Digital Hospitality
Latest Episodes
Rising Tides Live: Holiday Hospitality
In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef, the community reflected on the wins, lessons, and momentum that defined 2025 while looking ahead to what comes next. Operators, creators, technologists, and founders shared stories about growt
The Future of Allergy-Safe Dining: Anthony Wood on Technology, Trust, and Restaurants
In this episode of Digital Hospitality, Shawn Walchef sits down with Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Alervio, to explore how personal health challenges inspired a new approach to allergen transparency in restaurants. Wood shares how sudden food allergies
Pitch The Tide – Ward Olgreen: Red Onion ai
In this episode of Pitch The Tide, Ward Olgreen, Chief Operating Officer at Red Onion ai, shares how decades of restaurant operations experience led him to reimagine how brands understand their data. From years spent running multi-unit restaurants to buil
Solving the Tip Out Tangle: CRS Hospitality’s Kickfin Story
CRS Hospitality is a group of 15 independent restaurant concepts across Champaign and Urbana, led by COO Kevin Hildebrand and grounded in a people first operating philosophy. Rather than forcing uniformity, CRS connects teams through shared systems that r
Watch This Before You Name Your Restaurant
Naming a restaurant feels personal, but it is one of the most strategic decisions an operator will ever make. In this episode, Shawn Walchef walks through the five names behind what is now Cali Barbecue, sharing the lessons learned from each iteration. Fr
Rising Tides Live – The Power Of Storytelling With Dean LaBay
In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Dean LaBay, the community focused on the power of storytelling as a tool for connection, growth, and trust. Participants shared how showing up honestly, learning in public, and telling imperfect stories can
Your Guests Are The Stars! Scale Social’s Shortcut to Viral Local Ads
Runbin Dong built Scale Social from a simple belief shaped in his familys restaurant: hospitality starts with people, not platforms. After growing up working every job in the house, Runbin saw firsthand how trust, familiarity, and human connection
Pitch The Tide – Ben Roscillo: Factura.ai
In this episode of Pitch The Tide, Ben Roscillo, Director of Business Solutions at Factura.ai, shares how his background as a restaurant operator led him to tackle one of hospitalitys biggest headaches: accounts payable. From years of managing invoices b
Persistence in Business: Our Media Company Took 5 Years To Make Profits! Why Didn’t We Quit?
Shawn Walchef spent five years building a media company that made zero dollars while running a restaurant business at the same time. Quitting would have been reasonable. He did not. This story breaks down why consistency, repetition, and belief mattered m
Rising Tides Live: 2025 Successes And Challenges + Goals For 2026
In this session of Rising Tides Live, hosted by Shawn Walchef and Troy Hooper, the community looked back at the wins, lessons, and momentum that shaped 2025 while setting intentions for the year ahead. Operators, creators, technologists, and founders refl





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