Restaurant Technology Trends and Collaboration with Maia Tekle

00:05 – Audrey Hogan:
Maya, thank you for taking some time to talk to me.

00:07 – Maia Tekle:
Of course!

00:08 – Audrey Hogan:
So we just met at the show.

00:10 – Maia Tekle:
Yeah.

00:10 – Audrey Hogan:
I know nothing about your background. Will you intro yourself a bit?

00:15 – Maia Tekle:
Sure. Born and raised in Massachusetts, but I haven’t lived there in over 20 years. I moved to Chicago — shout out! — which is where Science on Call and the founders are based. I started in advertising and marketing for about 13 years, then joined Caviar, which brought me into restaurant tech. After Caviar was acquired by DoorDash, I really fell in love with working with restaurants. Later, I met Andy and his co-founders, and because of my experience in third-party delivery, I knew how much universal help desks are needed. The right opportunity came up, I joined Science on Call, and it’s truly been a dream ever since. Best job I’ve ever had!

01:12 – Maia Tekle:
I’ve been working for quite a while. They have a great culture, and I love these conferences. I’m an extrovert’s extrovert, so I love getting to know people, learning about new trends, and seeing how the industry is evolving. This conference is really special — it’s grown a lot.

01:34 – Audrey Hogan:
So you fell in love with working in the restaurant industry. What about it surprised you?

01:43 – Maia Tekle:
I think hospitality runs through people’s veins. It’s just how people show up, collaborate, and work with partners. There’s a kindness and generosity here you don’t always find elsewhere. I don’t think I’ll ever not work with food and restaurants in some way.

02:11 – Audrey Hogan:
That’s fair. For me, it’s the idea that when we gather, love comes through food. We start with that in our families, and at great establishments you feel that too.

02:30 – Maia Tekle:
Exactly. It’s a great foundation to build a business on.

02:40 – Audrey Hogan:
What are you hoping to get out of the show?

02:42 – Maia Tekle:
Honestly, just letting people know we exist. Many of our customers are here and they help evangelize how we work with them, so it’s easy for us to just show up, be ourselves, and answer questions. We cover the whole tech stack — growth, security, POS, onboarding — so just being here helps us connect. Also, there’s a lot of AI talk, and seeing how people apply it is fascinating to me personally.

03:40 – Audrey Hogan:
Where do you think the industry is going tech-wise?

03:49 – Maia Tekle:
A big trend is simplifying tech stacks — streamlining operations to gain efficiencies and offloading tasks from internal teams that can be automated. More vendors now offer these capabilities to free up restaurant teams so they can focus on food and hospitality. I see more of that: simplifying and consolidating tech stacks.

04:20 – Audrey Hogan:
Love on the customers.

04:22 – Maia Tekle:
Exactly!

04:34 – Audrey Hogan:
This industry always figures out what works and what doesn’t.

04:43 – Maia Tekle:
Yes, and it’s easier than ever to pilot new technology. Most groups have pilot restaurants to test things. That’s more common now than a decade ago. People are less afraid to adopt new tech that works for them.

05:13 – Audrey Hogan:
And the lines between vendor and customer keep blurring — lots of owners and CIOs are also on the vendor side.

05:31 – Maia Tekle:
Absolutely.

05:33 – Audrey Hogan:
If you were a restaurant here at FSTec, what would you want them to take away?

05:41 – Maia Tekle:
I’d want them to lean into their intellectual curiosity. There are smart people here — pick their brains! Ask what they’re seeing, what’s worked, what hasn’t. There’s so much to learn from each other’s missteps and wins. If I were an operator, I’d ask tough questions.

06:40 – Audrey Hogan:
One of the conference mottos is “Better Together.”

06:46 – Maia Tekle:
Yes!

06:47 – Audrey Hogan:
I see more brands sharing ideas and collaborating.

06:53 – Maia Tekle:
Totally. Even if menus are similar, the approach can be completely different. The industry can evolve together.

07:06 – Audrey Hogan:
What’s your main takeaway from the show?

07:11 – Maia Tekle:
AI is everywhere in these conversations, and people are more open to collaboration — both brands and vendors. AI and collaboration feel like the big themes right now.

07:29 – Audrey Hogan:
I heard someone say, “Innovate or die.”

07:34 – Maia Tekle:
No need to be that dramatic! Collaborate, love, and learn. Try new things. If one pilot fails, your brand should be strong enough to handle it.

08:19 – Audrey Hogan:
Any final thoughts?

08:20 – Maia Tekle:
Have fun — we’re in a fun industry! Be kind. We give our knowledge and ourselves, and it comes back in spades in this industry. Give a little, get a lot back. Keep that vibe going.