E-232 Pool Nation Podcast - Embracing the Future with Bob, Stan and The Attendant

From Drive-Thru to Dive-In: How Restaurant Tech Is Revolutionizing Pool Automation

What if the same technology that helped you decide whether to order fries with your burger could also perfectly balance your swimming pool's chemistry? It sounds unlikely, but that's exactly what's happening in the pool industry. In a fascinating episode of the Pool Nation Podcast, hosts Edgar De Jesus, John JJ Flawless, and Zach Nicholas sat down with Bob Doan, CEO of Poolside Tech, and Stan Resnick to discuss how their restaurant technology expertise is transforming pool management through their innovative product, The Attendant.

The Unlikely Journey from Fast Food to Pool Tech

Bob Doan's background reads like an unlikely origin story for a pool industry innovator. With 25 years in restaurant technology, his company powered point-of-sale systems, digital menu boards, and industrial kitchen controls for major chains like Burger King, Wendy's, Popeye's, and Arby's across 50,000 restaurants in 64 countries.

So if you went to Burger King, Wendy's, Popeye's, Arby's, Checkers, we were the people who did the point of sale system, digital menu boards, kiosks, industrial control of the kitchen equipment. So the fryers, the warming drawers, the broilers, things like that, all the labor management systems, inventory management systems.

— Bob Doan, Pool Nation Podcast

The transition from restaurant tech to pool tech wasn't immediate. It took decades to build their restaurant empire, and as Bob explains, starting over in pools presented familiar challenges: "It's just like starting over in pools. Like you got to get your first one. And you got to realize, you know, boy, I got to do all these other things to get more customers."

Now five years into the pool industry, Poolside Tech is applying the same principles that made restaurants more efficient and profitable to swimming pool management. The parallels are striking – both industries involve complex systems that need precise control, timing, and user-friendly interfaces.

The Technology That Thinks Ahead

One of the most compelling aspects of their restaurant technology was its predictive capabilities. The system didn't just process orders; it anticipated needs based on patterns, weather, time of day, and historical data.

Restaurants are kind of like little mini factories, right? You have raw ingredients, right? And they're assembling them into delicious meals or sandwiches or whatever salads, you know, whatever it is you're into.

— Bob Doan, Pool Nation Podcast

This predictive intelligence meant that restaurant managers knew exactly when to have 140 patties ready for the Tuesday lunch rush or how many pounds of potatoes they'd need throughout the day. The system automated the thinking, allowing staff to focus on execution rather than calculation.

The same principle applies to pool management. Instead of reactive maintenance – adding chemicals after problems arise – The Attendant anticipates needs, adjusts systems proactively, and provides pool owners with the intelligence to maintain perfect water conditions without constant manual intervention.

Solving the User Experience Problem

Bob shared a perfect example of how technology can solve seemingly simple but actually complex problems. In restaurants, when a customer ordered a hamburger and asked to add cheese, the system had to recognize that this combination actually constituted a cheeseburger for inventory and sales tracking purposes.

And believe it or not, up until we started doing that in the point of sale business, the operation had no way of realizing that a hamburger and a piece of cheese made it a cheeseburger. And so if you were looking at how are my cheeseburger sales doing, you had no answer to that question that was really comprehensively reliable.

— Bob Doan, Pool Nation Podcast

This same user experience philosophy drives The Attendant's design. Pool owners shouldn't need to think like chemists or engineers to maintain their pools. The system should understand what they want to achieve and handle the complex calculations and adjustments behind the scenes, just like the restaurant POS system handled menu combinations.

The result is technology that works intuitively for the user while performing sophisticated operations in the background. Pool owners can focus on enjoying their pool rather than mastering water chemistry equations.

Learning From Industry Veterans

Despite their technological expertise, Bob and Stan emphasized the importance of humility and continuous learning in their new industry. Bob's approach reflects the wisdom gained from building a global restaurant technology empire:

And you got to be willing to listen to that, like realize you're being told like something very important. It's obviously important to the customer, right? And that's what matters.

— Bob Doan, Pool Nation Podcast

This philosophy has served them well in the pool industry, where experienced professionals have decades of hands-on knowledge about water chemistry, equipment maintenance, and customer needs. Rather than trying to revolutionize everything at once, they're building on existing industry wisdom while adding their technological expertise.

The podcast hosts clearly connected with this approach, with Edgar noting how their stories aligned and John staying up until 1 AM discussing the technology – well past his usual 9 PM bedtime. This kind of enthusiasm from industry veterans suggests that Poolside Tech has found the sweet spot between innovation and practicality.

The Future of Pool Automation

While the full transcript cuts off before diving deep into The Attendant's specific capabilities, the foundation laid by their restaurant technology experience provides compelling clues about where pool automation is heading. Just as their restaurant systems evolved from simple point-of-sale to comprehensive business intelligence platforms, pool automation is likely evolving from basic chemical dosing to comprehensive pool management ecosystems.

The team's background in industrial control systems, user interface design, and predictive analytics positions them uniquely to address the pool industry's challenges. Their experience with hospitality technology – focused on enhancing customer experience while maximizing operational efficiency – directly translates to residential and commercial pool management.

Moreover, their global scale experience (64 countries, 50,000 locations) suggests they understand how to build technology that works across different markets, climates, and user preferences – crucial for pool technology that must perform in diverse environments from Texas heat to Idaho snow.

Conclusion: When Experience Meets Innovation

The conversation between Pool Nation Podcast hosts and the Poolside Tech team reveals something exciting happening in the pool industry. When decades of restaurant technology expertise meets five years of deep pool industry learning, the result is innovation grounded in practical experience.

Bob Doan and Stan Resnick aren't just bringing technology to pools; they're bringing a proven methodology for making complex systems simple, intuitive, and reliable. Their restaurant background demonstrates that they know how to build technology that works in real-world conditions with real users who need systems that just work.

As the pool industry continues to embrace automation and smart technology, companies like Poolside Tech represent the next evolution – not just connected devices, but intelligent systems that anticipate, adapt, and deliver the kind of seamless experience that transforms industries. From drive-thru to dive-in, the future of pool automation looks increasingly intelligent.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Weather Talk
• 05:00 Meeting Bob Doan - Restaurant Tech Background
• 10:00 The Journey from 0 to 50,000 Restaurants
• 15:00 Technology Philosophy and User Experience
• 20:00 Parallels Between Restaurant and Pool Tech