By Valerie Killifer, senior editor, Fastcasual.com
If restaurant operators are aware of anything, it’s that the world is changing.
A struggling economy has led operators to change their financing and growth structure, a changing consumer mindset has led them to change their business model and television shows on channels such as The Food Network have changed what consumers want on the menu.
Restaurant operators who can’t keep pace with the industry will quickly fall behind while those who do will become the industry leaders and innovators.
The Fast Casual Executive Summit, Sept. 14-15 at The Hotel Palomar in Dallas, will pose one all-important question to fast casual operators: "How will you lead the charge?"
Day one
That question will be asked by Summit speaker Dean Lindsay, author of "The Progress Challenge" and "Cracking the Networking CODE." Lindsay's keynote, "The Progress Challenge: Working and Winning in a World of Change," will kick off two days of collaborative industry sessions designed keep fast casual executives one step ahead of industry trends.
The first collaborative session will follow Lindsay’s speech. The session, "Learning the New Financial Business Model for the Restaurant Industry," will be presented by Jim Greco, CEO and president of Bruegger’s, and Louis Basile, founder and CEO of Wildflower Bread Co.
The session will focus on how operators can streamline operations, create vendor partnerships and capitalize on changing real estate needs to aid future growth. It will be followed by "Brand Builders," a discussion with Ed Frechette, VP of marketing at Au Bon Pain, Alan Hixon, president of Mooyah Burgers & Fries and Dan Kim, CEO of Red Mango.
"Even the most successful brands must constantly adapt to keep pace with cultural changes and shifting consumer preferences," said Linda Duke, principal and president of Duke Marketing. "Owning a powerful brand enables you to capture and retain consumer loyalty and provides the leverage and credibility to expand your brand into new markets and categories and to introduce new products."
The discussion will focus on how restaurant brands can build an emotional connection with guests and the various programs that can help make brand community leaders.
Day two
Day two of the Summit will begin with a keynote address given by Au Bon Pain CEO Sue Morelli. Morelli’s speech, "Getting Inside the Mind of the Savvy Consumer," will focus on how, why and when consumers purchase products.
Morelli said today's operators need to be savvy enough to know the difference between a trend and a fad, and must work harder stay ahead of the industry.
"I think fast casual has really understood the consumer because they understand there’s an opportunity to serve the guest," Morelli said. "I think continuing to try and differentiate themselves from quick service is a good thing and a hard thing, especially when you have somebody like McDonald's blurring the line so much."
One way fast casual restaurants can differentiate their products and services is through sustainable practices.
Jeff Harvey, CEO of Burgerville, and Peter Truitt, founder and CEO of Truitt Bros., will host the session, "Sustainability Takes New Track to the Profit Line."
Truitt said one big misconception surrounding sustainability is its being synonymous with "green."
"In the restaurant industry, sustainability has somehow become disconnected from food and the menu," Truitt said. "That’s a mistake because food and the menu are the two most powerful cues to the consumer. Sustainability as a term won’t work on a menu because most consumers don’t know what it is. However, narratives about the goodness of the food, the story of the food, honesty about the source of the food on the menu, is extremely powerful to the consumer. The consumer adds it up to quality."
The Summit will conclude at 5 p.m. Sept. 15 after the final session, "CEO Roundtable "Leading your business from good to great."
