Breakout Session | October 19, 2015 | 8:00 - 9:00am
The Next Level: Prepare Your Brand for Unit Expansion
There are many ways a restaurant operator can take their brand to the next level. Whether growth comes through financing, franchising, outside investors or licensing agreement, there are pros and cons to each approach. Hear from our panel of experts on the best methods of growth for brands of any size and the steps operators can take to keep moving forward.
PANELISTS
Craig Dunaway | President | Penn Station
Craig has been President of Penn Station since August 16, 1999 and joined the organization when they had just 64 restaurants. Today, Penn Station has more than 300 restaurants in 15 states. Their category leading return on investment and penchant for providing their franchisees the detailed tools to succeed and thrive has resulted in only two failures in 30 years of franchising operations. Prior to joining Penn Station, Craig was a partner at the regional accounting firm of McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Craig formerly had ownership interest in a Papa John’s franchise in addition to Coastal Cheesesteaks, LLC and Louisville Cheesesteaks, LLC, and Penn Station franchisees.
Roland Dickey Jr. | CEO | Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
Roland is chief executive officer of Dallas-based Dickey’s Barbecue Pit He is the grandson of company founder Travis Dickey, Sr. Since becoming president and CEO of the third generation family run company in 2006, Roland has expanded the restaurant’s reach from 20 to over 500 stores nationwide. As CEO, Roland has elevated his family’s company to new heights by enthusiastically leading its evolution from a local barbecue joint to the fast-casual chain it is today. Through explosive growth in franchising, Dickey’s Barbecue now reaches guests across the country and is officially the nation’s largest barbecue chain.
Randy Gier | CEO | Rave Restaurant Group
Randy was appointed chief eating officer of Rave Restaurant Group Inc. in November 2012. If you’re jealous of his title, you aren’t the only one. As CEO, Randy gets to sample the goods each day. Before he became a Raver, he honed his food chops by founding Savvy Fare Restaurant Group, where he created and expanded new restaurant concepts. He also spent 25 years in executive positions with Pizza Hut, KFC and Yum! International. And finally, he has an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago, a BBA in Finance from the University of Missouri Kansas City, and a black belt in food-jitsu…the art of making restaurants successful.
Moderator: Mike Todd | VP, Sales | PAR
Mike is vice president of sales – new business and channels for Partech – the restaurant division of PAR Technology Corporation. His responsibilities include acquiring new clients in all tiers of the market, both direct and indirect through strategic partners, while managing sales of PAR’s newly acquired Brink Software platform, the PixelPoint dealer channel and the Independent Software Vendor (ISV) team. Mike has 34 years of industry experience holding sales leadership roles at Agilysys, Torex, Retalix and NCR. In addition, he served as CEO of MATRA Systems, a POS provider to tier 1 amusement parks worldwide.
Sponsored by PAR
