Having a B2B strategy is more important than most restaurants realize, and here’s why: consumer dining aside, when you add up $15 billion in catering, $9 billion in private dining, and $77 billion in travel meals, business dining accounts for a huge percentage of annual restaurant sales in the United States.

 Because the people picking up the tab for business meals are motivated by a different set of needs than consumer diners, having a strategy that speaks specifically to those needs can bring you high-dollar traffic on weekdays and at off-peak times.

 Join our panel of experts to hear more about different types of business diners, which ones are your most valuable target audiences, and how you can reach them.

 From our panel, you will learn:

• how business diners differ from consumer diners,
• key business dining market trends, and
• how B2B strategies can drive more catering and private dining sales.

From our session you will learn:

• what is a modern loyalty program?

• how can a loyalty program become secret sauce for your brand

• best practices to drive program success

• how to select a loyalty vendor

• how to select the right agency to get a strategic edge 

Your menu's meat offerings are under the microscope today. So how do you manage your meat messaging to an evolving foodservice patron? A patron group which now includes traditional carnivores, conscious carnivores, flexitarians and vegetarians. This new meat reality presents a great financial opportunity for your operation. In this session you will discover what today's patrons are looking for and tactics you can implement to maximize your meat messaging and ultimate success.

With the highest pressure on margins in years, understanding the difference between consumers segments is key to driving increased profit dollars.   Decoding the role that loyalists, value seekers and coupon savvy users play in your business is more important than ever. From a soon to be released Technomic study we will continue the discussion on activating all consumer segments, and how to give them permission to spend more.  We will also explore how each consumer segment is influenced through loyalty apps, price, promotion and quality of food.   If you’re looking for new marketing ideas this is a session you won’t want to miss. 

Restaurants are being bombarded daily with new, shiny objects promising to increase traffic.  Join this lively discussion as this panel of industry experts cut through the noise to discuss what is actually working to drive traffic in today’s turbulent environment.

Today, there are more ways than ever to interact with a restaurant. Each touch point collectively drives an experience and a perception of your brand. The more touch points there are to monitor, the more difficult it becomes to ensure brand consistency. Gold Star Chili is leveraging mobile technology to achieve consistent employee and customer experience, energize and engage their employees across generations and modernize business operations. 

Artificial intelligence and machine learning is no doubt improving labor efficiency and cost. But with such a heightened focus on automation, your talent pool is getting compromised.

•How do you adapt your organization to attract talent that will facilitate your growth and innovation?

•What technology is most important for connected teams?

•How do you establish trust and purpose in order to attract a favorable pool of candidates? We’ll dig into the latest engagement strategies and how they can help you overcome your biggest workplace challenges.

From the “wall of tablets” to the manual entry of orders to increasing labor costs- finding the right solution to the ever-growing demand of restaurant delivery can present a real challenge. Checkmate will introduce a panel of partner operators to discuss how they have streamlined their operations, increased revenues while having better control of their labor costs and are successfully navigating the growth in food delivery. Real life tips, tricks & solutions!

On the occasion of the National Restaurant Association’s 100th anniversary, restaurant operations that have thrived through long stretches of the century share the secrets to their perpetual youth and constant reinvention. How do they anticipate change in their markets and adjust accordingly without veering from their heritage? How do they attract new diners and embrace emerging trends while still continuing to serve the loyal customers who have filled their dining rooms for decades? Terry Erdle, Chief Operating Officer of the National Restaurant Association, will lead a power panel of veteran operators as they reveal their secrets for keeping restaurants relevant and agile.

“The panel will discuss government policy and its impact on restaurant trends and technology within the restaurant industry.”