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\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
The restaurant business has spent years searching for its next competitive advantage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ben Leventhal<\/a> believes the biggest opportunity isn\u2019t technology alone. It\u2019s building brands people genuinely want to be part of.<\/p>\n As founder and CEO of Blackbird<\/a>, Leventhal is helping restaurants strengthen loyalty and customer relationships. Before launching Blackbird<\/a>, he co-founded Eater and Resy, two companies that changed how people discover restaurants and book reservations. Blackbird is a membership and payment platform designed for restaurants and diners. <\/p>\n After helping shape the industry from multiple angles, Leventhal believes restaurants are entering a new chapter.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is going to be seen as a golden age for restaurants, where they take control of profitability in a way we haven\u2019t seen in a long time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That optimism starts with consumers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe great news and the tailwind on all this is we see the consumer appetite for restaurants is at all-time highs,\u201d Leventhal says. \u201cThe enthusiasm, online, in person, is through the roof and restaurateurs are starting to figure out how to harness that into real profitability.\u201d<\/p>\n For Leventhal, the restaurants finding the most success are no longer competing on food alone.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at how really savvy operators are operating today, they\u2019re leading with brand,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re selling things other than food on a plate. They\u2019re telling stories in new ways, and consumers are responding.\u201d<\/p>\n While Blackbird is focused on helping restaurants build stronger loyalty and customer relationships, Leventhal believes the technology itself isn\u2019t the differentiator. Instead, operators should focus on creating brands that people remember and experiences that keep guests coming back. As new tools continue to reshape hospitality, he believes they should make restaurants better, not more complicated.<\/p>\n \u201cRestaurateurs don\u2019t have to understand blockchain,\u201d Leventhal says. \u201cThey just have to have at their disposal tools that make their business better.\u201d<\/p>\n Every founder has a story about getting it wrong. For Leventhal, one of the biggest lessons came during the first year of Resy.<\/p>\n The reservation platform launched with a simple pitch: restaurants could make more money by selling their most in-demand tables. Operators had a different idea.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first year of Resy we got it wrong,\u201d Leventhal says. \u201cWe kept saying to restaurants, \u2018You\u2019re going to make more money if you just sell your tables.\u2019 And they kept saying to us, \u2018We don\u2019t want to sell our tables.’\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of forcing the issue, Leventhal listened. That experience reshaped Resy and continues to influence how he approaches Blackbird today. Whether he\u2019s building restaurant technology or launching a new company, he believes founders have to stay willing to adapt.<\/p>\n \u201cYou make mistakes all the time,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not making mistakes, you\u2019re probably not in the end going to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n That same philosophy shapes how Leventhal thinks about restaurant storytelling. New platforms, AI tools and emerging technology will continue to change how restaurants reach customers, but he believes the fundamentals remain the same.<\/p>\n \u201cThe future of food media is always about storytelling,\u201d Leventhal said. \u201cI\u2019ve always believed if you tell good stories, you\u2019re going to be successful when it comes to content.\u201d<\/p>\n For Leventhal, that\u2019s the thread connecting every chapter of his career. From Eater to Resy and now Blackbird, the goal has never been technology for technology\u2019s sake. It\u2019s helping restaurants build stronger relationships with the people they serve. Businesses that listen to their customers, tell authentic stories and continue to adapt are the ones that earn lasting loyalty.<\/p>\n Restaurant Influencers<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience. Toast \u2014 Powering Successful Restaurants. Learn more about\u00a0Toast<\/a>.<\/p>\n Restaurant Influencers is proud to have PepsiCo as a sponsor of this episode. Partnering with PepsiCo Foodservice helps restaurant operators drive sustainable growth through smarter digital experiences, AI-backed menu optimization, and tools designed to create more profitable online orders. Check out PepsiCo Foodservice<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWe fall to get back up\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
About\u00a0Restaurant Influencers<\/em><\/h2>\n