Jordan Wolfe sits down with Josef Chen, founder & CEO of Kaikaku for an in-depth conversation on AI, robotics, and the future of restaurants. They dig into how disconnection and loneliness is our generation’s Black Death, what Josef is building, vertical-integration, and how a restaurant with a one-way mirror serves as his living laboratory.
Go eat at Common Room, Kaikaku’s 1st restaurant - https://www.eatcommonroom.com/Follow Jordan on X: https://x.com/jrwolfe
🔗 Follow Josef & Kaikaku:
Josef on X: https://x.com/joseflchen
Josef’s writing: https://josef.cn/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josef-chen/
Kaikaku: https://kaikaku.ai
👉 Key Influences and Resources Mentioned:
Josef Article: Alone Together: Disconnection Is Our Generation’s Black Death, https://josef.cn/blog/black-death
Tai Lin, Managing Partner, Proterra Asia https://www.linkedin.com/in/taiclin/
Podcast: Jack Altman’s New Podcast, Uncapped, https://open.spotify.com/show/25TNLkL7z6ogeWxchpRt17?si=4cc366c0307c446a
Resources listed in Josef’s essay:
Social regulation of gene expression in human leukocytes: https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/gb-2007-8-9-r189
Loneliness Matters: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Consequences and Mechanisms: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/45283426_Loneliness_Matters_A_Theoretical_and_Empirical_Review_of_Consequences_and_Mechanisms
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:06 Disconnection Is Our Generation’s Black Death
06:03 The Role of Food In Human Connection
06:56 Meaning Of Kaikaku
08:55 Living Laboratory Restaurant: Common Room
14:35 Fast Iteration Cycles Are Difference Between Life And Death
15:57 Vision For A Fully-Integrated Food Tech System
19:19 HPP Technology
20:37 Future of Automation in Restaurants
24:24 Importance of Fast Iteration Cycles
27:04 Team Behind Kaikaku
28:41 Definition Of A "Business in a Box”
31:22 Private Equity’s Impact On Hospitality
34:00 Robotics Ecosystems and Talent
39:14 Josef’s Personal Journey and Cultural Influences
45:49 Advice For Aspiring Robotics Enthusiasts
47:47 People And Resources That Influence Josef
52:31 Where To Find Josef
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