The meez Podcast
Josh Sharkey (Entrepreneur, professional chef, and founder/CEO of meez, the culinaryOS for food professionals) interviews world class entrepreneurs in the food space that are shifting the paradigm of how we innovate and operate in our industry.
The meez Podcast
The Somification of Everything: Why soft skills are the future of AI-Driven hospitality
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#119.
Josh sits down with regulars Matthew and Michael Jacober, along with special guest Eli Feldman, a Boston-based restaurateur and AI advocate. The group dives into a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the prestige of 17th-generation winemaking and quickly shifts into the high-stakes world of modern hospitality. They explore the Noma pop-up in LA, debating whether a $1,500-a-head experience funded by American Express is a genuine culinary event or a "state of mind" marketed for brand clout.
Eli shares a fascinating deep dive into his "Bite" and "Fails" philosophies, detailing how he used AI to analyze kitchen line movements and KDS data to slash ticket times by 75%. The conversation takes a serious turn as the group shares legal war stories involving real estate disputes, blood on the walls, and the emotional complexities of employee-employer breakups. They close with a sobering look at the "Barbell Economy"—the disappearance of mid-tier restaurants in favor of private equity-backed groups and the impending wave of white-collar workers entering the hospitality industry out of necessity.
Links and resources 📌
Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com
Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez
Follow Josh on instagram: @joshlsharkey
Visit Blanket: https://www.blanket.app/
Visit The Tippling House: https://thetipplinghousechs.com/
Follow Michael: @michaeljacober
Follow Matthew: @conbeazie
Follow Eli's Substack: https://shybird.substack.com/
Timestamps
01:56 The history of Domain Jean-Louis Chave and 17th-generation winemaking
03:23 Introducing Eli Feldman: Restaurant operator and AI strategist
06:54 The $1,500 Noma pop-up and the role of Amex in exclusivity
10:35 Is Noma a place or a concept that can travel?
22:43 The "Somification" of everything: Why contextual knowledge is the ultimate commodity
25:41 Using Meta glasses for hands-free recipe development in the kitchen
27:58 How Eli used Claude to reduce ticket times by 75% in Fenway
31:19 The $200-a-month digital leadership team for restaurants
33:47 Real Estate War Stories: MJ’s nightmare with blood on the walls
39:37 Josh’s lawsuit over tenant improvement allowances
41:38 Matt’s legal battles over parking spots and partnership breakups
59:02 The "Barbell Economy" and the homogenization of the restaurant industry
01:03:00 Youth unemployment and the coming wave of tech workers entering hospitality