Daniel "Dano" Kirk has been working in and around restaurants since he started washing dishes in 1986 at a small spot on the Jersey Shore. (Not that Jersey Shore, though).

After five years at the University of Dayton in Ohio, Dano moved to Atlanta and spent the summer paying off his credit cards while working for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.

Several hospitality jobs later he started with Taco Mac and moved from Server to Bartender, Manager, General Manager and then into Operations opening several new locations as well as their Corporate Office. Under his leadership, POS and AV all came in house and the company grew from six locations to ultimately over thirty. Dano's title changed from IT Director to finally the Director for New Technologies and a partner in the company. He worked with dozens of technology vendors to test their products in the harsh environments of the restaurant world. On the POS side of things he helped NCR's Aloha develop their Loyalty Program and was the featured keynote speaker at their 2007 dealer's conference. He also worked hand in hand with Taco Mac's CFO to integrate all of their systems and automate data import into their accounting, HR and payroll packages.

After Taco Mac was purchased by an investment group in 2012, Dano left after a fifteen year tenure to open his own restaurant in the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta. He would continue to consult part time with all of his former restaurant co-workers as they spread throughout Metro Atlanta and the Southeast. His life experience in restaurant operations combined with an in-depth knowledge of existing, new and emerging technologies made him a unique asset for his "side-hustle" clients.

In 2022, Dano sold his restaurant after eight and a half years to concentrate on his consulting opportunities full time and Kirkyard A|V became his primary work focus. When asked what he can do for a client, Dano says "If it plugs in and isn't a toaster, microwave or refrigerator; yeah, I can do that." (But even many of those devices are becoming "smart".)

And while he misses the day to day hustle in the trenches, "About 95% of my clients are restaurants so I'm still in restaurants every day. Sure, nights and weekends too, because that's when a bar is busy and might have an immediate need. But now I get a little more time off."

He currently lives in Eastlake on the east side of Atlanta with his wife Stephanie, son Liam and daughter Stella.