Enjoy a morning of golf on the picturesque fairways of the Wildfire Golf Club. This is the perfect opportunity to continue building business relationships while practicing your swing. After the tournament, enjoy lunch with your fellow golfers.

6:45am - 7:45am - Check-in, breakfast and warmup 

8:00am - Tournament begins (Shotgun Start) 

Following Tournament - Lunch

6:30pm - Results and awards will be available at the RLC Product Gallery 

Two different hikes will be offered by our professional guides: one for the more fitness-oriented hiker seeking a unique outdoor workout and one for the more leisurely hiker looking for an up close and personal tour of the desert's beauty.

7:30am - 8:00am - Check-in and breakfast at Saguaro Ballroom Foyer 

8:00am - Bus departure from the Sunset Terrace (outside the Saguaro Ballroom) 

8:00am - 10:30am - Hiking

 11:00am - Arrive at JW Marriott Desert Ridge

Test your racing skills at Octane Raceway and zoom in your very own go-kart at up to 45 miles per hour. Will you have the fastest time on the track? Enjoy some friendly competition and get to know your fellow racers.

7:30am - 8:00am - Check-in and breakfast at Saguaro Ballroom Foyer 

8:00am - Bus departure from the Sunset Terrace (outside the Saguaro Ballroom) 

8:30am - 10:30am - Octane Raceway Experience

10:30am - Bus departure

11:00am Arrive at JW Marriott Desert Ridge

Climb on board in an open-air Jeep and experience the beauty and serenity of Arizona's Sonoran Desert on this guided tour. Learn about the spectaular trails from a genuine cowboy guide.

7:30am - 8:00am - Check-in and breakfast at Saguaro Ballroom Foyer

8:00am - Departure from the Sunset Terrace (outside the Saguaro Ballroom)

8:00am - 11:00am - Desert Tour

11:30am - Arrive at JW Marriott Desert Ridge 

Great cooking is about more than recipes—it's about techniques. In this custom designed class you'll work together with fellow attendees in a fun, hands-on environment led by professional chef instructors. You'll also enjoy fresh make-your-own Mimosas and Bloody Mary's as well as pick out some swag with a $50 shopping voucher.

7:30am - 8:00am - Check-in and breakfast at Saguaro Ballroom Foyer

8:00am - Bus departure from the Sunset Terrace (outside the Saguaro Ballroom)

8:30 - 11:00am - Sur La Table Experience and shopping.

11:00am - Bus departure

11:30am - Arrive at JW Marriott Desert Ridge 

Always wanted to experience skydiving but too afraid to make the jump? There's no airplane, no parachute and no jumping required! Join us at Scottsdale's brand-new indoor skydiving facility and cross skydiving off your bucket list!

7:45am - 8:15am - Check-in and breakfast at Saguaro Ballroom Foyer

8:15am - Bus departure from the Sunset Terrace (outside the Saguaro Ballroom)

8:45am - 10:45am - iFLY Experience

11:00am - Bus departure

11:30am - Arrive at JW Marriott Desert Ridge

Test your sharpshooting ability at the Scottsdale Gun Club, the largest public indoor shooting range in the United States with state-of-the-art features, including user-friendly touchscreen control panels and a 360-degree rotating target system. 

8:00am - 8:30am - Check-in and breakfast at Saguaro Ballroom Foyer

8:30am - Bus departure from the Sunset Terrace (outside the Saguaro Ballroom)

9:00am - 10:30am - Range Time

10:30am - 11:00am - Awards presentation

 11:00am - Bus departure

11:30am - Arrive at JW Marriott Desert Ridge

Are you an ace with a racket? We'll pair up doubles to go head to head, rotating through all the teams until we have a victor!

8:00am - 8:15am - Check-in at tennis courts

8:15am - Instruction for the tournament

11:00am -Tournament completes

During this session hear from market leaders about the best practices for delivering exceptional omnichannel experiences through a modern approach to loyalty. We’ll highlight the top digital transformation trends that create the most opportunities for brands today. Shyam will share candid insights on the current and future state of loyalty - show you how to build emotional connections with your guests to build lasting CLV,  explain what’s needed to empower digital marketers today and why AI, when done right, is the only way to deliver personalization that scales.

