He's spent 30 years in hospitality and led tech transformations that cut costs by £300,000 while reducing labor by 10%, now William Connors reveals what the future of restaurant technology means for profits, people, and customer experience.
William Connors is a hospitality technology expert with three decades of experience across major restaurant brands including Popeye's UK, Burger King, Wingstop, and Noble Group. He was instrumental in Popeye's first 20 UK restaurant openings and has managed operations across multiple countries including Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In 2023, he implemented Toast POS systems that delivered significant cost savings and operational improvements.
He explains:
◼️ Why the first Popeye's UK opening was "complete chaos" with 4-hour queues and staff quitting
◼️ How flying wine on private jets to the Bahamas taught him crucial inventory lessons
◼️ Why AI in HR is making employees more honest than they are with humans
◼️ How one tech implementation saved £300,000 while making servers happier
◼️ The hidden reason scaling from 5 to 50 restaurants kills culture and quality
00:00 Intro
01:27 William's Background - 30 Years in Hospitality
02:44 Popeye's UK Opening Chaos - When HR Started Breading Chicken
05:15 Scaling Tech Solutions - US vs UK Approaches
08:34 Meta Workplace Success - Building Restaurant Communities
12:31 Growth Challenges - How Scaling Kills Culture
13:52 Toast POS Implementation - £300,000 in Savings
17:15 AI in Hospitality HR - The Best Use Cases
20:17 Restaurant Tech Evolution - From Cash Registers to AI
24:33 Tech vs People Problems - Finding the Balance
25:28 QR Code Payments Debate - Tech vs Human Touch
28:31 Caribbean Stories - Flying Wine on Private Jets
32:17 Smoothest Operators - Which Brands Get It Right
34:28 Burrito Mama - Building a 58-Second System
37:40 Speed vs Experience - Different Restaurant Strategies
38:07 Final Thoughts and All Gravy
Follow William:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/theposdoctor/Website - https://www.williamconnors.tech/
