AI Confidential

Updated weekly · Field notes from the back officeThe Expo Field Guide

Written by operators, for operators

AIConfidential

Adventures of using AI in the back office.

Plain English guides to using AI in your business. Written by operators, for operators. No jargon, no consultant talk, no upsells. Just what actually works on the floor.

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All featured guides
Featured · The Long Read

AI strategy for restaurant CFOs: the missing half

Most AI advice stops at structured data. The real lift is the unstructured half, the playbooks, emails, and manager logs. A CFO's read.

By Will Pacio9 min readStrategy
Read the guide
The Field GuideFeatured
The
Long
Read
9 min read · For Operators
Hot off the line

The line

Everything we've plated lately, newest first. Filter by section or topic.

Recipe Card15 min

How to set up a folder Claude works from

Point Claude at the folder where your reports and invoices land — no more dragging files.

The Expo Team
The Long Read6 min

How to connect your restaurant’s data to AI

What it means to connect your numbers to Claude or ChatGPT — and what it takes.

The Expo Team
Recipe Card15 min

How to check trends and seasonality using AI

Three numbers, one prompt: tell a real shift from the normal season in fifteen minutes.

The Expo Team
Recipe Card15 min

How to reply to every Google review in 15 minutes a week with AI

Paste the week’s reviews, get on-brand replies, read, tweak, paste. No more blank page.

The Expo Team
Recipe Card14 months

How to build your own restaurant AI platform in 14 months

A complete, honest recipe: 16 steps, timed and priced. Every step is real. That's the problem.

By Will Pacio
Recipe Card45 min

Automate your Google Search Console report with Claude

One prompt, one small script, and your search numbers report themselves every Monday.

The Expo Kitchen
Recipe Card20 min

Have Claude read your P&L like a CFO

Drag in the monthly PDF, paste one prompt, get the so-what.

The Expo Kitchen
The Long Read7 min

Best AI and analytics tools for restaurants (2026)

The category, organized like Escoffier's brigade — which station is down?

The Expo Team
The Long Read6 min

How do I use AI in my restaurant? The operator's answer

Point AI at your numbers, not your kitchen. Five steps operators actually run.

By Will Pacio
The Long Read6 min

Restaurant analytics software: what it does, what it costs, when you don't need it

Most of the market is a pretty dashboard. What to expect in basis points, and the honest math on when to buy.

By Will Pacio
Recipe CardRecipe

Have Claude read last week's sales report and flag what to look at

One prompt turns a raw sales export into the three things worth your attention.

The Expo Kitchen
Recipe Card15 min

Draft your Monday GM email with AI in 15 minutes

One prompt, a four-sentence draft, and your Sunday night back.

The Expo Kitchen
For Operators9 min

AI strategy for restaurant CFOs: the missing half

The unstructured half of your data is where the real lift hides. A CFO's read.

By Will Pacio
For OperatorsGuide

Three real AI plays for multi-unit operators

Skip the hype. Three uses of AI that pay for themselves this quarter.

By Will Pacio
For OperatorsGuide

Yes, use Claude for your restaurant. Here's what has to be true first.

The honest prerequisites before AI is useful in your back office.

By Will Pacio
Getting StartedGuide

How to start using AI in your restaurant this weekend

A weekend-sized first step that turns into an everyday habit.

By Will Pacio
The family meal

One dispatch, every week

The family meal is what the crew eats before service. Ours is a short weekly email: one new guide, one tool worth trying, zero fluff.

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