Ming-Tai Huh on Square's 40% layoff, the restaurant tech stack, and the dream of one day quantifying the ROI of marketing.
#136
Josh and Mike sit down with Ming-Tai Huh, restaurateur, MIT graduate, former Toast and Square executive, and co-founder of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group. Ming shares the unlikely path that took him from management consulting and technology into the restaurant industry, beginning with a spontaneous decision to open a restaurant after becoming deeply involved in his local Cambridge community. He reflects on his early days at Toast, helping to build foundational products such as online ordering, loyalty, APIs, and partnerships, and explains how his experience as both an operator and a technologist shaped the way he thinks about restaurant software.
The conversation dives into the future of restaurant technology, AI, SaaS, restaurant operations, and why supply chain management remains one of the industry's biggest unsolved problems. Ming discusses the rise of AI agents, the growing gap between experienced operators and first-time restaurateurs, the realities behind scaling restaurant software, and why he believes marketing attribution and ROI measurement remain major opportunities for innovation. Along the way, he shares stories about getting married inside an unfinished restaurant, building Puritan & Company from scratch, and what operators can learn from both the restaurant and technology worlds.
Links and resources 📌
Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com
Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez
Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshlsharkey/?hl=en
Follow Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sharkey-406965b/
Follow Ming-Tai Huh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mingtai/
Follow Ming-Tai Huh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mingtai/
Visit Puritan & Company: https://www.puritancambridge.com
Visit The Lexington: https://www.thelexingtoncx.com
Visit Cambridge Street Hospitality Group: www.eatcambridge.com
Timestamps
01:03 Meeting Through The Boulay Alumni Network
02:28 Getting Married In An Unfinished Restaurant
08:22 From MIT And Consulting To Restaurants
13:16 Finding The Right Chef Partner
20:53 Building Products At Toast
28:31 Creating Toast's Platform And API Ecosystem
38:02 Joining Square And The Restaurant Opportunity
46:03 The Future Of Restaurant Technology
58:17 AI, SaaS, And The Operator's Toolkit
01:19:40 The Biggest Opportunity Still Missing In Restaurants
Josh and Mike sit down with Ming-Tai Huh, restaurateur, MIT graduate, former Toast and Square executive, and co-founder of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group. Ming shares the unlikely path that took him from management consulting and technology into the restaurant industry, beginning with a spontaneous decision to open a restaurant after becoming deeply involved in his local Cambridge community. He reflects on his early days at Toast, helping to build foundational products such as online ordering, loyalty, APIs, and partnerships, and explains how his experience as both an operator and a technologist shaped the way he thinks about restaurant software.
The conversation dives into the future of restaurant technology, AI, SaaS, restaurant operations, and why supply chain management remains one of the industry's biggest unsolved problems. Ming discusses the rise of AI agents, the growing gap between experienced operators and first-time restaurateurs, the realities behind scaling restaurant software, and why he believes marketing attribution and ROI measurement remain major opportunities for innovation. Along the way, he shares stories about getting married inside an unfinished restaurant, building Puritan & Company from scratch, and what operators can learn from both the restaurant and technology worlds.
Links and resources 📌
Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com
Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez
Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshlsharkey/?hl=en
Follow Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sharkey-406965b/
Follow Ming-Tai Huh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mingtai/
Follow Ming-Tai Huh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mingtai/
Visit Puritan & Company: https://www.puritancambridge.com
Visit The Lexington: https://www.thelexingtoncx.com
Visit Cambridge Street Hospitality Group: www.eatcambridge.com
Timestamps
01:03 Meeting Through The Boulay Alumni Network
02:28 Getting Married In An Unfinished Restaurant
08:22 From MIT And Consulting To Restaurants
13:16 Finding The Right Chef Partner
20:53 Building Products At Toast
28:31 Creating Toast's Platform And API Ecosystem
38:02 Joining Square And The Restaurant Opportunity
46:03 The Future Of Restaurant Technology
58:17 AI, SaaS, And The Operator's Toolkit
01:19:40 The Biggest Opportunity Still Missing In Restaurants
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