Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the restaurant industry, helping operators manage costs and streamline operations. However, as Greg Majewski, CEO of Craveworthy Brands, discussed in this repurposed episode of a Fireside Chat with Opus CEO Rachael Nemeth, restaurants must be careful not to lose sight of their customers and the hospitality that defines the industry. Here are three major takeaways from his conversation on AI and its role in restaurants.

Key Takeaways:

1. Restaurants’ Biggest Blind Spot - Gregg believes that many restaurants have turned a blind eye to the financial difficulties their customers are facing, leading to unchecked price increases that have now put them in a tough spot. Majewski points out that, unlike grocery stores that adjust pricing when costs fluctuate, restaurants rarely lower their prices once they’ve increased them. The result? Consumers are struggling, and now restaurants are looking for ways to cut costs in areas like AI-driven efficiencies rather than continuing to raise prices. This moment of reckoning forces the industry to reconsider how it balances profitability with consumer affordability.
2. AI Can’t Replace Hospitality - AI has proven to be a powerful tool in boosting efficiency, but Gregg warns against its overuse in guest-facing experiences, such as AI-powered drive-thrus. Majewski’s insight underscores the importance of maintaining a personal touch in restaurant service. While AI can optimize tasks, it should never replace the warmth and human interaction that make dining experiences special.
3. AI's Greatest Impact - For Majewski, AI’s greatest value lies in optimizing administrative and corporate tasks rather than replacing restaurant workers. Rather than using AI to replace frontline workers, Majewski sees its true potential in reducing general and administrative (G&A) expenses. AI-powered financial modeling, marketing automation, and workforce management tools can help restaurants cut costs without sacrificing service quality.

Episode Links:

• Visit the Opus online
• Connect with Opus on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to Opus on YouTube
• Follow Opus on Facebook
• Follow Opus on Instagram
• Follow Opus on X
• Connect with Rachael Nemeth on LinkedIn

ABOUT RACHAEL NEMETH:

Rachael Nemeth is the CEO and cofounder of Opus, a mobile learning platform that helps employers engage and train their "deskless" workforce. Her background combines decades of experience in the service industry, instructional design, and second language acquisition. Before Opus, she worked for Danny Meyer's, Union Square Hospitality Group, Baked, and Hot Bread Kitchen, an NGO that teaches baking skills to underrepresented women. Her first company, ESL Works, brought industry-relevant English training to New York City kitchens. Rachael is an alum of The New School and is from Kansas City (the Kansas side, if you're wondering).

ABOUT GREGG MAJEWSKI:

Gregg Majewski has a vast amount of experience as a corporate executive in the restaurant industry. As the former CEO of Jimmy John’s, he played a major role in expanding the franchise from 33 to 300+ stores in just 5 years by surrounding the company’s marketing strategy around the innovative approach of delivering sandwiches and being “freaky fast”. Majewski has worked to develop restaurant concepts over the last two plus decades, before starting Craveworthy Brands in 2023, which currently includes a growing portfolio of restaurant brands.

Connect with Craveworthy

• Follow Gregg Majewski on Instagram
• Follow Craveworthy Brands on Instagram
• Visit Craveworthy Online
• Connect with Gregg Majewski on LinkedIn
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