Stable Kernel Master GTM Playbook

Total Plays

S-Tier

A-Tier

B-Tier

Team Brief

Here's what I've put together. 35 plays total. I went through and cut anything that didn't have a real data source or a clear way to actually execute it.

Tiers:

S-Tier — Start here. These have the clearest signals and the data is accessible.
A-Tier — Strong plays. A bit more effort or tighter timing windows.
B-Tier — Situational. Use when the opportunity comes up. Some of these are longer-term relationship plays.

The idea: Every play is tied to something that actually happened—a PE acquisition, a bad earnings call, an app rating drop, a new CTO hire. We're reaching out when they're already dealing with the problem, not cold.

Data sources: PitchBook, LinkedIn Sales Nav, QSR Magazine, SEC filings, App Annie, BuiltWith. If a play has limited data access, there's a warning in the play.

Click any play to expand. You'll see the signal, who to target, where to get the data, and an email template you can customize.

S-TIER Must-Run Plays (Score 43+)

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Third-Party Delivery Escape

QSRSignal

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Signal

QSR with high DoorDash/Uber visibility but weak direct ordering. Check if website redirects to third parties. NYC just lifted caps from 23% to 43%.

Target

Primary: CFO (margin story)
Secondary: CTO, VP Digital

Data Source

Brand website audit, DoorDash/Uber Eats search, earnings call transcripts mentioning "third-party dependency"

Why S-Tier

Universal QSR pain. 30% commission = brutal margin hit. Premier QSR case study: 400% online order increase, $229M value.

{{first_name}}—what % of {{company}}'s delivery comes through your own channels vs. DoorDash/Uber?

At 30% commission, a $15 order nets ~$10.50. On your platform, you keep it all.

We helped a QSR client shift from 80% third-party to 60% direct in 12 months. Result: 400% increase in online orders.

Worth comparing notes?

Website audit Earnings transcripts Clay

Roark Portfolio Systematic

PEQSRChannel

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Signal

Company in Roark portfolio. 21 chains: Subway, Dunkin', Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John's, Sonic, Dave's Hot Chicken, etc. $52.2B system sales.

Target

Track 1: Roark operating partners
Track 2: CTOs at portfolio brands

Data Source

roarkcapital.com/portfolio (public list), PitchBook for new acquisitions, LinkedIn for operating partners

Why S-Tier

One relationship = 21 potential logos. Force multiplier. Dave's Hot Chicken just closed June 2025.

{{first_name}}—working on something specific for Roark portfolio companies.

Roark's playbook pushes hard on tech efficiency. The pressure to show ROI is intense—21 brands, $52B in sales to optimize.

We deliver metrics PE owners care about—not "transformation" but 400% online order increases.

Worth a conversation about what Roark is asking for that's hard to deliver?

roarkcapital.com PitchBook LinkedIn

Olo Customer Anxiety

QSRSignal

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Signal

Company is known Olo customer. Thoma Bravo acquired Olo for $2B. PE acquisitions = price increases + roadmap shifts within 12-18 months.

Target

CTO or VP Digital at Olo customers

Data Source

Olo case studies (public), BuiltWith detection, press releases. Time-sensitive: 12-month window.

Why S-Tier

Large installed base. PE acquisition anxiety is real and predictable. Position as "optionality" not "replacement."

{{first_name}}—saw Olo's Thoma Bravo acquisition closed.

Not assuming you're unhappy. But PE acquisitions usually mean pricing changes and roadmap shifts within 12-18 months.

If you're evaluating contingency options, we've built custom order pipelines that aren't dependent on any single vendor.

Worth a conversation about what optionality looks like?

BuiltWith Olo case studies Clay

The 100-Day Window

PETiming

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Signal

PE acquisition announcement. Days 30-60 = vendor shortlist built. After day 90 = locked. Recent: Dave's Hot Chicken/Roark, Jersey Mike's/Blackstone.

Target

Primary: New CTO at portfolio company
Secondary: PE operating partner (separate angle)

Data Source

PitchBook alerts for PE deals. Within 48 hours: identify operating partner + tech leadership.

