Branded Media Announces 'Hospitality Insiders' Live Panel on AI Personalization With Firehouse Subs, Toast and Hang

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, September 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Branded Media, the content and media division of Branded Hospitality, today announced the next installment of its Hospitality Insiders series: a live panel discussion examining how artificial intelligence is actually being used in restaurant marketing, beyond the hype. The session takes place Tuesday, September 15 at 1:00 PM EST and is free to attend.

Registration is open now at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K2903nTnTNy12cgVlqokpA

The panel, "Come for the AI. Stay for the Real Results," brings together three companies at different points in the restaurant technology stack (a national franchise brand, a restaurant operating platform, and an AI personalization company) for an unscripted conversation about what AI-driven guest personalization looks like when it is actually deployed at scale.
Featured panelists include:
• Alan Zampella, Head of Product & Engineering, Firehouse Subs
• Matt Smolin, Chief Executive Officer, Hang
• Julia Beebe, Senior Director, Enterprise Marketing, Toast


The panel is hosted by Michael "Schatzy" Schatzberg, Managing Partner at Branded Hospitality and co-host of The Hospitality Hangout podcast.

The discussion will center on how Firehouse Subs is applying AI and 1:1 personalization to better understand its guests, strengthen loyalty, and deliver more relevant marketing across more than 1,000 locations, including what the team has learned, what surprised them, and what other restaurant marketers can apply to their own brands.




Topics on the agenda:
• Real results: the numbers Firehouse Subs is seeing with Hang
• 1:1 personalization: using AI to create more personalized guest experiences and smarter marketing
• AI in action: where AI is making a measurable difference today
• Smarter guest engagement: strengthening loyalty and better understanding customers
• What they learned: the wins, surprises, and challenges along the way
• Getting it right: the guardrails restaurant marketers need before jumping in
• What's next: where AI-powered restaurant marketing is headed
• Audience Q&A: an unfiltered session with the people doing the work

The series focuses on technology that is already running in the field. Panelists talk about what they have actually built and what it is returning for the business, not what the technology might do someday.


Event Details
• What: Hospitality Insiders Live Panel: "Come for the AI. Stay for the Real Results."
• When: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
• Where: Online (Zoom), free registration
• Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K2903nTnTNy12cgVlqokpA
• Format: Live panel with audience Q&A
• Presented by: Branded Media, in partnership with Hang

Space is limited. Reserve your spot now.

About Branded Hospitality
Branded Hospitality is a New York-based hospitality media and investment platform dedicated to accelerating innovation across the restaurant and foodservice industry. Through The Hospitality Hangout podcast, strategic advisory work, and an extensive network of operators, investors, and technology leaders, Branded serves as a connector and amplifier for the people and companies driving the future of hospitality. Learn more at brandedstrategic.com.

Julie Zucker
Branded Hospitality
julie@brandedstrategic.com
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