9:30 am | Breakout Session

Tech Talk: The Future of Contactless and Online Ordering

Although the industry was embracing online ordering and contactless delivery, the onset of COVID-19 sped up adoption. What was once considered “nice to have” quickly turned into a “must have” for any restaurant hoping to do business during the pandemic.

Now that the pandemic is less of a worry, however, are these technology upgrades still necessary? If so, which platforms are best, and how does a restaurant with a small budget decide how and where to invest.

Attendees will not only learn the answers to these questions but also hear experts weigh in on what other customer experience technologies are coming soon.

Panelists:
• Justin Bartek | Marketing Director | bushi by JINYA
• Sean Kennedy | President & CEO | Cowboy Chicken
• Julio Ramirez | CEO | BurgerFi

Moderator:
• Frank Chen | Director of Product Marketing | Toast

9:30 am | Breakout Session

Is Your Supply Chain Broken?

The supply chain is one of the most important aspects of a successful operations model, but too often restaurants make mistakes, which end up losing them money. This session will reveal several ways that attendees may save those dollars, including tips on supply chain management, master distribution agreements, managed produce and contracts.

They’ll learn how to identify overcharges, maximize contract utilization, upgrade management reporting and maximize rebate dollars.

Panelists:
• Zaid Ayoub | Founder & CEO | SAJJ Mediterranean
• Olivia Bane | Director of Company Operations | I Love Juice Bar
• Nour Rabai | Founder & CEO | PITA Mediterranean Street Food
• Samir Wattar | COO | Layne’s Chicken Fingers

Moderator:
• Vince Purves | President | Consolidated Concepts

11:00 am | Breakout Session

Using AI to Build Customer-Specific Marketing Campaigns

Restaurants must not only be experts when it comes to food but also in delighting customers. Today’s customer experience extends across platforms, whether that’s dining on-premises or ordering something for delivery off-premises.

That means having a stronger understanding of your customers and providing personalized marketing campaigns in addition to live one-to-one experiences. This can only be accomplished when artificial intelligence and machine learning are used properly.

Experts in this session will discuss how they use AI and ML to drive individual actions, as well as the campaigns that build loyalty.

Panelists:
• Ryan Harrison | Chief Operating Officer | Zunzi’s
• Scott Johnson | VP Head of Marketing | Smashburger
• Laura Sporrer | Senior Marketing Manager | Teriyaki Madness

Moderator:
• Kristin Lynch | Director of Restaurant Data Insights | Paytronix

11:00 am | Breakout Session

Enhancing Off-premise Operations to Build Customer Trust

Although consumers were starting to embrace delivery and carry-out options by the beginning of 2020, the pandemic accelerated the off-premise trend and forced operators to adjust their business models to win in this new normal.

They not only had to lean into technology to help them offer contactless experiences, but they also implemented strict hygiene and food safety protocols in hopes of gaining customer trust.

This session features restaurant leaders sharing those journeys. They’ll discuss what companies they partnered with and why, how much they invested and what they’d do differently.

Panelists:
• Jim Bitticks | COO | Dave’s Hot Chicken
• Tom Ferguson Jr. | CEO | Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken
• Tinku Saini | CEO & Co-Founder | Tarka Indian Kitchen

Moderator:
• Tracey Fullington | National Account Manager | Essity North America

12:45 pm | Breakout Session

Leaning Into Modernized Loyalty to Drive Digital Acceleration

Establishing an emotional connection between your brand and customers is the height of marketing success, but achieving it is complex.

This session will feature operators using technology to deliver frictionless interactions that exceed customers’ expectations, increase their visit frequency and spend and drive the advanced loyalty your brand craves.

Panelists:
• Tom Carr | CMO | Chicken Salad Chick
• Laura Rea Dickey | CEO | Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants
• Desi Saran | Founder & CEO | Sweetberry Bowls

Moderator:
• Kevin Sanders | Industry Solutions Director, Restaurants | Cheetah Digital

12:45 pm | Breakout Session

Why Restaurants Are Ditching the Transaction Mindset To Focus On Customers

Restaurant brands used to win by driving transactions and focusing on output metrics—keeping tabs on cover counts and obsessing over same-store sales. Winning didn’t require knowing who was dining or ordering, why, or how often. Now, leading restaurant brands in every category are personalizing the guest experience, in-restaurant and online, to maximize customer lifetime value—an input metric that can be impacted by the decisions being made across every business unit—from finance and marketing to operations and culinary.