Why S-Tier

Greenfield opportunity. Budget allocated. Miss day 60 and you're out.

{{first_name}}—congrats on the {{pe_firm}} deal.

Based on their typical playbook, you're staring at a tech stack that doesn't match their timeline expectations.

We've helped 4 PE-backed QSR companies navigate this. Built a framework for what matters in months 2-4.

Worth 20 min before you lock in your vendor stack?

PitchBook LinkedIn CRM sequencing

Digital Order Mix Gap

QSRSignal

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Signal

Public QSR discloses digital mix below category leader. Chipotle: 35%+. Domino's: 80%+. If competitor is at 15%, they're bleeding margin.

Target

Primary: CFO (margin pressure)
Secondary: CTO, CDO

Data Source

SEC filings (10-Q/10-K), earnings transcripts. Search: "digital mix," "online order percentage." AlphaSense, Seeking Alpha.

Why S-Tier

Quantifiable gap CFOs care about. Digital = higher AOV, lower labor cost. Reach out 1-2 weeks post-earnings.

{{first_name}}—caught {{company}}'s Q3 call. 18% digital mix stood out.

{{competitor}} is at 35%. That's a margin gap. Digital orders = higher AOV, lower labor cost per transaction.

We helped a QSR client go from 12% to 48% digital in 18 months. The unlock was the order pipeline, not the app.

Worth comparing notes?

AlphaSense Seeking Alpha SEC EDGAR

Drive-Thru Laggard Play

QSRSignal

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Signal

Brand in bottom quartile of QSR Magazine annual drive-thru study. Chick-fil-A: 7:06/car. 2025 data: Popeyes (6:50), Raising Cane's (6:23) slowest.

Target

VP Operations, CTO, or CDO at lagging brand

Data Source

QSR Magazine / Intouch Insight Annual Drive-Thru Study. Published every October. Ranks 10+ chains on speed, accuracy, satisfaction.

Why S-Tier

Drive-thru speed is #1 QSR ops KPI. When your brand gets publicly ranked as slow, internal pressure is immense. Reach out 2-4 weeks after study drops.

{{first_name}}—saw the QSR Magazine drive-thru study dropped.

{{company}}'s 6+ minute average is getting attention.

We helped a QSR client cut 90 seconds off drive-thru time through order pipeline optimization—not hardware, better data flow.

Worth 20 min to compare notes?

QSR Magazine LinkedIn Sales Nav Clay

Expansion Scaling Signal

QSRSignal

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Signal

Major expansion: 20+ new locations, new markets, location portfolio acquisition. 50→150 locations breaks everything.

Target

Primary: CTO/CIO
Secondary: VP Operations

Data Source

Google Alerts, NRN, QSR Magazine, press releases. Calculate growth delta.

Why S-Tier

Growth breaks things. Manual processes, single-point infrastructure don't survive the jump. Offer checklist of what breaks at their new scale.

{{first_name}}—congrats on the expansion. {{new_count}} locations is a different game.

Tech that breaks first: store-level data aggregation, inventory sync, anything relying on tribal knowledge.

We helped {{similar}} through this exact transition. Built a checklist of what to shore up before growth hits.

Want me to send it?

Google Alerts NRN QSR Magazine

Failed Implementation Rescue

RescueSignal

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Signal

Tech leadership departure 12-18 months after initiative announcement. Job postings for roles original project should've filled. "Pivot" news.

Target

New CTO or executive who inherited the mess

Data Source

Track initiative announcements, set 12/18-month reminders. LinkedIn for departures. Pattern recognition.

Why S-Tier

Urgent need + available budget (already allocated). They need someone who's NOT the firm that failed them. NEVER trash the previous vendor.

{{first_name}}—saw the news about {{initiative}}.

These situations are brutal. We've rescued 3 similar projects—same pattern: great strategy, rough implementation handoff.

Not here to pile on. But we built a triage framework for what's salvageable vs. what needs restart.

Worth a conversation?

Google Alerts LinkedIn Calendar tracking

New CTO Honeymoon

TimingSignal

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Signal

New CTO/VP Digital hired. 90-day window to blame predecessor. After that, they own the problems.

