AEO is the new SEO: How AI is rewriting the digital playbook

About this episode

Carl Orsbourn and guest Bernadette Heier discuss the future of restaurant technology and AI's impact on the industry.

Send us Fan Mail Carl returns from a July break with Bernadette Heier of Food on Demand to unpack five stories that signal where restaurant tech is heading next. 01:00 – Olo acquired by Thoma Bravo • $2B all-cash deal • A chance to reset outside the public markets • Could this unlock faster innovation? 04:30 – OpenTable’s AI Concierge • Built with OpenAI and Perplexity • Answers 80% of diner questions • Visibility now depends on how up-to-date your listing is 09:00 – Golden Corral’s Fly...

People in this episode

Host: Carl Orsbourn

Guest: Bernadette Heier

Topics covered

• restaurant technology
• AI in dining
• business acquisitions
• digital innovation
• customer service automation

Keywords

• restaurant tech
• AI Concierge
• Olo acquisition
• diner questions
• digital playbook

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Olo, Thoma Bravo, OpenTable, OpenAI, Perplexity, Golden Corral

More episodes of The Digital Restaurant

• The State of Digital Report (2026) by QU Pos - Restaurants Are Done Experimenting. Now They Have to Execute · March 19, 2026 · 28 min
• Will Synthetic Data Drive 80% of all Restaurant Decisions? · November 24, 2025 · 29 min
• Great Buy or Great Sell? - Spyce heads to Wonder · November 10, 2025 · 26 min
• Chat GPT & The End of Marketplaces? · October 13, 2025 · 28 min
• Build vs Buy - The Question every Restaurant Exec must answer · September 29, 2025 · 30 min
• Is First Party Ordering Losing the Fight? · September 15, 2025 · 30 min