Justin Skelton on technology strategy
From Inside the Mind of a Tech Leader: Justin Skelton's Insights | Restrocast · · Restrocast
“Technology should be brand-led. Without business sponsorship aligned to the technology strategy, initiatives get stalled. This is especially true in a franchised restaurant model where alignment across franchisees is critical.”
On , Justin Skelton, Chief Information Officer at DINE BRANDS GLOBAL INC, spoke about technology strategy during Inside the Mind of a Tech Leader: Justin Skelton's Insights | Restrocast on Restrocast.
About Justin Skelton
Justin Skelton, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Dine Brands Global, discussed his role and the challenges of restaurant technology in a September 2024 interview on the Restrocast podcast. Skelton stated that he runs all information technology for the company, which includes restaurant technology. He noted that Dine Brands is 100% franchised, making technology investments a collaborative process requiring buy-in from individual business owners. Skelton said that when the pandemic hit, the company had to quickly accelerate digital solutions like pay-on-your-own-device and digital menus, which had previously been experiments. Skelton described his career path, which included roles at Allstate Insurance, Bank of America, and CVS, before joining Dine Brands. He said that taking the CIO role during the pandemic was a challenge due to the need to make difficult decisions about funding and personnel reductions while the industry was in crisis. Skelton added that reporting directly to the CEO signaled that IT is seen as a strategic partner. He also commented that the restaurant technology industry is still in its infancy and that COVID accelerated existing trends, creating opportunities to innovate and modernize the technology stack.