Playa Bowls CMO: AI Works Best as a Thought Partner, Not a Silver Bullet
Tim Hackbardt, newly appointed chief marketing officer at Playa Bowls, uses AI differently than most restaurant marketers. Rather than automating decisions, he treats it as a collaborator that helps refine ideas he's already developing.
Hackbardt brings over three decades of industry experience, including leadership roles at Del Taco, Inspire Brands, and BJ's Restaurants. He took the CMO position just two days before discussing his approach to technology and industry trends.
AI as a Writing Tool, Not a Writer
When developing marketing copy or product messaging, Hackbardt said he uses AI to get 85 percent of the way there, then finishes the work himself. The tool's real value lies in word choice rather than full output.
"Usually, it's a word I'll pick out of the response, not what the AI actually produces," he said. "But it's like, oh, there's a word and that word can really help tell the story that we're trying to tell."
For Playa Bowls, this approach matters because the brand sells unfamiliar ingredients-spirulina, for example-that need clear, non-threatening explanations. AI helps condense complex nutritional benefits into language consumers understand quickly.
On customer segmentation, Hackbardt said the work requires human oversight. Combining internal loyalty data with third-party credit card data and other sources demands trial and error to function properly. AI speeds up the analysis once the framework is right, but marketers can't automate the setup.
Skeptical of Hype, Warming to Robotics
Hackbardt is wary of companies simply adding "AI" to their name without substance. But he's reconsidering his skepticism about robotics as costs fall.
He recently saw a pizza topping robot with interchangeable sauce cylinders. "I always thought pizza was such a manual labor business. And there are parts of that that can be automated, especially saucing," he said.
Drone delivery, once theoretical, is now operational and efficient. Hackbardt acknowledged airspace management will require controls to prevent congestion, but the technology is proven and scaling.
GLP-1 Drugs Are the Real Disruption Coming
Hackbardt said the restaurant industry isn't discussing GLP-1 medications enough, despite their growing impact on consumer behavior.
Recent data shows 20 percent of U.S. households now have at least one person taking GLP-1 drugs. The medications are moving into pill form, making them easier to use and likely cheaper as pharmaceutical companies optimize dosing and reduce side effects.
"That is dramatic," Hackbardt said. "And that's not like a diet fad. It's a real thing."
Pizza chains are already seeing sales decline. Fast-food operators should be reacting more aggressively than they are, he argued. Unlike previous diet trends-Atkins reached only 7 percent of the population over three years-GLP-1 adoption is climbing faster and will likely become permanent as costs drop and formulations improve.
"How many times can you have something hit 10, 15, 20 percent of the entire restaurant consumer base? That's gigantic," he said.
For marketers, the implication is clear: consumer appetite itself is changing. Products and messaging built on the assumption of traditional eating patterns will face headwinds.
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