Friends of Branded!
Happy Saturday and I hope you had a great week.
I made a visit last week after work to 42nd Street. No, my young daughter wasn’t with me, and therefore Dave & Buster’s wasn’t the destination (that’s one of our ‘daddy / daughter’ excursions).
[DB: just between us, I love that you’re leaning into self-pour with Branded’s very first portfolio company, PourMyBeer (PourMyBeer and Dave & Buster's TapZone), but now let’s raise the game, and become the envy of all eatertainment joints by showing other operators what the self-pour revolution looks like! Call me, together we can make that happen.] 😊
This particular trip to Times Square was to make my first visit to the just opened Chicken Guy and the triumphant return of Planet Hollywood to New York City, two venues opened by our friends at Earl Enterprises.
Planet Hollywood debuted in New York City in 1991 and following a historic run, closed its doors when the pandemic shut down the city that never sleeps. Well, the joint is back and while the new eatery no longer has the movie memorabilia that once help define it, Planet Hollywood 2025 offers an immersive dining and all-encompassing sensory experience that combines innovative technology with the unique flair of Hollywood.
But my reason for bringing up this visit to Planet Hollywood isn’t to offer a review, but rather b/c of the “real talk” I had with my friends Robert Earl & Trish Giordano. These two industry legends subscribe to one of Branded’s rules, that ‘if you’re standing still, you’re falling behind.’
The Branded Team has spent time with so many operators that are set in their ways and want to do things the way they’ve always done it. As I’ve written before and hold true - respect and operators should always do their thing (your house, your rules, right TF & GO?).
And to be clear, some joints are absolutely wonderful just the way they are (even if I do believe that embracing a little bit of technology would help create some operational efficiencies and improve engagement with their guests, but I don’t want to push, okay, I’m pushing, just a little bit).
As an investment platform that’s focused on the modernization, digitization and transformation of our industry, I admit that we get excited and love partnering with operators that embrace another Branded ethos, “knowledge is cumulative, and education is expensive.”
For example, our investment into LDV Hospitality was driven in part by John Meadow, Rob Keddie and the team behind Scarpetta, American Cut, Barlume and other concepts, being stealth-tech-ninjas! That’s right, I called this team “stealth-tech-ninjas” b/c they represent such an amazing example of how full-service, high-end restauranteurs can leverage, for example, guest engagement technology to create greater loyalty with their customers and gamification training tools to elevate their staff and floor service.
Returning to our friends at Planet Hollywood, this iconic American brand couldn’t just return to Times Square with nostalgia, it needed to return with a modern version of itself and that’s what you immediately feel with the digital experience, and massive screens that announces its presence with authority!
The “real talk” Robert, Trish and I had was about the state of the industry, the balancing of hospitality & technology and a topic I’m very focused on, which is the abundance of dining options available to consumers, the blurring of lines among restaurants, grocery stores, and c-stores and how restauranteurs can leverage technology to beat their competition (yes, this is a highly competitive industry, filled with very nice people, but still highly competitive).
In response to my conviction (which I hold firmly) that there are too many dining options, Robert specifically addressed the elephant in the room which is how the decline of retail has put even more pressure on restaurants to drive their own traffic. He went on to talk about how retail and restaurants have historically operated in somewhat of a partnership to create reasons for customers to go out, but the decline in retail continues to have a contagious impact on restaurants.
In malls and shopping centers specifically, Robert shared that with retailers in decline, mall operators have been filling spaces with more restaurants and saturating the facility with too many dining options.
For so many restaurants, there’s a reliance on customers in malls, shopping centers and in business districts to drive the necessary foot-traffic. The decline in retail stores of course results in reduced traffic and that’s a real body-blow to restaurants. Is there any wonder why experiential dining and that includes eatertainment and other unique dining offerings are having a most meaningful surge. These venues aren’t just offering a meal, they’re offering an experience.
With retailers no longer being relied upon to bring people out (there’s an abundance of delivery options), it’s the restaurants themselves that need to fill this void and that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Necessity is the mother of invention and the decline in retail is yet another example of the restaurant industry being forced to innovate. This is where hospitality and technology can thrive together b/c restaurants that have successfully embraced and adapted to digital trends, off-premises dining, and experience-driven venues are the ones winning at the expense of those that have not.
I don’t expect much of any pushback when I say the restaurant industry isn’t on the leading edge or what I would call a tech-forward industry (thank you, I didn’t think I’d get much of any pushback).
