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Host Tal Clark, CEO of Instant Financial, welcomes Melissa Doolin-Koehne, founder of Elevate 4 and chair of the Texas Restaurant Foundation, to discuss her restaurant-industry background and current work advising brands on purpose-driven growth. Melissa recounts being raised in the industry and launching Elevate 4. She highlights the Texas Restaurant Foundation’s ProStart Invitational, drawing 1,000+ high school competitors and offering scholarships. They discuss a “tepid” 2026 outlook amid inflation, tariffs, oil prices, and consumer trade-downs, emphasizing brand promise, value via experience, simplified operations, and employee-focused innovation starting with designing a great shift.
00:00 Welcome to the Podcast
00:40 Meet Melissa Doolin-Koehne
01:43 Melissa’s Restaurant Journey
03:12 Inside Black Box Intelligence
05:06 Texas ProStart Spotlight
07:47 Restaurant Industry Outlook
10:45 Why Some Brands Win
12:47 Employee Experience Innovation
15:02 Why Texas Leads Restaurants
17:35 Part Two Teaser and Wrap
Instant Financial: instant.co
Connect with Tal Clark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-clark-a60776b/
Connect with Melissa Doolin-Koehne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-doolin-koehne/
References:
- Texas Restaurant Association: https://txrestaurant.org/
- Texas Restaurant Foundation: https://www.txrestaurant.org/TRF/
- Black Box Intelligence: https://blackboxintelligence.com/
- Raising Cane's: https://www.raisingcanes.com/home/
