Meet Crystina... A Rockstar in Restaurant Support Circles!

Crystina is a formidable presence in restaurant support circles, who has spent 7 relentless years driving off-premise verticals and delivering exceptional results. With a remarkable track record of managing nearly $100 million yearly in online sales for a dozen brands, she has played a pivotal role in keeping hundreds of restaurants afloat during the challenging times of COVID-19. Adept at implementing loyalty programs, gift card systems, and online ordering platforms, Crystina's unwavering dedication stems from her deep admiration for restaurant operators and her relentless pursuit of making their lives easier.

Make Good Lemonade helps restaurants (and restaurant support companies) optimize off-premise verticals. Having brand-side experience, we're in a unique position to make sure that whatever tech a brand chooses to use, will work for the restaurant kitchen. It MUST work for the kitchen and it MUST NOT interfere with kitchen execution. We're fanatical about that.

Being a "one-man band" it's a bit of an echo-chamber right now. Being able to engage with other people who are as obsessed about restaurant tech as I am ensures that I've got my pulse on where restaurant tech is and what that means for the industry.

I love a good side hustle. I've got like 4 Etsy shops; jewelry, stickers, POD Tees, and digital downloads (all acornrocket variations on Etsy - shameless plug). I love the excitement of getting an order, learning the processes for the different types of products... Like right now I'm OBSESSED with the names of groups of animals and making t-shirts about them. Like, did you know that a group of rhinos is called a crash? Because of course it is.

Customer Data Hoarding. Everyone talks about how important it is to get all of your guest information. CRMs and CDPs are popping up everywhere. It's easy to gather the data... but can be expensive, labor intensive, and an arduous task to get to a point where you can actually use it. Is the ROI there? What's the opportunity cost to other projects that those resources could be executing? For brands on the bleeding edge of customer engagement, this can be AWESOME. Most brands aren't there yet, and that's okay. We should recognize that. Brands can go broke trying to keep up with the Joneses.

It's a toss-up between Caribou Coffee and Starbucks. I like to cook, so food apps are less appealing than the liquid treat I totally deserve for running errands. It's like a reward.

Right now, it's Casey Terrell at SPB Hospitality. He's one of those rare no BS people whose opinion I'm always eager to understand. In a landscape where "If you don't do this, that or the other thing - you're missing out" he really evaluates the needs of his businesses and makes strategic decisions rather than listening to hype.

Digital Communities. I know it's not new or really that interesting for larger brands, but I think they can be a game changer for smaller chains and independents. Most of our favorite brands started out small, right? What if they had the same support models as bigger brands? Could they thrive and grow?

Minneapolis, MN