About Fork & Firewall

30+ Years in Hospitality Tech.
No Vendor Ties. No Hidden Agenda.

Straight talk from someone who's been on both sides of the pass — and has no interest in selling you anything.

30+ Years in Hospitality Tech
17 Years with NCR
100% Independent — No Commissions
FOH+BOH Real Operations Background

The experience you'd want on your side when things break.

I've spent more than 30 years in hospitality technology — 17 of them at NCR, where I became a subject matter expert in Aloha POS. Before that, I was an independent reseller. And before any of that, I worked in restaurants and hotels, front of house and back of house.

That combination matters. I've sat at the management terminal during a Friday night meltdown. I know what it costs when the POS goes down mid-service. And I know exactly what to do about it — because I've fixed it hundreds of times.

I started Fork & Firewall because I kept seeing the same thing: restaurant operators getting sold technology they didn't fully understand, by vendors who weren't going to stick around to make it work. The jargon was thick, the contracts were long, and the support was thin.

I wanted to change that. Not as a reseller. Not as a vendor rep. As an independent consultant — someone with no skin in the game except making sure your tech actually works.

Background at a Glance

NCR — 17 Years Subject matter expert in Aloha POS. Enterprise deployments, multi-unit operators, full lifecycle support.
Independent Reseller Sold and supported hospitality technology before moving into enterprise. Understands the full channel — vendor, reseller, and operator.
Restaurant & Hotel Operations Real FOH and BOH experience. Understands the operational pressure behind every tech decision.
Zero Vendor Commissions Never paid by a vendor to recommend their product. Your outcome is the only interest.

Why "independent" is the only way to do this honestly.

Most restaurant tech advice comes from people who benefit from what they recommend. Resellers earn commissions. Vendors have quotas. Even well-meaning advisors often have referral relationships that tilt their guidance.

When I tell you Toast is the right fit for your operation — or that it isn't — it's because I've evaluated your setup, your workflows, and your team. Not because someone's paying me to say it.

My job is to translate technology into plain language, help you ask the right questions, and make sure you're not signing a contract you don't fully understand. That's it.

No Jargon

Every recommendation comes with a plain-English explanation. You should understand what you're buying and why.

No Commissions

I don't earn referral fees from vendors. My only incentive is solving your problem.

No Upsells

I'm not looking to expand the engagement. I'm looking to fix the problem and leave you better off than I found you.

Real Operations Experience

I've worked the floor. I know what breaks under pressure — and what actually matters to an operator at 7pm on a Saturday.

Systems & Platforms I Know Well

Aloha (NCR) — SME Toast SpotOn Lightspeed Square for Restaurants Olo Chowly DoorDash / Uber Eats / Grubhub Meraki / Cisco Networking POS Integrations KDS / Kitchen Display Systems Payment Processing

Ready to talk through what isn't working?

The first call is always free. No pitch, no pressure — just a straight conversation about your setup.

Book a Free 20-Minute Call

No obligation. No vendor referrals. Just honest advice.