It is imperative brands focus on mobile-first customer experience, as they try to meet the incredible rise in demand for delivery and Order for Pickup. According to our research, delivery is falling short. As such, Rakuten Ready commissioned our 2019 Time Study to better understand today’s consumer experience expectation and what restaurant brands are meeting those expectations and those that are not. In this session, you will receive highlights from this study, and you will walk away understanding the core ingredients that make for a successful Order for Pickup program, according to consumers.

It’s crucial for restaurants to have a strategy as they increase their sustainable efforts. From sourcing and waste reduction to recycling and more, there’s a wide breadth of paths operators can take to make their operation more sustainable---depending on the time, effort and budget they are willing to devote. Learn about different efforts and ways those can be implemented, straight from the experts.

The power, reach, and control of what happens in your stores has been shaken to the core with the explosion of digital ordering and third-party marketplaces. Today, the guest experience begins well before your guests set foot in your restaurants. The need to know your guests, predict what they will do next, and make each interaction personalized has never before been this important to restaurant vitality.

Have you ever lost customers during the summer because your HVAC went out? Have your ovens ever gone on the fritz during your busiest night of the week? Have your refrigerators ever failed when you least expected, costing you thousands of dollars in inventory? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, then you probably know that not only is unplanned equipment downtime stressful for your staff, but it also threatens your customers’ dining experiences, your sales, and your brand reputation.

In this session, our panel of analytics and restaurant experts deconstruct the myths about predictive data and share insights on how others in the industry are leveraging it to achieve 100% equipment uptime and keep customers delighted, every meal, every time.

Digital disruption. Machine learning. New delivery platforms. Hyped guest expectations. Fierce competition. Sound familiar? With expectations constantly evolving, restaurant marketers need to listen to their guests and serve them what tastes best for their palate while understanding their preferences both in and outside of the restaurant. From our research, we’ve learned that only 18% of restaurant marketers are extremely confident in knowing who their guests are after dining with them. Why is this the case? Well, with the constant ‘revolving door’ of guests interacting across the multiple channels, both digital and in-restaurant, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who. Although this is a challenge for restaurant marketers, identifying guests beyond the restaurant is essential to deliver personalized messages that connect with them on a 1:1 level.

Join the Epsilon team along with restaurant brands in this interactive session as they review the key innovations marketers are incorporating into their programs to ensure success.

During this panel, we’ll discuss:
- How to achieve 1:You ‘hyper personalization’ and the role of machine learning
- The disruption in today’s delivery model and how marketers are putting the telling data into action
- How accommodating dietary preferences has sparked an increase in sales
- Why mobile is a thriving channel and what this means for your omnichannel strategy 

Despite being slow to adopt new technologies in the past, most successful QSR & Fast Casual brands have now flocked to digital ordering. Restaurants must keep pace, considering the competitive landscape and the expectations of today’s highly digital consumer. The benefits to brands are numerous: increased engagement, higher check, better labor use, increased convenience, and many more. But simply offering digital ordering is not enough - brands must also have ways to bring customers back after their initial order, and use their ordering data in ways that advance all parts of their business profitably.

In this interactive session, Tillster CMO Hope Neiman will share insights from the fourth year of our exclusive consumer study of QSR & Fast Casual customers, conducted in partnership with consumer insights and research firm Sense360. You will leave the session with key insights and actionable takeaways, including:

- How consumers used digital ordering and delivery last year and what they are expecting from restaurants this year

- How to optimize your digital tools so they work best with your business goals

- How to measure and maximize the success of your digital ordering program, well beyond program launch
 

Millennials today make up 50% of the U.S. workforce. They’re also effectively redirecting how corporations spend $100B on business dining sales each year. They’re turning their backs on the entertainment and expensing behaviors typical of their predecessors and creating their own trends.
 

You can’t afford to assume you already know the impact this generation is having on the restaurant industry. Learn from your peers who have already figured out how a business dining focus adds up to higher check averages, incremental sales, and increased frequency.
 

