Friends of Branded!
Happy Saturday and I hope you had a great week.
On Monday night this week, The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Benefit took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan.
The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world’s most prestigious and glamorous fashion event (the words “prestigious” & “glamorous” are ones that have never been bestowed upon either Schatzy or me).
This is the time of year when benefits kick into high gear (at least in New York City) and represent important fundraising opportunities for all sorts of organizations. Since 1948, the Met Gala has been an A-List fundraising event for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan of Art Museum in the City.
A Captain Obvious statement follows - I’ve never been to this event (I know, you’re shocked!). Have I been impacted by the traffic this event has caused? Yes, yes, I have, but that’s absolutely okay with me. People coming to New York City is a most positive thing for my hometown and venues like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and events like The Met Gala are incredibly important. So, to all the A-listers, let’s keep these parties going (even if I continue my streak of not being invited). 😊
On that very same Monday night this week, I was, however, involved in an event. It was a wonderful event, and I'll go further and say it was an awesome event.
No, I wasn’t at that ‘other’ Garden (the one located in Boston...good luck this afternoon JB).
On this Monday night, Schatzy and I had the privilege (and it was an absolute privilege) of attending the Taste Makers Catalyst for Change, the 18th Annual Culinary Institute of America (“CIA”) Leadership Awards. Each year, CIA honors the industry’s best and brightest with its leadership awards.
The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college, and the Taste Makers Leadership Awards is the college’s largest single fundraiser for student scholarships. The Augie Award is named for Augustine Escoffier, the French Chef who introduced discipline to the restaurant kitchen and elevated the status of professional chefs. The award reflects Chef Escoffier’s spirit, integrity, and professionalism, along with the CIA’s core values.
While attending the event, if I had a dime for each time I was asked “what are you doing here?”, I would have enough dimes to have made the obstacle from the 1974 comedy, Blazing Saddles, a non-issue (and with humor like that, is there really any wonder why I’ve never been invited before?).
Schatz and I want to give a special “thank you” to our friend, Phil Kafarakis, for inviting us to join the good people at IFMA - The Food Away from Home Association for including us in this special evening.
The event was a wonderful gathering, and included so many amazing industry leaders and friends, wonderful food (prepared by chefs from the CIA) and delicious adult libations (the Paloma Cocktail with Starry was my favorite cocktail).
But here’s where the rubber meets the road - it was the actual award presentation and the associated speeches that was my favorite part of the evening. No joke, not kidding and I’m absolutely serious.
Learning about the CIA, hearing the presenters talk about each of the award recipients and then hearing from each Augie Award winner was magical, inspirational, and made me feel even more fortunate about being part of this industry (and for those that know me, I’m not a sit quietly at the table and listen type of person).
Each Augie Award winner is a visionary whose work has changed the trajectory of the hospitality industry and catalyzed movements. The passion, the joy and importance of the work of each winner shared with the audience was uplifting and made me proud to be part of such an industry. Readers of the of the H^2 know how I feel that our industry is most democratized of any in the world and these honorees not only exemplified that, but each are committed to paying it back and importantly, paying it forward.
A little blurb about each of the recipients follows:
Elizabeth is widely credited with the transformation of Las Vegas into the premier culinary destination it is today. With a Master's in Hotel Management from Cornell University, she has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Cornell Hospitality Innovator Award and a James Beard Award Best Restaurateur nomination.
On his philosophy for success, Pano Karatassos has said, “Running a restaurant is not one big thing. It is a thousand little things.” Which is the reason each night, in every restaurant, it is a thousand little things that make the Buckhead Life experience unlike any other. Pano Karatassos did not set out to build a dynasty. Yet, starting with a passion for food, a pioneering spirit, and a now-famous hideaway in the heart of Old Buckhead, he would launch the company – and culinary renaissance – that put Atlanta’s restaurant scene on the map.
Brandon Edwin Chrostowski is on a mission to change the face of re-entry in the United States. In 2007, he founded EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute. His belief that “every human being regardless of their past has the right to a fair and equal future” is what has driven the creation of EDWINS. Recently in 2016 EDWINS opened the Life Skills Center campus, a 20,000 sq foot campus for living, working, and playing. Also, this year, Brandon has been named a CNN Hero and has also received the Frank J. Battisti Memorial Award, Smart 50 Award as well as the volunteer of the year award from Grafton Correctional Institute.
Samuelsson was the youngest person ever to receive a three-star review from The New York Times. He has won eight James Beard Foundation Awards and was the guest chef for the Obama Administration's first state dinner.
Chef Ann Cooper is an internationally recognized author, chef, educator, public speaker, and advocate of healthy food for all children. In a nation where kids are born with shorter estimated life expectancies than their parents due to diet-related disease, Chef Ann has been a constant champion of school food reform as an important avenue through which to improve childhood nutrition.
The hospitality industry is first and foremost, a people business, and maybe more specifically, it’s a taking care of each other through food and sharing experiences business. Food nourishes and sustains us, and it connects us with one another. Food brings people together and it bridges our past and our future.
