Ovation CEO Zack Oates hit the floor at the National Restaurant Association Show and cornered 32 restaurant leaders with the same question, over and over: what should restaurants actually be doing with AI right now?

From Wow Bao to Blaze Pizza to Wiener Schnitzel to Andolini’s, the answers came fast — some hot takes, some hard-won lessons, all straight from people running real restaurants. Watch the video for their exclusive takes, plus a playbook to help you put it into action.

What’s included:

• Rapid-fire, unscripted answers from 32 restaurant leaders
• Real tactics for guest sentiment, response times, and reputation management
• A candid look at where AI helps… and where it doesn’t
• A playbook to help you get started