D.SQUARE MARKETING & HOSPITALITY
Digital Marketer, Menu Engineer and Operator 

If there's anything I've learned from moving into NYC after decades in suburbia, it's how much "stuff" I can live without. While I could go into how many days I counted without having worn clothing with buttons as a man who worked from home, I am proud to say that buttons have made a comeback. I'm more fascinated by what hasn't. We live in a cluttered world. Our mobile phones wake us up every morning, often with a song selected from a cloud of millions. Alerts call attention

Menu Engineering is changing by the minute. For decades, strategists toggled between data sheets to build models upon which to turn hypotheses into results. New players are using AI to connect the dots, project the impact and weigh the risks. I've repeatedly broken out a matrix which took years to fine-tune as a consultant. I organized menu item data including Mix, Price, Cost, Margin, Satisfaction, Reach and Unique SKUs which rolled up to overall financials. Rather than a s

We're in hospitality: the flavors, the warmth of a server, the care of a well-plated dish. We’re on the verge of pent-up demand flowing...

I’ve been calling the industry’s emergence the next normal in each of my conversations. It’s not the new normal because it’s changing...

The youth are looking for experiences. “The Experience Economy” broadens consumerism to tap into the emotional context of living in a...

Exceeding every memory and creating new ones. I was a lead on the marketing team tasked with rejuvenating an aging brand. We had to win...

Romanticism can sometimes cloud authenticity. The idea eclipses reality. I traveled a year ago to Mae Hong Son, Thailand as part of a...

A boss of mine once told me “you’re rebellious, you don’t like rules.” “That’s not true,” I replied. “I’m a creative, so I look beyond...

I once visited a kitchen in Virginia to better assess our brand’s operational challenges since our home market was battle weary from...

Chipotle is a strong brand, but no amount of marketing will regain their eminence as the 'clean' option. That innocence is lost and that...