From Neuroscience to Restaurant Tech: Elizabeth McDonnell’s Unconventional Path
Elizabeth McDonnell, Senior Group Product Manager at Lightspeed Commerce, was honored with the Rising Star in Restaurant Technology award at MURTEC 2025’s Experience Matters.
McDonnell has always been fascinated by what makes people tick — a passion backed by degrees in psychology and sociology from Wellesley College, followed by graduate work in neuroscience at Brown University. “Through these experiences, I became highly trained in data science, in the scientific method, and in how to apply them to understanding human behavior,” she said.
But something was missing.
“There was one problem — I missed collaborating with others on the ground floor of tangible, human problems. One focus of my research had been the impact of stress on long-term health. We now have evidence that workplace stress can be worse for your health than smoking cigarettes. I wanted to test my hypothesis that a workplace without a top-down, ‘brigade’ structure could lead to better health outcomes.”
So she opened Fortnight Wine Bar in Providence, R.I.
The bar quickly drew attention, landing features in GQ, Bon Appétit, Eater, and Wine Enthusiast. But as any operator knows, success doesn’t mean smooth sailing. “With no prior experience and a background in data and science, I turned to technology to help our small team solve problems.”
That’s when she discovered Upserve (now Lightspeed) — a customizable, platform. An added bonus: the company was also local. “I had the opportunity to meet people across Upserve’s product and engineering teams. While I hadn’t considered a career in tech, I surprised even myself when I left grad school with a master’s in neuroscience for an entry-level role in product management,” McDonnell recalls.
What started as an experiment became a calling. McDonnell found that her love for building things, her background in hospitality, and her training in the scientific method translated perfectly to a product role in restaurant technology.
After a six-year run, Fortnight Wine Bar closed in 2022. Today, McDonnell is Senior Group Product Manager at Lightspeed Commerce. And she has a new side hustle: she’s a co-founder of Pizza Wine, a Rhode Island-based winemaker.
Her core passion — understanding human behavior — still drives her. “This translates to a sense of responsibility for fostering meaningful human relationships. Where else — besides restaurants — do we have deep, meaningful conversations with both close friends and complete strangers? Some of the most pivotal conversations of our time have happened late at night at restaurants or bars. Especially in today’s rapidly changing social landscape, I’m passionate about preserving the restaurant as a key ‘third space’ in our communities,” she said.
Her love for technology is rooted in its potential to support that mission. “My passion lies in freeing operators from the work that distracts them from what really matters — delivering hospitality and creating environments that foster human connection. Operators are doing society a tremendous service, and I’m excited to help make their jobs easier, while leaving room for creativity and connection.”
Looking Ahead: The Power of AI
McDonnell is particularly excited about the promise of AI in restaurant operations. “It’s not just a new technology — it’s a new dimension of data science that can make all our tools smarter, faster, and more effective.”
That said, she also sees a critical shift on the horizon.
“At the risk of being unpopular, I think the industry is heading toward tech exhaustion. The rapid rollout of point-solution tools during COVID led to bloated, fragmented systems. Operators are tired of the moving parts in their tech stack, but they don’t want to lose the efficiencies those tools created. This is where AI shines — layered onto the core systems that restaurants already rely on, AI can simplify the day-to-day, reduce friction, and give operators time back.”
Key Accomplishment: Benchmarking Real Insight
One of McDonnell’s proudest accomplishments to date is leading the development of the Benchmarks and Trends data tool, launched in 2024. Built on a powerful machine learning backbone, it helps operators understand not just their own performance, but how it stacks up locally.
“As an operator, this perspective is huge,” she explained. “Instead of wondering if a slow night meant you messed something up, Benchmarks and Trends lets you see if everyone was slow — or just you. We can also show how your prices compare to others like you, and where you have flexibility to raise or lower prices based on market dynamics.”
On Mentorship and Recognition
McDonnell is deeply committed to mentorship, both as a mentor and a mentee. “I can’t speak enough about how helpful mentorship has been to my growth,” she said. “Lightspeed has an incredible mentorship program for women — it’s invaluable to have someone who will give honest, direct feedback in a safe, aligned space.”
Receiving the Rising Star in Restaurant Technology award, she said, “represents the intersection of my seemingly disparate passions — neuroscience, human behavior, hospitality, and technology. This recognition validates my unconventional path from research scientist to restaurant owner to product leader.”
But perhaps most meaningful is what the award symbolizes: a human-first approach to restaurant technology. “Too often we get caught up in the tech and forget its purpose — to enhance human connection. Technology should help restaurateurs do what they do best: create memorable, meaningful experiences.”
“And as someone who’s been on both sides — as an operator and now as a builder — this recognition reinforces my commitment to developing solutions that understand and address the real-world challenges of an industry I love.”