We started in a restaurant.
Who We Are
Shawn P. Walchef opened Cali BBQ in Spring Valley, California in 2008. The early years were hard. Vendors did not always get paid on time. Traditional media was not coming to cover a barbecue restaurant.
So Shawn started telling the story himself. A smartphone and a podcast. The podcast that became Digital Hospitality launched in 2017 with no audience and a single thesis: treat the internet like a dining room. Be useful before you ask for anything.
Nine years of weekly episodes later, that approach has produced 1,500+ episodes across the network, earned coverage in The Wall Street Journal, Adweek, and The New York Times, and built the audience that restaurant technology brands pay to be part of.
The methodology that grew Cali BBQ from one location to a media operation is now the product: we capture what real customers actually say, and turn it into proof the whole organization can use.
About ShawnNo single moment.
How We Got Here
- 1995
THE FIRST SHIFT.
At 13, Shawn P. Walchef washes dishes and busses tables at Country Choice, his grandfather's restaurant on Troy Street in Spring Valley, California. Cali BBQ operates in the same building today.
- 2008
SPRING VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.
On April 20, 2008, Shawn opens the restaurant that becomes Cali BBQ, in a part of San Diego nobody thought would work. The first years are tight. Vendors did not always get paid on time.
- 2009
COMMUNITY BEFORE CONTENT.
Shawn launches a tailgate and BBQ festival in front of the restaurant. It becomes a Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned contest, draws thousands of guests, and runs for 10 years.
- 2012
THE BBQ WORLD COMES TO SPRING VALLEY.
Cali BBQ hosts the National Barbecue & Grilling Association bus tour stop in San Diego. Pitmasters from across the country walk through the doors.
- 2016
FROM THE PARKING LOT TO DEL MAR.
Shawn launches the Turf & Surf Championship, a professional KCBS BBQ championship at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It runs 4 years, through 2019.
- 2017
NO ONE IS COMING. SO WE GO.
In May, Shawn and Derek Marso launch the Behind the Smoke podcast above the butcher shop at Valley Farm Market in Spring Valley. It runs 100 weekly episodes without missing one.
- 2019
THE NEW YORK TIMES COMES TO SPRING VALLEY.
The New York Times covers Cali BBQ after Shawn stands by the Chargers and the community defends the restaurant from a wave of bad Yelp reviews. After 100 episodes, Behind the Smoke becomes the Digital Hospitality podcast. The BBQ festival closes a 10-year run.
- 2020
A CAMERA AND A QUESTION.
The restaurant officially becomes Cali BBQ. In July, Shawn films an unboxing video when Cali BBQ switches to Toast. It drives tens of thousands of views and sends operators to the Toast sales team. The proof of concept for Cali BBQ Media.
- 2021
A RISING TIDE.
In March, Shawn launches Rising Tides Live on Clubhouse, then moves it to YouTube Live. In September, he is at the New York Stock Exchange for the Toast IPO and joins the Toast Customer Advisory Board as a founding member.
- 2022
RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS LAUNCHES.
In January, Toast launches Restaurant Influencers with Shawn as host, published by Entrepreneur Media. Guests include Shaquille O'Neal, Emeril Lagasse, and Jon Taffer. 71 million views since launch.
- 2022
B2B, NOT B2C.
In September, DAVO by Avalara becomes the show's second sponsor after co-founder David Joseph sees Shawn speak at the California Restaurant Show. Cali BBQ Media stops teaching operators how to make content and starts making it for the brands that sell to them. DAVO is still a client today.
- 2023
FAMILY STYLE.
Family Style with Shawn Walchef launches on the Toast YouTube channel, with Shawn visiting restaurant owners across the country. Season two follows.
- 2024
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
In March, The Wall Street Journal features Cali BBQ in its report on dynamic pricing, after Shawn tests it on the pulled pork sandwich and grows delivery sales. He takes the lesson to the MURTEC stage. On August 16, Cali BBQ opens at the Navy Exchange on Naval Base San Diego, joining its Snapdragon Stadium locations.
- 2025
AI WALKS INTO THE RESTAURANT.
On Father's Day, Palona AI takes over the phones at Cali BBQ while Shawn is 7,000 miles away in Istanbul. The voice AI handles 268 orders, catering included, and lifts sales 18%. Adweek tests it and covers the result. In June, Shawn joins the Toast Global Customer Advisory Board in Boston.
- 2026
FROM SPRING VALLEY TO TIMES SQUARE.
In April, Shawn appears in Times Square in the Toast Built For Busy campaign. In May, PepsiCo joins Toast as a presenting sponsor of Restaurant Influencers, and the National Restaurant Association Show names Shawn its Top Podcast Influencer after 565 tracked registrations.
- TODAY
18 YEARS OF RESTAURANTS. 9 YEARS OF SHOWS.
16 active shows. 1,500+ episodes. More than 15 active clients, from Toast and Restaurant365 to F3 Technologies, Palona AI, and DAVO by Avalara. Three Cali BBQ locations, still owned and run by the people behind the camera.
Four things that have not changed.
What We Believe
Operators sound like operators.
We do not put words in anyone's mouth. We ask better questions and get out of the way. The authenticity is the asset.
Consistency is the only strategy that compounds.
Virality is borrowed. A library of nine years of published work is not. We showed up every week when no one was watching. That is why people pay attention now.
The internet is a dining room.
Every brand we work with learns digital hospitality: answer the question your customer is already asking, in public, before they have to ask you directly. The business follows.
Proof belongs to the whole company.
A story captured once should do work for marketing, sales, partnerships, and paid media. We build the asset once and make sure every team can use it.
The brands restaurants run on.
Who We Work With
About us.
Common Questions
Who is Shawn P. Walchef?
Shawn P. Walchef is the founder of Cali BBQ, a restaurant in Spring Valley, California opened in 2008, and Cali BBQ Media, a B2B media company for restaurant technology brands. He hosts Digital Hospitality and Restaurant Influencers, presented by Entrepreneur, Toast, and Pepsi.
What is Cali BBQ Media?
Cali BBQ Media is a media company owned by restaurant operators. It films real customers of restaurant technology companies, equipment manufacturers, and suppliers, and turns those stories into proof that marketing, sales, and partnerships teams can use.
What is Digital Hospitality?
Digital Hospitality is the practice of treating the internet like a dining room: answer the questions customers are already asking, in public, before they have to ask. Shawn P. Walchef started the podcast that became Digital Hospitality in May 2017.
What does "be the show, not the commercial" mean?
Document the work instead of advertising it. Businesses that publish consistently earn attention that paid media cannot buy.