Webinar recorded on August 26th, 2025.
Webinar Overview
This webinar explores how artificial intelligence is transforming restaurant marketing and customer engagement. Featuring industry experts Kris Douglas (VP of IT at Small Sliders), Aaron Newton (Chief Data Officer at Thanx), and Jessica Serrano (CMO at Bagel Brands), the session provides practical insights into AI adoption across three key areas: individual mastery, business process transformation, and customer experience enhancement.
Key Topics Covered
Current State of AI Adoption
The webinar begins with interactive polling revealing where restaurant professionals stand with AI technology, from non-users to power users. Most attendees fall into the “dabbling” category, using AI for basic tasks like copywriting and research while recognizing significant untapped potential.
AI Terminology and Tools
- Large Language Models (LLMs) and how they work
- Popular AI platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity)
- Generative AI capabilities and applications
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) for AI communication
- Machine learning applications in marketing
Three Pillars of AI Implementation
1. Individual Employee Adoption
- Overcoming resistance and managing change
- Creating cultures that encourage experimentation
- Balancing AI assistance with human value-add work
- Personal skill development strategies
2. Business Process Transformation
- Using AI for data analysis and rapid hypothesis testing
- Automating cross-functional workflows
- Documentation strategies that enable AI assistance
- Celebrating innovation to drive adoption
3. Customer Experience Enhancement
- Real-time guest intelligence and personalized responses
- Automated customer service and feedback collection
- Hyper-personalization that improves rather than overwhelms
- SMS agents for immediate guest recovery
Real-World Applications Discussed
Successful AI Implementations
- Email automation for catering businesses
- SMS guest feedback agents using natural language processing
- Market research through AI-powered customer conversations
- Data mining for rapid business insights
- Cross-functional process automation
Vendor Evaluation Criteria
Speakers emphasize that AI-era vendor selection should focus on partners who can either make team members’ lives easier or improve guest experiences. They recommend evaluating vendors based on their AI thought leadership and innovation capabilities rather than just current service offerings.
Future Vision
The panel envisions a restaurant industry where AI handles routine tasks, allowing human staff to focus on hospitality and relationship-building. Key predictions include:
- Seamless integration of ordering, personalization, and service
- Real-time intelligence that prevents poor customer experiences
- Preservation of human elements that make hospitality special
- Autonomous systems for mundane operations
Practical Takeaways
For Individual Development
- Start small with AI experiments to build confidence
- Focus on eliminating repetitive tasks that consume 80-90% of time
- Embrace failure as a learning opportunity
- Develop AI skills as a career necessity
for Business Leaders
- Create safe environments for AI experimentation
- Focus on enterprise-wide problems rather than scattered initiatives
- Invest in documentation culture to maximize AI effectiveness
- Align vendor partnerships with AI innovation roadmaps
For Customer Engagement
- Use AI to enhance rather than replace human interaction
- Implement real-time intelligence for contextual customer communications
- Leverage natural language processing for deeper customer insights
- Maintain focus on guest experience improvement as the primary goal
Introducing ThanxAI
The webinar previews Thanx’s upcoming AI-powered features, including intelligent segmentation tools and ecosystem integration capabilities. You can learn more about that announcement here: www.thanx.com/thanxai