In this session, we’ll explore how it’s been proven that the top 5% of customers drive 27% of sales and why restaurants that know their customers, their preferences, and their lifetime value dominate.

Panelists:
• Todd Madlener | President & COO | Coolgreens
• Aaron Noveshen | CEO, Starbird / Founder & Chairman, The Culinary Edge
• Sergio Perez | Sr. Director of Omnichannel | Bojangles
• Vince Szwajkowski | CMO | Blaze Pizza

Moderator:
• Mike Vichich | Co-Founder & CEO | Wisely

4:00 pm | Breakout Session

How to Build a Solid Virtual Business

Ghost kitchens are one of the industry’s hottest trends, so this session explores how three established brands have incorporated ghost kitchens into their operations models.

They’ll not only talk about why they decided to embrace the trend so early but also reveal the partnerships they’ve made and the technology required to run a successful virtual business.

Lastly, they’ll share their outlook on the future of ghost kitchens and contactless delivery as well as a few other upcoming trends in operations.

Panelists:
• Geoff Alexander | CEO | Wow Bao
• James O’Reilly | CEO | Smokey Bones
• Jason Valentine | President & COO | Zoup! Eatery

Moderator:
• Jonathan Schroeder | Director of National Accounts | Alto-Shaam

4:00 pm | Breakout Session

How to Cruise Through Drive-thru Remodels

Finding a drive-thru lane at a fast casual restaurant used to be rare, but they are becoming more commonplace as customers demand contactless pick-up points. This session will feature executives who have incorporated drive-thrus into their business models.

They’ll talk about how to ensure a good ROI as well as pitfalls to avoid.

Panelists:
• Kevin King | Chief Development Officer | Smoothie King
• Steve Lieber | VP Franchise Business Development | BurgerFi
• Paul Peterson | CEO | Caffeinated Ventures

Moderator:
• Valerie Cansler | VP of Client Services | Curion

10:05 am | Breakout Session

Not Only Surviving, But Thriving Through the Pandemic

While many restaurants across the world closed or struggled to stay in business over the past year, a few posted higher-than-ever sales.

This session will feature three of those brand leaders revealing their strategies for handling the crisis. They’ll talk about how they pivoted their operational models, redistributed labor and added new menu offerings as well as how they created new revenue streams to pad the bottom line.

Panelists:
• Jack Gibbons | CEO | FB Society
• Jonathan Luther | Co-Founder & Proprietor | JJ’s Red Hots
• Tom Sacco | CEO & President | Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlors & Tony Sacco’s Coal Oven Kitchen

Moderator:
• Doug Sutton | President | Steritech

10:05 am | Breakout Session

Eating Out Again: Restaurant Insights for Marketing in the New Normal

The pandemic of 2020 clearly affected when, where and how consumers source food, along with how they will engage with restaurants going forward. As brands seek to activate more guests, what should marketing look like in this post-pandemic era? Has the customer path-to-purchase changed? How can brands make their comeback stronger than the setback?

This panel will address these questions and more by showcasing new, survey-based research report findings. In this session, we will provide a fascinating glimpse into the consumer “value equation” and the role that Incentive Marketing should have in your media strategy. Discussion topics to include:

• • How restaurants can best engage consumers at this moment
  • How incentive marketing can drive post-pandemic behavior and play a major role in enticing new – or lapsed – guests
  • How urgency marketing gives marketers tools to support shifts toward app purchases and brand loyalty

Panelists:
• Matt Lukosavich | Director, Industry Strategy – Restaurant | Vericast
• C.J. Ramirez | SVP of Marketing | Dog Haus
• Mandy Shaw | CEO | Blaze Pizza

Moderator:
• Cherryh Cansler | VP of Editorial | Networld Media Group

11:25 am | Breakout Session

Is It Time for an Upgrade?

Although it may seem like up-and-coming brands have an edge when it comes to featuring the latest design trends and technology advancements, legacy brands don’t have to look and feel outdated.

This session will feature execs from older brands that have recently remodeled or redesigned their customer experience from new layouts and technology upgrades to hybrid service models.

