How AI and ML Are Changing Restaurant Management: Insights from Branden Mcrill

How AI and ML Are Changing Restaurant Management: Insights from Branden Mcrill ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( September 19, 2024 How AI and ML Are Changing Restaurant Management: Insights from Branden McRill Get ready for an exclusive insight with Branden McRill, Co-founder and CEO of 5-Out! He’ll take us through his 26-year journey in the restaurant industry and how it led to the creation of 5-Out, a revolutionary AI-driven solution that automates labor, prep, and purchasing to maximize efficiency and profitability. We’ll uncover the key challenges restaurants face today, the importance of optimizing labor and costs, and how to strike the right balance between guest experience and business performance. Plus, Branden shares his expert take on the future of AI in hospitality, along with lessons from his remarkable career.  Welcome to the 'WISKING IT ALL' Podcast – the series where we engage with hospitality professionals and trailblazers who've wagered it all in their pursuits. Join us in exploring their journeys, understanding their motivations, and uncovering the secrets behind their success. Every week, we'll deliver two impactful ideas and one essential insight from our podcast episode, offering perspectives that could fundamentally transform your hospitality business. If you find value in our show, please consider subscribing and leaving a rating on [Spotify](. Your support is vital in helping us grow. Curious about the challenges and lessons I learned while building WISK? Sign up [here]( and join me as I reveal exclusive insights and effective strategies from our successful journey. Your Host, Angelo Esposito THIS WEEK’S EPISODE Meet [Branden McRill.]( Branden McRill is the Co-founder and CEO of 5-Out, a company leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to optimize restaurant operations. With over 26 years of experience in the hospitality industry, McRill has been at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge technology into restaurant management to drive profitability and efficiency. His work with 5-Out focuses on predicting restaurant performance by analyzing a wide range of data, including weather patterns and customer behavior, to optimize staffing, inventory, and sales forecasting. Before 5-Out, McRill was involved in founding successful restaurants such as The Post PHL, Walnut Street Cafe, Rebelle, and Pearl & Ash. He has also worked with top chefs like Jean-Georges and Marcus Samuelsson. Today, his efforts with 5-Out are helping restaurants reduce waste, improve labor management, and increase net margins through advanced analytics. In this episode, Branden McRill shares groundbreaking insights into navigating the universal challenges of the restaurant industry. Discover how Branden harnessed the power of AI and machine learning to revolutionize labor, prep, and purchasing throughout his two-decade journey in hospitality — from parking cars to leading Michelin-starred kitchens 5 Keys You'll Learn: - Maximizing Profitability: Learn why achieving profitability in the restaurant industry is a monumental challenge and the meticulous methods to overcome it. - Labor and Purchasing Optimization: Discover how smart labor and purchasing practices are not just optional but essential for a thriving business. - Tech Transformation: Hear about Branden’s journey from using Excel sheets to implementing advanced AI and ML algorithms for automating restaurant operations. - Balancing Experiences: Understand the necessity of balancing guest satisfaction with the economic demands of running a successful restaurant. - Implementation Ease: Get insights into why ease of use and minimal manual data input make a huge difference in restaurant management.  [Watch the full episode]( 2 IDEAS FROM THE PODCAST Idea #1  Optimization in Restaurant Operations through Automation Branden emphasizes the importance of using automation and machine learning to optimize restaurant operations. By focusing on labor and purchasing efficiency, restaurants can improve profitability and reduce waste. 5-Out’s AI-driven solutions aim to streamline these processes for restaurant owners, allowing them to focus on delivering better guest experiences without getting bogged down in manual data entry. Key Action Items: - Automate Labor Management: Implement tools that can optimize your scheduling based on historical data to ensure the right amount of staff at the right time. - Optimize Purchasing: Use AI-based forecasts to automate purchasing, ensuring the right quantities are ordered, reducing overstock and wastage. - Integrate with POS Systems: Link your point-of-sale system to pull data automatically and remove manual data entry. - Leverage Machine Learning: Focus on data-driven insights to continuously refine labor, prep, and purchasing processes, improving accuracy over time. - Focus on Core Metrics: Track labor costs and cost of goods sold (COGS) in real-time to adjust quickly when inefficiencies are identified. Idea #2 Simplifying Restaurant Tech Stacks for Better Efficiency Branden highlights the need for restaurant operators to simplify their technology stack by using systems that integrate multiple functions. 5-Out aims to provide solutions that reduce the need for multiple systems, streamlining operations and reducing costs for restaurant operators, especially in labor and purchasing management. Key Action Items: - Consolidate Tech Solutions: Assess your tech stack and identify opportunities to consolidate systems (e.g., scheduling, purchasing, inventory management) to reduce complexity and costs. - Focus on Automation: Choose tools that automate as much of the operational process as possible, reducing reliance on human data input. - Utilize One-Click Integrations: Opt for systems that offer easy, one-click integrations with POS and other essential platforms to avoid lengthy setups. - Evaluate the ROI: When considering new technology, focus on how it improves labor efficiency and cost control, rather than just revenue growth. - Train the Team: Ensure that staff is trained on how to use integrated systems effectively, with a focus on the value of automation in simplifying daily tasks. [Listen on Spotify]( [Listen on Apple Podcast]( 1 KEY LEARNING ❝ Automation helps people get closer and closer and closer to a finite point of optimization. It's never perfect, but it's more accurate than natural human decision-making. [❞]( This quote underscores the value of automation in restaurant operations, particularly in fine-tuning processes like labor scheduling, prep, and purchasing. While human decision-making often involves guesswork and is prone to errors, automation enables more precise predictions based on data. The acknowledgment that it's "never perfect" highlights the real-world challenges that come with variables like fluctuating demand, staff availability, and unexpected events. However, Branden emphasizes that even with these imperfections, automation delivers greater accuracy and efficiency compared to relying solely on human intuition. It’s a reflection on the role of technology as a tool to enhance—rather than replace—human expertise, leading to better overall performance and decision-making in restaurant management. [Listen & Subscribe]( P.S. Love our podcast? 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