Bite Blog

Blog

  • ClearCOGS—Bite CEO Brandon Barton on The Next Era of Guest Experience

    ClearCOGS—Bite CEO Brandon Barton on The Next Era of Guest Experience

    In this episode of the Restaurant AI Podcast, Matt Wampler, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearCOGS, sits down with Brandon Barton, CEO of Bite, to explore how kiosk ordering, AI, and deep restaurant experience are shaping the future of guest interactions.

    Brandon shares his 25-year journey from bussing tables in Brooklyn to running the dining room at a Danny Meyer restaurant, making the leap to restaurant tech at Averro, and eventually leading Bite—a software company bringing “e-commerce on a touchscreen” into restaurants nationwide. He explains why Bite focuses on software over hardware, how kiosk ordering can be as (or more) hospitable than face-to-face, and why technology should be an additive part of the guest experience, not a replacement for it. They dive into how AI-driven recommendations can adapt in real time to weather, regional trends, and guest behavior, the concept of “unified guest identification,” and why hospitality at scale often comes down to simple gestures—like giving away fries when you don’t have to. Brandon also shares his perspective on the fractured state of restaurant technology, why costs dropping will lead to more niche players (not fewer), and the importance of working with tech leaders who have restaurant roots.

    From hands-on stories about catching escaped roosters to forward-looking ideas about AI agents and data co-ops, this conversation blends humor, operational wisdom, and a candid look at the next wave of restaurant technology.

    Topic Time Stamps

    00:00 Intro
    02:25 Welcome Brandon Barton
    03:03 Understanding the business of kiosks in restaurants
    7:00 Why kiosks work for an ordering experience
    10:55 Point of sale in 2025
    14:46 Technology renaissance in the restaurant industry
    19:13 Brandon’s background in technology
    23:13 Remaining a restaurant person despite a pivot to technology
    27:16 Brandon’s calling is to help restaurants embrace technology
    29:50 The future of ordering and the guest experience
    37:26 The psychology of kiosk ordering
    40:05 Using AI to help you order
    41:13 The future of the restaurant technology industry
    44:34 Restaurant brands building technology
    47:15 Ex-restaurant people make better technology
    49:07 Relationship between technology and restaurants
    52:33 What Bite is doing with AI today
    55:40 Learning about how people order
    57:25 The best conversations about kiosks
    58:40 Advice for choosing technology
    1:01:08 Best curated customer experience
    1:01:30 Favorite wine
    1:01:33 Favorite LLM
    1:02:06 Advice for restaurant technology companies
    1:02:27 The future for Bite
    1:02:44 Outro

  • The Simmer Podcast—The Simmer’s Summer Wrap-Up

    The Simmer Podcast—The Simmer’s Summer Wrap-Up

    It’s a Kristen-and-Brandon summer special! The Simmer checks in on what Brandon dubs “reservation wars 3.0” as the biggest restaurant tech companies in the space — reservations and beyond — choose sides. In this episode we talk DoorDash, SevenRooms, Uber, OpenTable, Toast, Resy, Tock and more. The Simmer will return after Labor Day with more industry guests and insight. 

    Topic Time Stamp:

    2:19: “The most interesting subject in the space of restaurant technology right now is the alignment of enemies.” 

    7:25: What do all of these tech companies *actually* want? 

    17:00: Will big tech alignment strategies fill seats at restaurants? 

    20:34: DoorDash + McDonald’s is an example of how the biggest restaurant tech companies are thinking about their future outside of reservations.

    24:25: Given all of this evolution, what’s best for restaurant guests?

    29:40: (Wait, are reservations companies still cutting restaurants checks?)

    38:12: Brandon makes his prediction: “The dark horse here is the deep pockets of SevenRooms and DoorDash.”

  • The Simmer Podcast—Cindy Klein Roche, Chief Growth Officer, ezCater

    The Simmer Podcast—Cindy Klein Roche, Chief Growth Officer, ezCater

    Restaurant catering — and the tech that powers it — is hot, hot, hot. At nearly 20 years old, ezCater is poised to take advantage of the renewed interest from office workers and the restaurants that serve them. In this episode, we talk about the evolution of catering, the tech that supports it, and why a little reassurance and hand-holding goes a long way with corporate clients. 

  • The Simmer Podcast—Rob Edell, GM & Head of DashPass, DoorDash

    The Simmer Podcast—Rob Edell, GM & Head of DashPass, DoorDash

    Before Rob Edell was DoorDash’s head of DashPass, he was a restaurant tech founder building a business he eventually sold to Resy. Rob joined DoorDash years before it became the market leader it is today, and after almost a decade of the company, he’s had a front row seat to the evolving restaurant business. In this episode, we talk about DoorDash’s growth and evolution, how DashPass encourages loyalty, and what’s coming next. 

  • The Simmer Podcast—Ilir Sela, Founder & CEO, Slice

    The Simmer Podcast—Ilir Sela, Founder & CEO, Slice

    Ilir Sela has been helping local pizzerias with purpose-built tech for over a decade. Slice got its start as an online ordering platform for independent pizzerias and now offers much more: Point of sale, loyalty, delivery, and even supply chain support, printing custom pizza boxes and delivering them to customers. In this episode, we talk about first-party and third-party delivery, the newest crop of ovens, and (of course!) what makes really great pizza. 

  • Bite Partners with Attentive to Transform Restaurant Loyalty Programs Through Integrated Digital Kiosk and AI-Powered Marketing Solutions

    Bite Partners with Attentive to Transform Restaurant Loyalty Programs Through Integrated Digital Kiosk and AI-Powered Marketing Solutions

    Strategic integration empowers QSR and fast-casual restaurants to drive loyalty sign-ups, enhance the guest experience, and increase repeat visits through seamless kiosk-to-marketing automation. 