Target

New tech leader, within 30 days of start. Research their background: what did they build at previous company?

Data Source

LinkedIn Sales Navigator job change alerts. Research their previous company projects.

Why S-Tier

New leaders have budget and mandate. Reference THEIR background, not generic "congrats." After 90 days they've formed opinions.

{{first_name}}—saw you joined {{company}} from {{previous}}.

The {{project}} you shipped there is exactly what {{company}} needs. Based on their tech stack, you've got cleanup ahead.

We specialize in this handoff—PE-backed, legacy systems, tight timelines.

Worth comparing notes on what usually breaks first?

LinkedIn Sales Navigator Clay Manual research

Champion Reactivation

RelationshipSignal

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Signal

Past client champion changes jobs to target ICP account. They already trust you. Trust transfers companies.

Target

The champion at their new company, within 30 days of job change

Data Source

CRM (tag all past champions), LinkedIn job change alerts

Why S-Tier

Warmest possible leads. Highest close rate. They want to look smart by bringing in partners they trust.

{{first_name}}—saw you landed at {{new_company}}. Congrats.

Still remember the {{project}} we shipped at {{old_company}}. That was a good one.

Based on {{new_company}}'s situation, you might be walking into something similar. Happy to compare notes.

Coffee?

LinkedIn Sales Navigator CRM tags

AI Drive-Thru Reality Check

QSRSignal

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Signal

Brand announced AI drive-thru pilot 6-12 months ago. Reality: 75% order misunderstandings, 30% wrong items. Problem isn't AI—it's POS integration.

Target

CTO, VP Technology, VP Operations

Data Source

Press monitoring for AI drive-thru announcements. Wendy's FreshAI, Taco Bell Voice AI (600 locations).

Why S-Tier

You're not questioning AI strategy—acknowledging implementation gap everyone knows exists. The CTO launched with high expectations and is dealing with reality.

{{first_name}}—saw {{company}} launched AI drive-thru at {{number}} locations.

Curious how integration is holding up. Industry data: 75% order misunderstandings, 30% wrong items. Usually it's not the AI—it's the POS/kitchen connection.

We've been working on exactly this integration layer.

Worth comparing notes on what's breaking?

Press monitoring QSR Magazine Tech announcements

App Store Decay Signal

QSRSignal

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Signal

App rating dropped 0.5+ stars in 6 months. Reviews: "order not ready," "payment failed," "loyalty points disappeared." CTO is getting escalations.

Target

VP Digital, Head of Mobile, CTO

Data Source

App Annie, Sensor Tower, AppFollow for trends. Manual App Store/Play Store review scanning.

Why S-Tier

Public, quantifiable signal. Don't pile on—frame as "I've seen this pattern and know what fixes it." Usually backend sync, not app code.

{{first_name}}—noticed {{company}}'s app dropped from 4.2 to 3.4 stars recently.

Reviews are telling: "orders not ready," "payment failing." Classic backend sync symptoms.

We fixed this for a QSR client—400% order increase after rebuilding order pipeline. The app was fine; backend was the problem.

Worth a conversation?

App Annie Sensor Tower Manual monitoring

A-TIER Strong Plays (Score 35-42)

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Roll-Up Integration Nightmare

PESignal

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Signal

3+ tuck-in acquisitions in 18 months at PE-backed platform company. Each runs different POS, loyalty, ERP. Nothing talks.

Data Source

PitchBook tracks acquisitions. By acquisition #3, tech team is drowning.

{{first_name}}—{{company}} closed 4 deals in 18 months. Impressive velocity.

But integration is probably eating your roadmap. Every tuck-in brings its own POS, loyalty, way of doing things.

We built integration playbooks for exactly this. The trick is knowing what to standardize vs. leave alone.

Worth comparing notes?

PitchBook Manual research

Loyalty Program Announcement

SignalQSR

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Signal

Press release: new loyalty program, rewards revamp, "customer experience transformation." They're 3-6 months from major tech investment.

Data Source

Google Alerts, NRN, industry press. Reach out within 1 week of announcement—before RFP.

{{first_name}}—saw the announcement about {{company}}'s new loyalty program.

