Michael L. Atkinson
Professional Biography
About
Restaurant Technology Innovator, Investor and Entrepreneur
A multi-hyphenate living in Dallas, Texas, Michael is a restaurant technology investor, entrepreneur and strategic advisor to brands, investors, investment banks and technology innovators worldwide. Michael is a former investment banker, restaurant operator and restaurant chain CFO. He founded FohBoh.com, inFOH.com, RestTech.co, and Orderscape.com, a voice technology software company that has built a voice portal and restaurant marketplace with over 50,000 restaurants, to enable food and restaurant discovery and voice ordering using digital assistants, mobile voice platforms and other voice enabled gateways. Michael also founded, VoiceStar.ai, a Kitchen AI voice technology software and artificial intelligence company that voice-enables legacy restaurant business processes, beginning with VoiceINV™ to count and manage food and bar stock assets more efficiently. Most recently, he invested in and co-founded Ghosterus.com, a ghost restaurant operating system to power virtual brands at host restaurants.
Through his investment holding company, Bailiwick Ventures, Michael also partnered with Mike Love, lead singer and co-founder of The Beach Boys. Bailiwick , Mike Love and others, co-founded Kokomo Brands, a lifestyle branding, food and beverage company based on the #1 hit song Kokomo which embodies the spirit of Mike Love as an award-wining songwriter and legendary front man with The Beach Boys over the past 50 years.
Michael is a business accelerator mentor at bluestartups.com and foodandcity.org and former advisor to Creator, and Blendid, two innovative food-maker robot startups. As a former restaurant owner, operator and advocate for transformative food and restaurant technologies, Michael advises restaurant brands, private equity funds and technology companies on matters relating to conversational AI, automation, business intelligence, data models, restaurant technology and digital transformation strategies.
Personal
Michael is happily married to Kim Atkinson, is the father of two amazing and successful adult children, Sarah Higgins and Dylan Atkinson. Michael is an amateur chef, accomplished skier, scuba diver, beachcomber, backpacker and wine collector. Michael loves dining out, cooking with friends and family and visiting as many wineries as possible.
Speaking
Michael speaks about transformative technologies affecting the global restaurant industry. Specifically, restaurant automation, voice technology, restaurant delivery, and takeout, ghost restaurants and the changing nature of customer engagement using integrated data and analytics and modern data management models. For information about speaking, or consulting, please contact Michael through this website.
Consulting
Michael has been a strategic advisor to brands and technology innovators on digital transformation and refreshing technology stacks through RestTech.co for more than two decades.See Speaking gigs below.
More information:
Speaking Engagements
RestTech
Food Tech Week - London
October 30 - November 3
I am speaking on the transformative effects of restaurant automation as it relates to commerce, food-maker robots and chatbots for voice ordering and guest engagement.
Restaurant Innovation Summit - Austin
October 25 - October 27
I am speaking on the transformative effects of restaurant automation as it relates to commerce, food-maker robots and chatbots for voice ordering and guest engagement.
IFBTA Chapter Meeting - DC
April 24, 2018
I am speaking on the transformative effects of restaurant automation as it relates to commerce, voice ordering, robotics, labor, delivery and guest engagement.
IFBTA Chapter Meeting - Orlando, FL
April 26, 2018
I am speaking on the transformative effects of restaurant automation as it relates to commerce, voice ordering, robotics, labor, delivery and guest engagement.
UCLA Restaurant Industry Conference - LA
May 2, 2018
I am speaking on the transformative effects of restaurant automation as it relates to commerce, voice ordering, labor, delivery and guest engagement.
IFBTA Chapter Meeting - LA, CA
May 3, 2018
I am speaking on the transformative effects of restaurant automation as it relates to commerce, voice ordering, robotics, labor, delivery and guest engagement.
Restaurant Takeout, Delivery & Catering Symposium - Denver, CO
June 19, 2018
I am speaking on the transformative effects of restaurant automation as it relates to conversational commerce, voice ordering, food maker robotics and guest engagement.
CGA Insight 2018, London, UK
April 19, 2018
I am speaking on the transformative effects of restaurant automation as it relates to conversational commerce, voice ordering, food maker robotics and guest engagement.
VOICE Summit, Newark, NJ
July 24-26, 2018
I am speaking on voice commerce at scale, with Orderscape's conversational commerce and voice search technology and platform.
Restaurant Technology Summit, DC
September 27, 2018
I am speaking on voice commerce, robotics and automation.
Voice of Hospitality Summit, Dallas, TX
June 4, 2019
I am speaking on restaurant automation, voice search, discovery and conversational commerce for the restaurant and hospitality industries.
2019 Voice Summit, Newark, NJ
July 22-25, 2019
I am speaking on voice search, conversational commerce and automation for the restaurant and hospitality industries.
Atlantic Club, Washington, D.C.
October 22-34, 2019 - NRA Headquarters, D.C.
I am speaking on voice search, conversational commerce and automation for the restaurant and hospitality industries
2020 Project Voice, Chattaooga, TN
January 13-17, 2020
I am speaking on voice search, conversational commerce and automation for the restaurant and hospitality industries.
2020 TRA Conference
August 16-21, 2020
I am speaking on future RestTech, voice search, conversational commerce and automation for the restaurant and hospitality industries.
2020 FRLA Conference
October 12-13, 2020
I am speaking on the digitalization of restaurants on data optimization, tech-stack refresh strategies, VoiceTech and COVID-inspired innovations that will last.
NRA Webinar
December 8, 2020
I am presenting a webinar on voice technology for restaurants, with current use cases, showcase VoiceINV™, the first, voice-enabled inventory app, share other emerging voice technologies and discuss why voice is something operators and marketers should embrace today. Voice-as-a-layer is the future for digital.
Reach Out
We love to connect with entrepreneurs and investors working and disrupting food, beverage, restaurants and hospitality.
Please Get in Touch!
The restaurant industry is evolving at a rapid pace and this creates opportunity.
