How Technology Advancements are Changing your Kitchen and BoH Operations

Two technological advancements are already improving restaurants around the world – robotics and adding smart technology to foodservice equipment. Both are not only changing the customer experience in the front of house but also the level of productivity and labor in the kitchen.

This session will explore how operators must embrace the kitchen of the future in order to automate meal production and to take better care of their units.

Panelists:
• Geoff Alexander | CEO | Wow Bao
• Dennis O’Toole | Principal Consultant | Kitchen Equipment Solutions

Moderator:
• Erik Koenig | VP of Strategic Marketing & Product Content | Heritage Parts

Handling Workplace Diversity, Compliance and Soft Skills Training with Mobile Technology

Trying to fix a problem is much more costly than putting the training and systems in place to prevent it from occurring. This is doubly important when dealing with difficult issues like workplace diversity and gender equality in the workplace. When disasters revolve around these topics, it’s rarely clear what the point of failure was or how to fix it. Thus prevention is a must for businesses.

This session will give attendees insight and the tools needed to ensure that their workplace is a positive and inclusive environment.

Panelists:
• Bill DiPaola | COO | Ballard Brands
• Steve Felson | Former EVP, Business Operations | BurgerFi
• Jae Kim | Owner & Founder | Chi’Lantro
• Michael Mohammed | CEO | Chronic Tacos

Moderator:
• Paul Bradley | Head of Product Management | PlayerLync

Controlling Your Marketing: Are Your Franchisees Going Rogue?

The signs and materials in all locations need to be exactly the same — except when they shouldn’t. But how do you know when to be consistent and when to allow flexibility for local market requirements? This session will help you strike the right balance between protecting your brand without stifling local-store marketing efforts.

Panelists:
• Justin Bartek | Director of Global Marketing | The Halal Guys
• Matt Friedman | Co-Founder & CEO | Wing Zone
• Ashley Wilson | Marketing Director | Your Pie

Moderator:
• Kathi Woolsey | Director of Business Development | Visualogistix

Get in the Delivery Game: Ways to Solve Restaurant Delivery Dilemmas

Whether it’s keeping hot food hot or ice cream frozen, this session will teach attendees how to maintain food integrity and help mitigate food safety risks. It will also focus on customer food quality expectations by sharing recommended practices for a stellar delivery experience with third-party delivery partners.

Panelists:
• Alonso Castañeda | VP of Brand Development & Strategy | Four Foods Group
• Tad Low | Director of Off Premise Marketing | Moe’s Southwest Grill
• Eric Marcoux | VP, Quality Management | Smashburger
• Jason Morgan | CEO | Original ChopShop and bellagreen

Moderator:
• Doug Sutton | President | Steritech

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
• Dawn Nielsen | COO | Kolache Factory
• Desi Saran | Founder & CEO | Sweetberry Bowls

Moderator:
• Sterling Douglass | Co-Founder & CEO | Chowly

Why Follow When You Can Lead? Uncovering Menu Trends of 2020

Predicting the next major menu craze has always been a challenge, and as we move into a more integrated and interdependent world, customers are exploring foods and flavors from around the world, which makes it even more difficult.

This session’s experts will reveal what menu trends are most popular and where and show attendees how to apply them to their menus.

Panelists:
• Dan Carberry | VP of Culinary Innovation & Guest Experience | Zoup! Eatery
• Hagop Giragossian | Partner, Culinary & Operations | Dog Haus
• Ike Shehadeh | Founder | Ike’s Love & Sandwiches

Moderator:
• Maeve Webster | Senior Director | Datassential

4:00 pm | Breakout Session

To Respond or Not to Respond?

The number of reviews per location is increasing faster in food service than any other industry. For the first time, it will surpass Hospitality, so how do restaurant brands respond and control those customer reviews? This session will answer a variety of questions including:

• Should I let my GMs and franchisees respond?
• How do I keep control of the branding and voice?
• What kinds of technologies are out there to help me?
• Are they worth the cost?
• How can I measure ROI?

Panelists:
• Tom Carr | VP of Marketing | Chicken Salad Chick
• Adrienne Ingoldt | VP, Marketing Communications | Jack in the Box
• Kyle Noonan | Owner & Founder | Mutts Canine Cantina

Moderator:
• Lee Zucker | Head of Industry, Food Service | Yext

4:00 pm | Breakout Session

No (Marketing) Money, No Problem!

It’s true that small or emerging brands can’t afford to compete on the same level with the big brands when it comes to advertising, but the good news is that they don’t need to try. In today’s social media landscape, nearly any brand can create a lot of buzz with very little money.

This session will show you how far a little creativity and ingenuity can take you.

Panelists:
• Jeff Fenster | Founder & CEO | Everbowl
• Pedro Mora | Founder & CEO | Fajita Pete’s
• Angela Petro | CEO | Sweet Carrot & Two Caterers

Moderator:
• Stephen Polanski | Senior Vice President | Buxton

10:05 am | Breakout Session

Taking the Temperature of Fraud: Protecting Your Brand in the Rise of Mobile Ordering

Online ordering can no doubt increase sales, but it also has opened new ways for fraudsters to steal from you or disrupt your business.

Unlike traditional browsing and access via a computer, mobile devices introduce many new elements that complicate the user verification process. This session will arm attendees with all the info they need in order to protect their customers and their businesses.

Panelists:
• Brian Anderson | Director of Technology | Modern Restaurant Concepts
• Devin Handler | VP of Marketing | Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh
• Sunny Ilyas | Founder/CEO | Vale Food Co.