The hard part is the integration layer—making it work with POS, CRM, order management without rebuilding everything.

We've done this for {{similar}}. Happy to share what moved the needle.

Worth 20 min?

Google Alerts NRN Manual research

Job Posting Decoder

Signal

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Signal

Multiple job postings: POS engineer, data engineer, mobile dev. "Senior POS Engineer" = POS modernization. Multiple roles in same area = major initiative.

Data Source

LinkedIn, Indeed, company career pages. Score: seniority, quantity, "greenfield" language.

{{first_name}}—noticed {{company}} hiring for {{role_1}}, {{role_2}}, {{role_3}}.

Looks like a serious push on {{area}}. But hiring takes 4-6 months.

We help companies get started while building the team—then hand off once they're ramped.

Worth a conversation about accelerating timeline?

Clay LinkedIn Indeed

Kiosk Rollout Pain

QSRSignal

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Signal

Brand announced kiosk rollout 12-18 months ago. 80% of customers report kiosk problems. These aren't hardware problems—they're integration problems.

Data Source

Press releases for rollout announcements. Set 12-18 month reminders. Social/review monitoring for complaints.

{{first_name}}—saw {{company}} rolled out kiosks across {{number}} locations.

Curious how integration is holding up. The pattern: hardware works, but connection between kiosk, POS, KDS, inventory breaks under load.

We've diagnosed these issues. Usually middleware, not vendor problem.

Worth comparing notes?

Press monitoring Social listening Review monitoring

Celebrity Partnership Tech Load

QSRSignal

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Signal

Celebrity partnership announced (Travis Scott x McDonald's style). 2-4 weeks before launch. Traffic spikes 5-10x. App crashes = PR nightmare.

Data Source

Entertainment/food news, social media alerts, brand PR. Reach out BEFORE launch.

{{first_name}}—congrats on the {{celebrity}} partnership. That's going to drive serious traffic.

Quick question: has anyone stress-tested ordering infrastructure for the spike? These partnerships often 5-10x normal volume.

We've helped QSRs prepare—load testing, pipeline optimization, real-time monitoring.

Worth a quick conversation before launch?

Entertainment news Social alerts Brand PR

Value Menu Margin Squeeze

QSRSignal

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Signal

Value menu launch ($5 meal deals). Margins compressed + volume spikes. They NEED operational efficiency tech to survive.

Data Source

QSR Magazine, press monitoring, earnings calls. Within 4 weeks of announcement.

{{first_name}}—saw {{company}}'s new value menu launch.

Challenge: compressing margin at exactly the moment volume spikes. Every inefficiency is magnified.

We've helped QSRs offset compression through tech efficiency—automating order flow, reducing ticket times, optimizing labor.

Worth a conversation about where tech can recover margin?

QSR Magazine Press monitoring Earnings calls

Labor Arbitrage Play

QSRSignal

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Signal

QSR with significant CA, NY, WA presence. CA fast food: $20.50/hr. Automation ROI is dramatically higher in high-wage states.

Data Source

State DOL websites, Fast Food Accountability Act (CA AB 1228). Brand location data from websites.

{{first_name}}—quick math for {{company}}'s California locations.

At $20.50/hr, automation ROI changed dramatically. A kiosk replacing 20 labor hours/week saves ~$21K/year per location. Multiply by your CA footprint.

We help QSRs prioritize automation where math is most compelling—not "everywhere" but by geography.

Worth a conversation?

State labor data Brand locations Clay

Multi-Unit Franchisee Play

QSRPE

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Signal

Large multi-unit franchisee (50+ locations). Sizzling Platter (400+ Little Caesars) just sold to Bain. These are enterprise buyers in franchise wrapper.

Data Source

Franchise Times "Restaurant 200", NRN largest franchisee lists, PE deal announcements.

{{first_name}}—congrats on the {{pe_firm}} deal.

Running 400+ locations is enterprise tech wrapped in franchise structure. Corporate systems only get you so far.

We work with operators at your scale on the layer you control—reporting, analytics, labor optimization.

Worth a conversation about where you have flexibility?