This year’s NRF (National Retail Federal) “Big Show” at the Javitz Center last month was well attended by operators and technologists from the restaurant industry and in fact I’d say the Branded team continues to feel the presence of restauranteurs and ResTech companies showing up at the NRF show each year is growing significantly.
The retail industry has always been about a decade ahead of restaurants when it comes to technology & innovation. Both industries are challenged by online options and both industries are responding accordingly. The personal connection and uniqueness of the relationship between restaurants and their guests offers us an advantage over retail, but we need to meet our guests where they’re at (and for so many, that’s online).
Hospitality and technology are often assumed to be incongruent with one another and it’s this perspective that needs to be addressed (and I dare say changed). The restaurant business, like the retail industry, is a human capital business. On the last day of NRF 2025, there was a discussion on stage between David Wilkinson, the CEO at NCR Voyix and Greg Cathey, SPV of Transformation & Innovation at Walmart.
Their discussion hit on the changing retail and restaurant landscape and the need to focus on the evolving customer experience and the way that emerging technology is transforming both of these industries. As Mr. Wilkinson shared on stage, the success of his business is “only as good as our people and tech is an enabler, not a replacement, of what we think those people need to do.”
Well said Mr. Wilkinson, well said!
Despite Branded obsession with technology & innovation, we know hospitality is a people business and a food & beverage business, but it can be tech-enabled and tech-supported to help operators win.
Don’t believe me, just ask the tech-ninjas at LDV Hospitality. 😊
It takes a village.
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I’m obsessed with lists. Seriously, I’m obsessed with them. They can come in all shapes, sizes, and purposes - but my most favorite ones celebrate incredible people.
With that in mind, we're kicking off this week's Shoutouts section with one of my favorite lists of the year and it comes thanks to our friends at Lunchbox.
This past week, Lunchbox opened voting for their Annual Top 30 Women in Food. This list highlights some of the most hardworking and inspiring women in the industry, and I’m especially proud to share that Branded’s very own CMO and Partner, Julie Zucker, is among this year’s nominees!
Today is the last day to vote, and it only takes a click—no emails or names required. If you’re so inclined, please take a moment to cast your vote using the link below.
Win or lose, this list is packed with powerhouse women who are not just part of the Branded village but are a driving force behind our industry. Let’s give them the recognition they deserve!
As for whom I voted for, I feel that’s a personal decision and should therefore be kept confidential (but I may have left an East Egg with my vote in this week's edition of the H^2 for you to find). 😊
The SECOND Shoutout this week is for our partners at Cut+Dry, the foodservice industry’s best e-commerce platform.
While I’ve shared some information on this previously, the partnership between Cut+Dry and the good people over at Instacart has been incredibly well-received and I’m specifically talking about the boost in ad reach it’s delivering for food manufactures.
Cut+Dry is using Instacart’s "Carrot Ads" technology, which allows foodservice distributors to reach buyers while unlocking revenue for distributors and operators.
Cut+Dry is a tri-party or triple-threat when it comes to working with manufacturers, distributors and operators, but this partnership with Instacart has made the food manufacturers the biggest beneficiary among the customers it serves.
You can read about the partnership here: Instacart, Cut+Dry partner to boost ad reach for food manufacturers
Why does this matter to me? Well, there are a number of reasons what it most certainly does, but I think one of the most fun is that I can now say with clean conscious that Cut+Dry is officially now one of two portfolio companies that I put in the category of Food-Manufacturing-Tech. That might not roll off the tongue as smoothly as ResTech, but I’m sure the Branded MARCOM team will come up with clever way to present this vertical of Branded’s business that in addition to Cut+Dry, also includes Starfish, the only traceability platform with a layer-zero approach and is transforming the way businesses manage and share product traceability data across supply chains.
Yes, I’m intentionally bringing Cut+Dry and Starfish into this Shoutout b/c I see amazing areas of collaboration between these two companies.
The THIRD and final Shoutout this week goes to our partners at Fishbowl, the Guest Relationship Management platform and comprehensive solution designed specifically for restaurants to manage and optimize guest relationships.
The Branded team started working with Fishbowl over 2 decades ago, but my own involvement with this company began about 2 years ago when my friend and Fishbowl’s CEO, Adam Ochstein, took the helm.
Under Adam’s leadership, the company launched Fishbowl GRM (Guest Relationship Management) which was built on decades of industry experience and designed with a great deal of intentionality to be the only all-in-one platform for restaurants (and you know how important I believe bundled and integrated solutions are for operators).
I write about Fishbowl quite a bit (guilty as charged) but that’s b/c this group shares a most important quality with Branded, we both view ourselves as allies to operators and we know we can’t win if the operators don’t.