Moderator:
• Darrin Heisey | Director of Product Evangelism | PAR

10:05 am | Breakout Session

Convenience Over Culture: The Future for Restaurants in an On-Demand World

Two mega-trends — delivery and personalized customer engagement — are rocking the restaurant industry and defining winners. It’s no coincidence that Starbucks, Dominos, and Panera, who are industry leaders in same-store sales, have invested heavily in off-premise and customer data. And the landscape is only getting more fiercely competitive.

To compete, restaurants must own their customer data and provide memorable, personalized interactions that are just as magical outside the four-walls as within.

This session will discuss how restaurants with limited budgets can successfully “play big” and grow revenues in this new era of convenience and personalization.

Panelists:
• Christine Barone | CEO | True Food Kitchen
• Carl Howard | President & CEO | Fazoli’s
• Frank Paci | CEO | Corner Bakery
• Steve Schulze | Co-Founder & CEO | Nekter Juice Bar

Moderator:
• Zach Goldstein | Founder & CEO | Thanx

11:25 am | Breakout Session

What the Heck Does ‘Fast Casual’ Mean These Days, and Does it Even Matter?

When the term “fast casual” emerged more than 20 years ago, it was used to describe a restaurant brand that offered higher-quality food in a more upscale setting but didn’t use servers. As the popularity of “fast casual” concepts increased over the years, other sectors, including casual dining and QSRs, have changed everything from their menus to service models in an effort to stay competitive.

Today, the line is blurry, but does it even matter to customers?

Panelists:
• Michelle Bythewood | President | Salata
• Paul Carolan | COO | Mongolian Concepts
• Beto Guajardo | President | Schlotzsky’s
• Akash Kapoor | Founder & CEO | Curry Up Now

Moderator:
• Sarah Kabakoff | Director of Enterprise Solutions | Toast

11:25 am | Breakout Session

Using Digital to Increase Your Carry-Out Profits

The NPD Group recently reported that carry-out orders placed digitally were up 279% in the last five years, making digitally ordered carry-out the greatest source of growth in the industry over that time.

This session will explore strategies for driving off-premise growth in pickup via first-party and marketplace digital platforms.

Panelists:

• Wendy Ewers | VP of Off Premise | Potbelly Sandwich Works
• Stacey Kane | Head of Marketing & Customer Magnetism – US | Leon Restaurants
• Deena McKinley | CMO | Papa Gino’s Pizzeria & D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches
• David Menis | VP of Marketing | Chopt Creative Salad Co.

Moderator:
• Cheryl Kemp | Senior Partnerships Manager | Ritual

1:10 pm | Breakout Session

Building Off-Premise & Delivery – The Silver Bullet or A Profit Drain?

The debate around delivery continues to swirl; is it the silver bullet you’ve been looking for or a deal with the devil that steals your profits? As delivery options continue to multiply, understand the questions you need to ask to determine whether it is right for your brand. Learn from industry experts on how to maintain control of the delivery experience and present your brand in a way that keeps customers searching for the re-order button.

In this session, you will hear from operators who have succeeded, the hurdles they overcame, and the companies that connect the dots to make it work.

Panelists:
• Zaid Ayoub | Founder & CEO | SAJJ Mediterranean
• Joe Guith | President | McAlister’s Deli
• Ame Hull | COO | Lemonade Restaurant Group
• Kelly Roddy | CEO | Saladworks

Moderator:
• Anthony Green | VP, Sales | Kitchen United

1:10 pm | Breakout Session

Women in the Lead: How the Restaurant Industry is Benefitting by Embracing Female Executives

It’s no secret that the restaurant industry has been slow to offer c-level positions to females, but that’s changing. More women than ever are holding leading fast casual brands as chefs, CEOs and vice presidents, and this panel brings several of them together to discuss how the restaurant culture can be even more inclusive.

Panelists:
• Janene Holig | Executive Chef/VP of Operations | Hot Indian Foods
• Sue Petersen | VP of Human Resources | Noodles & Company
• Robin Robison | COO | Modern Market
• Kathleen Wood | Founder & CEO | Kathleen Wood Partners | Suzy’s Swirl

Moderator:
• Michelle Harden | Partner | Messner Reeves

2:30 pm | Breakout Session

How to Deliver a Frictionless Guest Experience

The minute your guests experience any friction in any interaction, the likelihood of them returning plummets.

So, what can you do to reduce friction throughout the guest experience? Make it easy for them to order, pay, earn and redeem loyalty currency, and communicate with your brand. That means relevant, timely communications and reducing interruptions or disruptors. New technology coupled with guest-centric thinking help brands capture even more orders.

This session will feature brand execs who have incorporated new thinking into the guest experience to make it easier than ever for guests.

Panelists:
• Jamie Cohen | COO | Kerbey Lane Cafe 
• Todd Madlener | COO | Coolgreens
• Rachel Phillips-Luther | Owner | UP Inspired Kitchen

Moderator:
• Karl Ruter | Sales, West Coast | Paytronix

2:30 pm | Breakout Session

Are You Prepared for a Mobile Future?

While most restaurant leaders would agree that having a mobile presence is imperative to the future of their businesses, more than half of the respondents of a recent survey expressed doubts over their ability to keep up with the speed of mobile technology changes and felt threatened by their mobile-enabled competitors.

And that fear isn’t unfounded; to remain relevant, restaurants must act quickly to modernize their mobile strategy and offerings. Experts on this panel will discuss how restaurants can embrace mobile and back-end technology to drive higher ticket value, enable upsell. cut labor costs and improve the guest experience.

Panelists:
• Sam Ballas | President & CEO | East Coast Wings + Grill
• Aaron Noveshen | Founder & President | Starbird & Culinary Edge Ventures
• Andrei Stern | CFO | SuViche Hospitality Group

Moderator:
• Bob Gibson | VP of Sales | Oracle Food and Beverage