MICHAEL L. ATKINSON
Venture Architect & Investor
Venture Architect & Investor
Michael L. Atkinson
Professional Biography
About
Restaurant Technology Innovator, Venture Architect, Investor and Entrepreneur
Michael L. Atkinson is a multi-faceted operator, investor, and innovator living at the intersection of restaurants and technology. Based in Dallas, he is the founding CEO of Bailiwick Ventures, Inc., and founder of the ARI Venture Studio, LLC, which creates, and builds a portfolio of next-generation restaurant technology (ResTech) startups.
His perspective is forged from over 30 years of direct experience as an investment banker (executing over 250 transactions), a multi-brand restaurant operator, a multi-unit chain CFO and ResTech entrepreneur. This unique vantage point - seeing the industry from finance, operations, and technology - led him to identify the foundational crisis of data anarchy.
To solve this, he spearheaded the development of FohBoh.ai, the restaurant industry’s first multi-agent, domain-specific, native-AI operations intelligence ystem. FohBoh integrates directly with core systems to deliver role-specific, actionable intelligence, creating a single source of operational truth.
This journey yielded a critical insight: before intelligence can be actionable, it must first be truthful. He has now codified this principle in his book, The Certified Enterprise providing leaders with the practical blueprint they need to replace data chaos with certified trust and build a future-proof business.
As a Venture Architect, Michael leads the creation, design and strategy for ResTech and consumer software startups at Ari Venture Studio.
Beyond technology, Michael is also co-founder, with The Beach Boys’ Mike Love, of Club Kokomo Spirits and the award-winning Seven Caves Distillery. A frequent author and speaker named among the industry’s most influential experts, he advises restaurant brands, private equity funds, and tech companies on AI, automation, and digital transformation.
Public Speaking
Michael speaks about transformative technologies affecting the global restaurant industry and. Specifically, restaurant automation, voice technology, and the changing nature of customer engagement using integrated data and perscriptive and embedded analytics - modern data management systems.
Michael was recently named one of the restaurant industry's most influential restaurant technology experts by the Nations Restaurant News.
For information about business opportunities, speaking or venture architecture, please contact Michael through this website or here.
See past speaking events below.
More information:
Speaking Engagements
TOPICS: Restaurant Automation • VoiceTech + AI • Data and Insights • Tech-Stack Design • Venture Investing
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 Virtual Event
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.
Texas Restaurant Association
July 12, 2021
I am leading a panel on Tech-Stack design. What technology investments are crucial to the future of your restaurant, which ones should be back-burnered, and which ones should be ignored completely? Hear from these restaurant tech experts as they provide guidance and lessons learned to get your tech stack solid as we move into a post-pandemic world.
FOHBOH + GoTab Webinar
February 22, 2022
I am leading a panel on ResTech and MarTech with seasoned experts. Hear from these restaurant tech experts as they provide guidance and lessons learned to get your tech-stack and Marketing Stack in shape. There is no time to waste.
June 30, 2022
Industry 4.0 is evolving grocery stores, restaurants, kitchens, farms, and even food itself. Digital technology is assisting people in choosing what to consume, along with developing new possibilities for how they access and experience food and beverage.
The push for digitization and digitalization is creating new demands for product information and accessibility online, while advanced robotics are evolving the preparation and delivery of food and beverage.
Today in Tech Show
April 3, 2023
To recover from pandemic-era challenges, many restaurants are attempting to innovate with new technologies such as AI voice, mobile phone point of sale ordering systems, and drone deliveries.
Are these efforts just experimental or will they be a part of our future dining experiences? Our latest 'Today in Tech' episode explores this with Michael L Atkinson, a restaurant technology expert and entrepreneur. #restaurants #ai #aivoice #podcast
