George Lovato Jr. adds business coaching to Chef-iT AI avatar

TV chef George Lovato Jr. has reframed his Chef-iT platform as an on-demand business resource for restaurateurs, chefs and food entrepreneurs. The goal is to help operators make faster, better decisions on pricing, labor, inventory and planning before mistakes turn costly.

Why it matters: - Restaurant failures often come from weak business planning, not weak cooking. - Chef-iT is aimed at giving operators immediate guidance on the business side of food service, where bad decisions can quickly become expensive. - The platform is positioned for independent owners, first-time operators and chefs moving into ownership.

What happened: - George Lovato Jr., host of Chasing The Flames and creator of Chef-iT, announced a new focus for the platform on July 23, 2026. - The Albuquerque-based launch frames Chef-iT as an on-demand business acumen resource for restaurateurs, executive chefs, general managers and food entrepreneurs. - The service uses a voice-activated conversational AI avatar named Chef George. - More information is available at ChasingTheFlames.com.

The details: - Chef-iT is described as a first-to-market “everything culinary” conversational AI avatar. - Users can ask about food costing, menu design, pricing strategy, staffing, purchasing, inventory, customer experience, marketing ideas, expansion planning and operational discipline. - The platform is designed to help users ask better questions, make better decisions and understand restaurant operations in real time. - Lovato said many restaurants fail because operators lack the business experience, training, research, planning or financial understanding needed before and after opening. - Lovato said he has spent 44 years in merchant banking and corporate finance consulting and has financed scores of restaurants. - Lovato said he often pushes entrepreneurs to read, research their market, study what works and prepare before opening. - Chef-iT is meant to serve as a daily sounding board so operators can address problems before they become crises. - The platform does not replace legal, tax, accounting or financial advisors.

Between the lines: - The pivot highlights a broader pitch for AI in hospitality: not just recipe help, but operational decision support. - Lovato is using his culinary profile and finance background to position Chef-iT as a practical business coach, not a novelty chatbot. - The messaging suggests the product is aimed at smaller operators who may not have access to in-house business expertise. - The announcement leans on a common restaurant truth: passion and food quality are not enough without tight controls on costs and operations.

What's next: - Chef-iT is expected to continue targeting chefs, restaurateurs, culinary students, food truck operators, catering companies and food entrepreneurs. - Lovato says the platform will keep building momentum with interest from chefs, food influencers, media and culinary professionals. - The product is being positioned as a kitchen companion for creativity, training, operations and business planning.

The bottom line: - Chef-iT is being pitched as a business brain for the kitchen, with AI support focused on the decisions that help restaurants survive and grow.