After working for Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) for nearly 15 years and building up her chops in information technology, Roberta Frierson joined the Bar Louie team in late 2021 at senior vice president of technology and digital strategy, taking the reins of tech strategy and operations impacting 48 restaurants (31 corporate and 17 franchises) across the country.
FSR sat down with Frierson to find out how she utilizes data, AI, and authentic leadership to steer the brand into the future—without losing its hospitality focus. She also shares her experience as a woman leader in the tech space, and her advice for young women pursuing similar roles in restaurants.
What were some of the big takeaways you learned at LEYE?
Really focusing on trends and using technology to enhance the guest experience and streamline operations and drive growth. I think those are the pillars that have stayed with me through every role I’ve been in, and we have to use those to stay competitive. I think it’s imperative that you’re constantly checking on those pillars, because we’re in an ever-evolving industry. You have to talk to your peers in the industry and follow those changes.
How do you use data to inform decisions?
There’s no reason for us to reinvent the wheel. We’re not doing anything new or revolutionary, so making sure we focus on providing the best guest experience using data insights. What value are we going to deliver? What does our rewards program look like compared to others in the industry?
For my back-of-house operations, what can I do from a technology perspective to make your job easier? How am I going to get you out of that office and get you on the floor, engaging without customers and guests? And how does this all work for sustainable growth? Is this something we can scale for growth, or are our tools stopping us from growing? We have to learn to be honest about that as technologists.
We have to be good stewards of our tech stack and make sure that we have a solid understanding of what are the problems that we’re trying to solve, and do we have measurable and attainable KPIs (key performance indicators).
How do you balance innovation around tech with prioritizing hospitality?
For us, it’s not losing sight of who we are as a brand, so our neighborhood atmosphere is at the core of who we are and who we strive to be as a brand. It’s important to me that I balance the use of technology while still maintaining that vibe that we’ve created that is Bar Louie. Trying to ensure that technology enhances that guest experience without compromising that community feel.
Do you have an example you could share?
A couple of years ago, we implemented a new POS system, and we were definitely worried about introducing technology to our guests and how they were going to feel about that. We introduced some interactive handheld technology, which streamlines the process in the back of the house for our kitchen and for our bar staff. We can get the food out faster, we can get the tables turned faster, we can get the drinks to the table, but we still didn’t lose that small-town feel.
The order is now much more conversational, so the server isn’t worried about writing and getting things right—she has technology that’s guiding her through that order and experience, and we’re able to do some suggested upselling, hoping to make that experience great for the guest and for our servers and kitchen staff.
How do you navigate inevitable pushback to changes?
I’ve found that if you can get people involved at the beginning when you’re talking about it, if you can use some of their inputs to guide and inform your decisions, you have a more captive audience, because people tend to support what they help to create. Getting them involved early on in the process and having that mass collaboration is what helps us get a successful implementation and successful buy-in.
How is Bar Louie using AI today?
You think about those big robots flipping burgers in the restaurants and dropping fries, and for us, that is so not how we use AI in our tech stack. For us, the best tool to use AI is to take all of that data and be able to extrapolate insights from that, to solve some of our marketing problems, to solve for what does the consumer want. I have all of this data, how can you inform me of what my consumer wants and what they would like to see? We’re using AI in our marketing strategy so we can get creative out faster, and we can use that data to make sure that it’s resonating with our guests.
Getting a little bit more granular in our back-of-house operations, can we use [AI and] weather to make some predictions about what we need for labor, and how we need to staff our restaurants appropriately?
What advice do you have for young leaders in tech and restaurant leadership, especially women?
I’ve been really lucky there have been so, so many people who provided me with wisdom and guidance and support that’s really helped to shape who I am today. I talk about these pillars and the things that I focus on, because for me, there are so many parts of this business that could be overwhelming if you don’t hone in on the things that are important and the things that make you successful. Find those things that are authentic to you, and that’s what you focus on.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Roberta is a speaker at FSR’s NextGen Restaurant Summit this upcoming September in Atlanta on the Women in Restaurant Leadership: State of the Union panel. Find out more and explore the agenda here, and register directly here.
For me, there are three pillars—the first one is to practice authentic leadership. Decide who you’re going to be early on, and then be that. Don’t try to be anything else. Be what’s authentic to you, and being true to myself and leading with empathy is, I think, the cornerstone of my office—authenticity.
In technology where collaboration and innovation are crucial to what it is that I do, that empathetic leadership is often what drives my success. People feel like they can trust you, they see you, you make yourself highly visible, they trust your consistency, they trust your judgment.
The second thing that’s been crucial for me is that I don’t have to do it by myself. I have to be able to learn the art of delegation and become a master at that. I built a very strong team around me. I’m not trying to handle everything on my own, because it overwhelms me and makes me very ineffective. When I empower others and take on the responsibility and the trust to lead, it’s a sign of strength. If I’m trusting them to lead and do what it is they’ve been hired to do, that’s a sign of strength for me, and it’s also the best thing I can do to help my leaders grow.
That last pillar is to own my own voice and my own expertise. Create that own niche for yourself. Don’t be shy about speaking up. A lot of times I’m in the room and I’m the only one that looks like me and I’m the only one that sounds like me, so being true to my authentic voice. We talk so much about imposter syndrome, why am I even in this room? I say, just embrace that authority—trust your knowledge, contribute your ideas confidently. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t ever, ever forget that there’s a reason why you’re at the table.