In this session, a panel of your peers will discuss:

• Why you should look at your industry through a new business dining lens. • Which consumer behaviors are bleeding over into millennials’ professional lives (hint: they’re all digital, all the time).
• Insights around –
  • Preferred tools and technologies;
  • Experience expectations;
  • Mobile device habits;
  • Brand affinity; and
  • Sentiment regarding loyalty and incentives.
• How tapping into this market can trigger a visit to your establishment and spark a profitable relationship. 

Speed and convenience mean everything to consumers. These key factors have led to disruption in the restaurant space, seen most recently through new order kiosks, pick up only locations, delivery, and ghost kitchens. The same disruption is occurring in the real estate sector, with radical new solutions for mapping out markets locally and at scale. A.I. and mobile location data have played the greatest role in this shakeout, and in this session, we’ll explore exactly how.

 Join SiteZeus’ VP of Customer, Tyler Carlson, and a panel of your peers, to uncover what’s new and available to amplify your growth strategy.

 What’s in it for you? Learn how to:

     -          Evaluate top markets at a national level, in just minutes

     -          Augment franchisee recruitment and development proactively

     -          Leverage mobile location data to determine sales cannibalization

***Q&A to be held with our panel and a surprise giveaway for one lucky guest!

78% of US workers are living paycheck to paycheck and have trouble making ends meet and this can be caused by the timing of payroll. This seemingly insignificant issue can be the reason for employees country wide to ask their bosses for a short term loan/payroll advance in order to make it to payday. This places employees in a very uncomfortable situation because they have to ask their boss for money and be exposed to the inevitable WHY and For What Purpose questions. rapid! now empowers the employee to avoid embarrassment which will lead to less problems with financial stress, morale and absenteeism.

Church’s Chicken led the most successful LTO rollout in years, resulting in double-digit increases in sales and transactions using a “Ready, Set, Execute!” approach. See how they proved ROI in terms of higher profitability, guest satisfaction scores, and mystery shopper scores using a training contest tied in with promotion and other readiness activities. Discover the power of a new metric called the Knowledge Score to drive repeatable success for LTOs as well as other initiatives.

This session offers the opportunity for attendees to hear a panel of franchisees talk through personal insights of their “2020 Growth Playbook”. During the session, the panel will address the key issues facing franchisees in today’s market, including but not limited to: Growing Traffic Counts, Technology, Labor, Food on Demand, and M&A - Consolidation.

Is your business disrupted by high employee turnover? Do you struggle to execute LTOs? Is employee training expensive and inefficient? Join Michelle Kay, the Director of L&D at Taco Bell to learn how her team addressed these challenges by adopting a digital learning solution for their distributed workforce. Not only does Taco Bell now empower their employees with engaging learning to improve execution, but they also saved $2M in annual printing costs and have experienced a 5% increase in customer satisfaction scores.

In this session, you will learn:
•    How reliance on paper-based training by 44% of organizations leads to low knowledge retention and disgruntled employees.
•    Why 86% of restaurant executives state that the ability of frontline staff to meet customer expectations improves with mobile-enablement.
•    How mobile learning addresses the lack of ongoing training hours for restaurant employees, who only receive three hours per quarter.

Restaurants want new customers, more visits, larger average checks, and more profit. This is especially true now as consumers have more and more dining options. This session will cover how AI-powered personalization works, and why it’s the most profitable way to bring new customers, motivate customers to visit more often, and drive customers to buy more in-restaurant. See results from restaurants utilizing this strategy to increase visit frequency by 2x with a 50% return on investment and absolutely no additional work required.

To gain competitive advantage and boost profits, top operators are increasingly turning to a key operational lever: team execution. Specifically, they’re investing in processes, technology, and strategies that will give them an edge in both making restaurant and field employees more productive and that will raise the bar on the quality of execution across every one of their stores.

Join this discussion with Amy Hom, Vice President of Operations for Sweetgreen, to learn how they’re prioritizing initiatives to uncover trends and opportunities, and scale operations by elevating team execution and creating a great experience for both employees and customers. 

A complete digital strategy employs tactics to both acquire new diners and engage them long-term. Today, third-party delivery platforms offer ample opportunities for restaurant brands to acquire new diners, but how can you turn those guests into lifelong fans? 

50% of consumers say that a loyalty and rewards program would make them choose one restaurant over another. This session will focus on how you can leverage your relationships with third-party delivery partners to build diner loyalty, create customer stickiness, and win market share in a busy and competitive environment.

