84. David DeSantis joins us today to share how he blended Ops with Tech

David DeSantis is a well-known name in the pizza industry. With 27 years of experience in the restaurant business, he has created six successful brands and owned 17 restaurants. However, his latest venture sets him apart from others in the industry: the creation of a cutting-edge supplier relationship management platform. David’s passion for the restaurant business started at a young age. He grew up in a family of food lovers and learned the art of cooking from his grandmother. At eight years old, his family introduced Dunkin Donuts to Atlanta, and David was frying donuts by the age of ten. David was a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver at sixteen and was managing the location by eighteen.  David and his brother Richard started their first pizza restaurant in Atlanta during the Olympics in 1996, and while operating what became a four-unit chain, David achieved his Executive Master’s in Business Administration from Kennesaw State University. David subsequently started the brands Peace Love & Pizza, The Jammin Pie, Bulldawg Pizza & Wings, Bring the Smoke BBQ and others. After becoming a successful restaurateur, David realized there was a market gap when it came to managing relationships with suppliers. He needed an efficient way for restaurants to communicate with their suppliers, quickly manage inventory, automate price changes, consider rebates, bring transparency to contract negotiation, and audit supply chain contracts. This led to him starting Wook.ai. But at the end of the day, Dave is an operator with a heart for helping other entrepreneurs be able to manage their business with transparency and real time data. We think you will enjoy this episode very much. Here we go!