Andy Pforzheimer is the CEO of Tastemaker Acquisition Corp, a hospitality-focused special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Andrew holds board seats at many institutions, including at US Foods and Upward Projects Restaurant Group, and has filled just about every role in the restaurant industry.

Here’s one of our highlights from this episode and Andy’s answers to some of our questions:

Featured Takeaway: Creativity Doesn’t Require Reinventing The Wheel

“The idea that you have to be incredibly creative to do a fantastic restaurant is just not true, right? I mean, it’s nice, creativity is cool. But creativity is not what a lot of people — especially on the kitchen side of it — think it is. Creativity is, how do I reimagine this? How do I do something has been done before, but better?”

What’s the most important aspect of the guest experience nowadays?

“A great guest experience is frictionless. By frictionless I mean, it can’t cost too much, right? It shouldn’t be hard to get a reservation… The food should be interesting, but not off putting in any way. The the experience is supposed to be something that you can just dive right into without ever feeling stupid, or inadequate, or poor, or any of these things.”

What’s something successful you’ve seen or tried lately?

1) Mini-pasta portions

2) Southeast Asian bars

3) Postino

Who is someone in the industry that deserves an Ovation?

1) Lauren Bailey, CEO of Postino

2) Wisely, a customer intelligence tech company

3) Michael Lastoria of &pizza

4) @chefswild on Instagram