Six days after David Gibbs moved up to the CEO’s job at Yum! Brands, the restaurant industry giant announced its plans to acquire The Habit Burger Grill. Clearly this new chief is no passive caretaker of an industry powerhouse that already included the global KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands. What is Gibbs’ vision for one of the industry’s largest franchisors? How does he expect the restaurant business to adapt to rapidly evolving technologies and consumer trends? And how, after more than 30 years with the company, does he see Yum! taking the lead? Gibbs will share Yum! Brands’ Recipe for Growth and Good and his approach to leading a global system with more than 2,000 franchisees and a diverse portfolio of brands that generated over $49 billion in system sales in 2018. He will also discuss how innovative technology, talent and operations help the Company’s brands elevate the customer experience and how Yum! Brands is leveraging its massive scale to accelerate growth, drive sales and improve franchise unit economics. In addition, he’ll provide valuable insights on the state of the quick-service restaurant industry, best practices for building relevant, easy and distinctive brands and the importance of culture and talent to fuel results. His one-on-one discussion, with Winsight Media's Editor At Large Peter Romeo, will be followed by questions from the audience.

Consumers’ habits continue to shift, but one thing is sure: They want control of their dining experience, from how and where they order and pay to where they actually eat. It’s up to operators to meet consumers where they’re at---or risk losing that guest. In today’s complex and layered restaurant environment, operators need to figure out how to integrate all of these different types of services, which often require a slew of different technologies and touchpoints, into an overall offering. With reliance on technology higher than it’s ever been in the restaurant business, learn how top operators are crafting and executing roadmaps that incorporate automation, AI, robotics and more for every facet of the operation, from labor optimization to streamlining the supply chain and predicting guest preferences and behaviors.

In this session, we will get to know more about the Gary Sinise Foundation. Established under the philanthropic direction of actor Gary Sinise, their mission is to serve our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. This is achieved through a number of national and local programs, funded by the generosity of the Foundation’s 50,000+ donors. Join us to hear more about this incredible organization and how you can align your brand with this cause.

Few individuals ever become iconic enough to be known by one name – Shaq. A cultural icon, Shaquille O’Neal is best known for an NBA career spanning nearly two decades and earning him the sport’s highest honors including membership in the NBA Hall of Fame. O’Neal has since pivoted that same discipline into several businesses, including television and media, and even restaurants. As a board member of Papa John’s, he has become the brand’s ambassador and investor in nine locations, in addition to his ownership over several other franchises, including Five Guys, Auntie Anne’s, and Krispy Kreme. Dedicated to overachieving, on and off the court, Shaq joins us to share his story and the lessons he learned along the way. 

Autonomous trucks are game changers for the supply chain, taking a five day cross country trip down to two days. The presentation will speak to the added safety and efficiencies that this technology will bring to the industry. Additionally, the session will have a deep dive into the technology behind TuSimple and how it will scale in 2024. 

We now have a new normal in restaurant operations where your brand must skillfully juggle takeout, delivery, drive-thru and dine-in to remain relevant.  Newer operating models and options for digitizing your kitchen have emerged that both traditional restaurant brands and digital entrants are leveraging to adapt to the needs of changing consumers.  Join us as we share how brands big and small are creating digital kitchens to lower their costs, experiment with new concepts or expand into new markets.  

Join the CEO’s of Qu, Punchh, and SynergySuite whose companies are taking the enterprise restaurant technology space by storm with unified, data-driven strategies. Learn why today’s restaurant must leverage their data to inform their interactions through one single view of the guest across all their channels and tech stacks. We’ll discuss how you can significantly reduce the number of technology partners and points of failure; while increasing visibility into your business operations and revenue opportunities.

As third-party delivery heats up, especially with Gen Z and Millennial app users, it’s crucial to understand their new path-to-purchase behavior. In partnership with Technomic, Valassis conducted a research study and will share insights on how restaurants can capture this growing audience segment, drive brand engagement, and even inspire on-premise traffic.

