NOAH GLASS of Olo on Treating Every Day Like It’s ‘Day 1’ (Restaurant Influencers - RI023)

TL;DR

Olo CEO Noah Glass shares the story behind the founding of Olo and the importance of smartphone storytelling and digital hospitality in the restaurant industry.

Transcript

Welcome to Restaurant Influencers presented by Entreprenuer Media and Yelp. My name is Shawn Walchef, founder of Cali BBQ Media. Special thanks to Toast, our primary technology partner at Cali BBQ for helping us with our Digital Hospitality. If you have any questions of how they can help your restaurant, please feel free to reach out to me. Now we'... Read More

Key Insights

• 😀 Olo is a leading SaaS platform for enterprise restaurants, allowing consumers to order and pay from a brand's own website and app.
• 📱 Smartphone storytelling and digital hospitality are essential for the success of the restaurant industry, improving the guest experience and streamlining operations.
• 🐕‍🦺 Olo's focus on data collection and personalization enables restaurants to treat every guest like a regular and provide outstanding service.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the idea for Olo come about?

The idea for Olo came to me in 2003 when I was living in New York City and observed the inefficiencies of everyone arriving at a coffee shop at the same time. I wanted to create a way for consumers to order and pay ahead, improving the consumer experience and streamlining restaurant operations.

Q: What is the concept behind digital hospitality?

Digital hospitality is about collecting and utilizing the digital data from guest interactions to create a personalized and exceptional guest experience. Olo aims to treat every guest like a regular by using data to provide tailored recommendations and superior service.

Q: How does Olo enable restaurants to embrace digital ordering and improve their operations?

Olo's platform allows restaurants to offer digital ordering through their own websites and apps, providing a seamless and efficient ordering experience for guests. By streamlining these processes, restaurants can focus on delivering excellent hospitality and spend less time on manual tasks.

Q: What is the future of Olo and the restaurant industry?

Olo's future lies in continued innovation and growth. With a focus on digital hospitality and improving the guest experience, Olo aims to help restaurants thrive in an increasingly competitive market. By leveraging technology like voice ordering and AI, Olo can further enhance hospitality and convenience for guests.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Noah Glass founded Olo in 2004 after envisioning how smartphones could improve the consumer experience in the restaurant industry.

• Olo is a SaaS platform for enterprise restaurants that allows consumers to order and pay from a brand's own website and app for takeout, delivery, and now on-premise dining and drive-thru.

• Glass believes in the power of smartphone storytelling and how it can enhance the overall guest experience and improve restaurant operations.