How Bagel Brands Uses AI to Scale B2B Catering Sales

Mar 2, 2026 · Exit Five
🎧 PodShort 53 min squeezed to 2 AI SprinklerAS Sales Tech
Episode artwork
Jessica Serrano
CMO at Bagel Brands
Exit Five
53 min squeezed to 2
Full episode from Exit Five
Quotable Moments

We will never deliver an experience from a marketing standpoint that exceeds the in-store experience.

Jessica SerranoCMO at Bagel Brands
38:48

I mean, really integrations. It sounds so technical, but I'm surprised how many things could be operated more seamlessly if we could just figure out how to get different systems to talk to each other.

Jessica SerranoCMO at Bagel Brands
41:31

While AI can replace much of the repetitive work in marketing, the true skill lies in crafting effective prompts and intelligently interacting with the AI, essentially acting as a 'puppet master' who guides the tool with expertise.

Dave GerhardtHost of The Dave Gerhardt Show
14:29
Key Insights
  • As a B2C marketer, I believe there's a lot that we can learn from B2B marketers.
  • Catering in the restaurant business is not just a revenue stream but also a powerful acquisition tool, as many customers experienced the brand for the first time through catered office meals.
  • To acquire B2B catering clients, a food brand successfully implemented a cross-selling tactic by filtering their main menu customers for work email addresses and asking for referrals to catering decision-makers in exchange for free food.
  • Despite the clear benefits of AI in sales and marketing, there is significant hesitation and opposition from sales teams concerned about how automation will impact their jobs.
  • While AI can replace much of the repetitive work in marketing, the true skill lies in crafting effective prompts and intelligently interacting with the AI, essentially acting as a 'puppet master' who guides the tool with expertise.
  • While ChatGPT excels at maintaining my brand voice for copy and product concepts, Claude's superior ability to generate financial models, structure deck thoughts, and seamlessly translate ideas off-platform makes it uniquely impressive for different marketing tasks.
  • AI has the potential to be a 'great equalizer' for smaller brands, enabling them to conduct market research and product testing without large budgets previously exclusive to bigger companies.
  • The fundamental job of a marketer is twofold: building the brand over time and driving sales overnight, and an effective marketing calendar should address both objectives.
Metrics Mentioned
  • A B2C customer spends $15 (When walking into a Dig Inn store.)
  • An office admin spends $500 (On catering from Dig Inn.)
  • Team scaled from 1 to 5 salespersons (To handle B2B catering sales.)
  • Nearing 1,000 locations (Current size of Bagel Brands' operations.)
  • Same-store sales (combination of transactions and checks) (Primary KPI for brick-and-mortar bagel brands to measure success, referring to restaurants open for more than 365 days.)

RevBots.ai View:

  • AI Sprinkler stage: AI bolted onto existing workflows without full transformation.
  • Tab Hopper stage: Manual sales processes persist despite AI capabilities.
  • ARM potential: AI orchestration could streamline B2B catering sales and marketing.
  • SaaS Hoarder risk: Multiple systems lacking integration hinder operational efficiency.
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