Fries & Grind

Fries & Grind is a podcast featuring owners from 3 of the fastest-growing restaurant technology companies in the US, including Zack Oates, CEO of Ovation, Abhinav Kapur, CEO of Bikky, Jason Abelkop Co-CEO of Plein Air, and Paul McEnany, Co-CEO of Plein Air. Each episode features leaders from across the restaurant industry joining the group to discuss key industry issues and news, the challenges of growth, and what it takes to thrive in one of the most competitive industries in the world.

Last refreshed: March 16th, 2026 at 4:20 AM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Scaling Weird

Ahsan Jiva, EVP Strategy & Transformation at Mellow Mushroom joins the crew.

Mar 01, 2026•44 min

Predictions

VP, Editorial Director of QSR and FSR Magazines Danny Klein joins the show.

Jan 23, 2026•36 min

How to Win Everywhere

How do you go from nearly no digital presence to more than 40% of sales in just a few years? Tracy Kim, CEO of Dig Inn, joins the crew to discuss.

Jan 13, 2026•49 min

Engineering Value

The great Jessica Serrano joins the gang to talk value, nostalgia, insight, and menu innovation.

Dec 30, 2025•45 min

3PD to 1P

Can you drive your 3PD guests to 1P? It's complicated.

Dec 17, 2025•38 min

The Transformation of Full Service

The gang is back. This time with Scott Lawton, Chairman of bartaco.

Nov 19, 2025•37 min

Episode 12 - The Article

The gang takes on the restaurant-nerd-famous NYT article from Peter Wells. Have we ruined the restaurant experience? You're about to find out.

Aug 19, 2024•44 min

Episode 11 - Is this the future of restaurants?

Wonder? City Storage Systems? Is this the future of restaurants? The gang discusses.

Jun 13, 2024•50 min

Episode 10 - Value

This week, the gang talks value. Do we need all the fancy stuff?

May 23, 2024•41 min

Episode 9 - Noah Glass

Noah Glass, Founder and CEO of Olo, joins the gang to talk about the organization he built over the past nearly 20 years, and they again dip into the build vs. buy debate.

Apr 17, 2024•55 min

Episode 8 - Niko Papademetriou

This week, Niko Papademetriou, Co-Founder of Qu, joins the gang to talk through their buzzy moves over the last few months. They became the first POS provider to bring Olo pay into the restaurant, announced an investment from Danny Meyer's Enlightened Hospitality, and were selected as POS across all GoTo Foods brands. Enjoy!

Apr 02, 2024•52 min

Episode 7 - Dynamic Pricing

This week, the gang gets together to debate dynamic pricing. Can it work? Listen now to find out.

Mar 21, 2024•38 min

Episode 6 - Build or Buy

This week, the gang gets together to debate Wingstop's shift to homegrown tech, and the broader implications for the restaurant community.

Feb 28, 2024•50 min

Episode 5 - Gregg Majewski

Gregg Majewski, the founder and CEO of Craveworthy Brands, joins the gang to talk about the unique organization he's created. They've now built a portfolio of brands like Ghengis Grill, Wing It On!, BD's, Krafted, and Dirty Dough, among many others. In a previous life, Gregg was the CEO of Jimmy John's and helped them scale from 30 to more than 300 locations before the sale to Inspire. Enjoy!

Feb 08, 2024•52 min

Hosted on Libsyn

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android