Franchise Times NRN PitchBook

Website Visitor Deanonymization

Signal

▼

Signal

Company visits stablekernel.com. Intent signal—they're researching you.

Data Source

Clearbit Reveal or RB2B (30-40% match rate). Integrate with Clay for enrichment. Score by ICP fit.

{{first_name}}—noticed someone from {{company}} was checking out our QSR work.

Curious what prompted the research. We've helped brands like {{similar}} with similar challenges.

Want me to send the full case study?

Clearbit Reveal RB2B Clay

Pre-Conference Warm-Up

ChannelQSR

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Signal

Target is speaking/exhibiting at NRA Show, MURTEC, FSTEC, Shoptalk. Speaker/exhibitor lists ARE public.

Data Source

Conference websites publish speaker/exhibitor lists (NOT attendee lists). Pull 6 weeks before. Enrich with Clay.

{{first_name}}—saw you're speaking at MURTEC on {{topic}}.

Your point about {{angle}} resonates with what we're seeing across QSR tech teams.

We'll be there too. Would love to grab 20 minutes. I have data on {{relevant}} that might help your roadmap.

Does {{day}} morning work?

Conference sites Clay Calendly

Industry News Triggers

SignalQSR

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Signal

Major industry news: FDA traceability requirements, POS security breaches, delivery fee changes, labor regulations.

Data Source

Google Alerts + Clay news monitoring on industry keywords. News creates urgency you didn't manufacture.

{{first_name}}—saw the new FDA digital traceability requirements.

This affects every QSR with multi-supplier food chains. The compliance timeline is aggressive.

We helped Kimberly-Clark solve exactly this—75% complaint reduction through better traceability infrastructure.

Worth a conversation about your compliance roadmap?

Google Alerts Clay news Industry press

Operating Partner Network

RelationshipPE

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Signal

None. Proactive relationship building with PE technology operating partners. They recommend vendors to portfolio companies.

Execution

Map operating partners at 50 target PE firms. Find shared connections. Offer to present at portfolio summits. Build reputation as someone who understands PE timelines.

{{first_name}}—been working with several PE-backed QSR companies on tech transformations.

The pattern: PE timelines don't match legacy system realities. We've helped bridge that gap for portfolio companies at {{other_pe_firm}}.

Would be valuable to compare notes on what you're seeing across your portfolio.

Worth 20 minutes?

LinkedIn Sales Navigator PitchBook Manual networking

Glassdoor Pain Mining

Signal

▼

Signal

Engineering reviews mention: legacy tech, tech debt, no roadmap, leadership churn. "Outdated systems" + "no investment" = buying signal.

Data Source

Glassdoor (scrapeable via Clay). Filter for engineering/tech roles. Look for patterns.

Critical: NEVER mention Glassdoor. NEVER quote reviews. Use insights to inform angle, lead with industry knowledge.

{{first_name}}—been researching QSR tech teams for a benchmark report.

{{company}}'s growth is impressive, but scaling engineering through that growth usually surfaces infrastructure challenges.

Curious if you're hitting the wall most companies hit around the {{count}}-engineer mark.

Worth comparing notes?

Clay Glassdoor Manual analysis

Due Diligence Intercept

RelationshipChannel

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Signal

None. Channel development with tech due diligence firms. They see deals before anyone else and recommend implementation partners.

Target

Principals/partners at: Bain tech practice, McKinsey digital, BCG tech, specialized DD boutiques.

{{first_name}}—we work with PE-backed companies post-close on tech implementation.

Happy to be a resource during your DD work—candid views on vendor choices, implementation timelines, what's realistic.

No strings. Just useful to have someone who's seen these implementations firsthand.

Worth a quick call?

Manual networking LinkedIn CRM

B-TIER Situational Plays (Score 28-34)

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Earnings Call Commitment

Signal

▼

Signal

CEO tells Wall Street about $50M digital investment. Public commitment = internal pressure.

Limitation

PUBLIC COMPANIES ONLY. In QSR: ~15% of chains (McDonald's, Chipotle, Starbucks, Darden, Yum). Most targets are PE-backed.

{{first_name}}—caught {{ceo}}'s Q3 call about the ${{amount}} digital investment.