Satisfying consumer preferences at the local level is crucial to successful LSM campaigns and ensuring the in-store experience exceeds expectations. To understand how consumers differ across market types, DIRECTV and Technomic executed research to obtain insights into consumer attitudes, frequency, drivers, restaurant category engagement and preferences across rural, suburban and urban markets. Join Rich Shank, VP of Insights at Technomic, to explore these variances and uncover ways to drive first and return visits in every market type.

The Food Fighters podcast (thanx.com/food-fighters), sponsored by Thanx, is fast becoming the talk of the industry as influential restaurant executives share their stories and insights about how to thrive in the competitive restaurant industry. But everyone's a little more cautious on a recorded podcast — come hear from some of the amazing restaurant executives we've interviewed in the last year as they open up in this off-the-record session.

Delivery is often touted as a necessary evil. The truth could not be further from this. It is considered evil because of wrongful notions surrounding this ever growing industry. We will list down some of them and objectively break down how they are wrong, and how delivery / online ordering can be used as a "profitable" growth driver for operators of all sizes - big or small.

Only 13% of frontline workers believe their organization’s leadership communicates effectively, contributing to a staggering 85% of workers who report being disengaged with their jobs. The result is poor customer service, employee retention, and store performance. Some brands are bucking this trend by investing in systems and processes to keep their frontline workforce more connected. Hear leading restaurant operators share their experience managing this important transition, and the surprising success it’s yielded for their business.

Technomic will profile the current environment facing the industry with a look toward future expectations, using the most trusted global foodservice market data and insights. Overarching US economic and business issues will be discussed to provide context on restaurant industry impact. Latest restaurant industry sales data and over-arching trends that span the restaurant space and that are fueling industry growth will be revealed. Top performers in the Annual Technomic Top 1500 chain restaurant brands review will be covered along with consumer and menu-based insights factors driving success for these industry growth and leading players. Technomic will also present its 2020 forecasts for the restaurant industry, and provide perspectives for underlying growth.

The restaurant industry has seen its share of meteoric rises and spectacular collapses, a group many expected Chipotle Mexican Grill to join after sales fell by nearly a third in 2016. Yet the brand is once again proving an industry standout, not only in its approach to food and personnel, but with its head-turning financial performance. The force behind that quick rebound is CEO Brian Niccol, whose rejuvenation strategy can be summed up as “more so.” Instead of forsaking Chipotle’s heritage as a brand that refused to compromise on food and a determination to do the right thing, he brought new fervor to the commitments while finding compatible ways to raise throughput and brand awareness. His remarkable work earned Niccol an enthusiastic selection by the editors of Restaurant Business as the 2020 Restaurant Leader of the Year. Niccol will share a few thoughts before joining Winsight’s Chris Keating for a deeper dive via Q&A.

Admiral William H. McRaven eloquently draws on his extensive career of 37 years of service as a Navy SEAL. The discussion addresses issues such as U.S. foreign policy, the current geopolitical landscape, leadership during high-stress situations, risk management, teamwork, resilience in the face of adversity, resourcefulness, personal accountability, and the determination to succeed.

SMG has been closely following third-party delivery trends and their impact on the restaurant industry since our first published report in 2017. Join this session for our latest research on what customers care about most + how it’s impacting their behavior, must-know data about top third-party delivery providers, and ways to regain customer loyalty after third-party delivery failures.

The goals of full service concepts looking to scale aren’t new—increase frequency, improve retention, acquire valuable new guests. So what’s a critical differentiating factor between brands that make it big and those that remain no big deal? Data...and how it’s put to use. Join Mike Vichich (CEO, Wisely) as he grills four industry leaders on how they overcame analysis paralysis and now use actionable insights to make decisions, improve guest experience, and grow profits. You’re guaranteed to leave with something to chew on…

Existing data in your organization can drive unexpected guest acquisition, activation and engagement opportunities for your brand. This panel will discuss where to uncover and use data to identify, attract and retain new and existing customers by utilizing omni-channel media approaches including email, social media, direct mail, and loyalty.

Learn how to use your data to understand WHO your best customers are to Drive NEW CUSTOMER Traffic and increase spending of EXISTING CUSTOMERS through greater engagement. 

