Screens are everywhere. They're on gas pumps, taxi headrests, airplane seats, even department store mirrors. It was only a matter of time before retail outlets tried screens on freezer doors, imagining they should glow too. What happened instead was a series of flickering displays, mislabeled shelves, and, at one point, freezers so opaque that employees taped up paper signs reading “Drinks Inside.”

This episode of Decisions at the Fulcrum dives into what happens when innovation chases spectacle instead of substance. From a six-store pilot stretched far beyond solid evidence, to the December 2023 “blackout” where Cooler Screens pulled the plug on over 100 stores, this is a story of misplaced optimism that iced over into lawsuits. When the screens finally came down, Walgreens went back to reliable glass door. Sometimes the best decision is the one you can see all the way through.

This podcast cites Carr's January 16, 2025 article in Bloomberg. The introduction bit is *not an ad* for any real product (there is no hydro-deluxe as far as I know). It's for entertainment and storytelling.

In this episode, we settle in at the Hampton Inn for its familiarity. Hampton Inn has perfected what organizational scholar Herbert Simon termed "satisficing," or the practice of being deemed "good enough" by reaching quality thresholds.

Hilton used guest surveys to make big changes to Hampton, and one change was the waffle bar becoming a signature feature.

We go through the acquisition from Hilton in the late 1990s to their makeover in the 2000s, to the 3,000 hotels throughout the globe today that have white duvets, shared work tables, and waffle irons that beep like a synchronized wake up call. From the days of exterior corridors in the 1980s and move across the decades into the lobbies that smell like waffles and have 50 charging ports, Hampton has changed in exterior and interior appearances, yet their ethos has remained constant - that's a decision!

• What does it mean for a company to make sufficiency, not luxury or flash, a long-term goal?
• How can doing the same thing over and over again build trust amongst people from different cultures and times?

This is also a reflection on how organizational decision makers enact a vision over the long term, and ultimately, how "good enough" became the strategy for brand expansion and longevity.

This episode references an article in Bloomberg Businessweek published by Patrick Clark in July 2025.

Caplinger's Seafood has turned into a local place in Indiana, famous for offering seafood that boasts the freshness you'd find in a coastal area along the Gulf in Florida or Louisiana or somewhere in Alaska, Washington (state), or Idaho.

When the owners shifted their focus from the main dishes to the sides on the menu, they discovered exciting prospects, thanks to a clever application of linear and non-linear modeling.

In this episode, I look closely at Seidelson's (2020) case study first, to find out how Caplinger's in Indianapolis employed linear and non-linear programming to evaluate labor costs, forecast demand, and determine profitability for delicious items like chipotle slaw, fried okra, and the classic macaroni and cheese.

I investigate how decisions were made, and why they did not simply set out after the maximum output. As a result, a decision-making system was developed that they will continue implementing over time.

Additionally, this episode showcases information that inland seafood markets, cozy small-town diners, or local favorites benefit from by applying research to discover opportunities and apply directed improvements. This helps restaurants and similar enterprises discover there can be a level-headed agreement between statistical analysis and practical effectiveness in a vibrant environment like a kitchen.