The "unified experience by end of next year" timeline is aggressive.

We helped {{similar}} hit a similar timeline. The secret was what we didn't build.

Worth 20 min?

AlphaSense Seeking Alpha SEC filings

Big Consultancy Fatigue

Signal

▼

Signal

Company working with Accenture/Deloitte 12+ months with no visible shipping. They got decks, not software.

Data Reality

Hard to systematize. Requires detective work: consultancy case studies, press releases, LinkedIn stalking. Best used opportunistically.

{{first_name}}—sounds like {{company}} has been working on {{initiative}} for a while.

Not here to trash your current partners. Big consultancies are great at what they do.

But if you need people who ship code instead of decks, that's what we do.

Worth a conversation about what's stuck?

LinkedIn Manual research

Contract Renewal Window

Signal

▼

Signal

Vendor relationship approaching renewal. 60-90 days before = evaluation window.

Data Reality

Contract dates almost never public. Estimating from partnership announcements + assuming 2-3 year terms. Educated guessing.

{{first_name}}—based on when {{company}} announced the {{vendor}} partnership, you're probably approaching renewal.

Not assuming you're unhappy. But if evaluating alternatives, we have a build vs. buy vs. partner framework.

Want me to send it?

CRM Press archives

Pre-IPO Tech Cleanup

PEQSR

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Signal

IPO rumors, S-1 prep, "going public in X years" statements. Inspire Brands IPO explored. Dave's Hot Chicken wants to IPO in ~3 years.

Target

CTO (tech readiness), CFO (audit/controls), COO (scalability). 18-24 months pre-IPO.

{{first_name}}—saw reports about {{company}}'s IPO timeline.

Tech due diligence for going public is intense. Auditors want: system docs, DR plans, scalability projections, security posture.

We've helped PE-backed companies get tech stack IPO-ready—not just working but audit-ready.

Worth a conversation?

Bloomberg Reuters SEC EDGAR

Menu Simplification Signal

QSRSignal

▼

Signal

Menu simplification announcement (fewer SKUs). Cascades to POS, KDS, inventory, training, mobile app. Tech project disguised as menu project.

Data Source

Google Alerts, NRN, QSR Magazine. Within 2 weeks of announcement.

{{first_name}}—saw the news about {{company}}'s menu simplification.

Smart move. Hidden challenge: every menu change cascades to POS, KDS, inventory, training, mobile app across hundreds of locations.

We've helped QSRs execute these transitions smoothly.

Worth comparing notes?

Google Alerts NRN QSR Magazine

Client Advisory Board

Relationship

▼

Signal

None. Referral infrastructure. Systematize getting intros from current/past clients.

Execution

8-12 well-connected clients. Quarterly board meetings. Give value: early methodology access, peer networking. Ask: "Who in your network is dealing with [challenge]?"

Calendar CRM

Deep Research Brief

Relationship

▼

Signal

None. Proactive for top 20 accounts. 2 hours research per account. Produce something so good they'd pay for it.

Execution

2-page brief: strategic challenges, tech landscape, 2-3 recommendations. Send with personalized Loom walkthrough. Follow up in 1 week.

{{first_name}}—spent time researching {{company}}'s digital landscape.

Put together a brief: tech stack, competitive pressure from {{competitor}}, where I see biggest leverage.

Genuinely useful regardless of whether we work together. Recorded a 5-min walkthrough.

Worth a look?

Manual research Loom Google Docs

Multi-Stakeholder Campaign

Channel

▼

Signal

Priority account in active eval. CTO cares about architecture. CFO cares about ROI. PE partner cares about timeline.

Execution

Map decision unit. Persona-specific messaging. Coordinate timing. Reference same initiative, frame differently.

LinkedIn CRM

Inbound Qualification Engine

Channel

▼

Signal

Inbound lead (form fill, demo request). Operations play—qualify and route properly.

Execution

Clay enriches on form submit. AI scores ICP fit. Strong Fit → AE notification + Calendly immediately. Possible Fit → SDR queue 24hr. Not Fit → nurture.

Clay n8n/Zapier CRM