatting, food cost and layout. But
Unplugged Hospitality
Friends of Branded!
Happy Saturday and I hope you had a great week.
Sitting at dinner on Thursday night, the
4 min read
Holiday Road 2.0: When Clark Griswold Let ChatGPT Plan the Family Vacation
by Michael Beck
It’s the summer of 2025, and Clark Griswold is ready.
In the dim light of his
3 min read
Funny, Unexpected, and Just a Little Bit Wrong: What Benign Violation Theory Teaches Us About Bold Hospitality
Admit it: Hospitality professionals obsess over consistency. We polish every detail, script the perfect welcome, and work tirelessly to meet
2 min read
The Future of AI in Restaurants: Embracing Innovation and Staying Ahead
Bi-line: Michael L. Atkinson: ResTech Entrepreneur, Investor, and Co-founder of ARI Venture Studio | @michaelatkinson | michael@arivs.ai.
So, another week
8 min read
All of My Notes: The Restaurant Marketing Workshop 2025 Takeaways
The inaugural Restaurant Marketing Workshop —just wrapped in Indianapolis. Created and produced by Networld Media Group, this show was a tactic-based conference for marketers, by marketers about how to be better at marketing.
2 min read
Emotional Mastery Starts with One Question
Have you ever found yourself frustrated, only to realize later that your emotional reaction had less to do with the