Bala Subramaniam, co-founder of Bites, explains why the future of restaurant ordering may live inside AI platforms like ChatGPT instead of traditional delivery apps. After years at Amazon, Instacart, and LinkedIn, Subramaniam set out to solve one of hospitality’s biggest problems: delivery platforms that drive growth while draining margins and hiding customer data from restaurants. This episode explores AI-native ordering, the economics of food delivery, POS partnerships, and why controlling discovery may become more important than controlling delivery itself.

AI Is Becoming The Next Discovery Channel – Bala Subramaniam believes platforms like ChatGPT could reshape how customers discover and order food, much like the App Store changed mobile behavior.
Restaurants Need Their Guest Data Back – Third-party delivery platforms control most of the customer relationship today. Bytes is focused on helping restaurants regain ownership of guest data, loyalty, and direct engagement.
Hidden Fees Hurt Restaurant Margins – Bala Subramaniam argues delivery itself is not the problem. The bigger issue is the hidden commissions and discovery fees built into traditional delivery platforms.

Episode Links

Bala Subramaniam LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balachandergs/
Bites LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitesai/

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