    New York, NY – 7/1/2025 — Bite, the leading digital kiosk solution for quick-service restaurants (QSR) and fast casual dining establishments, today announced a strategic partnership and integration with Attentive, an AI-powered SMS and email marketing platform. This collaboration creates a powerful ecosystem that enables restaurants to streamline loyalty program enrollment, enhance guest engagement, and drive meaningful customer retention through personalized marketing campaigns. 

    The integration seamlessly connects Bite’s intuitive kiosk technology with Attentive’s sophisticated marketing automation platform, allowing restaurants to capture customer data at the point of sale and immediately activate targeted, personalized communication strategies. Guests can easily sign up for loyalty programs, redeem rewards, and receive tailored offers directly through the kiosk experience, while restaurants gain unprecedented insights into customer behavior and preferences. 

    Key benefits of the Bite-Attentive integration include: 

    ● Accelerated SMS Marketing Growth: Capture new subscribers organically during the ordering process, expanding marketing reach and engagement opportunities. 

    ● Instant Reward Redemption: Seamless access to loyalty rewards and personalized offers at the point of purchase. 

    ● AI-Powered Personalization: Automated, data-driven marketing campaigns that deliver relevant messages based on customer ordering patterns and preferences. 

    ● Enhanced Customer Lifetime Value: Increased repeat visits through targeted engagement and reward optimization. 

    ● Operational Efficiency: Reduced staff workload while improving customer service and satisfaction. 

    “Integrating Bite’s kiosk technology with Attentive has been a game-changer for us,” said Casey Hilder, Director of Marketing at Starbird, an early adopter of the integrated solution. “It’s allowed us to build a stronger connection with our customers, delivering timely, personalized messages that enhance their experience and keep them engaged with the Starbird brand.” 

    The partnership addresses a critical challenge in the restaurant industry: converting one-time visitors into loyal, repeat customers. By combining Bite’s proven kiosk technology with Attentive’s AI-powered marketing capabilities, restaurants can create a comprehensive customer journey that begins at the first order and continues through ongoing engagement and retention efforts. 

    “This partnership represents a significant step forward in how restaurants can leverage technology to foster more meaningful relationships with their guests,” said Brandon Barton, CEO of Bite. “By integrating our kiosk technology with Attentive’s powerful marketing tools, we’re enabling restaurant brands not just to serve great food, but to create exceptional experiences that turn casual diners into brand evangelists. The result is a win-win: guests receive more personalized service and rewards, while restaurants see increased loyalty, higher lifetime value, and sustainable growth.” 

    The Bite-Attentive integration is now available to restaurant partners, offering a complete solution for modernizing customer engagement and driving long-term business success in the competitive foodservice industry. 

    ### 

    About Bite 

    Bite is the leading intelligent kiosk ordering software for fast casual, quick-serve restaurants and C-stores. Our patented Artificial Intelligence, Bite Lift, analyzes every transaction and makes real-time upsell recommendations that result in 20% higher check averages. Bite’s software is easy to customize the design, simple to manage, and quick to deploy; and since it’s integrated into the existing tech stack, brands can expect increased order accuracy, average check size, throughput, and customer satisfaction. To learn more, visit getbite.com. 

    About Attentive

    Attentive® is the AI-powered mobile marketing platform transforming the way brands personalize consumer engagement. Attentive enables marketers to craft tailored journeys for every subscriber, driving higher recurring revenue and maximizing campaign performance. Activating real-time data from multiple channels and advanced AI, the platform personalizes content, tone, and timing to help brands deliver 1:1 messages that truly resonate. 

    With a top-rated customer success team recognized on G2, Attentive partners with marketers to provide strategic guidance and optimize SMS and email campaigns. Trusted by leading restaurant brands like Blaze Pizza, Jason’s Deli, City Barbeque, and Luna Grill, Attentive ensures enterprise-grade compliance and deliverability, supporting trillions of interactions across more than 70 industries. To learn more or request a demo, visit www.attentive.com. 

  • Love’s Travel Stops Ads Smart Kiosks to Arby’s Locations.

    Love’s Travel Stops Ads Smart Kiosks to Arby’s Locations.

    Retailer plans to add Bite kiosks to QSR concepts this year. Read the full article below.

  • Bite Appoints Multi-Unit Restaurant Executives, Tracy Kim and Kevin Fish, to Board of Directors

    Bite Appoints Multi-Unit Restaurant Executives, Tracy Kim and Kevin Fish, to Board of Directors

    Bite, the intelligent kiosk ordering software for fast casual and quick-serve restaurants and C-stores, today announced the appointment of two new members to its board of directors: Tracy Kim, CEO of Dig, and Kevin Fish, SVP Digital, Wingstop.

  • The Simmer Podcast—Fred LeFranc, CEO, Results Thru Strategy

    The Simmer Podcast—Fred LeFranc, CEO, Results Thru Strategy

    In this pre-recorded summer special, Kristen and Brandon ask Fred to predict the future. Lucky for us, he’s good at it. In this episode, we talk about the current state of casual dining (tl;dr: Chili’s is killing it), all those restaurant bankruptcies, and the importance of making an emotional connection with diners. 

  • The Simmer Podcast—Kelly Esten, CMO, Toast

    The Simmer Podcast—Kelly Esten, CMO, Toast

    We’re deep in an (unintentional) point of sale system theme at The Simmer. This week, Toast’s chief marketer Kelly Esten joins us to talk enterprise restaurants, artificial intelligence, and maybe accidentally perpetuate a rumor that Brandon really wants to be true.