Jul 2022 — Jun 2024

2 years

QSR Automations

Member of the Board of Advisors · Advised a restaurant technology business whose kitchen orchestration software is used by 21 of the 25 largest casual dining chains in the United States.

SECTOR

IT Software

Kitchen Display Systems

COVERAGE

USA, UK, Europe

Multi-region

ROLE

Board of Advisors

Board advisory services

FOCUS

Strategy

International expansion

STATUS

● Advisory appointment concluded

Jul 2022 — Jun 2024

Kitchen orchestration for large hospitality operations

QSR Automations was founded in 1996 and is established as a global supplier of restaurant technology, with solutions ranging from kitchen display systems to table management and hardware. The wider opportunity lies in the position the kitchen occupies operationally: it is the point at which front-of-house demand, delivery aggregator orders and production capacity converge, and therefore the natural place from which to orchestrate a restaurant’s operations rather than simply display tickets.

Its ConnectSmart platform is used by 21 of the 25 largest casual dining chains in the United States, among them The Cheesecake Factory and Brinker International. Steve served on the board of advisors from July 2022 to June 2024, a period concerned with the direction of the platform and its development outside the United States.

In November 2024, after the advisory appointment had concluded, the company announced a majority growth investment from Battery Ventures, with Robbie Payne appointed chief executive.

AT A GLANCE

Steve joined

July 2022

CONCLUDED

June 2024

CORE PLATFORM

ConnectSmart

COMPANY FOUNDED

1996

HEADQUARTERS

Louisville, Kentucky

Board advisory focus on strategy and international expansion

What Steve did here

An advisory appointment rather than a board seat, concerned principally with the direction of the platform and its development outside the United States.

Primary focus areas

Strategy — Positioning the platform as an operational orchestration layer rather than a kitchen display product.
International expansion — Advising on route to market and delivery capability in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Board advisory services — Contribution to board-level discussion on growth, product direction and market priorities.

“

From a kitchen display business to the operational layer behind 21 of the 25 largest casual dining chains in the United States.

QSR Automations · Steve Tiley, Board of Advisors

21/25

LARGEST US CASUAL DINING CHAINS

1996

COMPANY FOUNDED

2yr

Tenure

Other companies Steve has built, led or advised

McDonald’s

IT Director

IT leadership across more than 3,500 restaurants in the United Kingdom and nine Northern European countries.

Jun 2002 — Feb 2007

Holidaymaker

Chairman

A digital platform built for the caravan and holiday park sector, delivering park information, news and offers to guests before, during and after their stay.

Sept 2023 — Present

Theravada International

Founder & Chairman

An IT solutions and service organisation providing its own digital products alongside selected third-party platforms for the quick service restaurant, hospitality and retail sectors.

Nov 2018 — Present

Slide Inc. Limited

Chairman

A dating platform built for Gen Z, combining immersive profiles with artificial intelligence matching.

Sept 2023 — Present

Board appointment, restructuring or international expansion in prospect?

If you are scaling a business, restructuring, or appointing to a board, Steve would be glad to hear from you.