The foodservice supply chain offers incredible potential to 'make or break' a restaurant operation's success. Successful concepts utilize their supply chains to create lean end-to-end procurement networks that are scalable, safe, and reliable. Truly effective supply chain management reaches well beyond procurement to create robust data and analytics that can help gauge the strength of a concept and uncover impactful cost savings opportunities.

Hear from skilled Supply Chain Executives including operators, distribution experts and a manufacturer to learn 5 Steps to Supply Chain Success. 

Learn how consumer attitudes towards plant-based menus are changing, and how menus at all types of foodservice operations are evolving to meet the growing demand.   In this session, Technomic will provide examples of successful plant-based menu launches and limited time offers for every daypart and corner of the menu, from entrees to beverages and everything in-between.  Plus, you’ll find innovative ideas from plant-forward restaurant concepts that you can apply in your operation.

Do you know the impact of an engaged candidate experience? How would your new team members rate their orientation? Their first day? Welcome to the Experience Era: where every moment can (and should) be measured throughout an employee's journey. Find out the factors that matter most when optimizing an employee lifecycle, from your hiring process to your ongoing development strategy.

Customers want their food when they want it, how they want it, and where they want it. To get their piece of the over $64 billion catering industry, restaurant leaders must adapt to this on-demand digital era. Hear how a panel of executives from leading restaurant brands move their exceptional guest experience beyond their four walls and expand their businesses through catering. 

Your menu is the one constant in today’s multi-faceted restaurant landscape. It is your brand’s mouthpiece, your customer’s road map, and the key to profitability. Attendees of this session will learn how the most comprehensive menu research in 30 years can guide menu design, pricing and online ordering, which now encompasses 30% of all restaurant sales. Early adopter and 45-year-old pizza brand Mellow Mushroom will share key findings from their recent menu redesign, best practices and how the process is unlocking profitability.

Conducted by Revenue Management Solutions and the University of South Florida with design provided by Norton Creative, the four-phase research study, called “The Future of Menu Design,” includes biometric lab studies, lab-based choice analysis, focus groups, and field testing by such brands as Mellow Mushroom. 

Labor is the largest variable expense restaurateurs face on a recurring basis. Restaurants create the so called “Perfect Storm” for labor compliance issues. Come learn how to keep costs under control without spending an arm and a leg. There is not another suite on the market that can handle every need of a busy food service establishment. Discover how to effectively enhance your employee and customer experiences while keeping those pesky costs under control.

What’s behind the best concepts in the world? People that know how to execute. Hear from the leaders at Blaze Pizza and Noodles & Company on how they leverage mobile-first technology to achieve insane levels of employee engagement and connect their front lines to key corporate initiatives that drive consistent results. Join the interactive discussion and learn first-hand how to achieve 90+% employee engagement that drives revenue, reduces operational costs, and improves overall customer satisfaction.

On average, you know only a fraction of your guests. They’ve opted into online ordering or loyalty, but otherwise they are a mystery. During this session we’ll dig into unlocking menu, credit card and operational data to identify patterns in anonymous guest behavior; optimizing marketing spend; and driving operational efficiency.

Please join us as we welcome the new President & CEO of Women’s Foodservice Forum to Restaurant Leadership Conference. Spend a few minutes with Therese Gearhart to learn more about how her vision for the organization will accelerate the advancement of women leaders in the Foodservice Industry. 

The former CEO of Domino’s Pizza, and now Executive Partner with The Carlyle Group, will share his views on the digital transformation of the restaurant business, and how companies can use digital strategies to drive revenue growth and value creation. In this conversation with Restaurant Business Executive Editor Jonathan Maze, he will explain how other companies can follow Domino’s example of using technology to improve the customer experience and drive returns for shareholders.

For nearly four decades, Dennis Miller has been entertaining audiences across television, film, and on stages throughout the country with his acerbic wit and trademark “rants” on politics and pop culture. Equal parts comedian and social commentator, Dennis’s scathing-yet-playful perspective reminds audiences not to take themselves (or anyone else for that matter) too seriously. In such polarizing times, his pragmatic take on the world is refreshing. The Hollywood Reporter called his most recent special,” Fake News, Real Jokes” an hour of topical, scathing brilliance [. . .] the most cerebral, astute and clever stand-up ever to put mouth to microphone.

