Keynote Session | October 14, 2014 | 9:30am
Transformation Stories: How Marriott International is Competing in the Fast Casual Space
Lon Southerland, former sr. director global food and beverage for Marriott International, will describe how and why he chose to break from the standard hotel buffet options to create The Bistro, a fast casual concept inside Marriott lobbies that serve more than 50,000 guests a day, while maintaining its reputation as a sustainable brand with healthy menu items. Southerland will speak about the strategies he’s used to grow the concept to 750 units in just a few years and will share his expertise on transforming menus, launching F&B promos and creating partnerships to help grow brands.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Lon Southerland | Former Sr. Dir. Global Food & Beverage | Marriott International
Lon Southerland, a prominent food and beverage industry executive known for taking Marriott’s The Bistro – Eat.Drink.Connect® concept from inception to the most rapidly growing fast-casual restaurant in the U.S. (overseeing 750 restaurants, opening one a business day and 2500+ coffee venues), holds a career-long record of key contributions that include four Inc. 500 awards as COO, development of Starbucks #1 F&B program, creation of 7-Eleven’s $120M fresh food concept, and recognition from The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and other media as an industry subject matter expert.