Panelists:
• Jim Butler | President | Jon Smith Subs
• Stacey Kane | Restaurant Marketing Consultant
• Tom Krouse | President & CEO | Donatos

Moderator:
• Scotty Perkins, CAMS | SVP & Head of LedgerPay, CCO | LedgerPay

11:25 am | Breakout Session

Meatless: It’s What’s for Dinner

With more than 60% of Americans saying that since COVID-19 they have incorporated more plant-based foods into their diets, fast casual restaurants – regional and national – are glowing up their meatless options.

And while a meatless strategy makes sense for many brands, how do you know if it will work for your restaurant?

Chefs in this session will weigh on the right and wrong ways to incorporate meatless options to your menu.

Panelists:
• Dina Mitchell | Founder | PowerSoul Cafe
• Chef Daryl Shular, CMC | Founder & CEO | Daryl Shular Hospitality Group
• Bettina Stern | Co-Founder | Chaia Tacos

Moderators:
• Chef Grant Petersen | Sales Director | Meatless Farm
• Boudewijn Tiktak | CEO | Meatless Farm, North America

1:10 pm | Breakout Session

Fueling Up Your Bottomline with Beverage Innovation

By incorporating and promoting new and interesting beverages, restaurants have been able to quench customers’ thirst and appeal to new customers and different dayparts. Fast Casuals can take this a step further by energizing their customers through beverage innovation. With a stimulating 10.5% increase in energy drink and caffeine-infused beverage sales and a high rate of ongoing consumption by nearly half of the of-age US population, restaurant operators are keeping pace by incorporating energizing beverages into their menus.

This session will feature brands that are exploring beverage innovations from ready-to-drink options and craft cocktails to shakes and smoothies.

Panelists:
• Kristi Bullock | Director Menu Innovation | Tropical Smoothie
• Steve Felson | VP of Operations | Bonchon
• Steve Schulze | Co-Founder & CEO | Nékter Juice Bar
• Samuel Stanovich | Senior VP of Franchise Leadership | Big Chicken

Moderator:
• Charles Dixon | On-Premises National Accounts Manager LSR/QSR segment | Red Bull

1:10 pm | Breakout Session

Using SMS Marketing to Build Diner Loyalty and Drive Repeat Orders!

Over 90% of consumers say they’d be open to signing up to receive text messages from businesses—and 55% have already done so. For food and beverage marketers, this presents a valuable opportunity to engage diners where they’re already browsing for their next meal: on their mobile devices.

In this session, you’ll learn how top food, beverage, and restaurant brands are using SMS marketing to connect with local customers, build diner loyalty, and increase online orders.

Panelists:
• Devin Handler | VP of Brand Marketing | Naf Naf Grill
• Jeff Levine | Co-Founder & CEO | Raw Juce
• Debbie Roxarzade | Founder & CEO | Rachel’s Kitchen
• Chris Smith | Co-Founder & CEO | Zunzi’s

Moderator:
• Brock Bergman | Strategic Account Executive, Food & Beverage | Attentive

2:30 pm | Breakout Session

Using Tech to Control Labor Woes

Recruiting and keeping employees happy is just part of the struggle employers are facing when it comes to labor issues. With minimum wages rising, it’s imperative to track labor hour by hour rather than per shift in order to predict labor costs with greater accuracy. Technology can help, however, which is what the experts on this panel will discuss. They’ll reveal what platforms are worth the cost and which they should have avoided.

Panelists:
• Andy Hooper | President | &pizza
• Eric Ersher | Founder & CEO | Zoup! Eatery
• John Pepper | Founder | Boloco

Moderator:
• Dale McKee | Director of Sales Support | Xenial

2:30 pm | Breakout Session

How to Digitally Transform Your Restaurant’s Operations

From food safety and preventing incidents, to ensuring team members follow your brand and regulatory standards, to delivering the optimal guest experience day in and day out – running a restaurant in 2021 is no easy task, but there are a variety of strategies and tools to make it easier.

Experts in this panel reveal what’s worked – and what hasn’t – for them.

Panelists:
• Matt Friedman | Co-Founder & CEO | Wing Zone
• Jon Sherman | CEO & Founder | Sticky’s Finger Joint
• Danielle Williams | Ops Services Manager | Checkers & Rally’s Drive-In

Moderator:
• Keith Cole | VP of Sales | CMX