It’s not often I feel like I should be taking on more and getting more involved, but that’s how I felt as each presenter and award winner spoke. The depth and breadth of the hospitality industry is one that uniquely exists without boundaries.
If my tone in this week’s H^2 seems little different, it’s b/c I’m still thinking about the event, the CIA students at my table (okay, at IMFA’s table) and the many students I met throughout the evening. I’m thinking about the beautiful words that I Pano Karatassos Sr’s sons spoke about their father and the joy of their family business. I still thinking about the passion in which Chef Ann spoke about her foundation’s commitment to improving nutrition and food education in K-12 schools across the country and her asking (challenging) the audience is it too much to want to provide kids with healthy and delicious meals. I’m thinking about Chef Chrostowski talking about his own struggles, how restaurants saved him, and his commitment to social impact and helping others through food.
Yes, I was very lucky to be in the room on Monday night where all of this was happening, but I’m even luckier to be in this industry.
We’re in a wonderful industry and we can do great things together. Let’s make sure we make that happen.
It takes a village.
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Shoutout #1 goes to our friends and partners at Toast and the good people at Topgolf in connection with their implementing Toast Enterprise Solutions across its venues in the US. In addition to Toast point-of-sale (POS) terminals, Topgolf will use Toast Payments, Kitchen Display Systems (KDS), Toast Go® handhelds and Multi-Location Management.
According to Toast’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kelly Esten, “we built Toast from the ground up to seamlessly manage all kinds of unique and complex food and beverage operations. Topgolf is a great example of an iconic, high-traffic concept that can benefit from the flexibility of our platform.”
Topgolf’s Senior Vice President, Topgolf Technologies, Rafik Hanna, “we’re all about taking big swings at Topgolf, and Toast’s existing capabilities combined with its track record of scaling with brands as they grow gave us confidence to make this update with Toast as our new POS partner.”
The next part of this shoutout, however, is exclusively for Ms. Esten, Mr. Hanna, and the respective partnership leaders at Toast and Topgolf (so everyone else, please skip to down to Shoutout #2).
Kelly & Rafik: I’m a product of the “3 is a magic number” and Schoolhouse Rock generation, so allow me to use this first shoutout to connect you directly with Josh Goodman, the Founder & CEO of the PourMyBev, the world’s best self-pour beverage solution.
With PourMyBev, operators reduce overhead by 75%, fast-track ROI within a year and boost sales volume by 50%. Mic drop.
Toast, Topgolf and PourMyBeer. Now that's magic!
Now back to our regular programming.
Shoutout #2 goes to our friends at DoorDash and SevenRooms on their coming together. There are $1.2 billion reasons why these two great platforms came together and will allow DoorDash to broaden its restaurant services and technology capabilities beyond delivery.
Branded’s friend and partner and the CEO of Bite, the leading kiosk company in the market that empowers operators with intelligent kiosk technology (never miss an opportunity for a boost, right), was so moved by the acquisition, that it inspired him to contribute to this week’s H^2. Welcome to the Headline party, Mr. Barton.
Mr. Barton's article can be found below in the contributors' section.
SevenRooms has long distinguished itself by prioritizing the relationship between operators and THEIR guests (the emphasis and use of all caps was of course most intentional). Branded refers to several of our restaurant partners, including our friends at LDV Hospitality, as stealth tech-ninjas as a result of their use of technology and that very much includes SevenRooms.
For Doordash, this move isn’t just about their adding a new functionality, but it reflects a deeper goal of becoming a more complete commerce platform for the hospitality industry.
This acquisition by DoorDash follows its purchase of UK-based food delivery company Deliveroo for approximately $3.9 billion (please refer to the picture of Dr. Evil above).
Branded has not only been predicting the consolidation in the technology space but we've positioning ourselves to be in the weeds and again, in that room where it happens. I feel very fortunate to have joined Oaklins Desilva+Philips as a Senior Advisor and not only be working again with my old friend Joanna Stone, but to be part of such a strong organization that has the expertise to unlock value through M&A.
Oaklin DeSilva+Philips and Branded Hospitality
Shoutout #3 is to all the folks that helped make the New York No Kid Hungry event on Wednesday this week such a resounding success. Branded was represented by our partners Julie Zucker and Drewe Raimi.
Branded’s friends from Olo and Citi were rockstar hosts, with Olo’s CEO, Noah Glass acting as the Co-Chair of the event once again. The evening consisted of a one-of-a-kind multi-course dining experience with some of the most extraordinary chefs and sommeliers, curated by Chef Chairs Amanda Cohen (Dirt Candy) and Hillary Sterling (Ci Siamo), and Wine Chair Thomas Pastuszak.
This is an organization whose mission is to end childhood hunger in the US and whose work has taken on even greater urgency as the organization focuses on expanding their efforts to ensure that all children and families have the food and resources they need to thrive.
