Revolutionizing Restaurant & Retail Data with AI: A Conversation with Sarah Kabakoff from Genetica
This episode of B2B Vault: The Biz-to-Biz Podcast, hosted by Allen Kopelman and sponsored by Nationwide Payment Systems, features Sarah Kabakoff, an early executive at Genetica.
From Nightclubs to Next-Gen AI: Sarah’s Fascinating Journey
Sarah Kabakoff’s career began in hospitality, where she owned a nightclub, operated sports bars, and rose from dishwasher to district manager. Her path then led her into point-of-sale (POS) technology, working with Aloha POS (Radiant Systems, then NCR), as an early employee at Toast, and later at Duchy, a leading cannabis POS provider. Now at Genetica, she combines her extensive hospitality experience with cutting-edge AI.
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What Makes Genetica Different?
Genetica stands out because it’s not just another AI chatbot. Its technology is built on ontologies, which are advanced knowledge structures that enable AI to deeply understand the data it processes.
Here’s how Genetica works:
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Centralizes Data from Multiple Sources: It pulls information from POS systems, reservation platforms (like OpenTable), weather forecasts, traffic data, and event schedules.
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Graph-Based Data Structure: Unlike traditional databases, Genetica uses a graph database to connect related data points, providing faster and deeper insights.
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AI-Ready Data: The system analyzes the “why” behind transactions, not just the “when,” considering factors like holidays, weather, local events, and competitive pricing.
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Customized Reports for Every Role: Genetica’s AI tailors reports to the specific needs of CFOs, CEOs, GMs, and other roles, moving beyond generic dashboards.
Key Use Cases
The podcast highlighted several impressive applications of Genetica’s AI:
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Sales Forecasting: Predicts sales based on weather, community events, and even local sports games, helping optimize staffing and inventory.
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Competitive Pricing Insights: Automatically analyzes competitors’ online prices, eliminating the need for manual data collection.
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Labor Optimization: Suggests smarter scheduling based on historical trends, weather, and upcoming events, leading to significant time and cost savings.
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Inventory Management: Identifies slow-moving items and recommends promotions to reduce waste.
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Real-Time Alerts: Provides instant notifications for unusual discounts, high voids, or other operational risks directly to your phone.
Why AI Isn’t Replacing People—It’s Empowering Them
Sarah emphasized that Genetica’s goal is to amplify team productivity, not replace jobs. It can:
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Multiply the output of an analyst by five times or more.
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Eliminate repetitive, manual data analysis tasks.
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Free up staff to focus on strategic initiatives rather than spreadsheets.
As Allen Kopelman noted, “AI won’t replace people, but people who know how to use AI will replace those who don’t.”
Easy Onboarding & Real ROI
Genetica is designed to be user-friendly, despite its advanced capabilities:
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Users can interact with it using plain English.
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Favorite reports can be pinned to a dashboard.
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Automated alerts and daily emailed reports can be set up.
The return on investment (ROI) is clear, including:
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Reduced payroll costs.
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Smarter scheduling and purchasing decisions.
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Faster decision-making.
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A competitive edge in a challenging economic environment.
Try It Yourself
Sarah invites restaurant, retail, and cannabis operators to experience the live demo:
Simply enter your email for a walkthrough and live access to explore the system without sales pressure.
Final Thoughts
This episode demonstrates the significant advancements in technology and underscores the necessity for every business owner to explore AI tools. Sarah and her team at Genetica are creating a tool that can transform labor, inventory, and operational management for businesses ranging from single restaurants to multi-location chains.
You can catch the full podcast, B2B Vault: The Biz-to-Biz Podcast, hosted by Allen Kopelman and sponsored by Nationwide Payment Systems, on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.
Remember, AI is not the future; it’s already here. Those who adopt it today will thrive tomorrow.
B2B Vault: The Biz-to-Biz Podcast
Hosted by Allen Kopelman, CEO of Nationwide Payment Systems
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
More episodes at nationwidepaymentsystems.com/b2b-vault
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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Genetica?
Genetica is an AI company that provides advanced data tools designed to help restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and cannabis businesses leverage their operational data more effectively. It centralizes and analyzes data from various sources to provide actionable insights.
Who is Sarah Kabakoff?
Sarah Kabakoff is an early executive at Genetica. She has a strong background in the hospitality industry, having owned a nightclub, operated sports bars, and worked in various roles including district manager. She also has extensive experience in point-of-sale (POS) technology, having worked at Aloha POS, NCR, Toast, and Duchy (a cannabis POS provider).
What types of businesses can benefit from Genetica?
Genetica is designed for restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and cannabis businesses, whether they are single-location operations or multi-location chains.
How is Genetica different from other AI solutions?
Unlike basic chatbots or simple AI wrappers, Genetica is built on ontologies, which are advanced knowledge structures that allow its AI to truly understand the data it processes. It uses a graph-based data structure to connect related data points and analyzes the “why” behind transactions, not just the “when.”
What kind of data does Genetica integrate?
Genetica integrates data from multiple sources, including POS systems, reservation platforms (like OpenTable), weather forecasts, traffic data, and local event schedules.
