BREAKOUT SESSION / MONDAY / OCTOBER 14, 2019 / 12:45 PM
Freeing Your Restaurant from Tablet Hell
Many fast casuals rely on third-party companies to help meet their delivery needs, but what should be an easy way to add an additional revenue stream can easily turn into an operations and customer experience nightmare. Orders are often lost or typed in wrong, for example, when employees have to pull orders from a tablet and manually enter them into a POS system.
This session offers advice from restaurant operators who have been to tablet hell and back.
PANELISTS
Scott Goodrich | COO | Greek from Greece
As an industry leader, Scott Goodrich’s role as COO of Greek from Greece comprises driving the business through operations, marketing, purchasing and a passion for people. Scott entered the restaurant industry after developing his leadership skills with United Airlines. Scott was recruited by the Murrell Family, founders of Five Guys Burgers and Fries, in March of 2005. During his career at Five Guys, Scott developed operational and training procedures, and was a key architect behind the massive growth of the Five Guys franchise system. With a calling for brand development, Scott made an impactful contribution in the growth of both Uncle Maddio’s Pizza and Stacked Pickle as COO.
Dawn Nielsen | COO | Kolache Factory
Dawn Nielsen has worked her way from the ground up at Kolache Factory – literally. She was scrubbing restaurant floors at the age nine as the daughter of Kolache Factory founders, Jerri and John Banks. Today, Dawn leads teams in research and development, manages employee relationships and human resources, as well as supervises strategic communications efforts, including public relations, marketing and advertising. Her commitment to the community has earned her the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Chairman’s Special Recognition Award. When she isn’t building the Kolache Factory brand, she enjoys spending time with her family at their Texas ranch in Fulshear.
Desi Saran | Founder & CEO | Sweetberry Bowls
Sweetberry Bowls was founded in 2017 by restaurant veteran, Desi Saran. He is a serial entrepreneur with an MBA in Finance & BA in Economics from Rutgers University. Saran has extensive experience in developing fast-casual chains and tech start-ups. Saran created Sweetberry Bowls to provide quality and affordable food options to consumers. The healthy, fast-casual concept specializes in Acai bowls, shakes and other snacks, with a focus on product, atmosphere and extraordinary customer service. Under Saran’s leadership, the company opened 12 corporate stores during its first year, with multiple locations in development across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, North and South Carolina in 2019.
MODERATOR
Sterling Douglass | Co-Founder & CEO | Chowly
Sterling Douglass is the Co-founder and CEO of Chowly, a first-of-its-kind service that helps restaurants integrate orders from Third-party Online Ordering Systems (UberEats, DoorDash, etc.) into their POS system. His work has been focused on building things; Teams, relationships, products, and companies. Winner of the Chicago Innovation Up & Comer award, Chowly has grown due to a fierce focus on lean start-up and an out-of-box thinking leadership team. Sterling also enjoys entrepreneurship, specifically the first stages a company goes through in the early days. For more information on Chowly, visit www.chowlyinc.com
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