From Dubai Hotels to Food Delivery Tech: 20 Years in Hospitality | Saad Tassoufra, SkipTheDishes

Описание: What does 20 years in hospitality teach you about technology, partnerships, and the future of restaurants? Saad Tassoufra shares his journey from Dubai's hotel kitchens in 2005 to managing strategic restaurant partnerships at SkipTheDishes across Canada. This conversation covers the massive shift from manual credit card imprints to AI-powered delivery platforms, the art of guest recovery, and why human connection will never be replaced in hospitality—even as technology accelerates everything around us.

🔔 Subscribe for conversations with hospitality leaders navigating the intersection of tradition and technology.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Introduction: Who is Saad Tassoufra?
00:41 – 20 years in hospitality: Dubai to Canada
01:49 – Early hospitality experiences: manual credit card imprints and building operations from scratch
04:45 – Current role at SkipTheDishes: managing strategic restaurant partnerships
06:13 – SkipTheDishes' footprint: serving 450+ cities across Canada
07:45 – Growth journey: how COVID accelerated delivery expansion
09:15 – Biggest client challenges: market saturation, pricing pressure, and ROI expectations
11:14 – Why social media presence matters for restaurants in 2025
14:26 – The guest recovery playbook: turning bad reviews into loyal customers
15:01 – Speed and ownership: responding to complaints the right way
18:29 – Common mistakes in handling reviews (and how to avoid them)
19:54 – How AI is transforming hospitality operations
21:45 – How Saad uses AI in his day-to-day workflow
23:01 – How SkipTheDishes integrates AI across the platform
24:27 – Where AI has the biggest opportunity to grow in food delivery
25:29 – The fear of AI taking jobs: Saad's perspective from hospitality
27:18 – Why restaurants are "safer" from AI disruption than other industries
28:31 – The next 3 years: exponential transformation ahead
29:54 – Restaurant trends for the next 5 years: tech, labor, sustainability, hybrid models
34:13 – Building menus for nutrition and bioavailability (not just flavor)
35:33 – How to separate yourself from competition: reliability as the bridge of trust
37:08 – The playbook for re-engaging slipping partnerships
38:24 – What restaurant operators need to understand about growth in 2026
40:01 – How to connect with Saad for hospitality consulting and support