The Simmer Eli Feldman, Co-Founder & Partner, Shy Bird
Sep 23, 2025
Eli Feldman, co-founder and partner at Shy Bird, operates vibrant restaurants in Boston while embracing technology. He discusses his recent AI hackathon aimed at solving industry challenges and how AI can unify systems, providing actionable insights for restaurant operations. Eli shares innovative uses like menu GPTs and event forecasting. The conversation also delves into important issues like data ownership, privacy concerns, and the future of restaurant discovery through AI.
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Restaurants Need AI To Survive
- Restaurants are vital but economically broken, and AI offers the first tech that could meaningfully improve their viability.
- Eli Feldman argues restaurants must adopt AI to influence its development rather than wait for big tech to impose solutions.
AI As A Coordination Layer
- AI can act as a coordination layer across disparate, siloed restaurant systems to deliver real-time, actionable insights.
- Feldman sees AI turning raw data into trustable insight and automated action for operators.
Chef Built A Custom GPT For Menus
- A chef at Eli's hackathon built a custom GPT to help his chef de cuisines brainstorm fall menu ideas.
- The GPT accelerated menu development and increased his chefs' confidence in dish discussions.
