Data-Driven Decisions for Restaurant Success | Sebastian Arrese from Tenzo

Rick Veronese: Pathmonk is the AI for website conversions. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in the buying journey separates you from the competition online.

Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments with relevant micro-experiences like case studies, intro videos, and more. Stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50% by adding Pathmonk to your website in seconds, letting the AI do the work while you keep focusing on marketing as usual.

Check us out at pathmonk.com.

All right, everyone, welcome to today’s episode of Pathmonk Presents. Let’s talk about today’s guest. Today, we have Sebastian, Director of Partnerships at Tenzo. Sebastian, good to have you on the show.

Sebastian Arrese: Thank you, Rick. Excited to be here.

Rick: Of course. So, Sebastian, I know Tenzo is about restaurant performance ops, but can you tell us more about the heart of what Tenzo actually does? How would you describe it to someone new?

Sebastian: Sure. There’s a short version and a more technical one. The short version is that we help hospitality operators understand what’s happening across their technology stack so they can make better decisions.

A CFO or COO at a company will look at different numbers than a general manager, and we ensure they have the right reports tailored to their needs. Different roles require different reports. There’s a lot going on in the backend to make that happen, but I’ll stop there unless you want me to get into the technical details.

Rick: I’m sure some people in the audience would love to hear it. But first, just to clarify, do you target a specific type of restaurant? Who’s your ideal customer, and what problem are they looking to solve?

Sebastian: We primarily focus on mid-sized, multi-unit operators—businesses with three, five, or ten locations. This includes food halls, Michelin-starred restaurants, or hotels with significant food and beverage operations.

These businesses often use multiple tools—like POS systems (Lightspeed, Toast), labor management tools (Deputy, SevenShifts), and inventory platforms—to run their operations. They may also need to manage reservations, social media, and more.

Our goal is to simplify everything. We consolidate all these tools into one place, set up reports that fit their needs, and provide forecasting with machine learning. This means they can track past performance, monitor today’s data, and predict what’s coming next week. Ultimately, this helps them focus on improving their bottom line.

Rick: Got it. That sounds incredibly useful. I imagine restaurant managers deal with a ton of stress—keeping track of staff, finances, and operations all at once. From what I understand, Tenzo brings everything together so they can see staffing, financials, and other key insights in one place. Is that right?

Sebastian: Exactly. Some managers are naturally great at identifying trends on the floor—knowing when to push a bartender to upsell during happy hour or spotting when staff are clocking in early or late. But not everyone has that skill.

That’s where Tenzo comes in. We send real-time notifications and reports to their phone or laptop, alerting them to things like overspending, supplier price increases, or labor cost overruns. Instead of digging through spreadsheets, they get actionable insights right when they need them.

Rick: That sounds incredibly helpful. So, is the restaurant manager typically coming to your website to learn about Tenzo? How do most customers find you?

Sebastian: Typically, it’s either the restaurant owner, an ops manager, or sometimes an empowered store manager who understands the need for better insights.

We also have an interesting approach to sales. Since Tenzo integrates with existing platforms (like POS systems), we work closely with those integration partners. They already have relationships with our ideal customers, so we engage them through online content, LinkedIn, blogs, and trade shows—especially in London and other key markets.

By partnering with these companies, we help them close more deals and make their customers happier. We’re constantly balancing between direct outreach and leveraging our partners to reach more restaurants.

Rick: So, it’s a mix of online marketing and partnerships. And I guess word of mouth plays a role too, right?

Sebastian: Absolutely. But we don’t just rely on word of mouth; we actively create it. We run specific campaigns targeting partners and restaurant operators in the hospitality tech space, ensuring we stay top of mind.

Rick: Makes sense. Speaking of attracting the right audience, what’s the role of your website in generating leads?

Sebastian: Our website plays a crucial role, but Tenzo is a complex product. If we were to explain the backend in detail—integrations, BI tools, alerts—it wouldn’t mean much to a restaurant owner. They just want to sell more burgers or reduce food waste.

So, our website is designed to bridge that gap. We focus on three things:

1. Industry Insights – We publish restaurant industry metrics, particularly for regions like London and the UK, making our site a go-to resource.
2. Customer Stories – We showcase case studies of how we help real businesses. Instead of just saying “Tenzo is great,” we highlight real-world success stories.
3. Integration Listings – Many people find us when searching for ways to connect two tools (e.g., Square with a labor management system). Since we facilitate those integrations, they reach out to us.

Additionally, we invest in SEO and Google Ads to improve visibility. But it’s an ongoing process—we’re always optimizing.

Rick: That makes sense. And with case studies and blog content, you’re offering valuable tools rather than just pushing sales. Have you found any strategies particularly effective for website conversions?

Sebastian: Yes. Two things stand out:

1. Reusing Content – Case studies aren’t just for the website; we use them in LinkedIn campaigns, ad landing pages, and even in partner outreach. The more engagement they get, the better they perform in search rankings.
2. Creating Actionable Tools – We recently published a guide on building a restaurant tech stack, complete with a customizable template. It wasn’t about promoting Tenzo; it was a genuinely useful tool for restaurant operators. That approach builds trust and leads to conversions over time.

Rick: I like that approach—focusing on genuine value rather than just pushing a product. People see through overly salesy content.

Sebastian: Exactly. We do promote Tenzo, but we try to be honest about when our solution is the right fit and when it’s not. Some operators might be better off with an all-in-one system instead of an integrated approach. And that’s fine—we’d rather build trust than push a bad fit.

Rick: That’s a smart long-term strategy. Okay, before we wrap up, let’s do some quickfire questions. The only rule: keep your answers short and crisp. Ready?

Sebastian: Let’s do it.

Rick: What’s the last book you read?

Sebastian: The Power Broker by Robert Moses—fascinating story about how one man shaped New York City.

Rick: What’s the one thing Tenzo is focusing on the most right now?

Sebastian: Scaling our partner network efficiently—figuring out who to engage manually and who to automate.

Rick: If technology had no limits, what’s one thing you’d want fixed in your role?

Sebastian: A single dashboard where all partners can see shared customers, deals, and issues in real time.

Rick: What’s one repetitive task you’d love to automate?

Sebastian: Revenue tracking across integration partners—it’s still too manual.

Rick: Finally, if you could go back in time, what’s one piece of career advice you’d give yourself?

Sebastian: Don’t just work harder—sometimes you’re trying to solve the wrong problem. Step back and rethink the approach.

Rick: That’s great advice. Thanks for joining us today, Sebastian. Before we go, if people remember just one thing about Tenzo, what should it be?

Sebastian: We help hospitality businesses make better decisions—improving staffing, reducing food waste, and increasing profitability.

Rick: Perfect. And for those listening, they can visit gotenzo.com to learn more, right?

Sebastian: Yes, and we’re also very active on LinkedIn. Feel free to reach out!

Rick: Awesome. Thanks again, Sebastian. Hope to have you back on the show soon.

Sebastian: Thanks, Rick. Great to chat!