Hospitality events bring out some great people and I know Julie & Drewe particularly enjoyed seeing Scott Boatwright, CEO of Chipotle, Chip Wade, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, Kelly Esten, CMO at Toast and of course, our friend Matthew Daniel from Citi.
In the spirit of never missing a moment to boost, Branded takes great pride in the work our partners at Copia do to help make food donations a more seamless and frictionless process. Restaurant and food operators hate throwing away food and there’s a cost to doing so. Copia is here to help, and they make it easy, scalable, and financially beneficial for venues to donate food.
Each year in the U.S., around 149 billion meals worth of food goes unsold or uneaten. Most of this ends up in landfills, where it emits methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO2 and a major contributor to climate change. Addressing food waste and those with food insecurities is a key part of Copia’s value proposition.
Any business can use the Copia App to start donating right away.
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Branded invites readers of the H^2 that are interested in learning more about our portfolio companies, and investment strategies to become part of our Access Hospitality Network ("AHN").
I want to use this week’s AHN section to talk about food safety and the global food supply chain.
With highlights and shoutouts above being giving to benefits celebrating the industry’s best & brightest and the addressing food insecurity, it only seems appropriate to highlight a company that brings the global food supply chain together.
Starfish is a technology platform that connects the global food supply chain. Its mission is to make food supply chains more transparent, safe, and efficient by enabling companies to share critical product data - like where an item came from, how it was handled, and whether it meets safety or sustainability standards.
Why This Matters
When food moves through farms, processors, distributors, and retailers, important information often gets lost. This can lead to:
- Foodborne illness outbreaks that are hard to trace
- Product recalls that are slow and costly
- Wasted inventory due to poor visibility
- Regulatory fines for non-compliance
Government Agencies (like the FDA) and retailers (like Walmart and Kroger) are now requiring companies to track and share data about every step of the product journey. That’s where Starfish comes in.
What Starfish Does
Think of Starfish as the “translator” and “connector” for supply chain systems:
- We connect with different software platforms used across the food industry (ERP, EDI, WMS, traceability tools).
- We standardize and securely share product-level data between companies.
- We help companies comply with food safety regulations like FSMA 204 in the U.S. and GDST in seafood globally.
Starfish is not a replacement for other systems - it’s the network layer that lets them talk to each other.
Why Starfish is Unique
- Neutral & Interoperable: We’re the only neutral platform built to work with any system, not just one provider.
- Scalable & Secure: Our technology is designed to handle large volumes of traceability data while protecting sensitive business information.
- Proven: We’ve already integrated with major industry players and are being adopted by solution providers, producers, and retailers across the food industry.
For those interested in Branded’s work with Starfish and how to get involved, please contact me directly.
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Featured Episode - From Peaks to Power Plays: Joe Hummel on Leadership, Laughter & Restaurant Reinvention
In this can't-miss episode of Hospitality Hangout, we sit down with Joe Hummel, former CEO of Twin Peaks and current board member of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, for an entertaining conversation packed with insights and humor. Joe dishes on his journey through the food industry, shares bold perspectives on leadership, and reveals how Twin Peaks has become a case study in restaurant transformation.
Whether you're an industry insider, investor, or just love a good story, you'll enjoy our deep dive into industry trends, the art of networking, and the balance between entertainment and operational excellence. From growth strategies to hilarious behind-the-scenes tales — this episode is as informative as it is fun.
Tune into the episode and subscribe to our channel here: Hospitality Hangout With Joe Hummel
You can tune in on:
Spotify: Click Here
Apple Podcasts: Click Here
Watch on YouTube: Click Here
Are you loving the Hospitality Hangout? Let us know! Please leave us a review here!
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This DoorDash deal just makes sense to me. SevenRooms has always been a powerful CRM, one that would bridge the guest profile of multi-unit restaurant groups so that your regular at one spot is a regular everywhere. While they dominate the 3rd party ordering space, DoorDash has made it’s first party intentions clear with restaurants - it wants to power that too.
Let’s Celebrate Foodservice Excellence in Chicago!
Join us at Chicago’s Union Station on May 17th for an unforgettable evening honoring remarkable industry icons at the 71st Gold & Silver Plate Awards. Experience a night of tradition, innovation, and celebration as we recognize the best in foodservice. Who will take home the 2025 Gold Plate? Be there to find out!
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You are Always Compensated in Direct Proportion to the Value You Bring to Others
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This week’s focus is on reframing success—not as something you chase, but something you align with. Whether you’re building a business, leading a team, or looking to level up your personal brand, the Laws of Success framework gives you five essential tools to earn more, serve better, and live with deeper fulfillment.
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That’s it for today!
See you next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel.
It takes a village!
Jimmy Frischling
Branded Hospitality Ventures
jimmy@brandedstrategic.com
235 Park Ave South, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10003
Branded Hospitality Ventures ("Branded") is an investment and solutions platform at the intersection of foodservice, technology, innovation and capital. As experienced hospitality owners and operators, Branded brings value to its partners through investment, strategic counsel, and its deep industry expertise and connections.
Learn more about Branded here: Branded At-A-Glance