The Flywheel of AI with Krispy Krunchy Chicken’s Joe Gordon - Grounded Podcast - Episode #30
Go behind the scenes of one of the fastest-growing foodservice brands with Joe Gordon, Chief Supply Chain and Technology Officer at Krispy Krunchy Chicken. With experience at household names like Wendy’s, Portillo’s, and Smashburger, Joe brings a sharp lens to innovation, growth, and resilience in supply chain leadership.
In this episode, Joe shares how Krispy Krunchy Chicken is combining smart supply chain strategies with data-driven decision-making. From leveraging AI and managing vendor relationships to crisis planning and product consistency, his insights offer a blueprint for scaling with quality and agility.
Takeaways:
- How building supply chain flexibility with multiple vendors allows brands to scale fast and stay resilient.
- Why investing in AI and analytics gives operators real-time insights and smarter decision-making power.
- What focusing on value-added work and critical thinking can do to improve team impact and outcomes.
- How crisis planning and nearshore contingencies helped mitigate global shipping delays.
- Why maintaining product consistency across locations is key to brand trust and customer loyalty.
Quote of the Show:
- “I use the definition for value added as, does the customer see a value in what I'm doing? And if they don't, we shouldn't be doing those things.” -Joe Gordon
Connect with Joe:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joegordonco/
- Company website: https://www.krispykrunchy.com/
Ways to Tune In:
- Transistor: https://www.groundedonthepod.com/
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2I7EoKaVff3SnW3CoIXjJ6
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grounded/id1680909033
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/451edb13-5534-43ee-b46c-be36a7581460
- iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-grounded-281280581/
- Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/grounded-5259267
- Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/1064441
Creators and Guests
Host
Lauren Mitchell
Lauren Mitchell is the Director of National Accounts and Custom Distribution at Produce Alliance, LLC. She is a dedicated fresh produce spend & spec maximizer for multi-unit national restaurant chains & groups. She gets to know your brand and infuses your expectation for quality, consistency and transparency to create more reliability in your produce category.
