Restaurant Leadership Conference News

Struggling to reach staffers who seem lost in their own world? Well, have you thought about pottery? That’s the improbable route Bill Strickland took when he set out to turn the disadvantaged of his native Pittsburgh into choice job candidates all but vibrating with enthusiasm. Now a world-renowned motivational authority, Strickland has agreed to recount how he molds workforce stars from prospects that don’t appear to fit the system. His delivery at the Restaurant Leadership Conference promises to be as unusual as the training approach he’s taken.

Adapting to shifts in the marketplace is tough enough for the operator of a single restaurant. Imagine the challenge it poses for Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO of Pepsico Inc., a diversified consumer-goods company with operations in almost every nook and cranny of the planet.

Attention, Wall Street Occupiers: The sort of corporate conscience you’re demanding isn't alien to the restaurant business, as the trade’s leaders will be reminded at the 2012 Restaurant Leadership Conference.

Forecasters have divined a larger sales role for social media in 2012 and beyond, but that’s where the crystal ball goes wonky. Fortunately for restaurateurs, Facebook has agreed to foretell some of the why’s and how’s for their channel.

If you view other restaurants as your competition, meet Howard Stoeckel. He’s eating your lunch, and you may not even realize it.

Hands-on dealmakers will discuss current restaurant-company valuations and the next wave of private-equity acquisitions during a keynote presentation at the 2012 Restaurant Leadership Conference.

After steering McDonald’s through a key period in its domestic development, Ed Rensi is building a next-generation burger chain that’s widely hailed as a concept to watch. He’ll draw on both aspects of his career for a candid look at how the strategies for chain success have changed, a rare appearance slated for the 2012 Restaurant Leadership Conference.