Ovation

What does it take to scale a restaurant brand without losing its soul?

In this episode of Give an Ovation, Derrick Hayes shares how honoring his father's legacy became the foundation for Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, why employee experience drives guest experience, and how culture can become your greatest competitive advantage.

🎙️ Listen now for practical insights on leadership, team development, guest experience, and scaling a restaurant brand while maintaining operational consistency.

🚨 Heading to the 2026 Restaurant Marketing Workshop? 🚨

We'll be in Boston next week for two days of restaurant marketing insights, strategy, and guest experience conversations. 🙌

🎤 Don’t miss Ovation’s session:
How to Have a 5-Star Guest Feedback Program
📅 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
⏰ 4:30 p.m.

Julio Arevalo will lead a discussion on how restaurant brands can turn guest feedback into retention, revenue, and stronger guest relationships. From AI-powered responses to building a feedback program that actually drives loyalty, this session is packed with actionable takeaways restaurant marketers can put to work right away. ⭐

Joining him:
👤 Pedro Uchoa, Partner & CEO at TAP
👤 Marc Howland, Founder & CEO at Breadless

More session info here: https://bit.ly/3PPliDn

📍 And stop by our table to chat about all things guest experience, feedback, and retention.

See you in Boston! 👋

Chicago, that’s a wrap! 🎉

From MEG conversations to the Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers Gala and a packed week at NRA 2026, we loved connecting with so many operators passionate about the future of guest experiences.

We were honored to present the Ovation Award for Excellence in Guest Experience to Cheba Hut 🥪🏆 and excited to see 20+ Ovation customers recognized on this year’s Top 100 list. Huge congrats to all the brands continuing to raise the bar. 🙌

The gala also brought style. ✨ Congrats to Derrick Hayes of Dave’s Cheesesteaks and Brittany Mercer of Cowboy Chicken for taking home Best Dressed!

And of course, thanks to everyone who stopped by Booth #5534 to talk AI, guest feedback, ratings, retention, revenue growth... and food pillows! 🌮🍩🍔🍕

Huge thanks to , Cherryh Cansler, and the entire NRA community for an incredible week. See you next year, Chicago! 👋

Tacos, donuts, burgers, and a pizza walked into a booth... 🌮 🍩 🍔 🍕

We’re live at NRA 2026! Come visit us at 📍Booth #5534 in the North Building and say hello. 👋

Today award-winning restaurateur Mike Bausch of Andolini's Pizzeria is joining us for a special presentation starting at 1:00 PM local time. You won't want to miss it! 🙌

Good food fills seats. We fill them again. 🍕 Stop by the booth to see what we mean. 👀

The Ovation team is heading to the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago later this week, and we'd love to see you there! 👋

Find us at 📍 Booth #5534 in the North Building and see how leading restaurant brands are using AI to turn guest feedback into stronger ratings, higher guest retention, and measurable revenue growth.

Come meet the team:
Mike Rabinoff | Julio Arevalo | Aaron Jocano | Collin Tees | Jake Levine | Amanda Spradlin | Zack Oates

See you at McCormick Place! 🙌

🎉 RLC takeaway: alignment drives results.

The strongest brands are not separating marketing and operations. They are connecting them through guest feedback, reviews, and real-time insights to drive repeat visits and measurable results. 💡📈

That was the focus of Ovation CEO Zack Oates’ session alongside Kyle Archer (Cheba Hut), Frank Paci (Newk’s Eatery), and CJ Ramirez (Dog Haus). Huge thanks to the group for such a great conversation!

From the session stage to arcade games and a night at the ballpark, RLC delivered on every front! 🎮 ⚾ ✨

Appreciate everyone who stopped by Booth #101! Now it’s all about putting these insights into action. 🙌

🎮 Ready to level up?

Tech & Tokens is taking over Monday night at RLC with an on-site arcade happy hour!

🍕 Pizza
🍸 Drinks
🕹️ Arcade games
🤝 Great conversations

No travel needed. It’s all at the JW Marriott Phoenix hotel.

🗓 Monday, April 20 | 6–8pm MT
📍 Copper Alley

In partnership with Incept AI, Ovation, Toast, PreciTaste, Checkmate, and Bikky. ✨

Game on. See you there! 🎉