Orphaned in Vietnam and adopted by an American church, Phong Huynh grew up in the El Pollo Loco company, rising from night porter to corporate director and, today, owner of 13 restaurants.
By creating order histories for diners, restaurants would be better equipped to anticipate and cater to their customers' needs, he said in his panel at SXSW.
While a key aspect of his plan changed, City Winery founder Michael Dorf achieved his original goal: to build a place where people could eat, drink and enjoy an intimate concert experience.