Miller’s next initiative is an inventive and humorous presentation—in his own words—“America: A Ten Point Plan for a Return to Civility. A how-to on disagreeing in a more agreeable manner. No sturm und drang, no lecturing, no scolding. Quite simply, a perceptive, tangible approach to sharing the sandbox with each other again.

In its latest revival, the pizza segment has managed to outpace foodservice industry growth by 3X (!) and shows no signs of slowing down. What is this $46 billion market’s secret sauce? In this session, we will explore the competitive advantages that pizzerias and pizza-adjacent operators have leveraged for growth and how you can apply these strategies to your business today.

Which is more important today to drive guest traffic: Creative thinking or Analytics? Each of us lean towards one direction but solving today’s traffic challenges requires the best of both the creative right brain and the data-driven left brain. Come and hear two industry pros: Brad Rukstales CEO, Cogensia and Robin Blanchette CEO, Norton-Creative share real examples of how both analytics and creative strategies are working to improve the guest experience. This will be a spirited, lively interaction and you will leave with specific steps your brand can take to improve your guest traffic.

Rising labor costs and a complex legislative and regulatory landscape on federal, state and local levels add pressure on business performance and bottom lines. Restaurant Operators continue to acknowledge recruiting and retaining employees as the top challenge facing their business. In this session gain insights from the latest workforce data and learn from industry leaders who are changing the paradigm with solutions that drive engagement and retention.

Learning Objectives:

1) Learn the top reasons most employees leave restaurants

2) Understand what motivates employees to come to work for you and stay longer

3) Identify key strategies in training and development to drive retention

All Attendees will receive a copies of the report, “Restaurant Industry 2030” and the “State of the Industry Report”

Guest Loyalty is one of today’s “silver bullet” buzzwords. But whom are you targeting? What data could be used to measure progress and stay in touch with frequent Customers? As it turns out, building loyalty is not easy. In fact, …it’s complicated. With few exceptions, adding a loyalty program and making it successful long term can be two entirely different things. The good news is that there are many ways to frame and build loyalty today. Come hear about best practices from leading Brands, who are building an integrated Loyalty Strategy to stay connected with their guests. 

Labor cost is a critical driver of business success. How can you tell if you are paying too much or too little? How can you learn about the latest offerings in employee benefits? This session will share restaurant compensation and benefits trends and reveal sources that you can use to know how your labor costs stack up!

How do you measure Customer Experience? How does your brand benchmark compared to the industry? What can you do today to improve your customer experience? Join us as we arm you with best practices and technology for maximizing your customer experience ROI.

Every guest experience program is different, but there’s one thing they’re all trying to prove: ROI. Practitioners in the industry are asking, “how can I prove that creating memorable experiences for guests today means improving our bottom line tomorrow?

Join InMoment’s Nate Morley along with clients Savannah Harper (Director of Operations Services for Auntie Anne’s) and Ryan Nowicki (Sr. Director of Operations Excellence & Strategic Initiatives for Dave & Buster’s) as they discuss the “Experience Success Methodology” that helps brands to modernize their approach to feedback, optimize guest experiences, and prove program value at every turn.

Who is going to lead the top restaurant chains in the future? In its annual Power 20 list, Restaurant Business highlighted those future decision-makers—the emerging leaders well-poised to rise through the ranks of their operations and end up in the c-suite. In today's challenging labor market, these are not only the top examples of all-star employees, but the ones that need to be cultivated and inspired. They'll share what excites them, motivates them and keeps them sticking around plus much more. Their insights will provide a roadmap for finding and growing your company's leaders of tomorrow.

The restaurant industry is facing dramatic changes in the coming years. The business is saturated in the U.S., with no room to generate additional sales without taking them from existing locations. It faces new competitors in ghost kitchens that promise new economic models that could undercut existing players. And it faces a dramatically changing consumer that has more choices and more information than ever. All of this is putting operators on their heels and changing the very nature of what it means to be a restaurant.

Jonathan Maze, the executive editor of Restaurant Business Magazine, is the author of The Bottom Line blog and its companion newsletter and is the host of the weekly restaurant finance podcast A Deeper Dive. He gives his overview on the future of the restaurant industry, and how operators can combat these changes.