Fishbowl went about its own transformation by speaking with its customers as well as other operators, marketers, and industry executives. These conversations lead to a clear and undeniable finding, restaurant operators don’t need more marketing tools, they need a system that works for them.
The Branded team is proud to be on this journey with Fishbowl and celebrate the current evolution of Fishbowl GRM.
This system now offers:
- 𝗪𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀: Live insights into loyalty growth, campaign ROI, and guest trends - all at a glance.
- 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲: Collect feedback that flows directly into GRM, connect with reviewers via SMS and issue offers.
- 𝗪𝗶𝗙𝗶 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Turn guest WiFi into a revenue driver, rewarding loyalty members for logging in.
- 𝗦𝗠𝗦 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆𝘀: Automate guest engagement with behavior-driven SMS campaigns and real-time feedback loops.
- 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀: Granular access control for teams, plus logging for compliance peace of mind.
- 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀: Enhanced view into the guests that frequent your restaurant. View the data that matters and make decisions based on the data processed in GRM.
Branded isn’t just talking about the importance of best-in-suite technology platforms, we’re betting on it with our partners at Fishbowl.
We believe the days of disjointed tools doesn’t represent best-practices. From guest acquisition to engagement, from CRM to CDP, from loyalty to offers, e-mail to push to SMS, Fishbowl GRM is the only fully integrated growth platform built for restaurants.
Mic drop!
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.
This week I want bring some attention to our partners at LDV Hospitality (the stealth-tech-ninja comment above in the Top of the Fold is absolutely true, but it was also a precursor to my wanting to write about the LDV Hospitality crew here in the Access Hospitality section.
It’s been both very interesting and a good time getting to know and now to support the good people at LDV. Whether it's their signature brand Scarpetta, its classic steakhouse, American Cut or their newest concept Barlume, this a group that has passion for their work. Their commitment to hospitality and to creating both restaurant and bar experiences are genuine and authentic.
LDV stands for La Dolce Vita, “the good life” and you can feel the elevated dining experiences at every one of their restaurants.
Branded is thrilled to supporting the growth of LDV Hospitality and that includes the continuation of its international expansion, but most importantly. to Branded, the doubling down of its presence in and around New York.
Partnering with passionate operators and ones that specifically value how technology can be a real differentiator is what makes our work at Branded so exciting.
To learn more about what Branded is doing with LDV Hospitality, please contact me directly. Of course it's business, but it's also personal! 😊
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Featured Episode: Bold Ideas, Breakout Brands, and Big Apple Moves Inside FB Society
Jack Gibbons is turning hospitality into an art form. As CEO of FB Society, he is redefining the guest experience with innovative concepts like Velvet Taco and Sixty Vines—and now, expanding to New York City with Shaver Hall in the iconic Lord & Taylor building.
In this episode, Jack shares:
- How FB Society builds brands that guests love and remember
- The secret to creating lasting guest loyalty beyond transactions
- Why off-premise dining and quality packaging are the future
- The Velvet Taco formula—bold international flavors inside a taco
- Hot takes on ghost kitchens, QR codes, craft cocktails, and more in our signature games like Hot or Not and Food Service Feud
Don't miss this insightful conversation on intentionality, differentiation, and experiential dining—the keys to keeping guests engaged and coming back for more.
Listen now and stay ahead of the game! 🎧
Tune into the episode and subscribe to our channel here: Hospitality Hangout With Jack Gibbons
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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MARKETING
BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS: P3 Mastermind Restaurant Marketing Summit 2025
By: Rev Ciancio, Head of Revenue Marketing at Branded Hospitality Ventures
The P3 Mastermind Restaurant Marketing Summit just concluded in Salt Lake City, UT and I am beside myself with gratitude. This event, in its 2nd year, was created by Chip Klose, MBA, an incredible restaurant coach. He and I co-hosted it along with a number of incredible thought leaders.
Technology
Helping People Help You: Harness the Power of Simple Referral Programs
By: Seth Temko, Solutions Services Partner at Branded Hospitality Ventures
Discover how to turbocharge your business growth with a streamlined, effective referral program that bridges the gap between minimal effort and professional networking tools.
Food For Thought
Restaurant Lighting
By: Dr. Melissa Hughes, keynote speaker & author
When it comes to dining out, food and service aren’t the only factors shaping a restaurant’s success. Lighting plays a crucial, yet often underestimated, role in influencing how diners perceive their experience. From setting the mood to impacting food choices and even the amount of time spent at a table, lighting is a powerful tool that can directly affect customer satisfaction and your bottom line.
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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