Welcome to Year 2 of the QSR Evolution Conference and NextGen Restaurant Summit

I often have this feeling of trying to figure out how I got here. It was the focus on my weekly Friday calls with my father before he passed away a couple of years ago. “You write about restaurants?” I was as dazed about it as he was. But as much as that confusion has dulled over the years, it was never more prominent than the morning of September 4 in Atlanta before I met Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy. I was pacing the hotel lobby at 5:30 a.m. in a suit I bought three days earlier, trying to understand what was happening. I was also—because I’m never comfortable—still hoping he’d actually be there when I walked into our keynote ballroom. Would anybody show up?

As I was getting mic-ed up, one of the IT folks asked me what Andrew was like. I had chatted with him earlier on a Zoom but what was interesting, although not surprising given CFA's hospitality, about that experience is we spent a good deal discussing me. Andrew asked about my career, how I got into restaurants, and what I liked doing outside of work. So as I stood there in Atlanta, the truth was, I didn’t know what to expect. Yet once I asked Andrew the opening question, he talked for a good 10 minutes, crafting his way through the brand’s history, from his grandfather to father to his own journey. I kind of relaxed at that point. And it went from there. I even got to tell a story about my son reading books about owls while Andrew teaches his children how to decipher a P&L. My son and I have since progressed to Clifford.

But truly, of the 19 or so years I’ve been a journalist, that morning was the most bewildered I’ve felt. It was a tornado after. I had hosted one panel in my life. Over those two days, I hosted four keynotes and something like 13 other sessions. The same was true of my colleagues Ben Coley, Callie Evergreen, and Sam Danley. It was so much planning and energy and it just flash-banged into the world and was gone.

If there is one thing more challenging than launching an inaugural event, however, it’s trying to plot Year 2, as I’ve come to understand. You have both this sense of living up to your opening act and yet also finding ways to improve. What I’ll say is, I read all of the feedback. Each line through, whether I agreed with it or not. And we took those thoughts into consideration while ensuring the framework of what we’re trying to accomplish remains in place.

CONFERENCE WEBSITES:

QSR Evolution (you can go straight to registration here)

FSR NextGen Restaurant Summit (straight to reg here)

So as a refresher, QSR Evolution and the NextGen Summit entered the very busy conference fray last year (it had been years since we hosted in-person events) as experiences designed to mirror who we are as a company, at our core. That means two things, really—content forward to the 10,000th degree (160-plus speakers …), and creating a space designed by and for restaurant fanatics. It’s a model I began to nurture a few years ago based on something I read about the Economist’s evolution when digital crashed into focus. My brother once called me and told me he tried to read a story I wrote about KFC, but it didn’t appeal. Good. That was kind of the idea. We want QSR and FSR readers to embrace our content not only because it educates them on what’s happening and how to improve, but also because it’s a world they know their peers are invested in. Almost like a center of gravity that pulls everybody toward each other. Those connections influence the decisions we make.

Doing that in an events space meant creating an agenda that gives back to people who love the restaurant industry. Speakers who breathe the mission and topics that align.

All of our sessions are set editorially in advance. Speakers are sourced individually. It’s not always the easiest strategy, but it’s the one we feel works for what we’re hoping to create.

And so, Year 2. Let’s start with some changes. I’d say the biggest thing we adjusted was to take the fireside chats and widen their scope. Last year we had 30-minute blocks so there’d be two per session. We changed that to just one speaker. This way, there’d be more time for Q&A at the end and the room wouldn’t be a rush to flip over in the middle.

Secondly, we made lunch longer (you are welcome). We’re also turning our Day 1 after-party into an on-site Bash that’s going to allow you to engage without ever leaving the venue. Additionally, there’s a third track this year to join QSR Evolution and NextGen (the full-service section) called the “Pizza Power Forum,” which is designed for operators on the independent and growth-minded side of that industry.

There are some other tweaks here and there but I want to get into the agenda. The plan was to go big this year after going big the first time (that's as difficult as it sounds). Take as much insight as possible and pack this thing. If anybody is going to walk away with a complaint (always expected) it won’t be that we didn’t gather enough information and restaurant genius in one place.

That starts with a keynote roundtable the opening morning with four presidents from Restaurant Brands International: Burger King’s Tom Curtis, Popeyes’ newly minted Jeff Klein, Tim Hortons U.S.’ Katerina Glyptis, and Firehouse Subs’ Mike Hancock.

This is an idea the RBI team and I began mulling a good while back. It was kind of an aha moment when suggested out of a brainstorm. We were talking about one, then the other. And then, why not just all of them? I’m going to need to be caffeinated. As much as we’ll go over the different brands’ trajectories and each leader’s take on the industry as a whole, we’ll have the four of them bounce off one another and make this as entertaining a keynote as you’ll find.

That afternoon, we’ll close with KFC Global CEO Sabir Sami. The brand just passed 30,000 locations in January. To say we’ll have a lot to talk about is a wild understatement. Sami’s personal story is incredible. As is his leadership style and understanding of what it takes to grow culture and guard brand DNA at scale (a new restaurant is opening globally every 3.5 hours these days).

Scott Murphy, the chief brand officer of Inspire Brands, will be the following morning. Scott, who once served as president of Dunkin’, now heads up Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Sonic, Arby’s, and Baskin-Robbins. So you’re talking 32,000-plus stores and an innovative outlook that has changed the growth game as we know it in this business. I have zero idea how we’re not going to talk for two hours (our events team would not allow this, just to be clear).

Our closing keynote is Jim Holthouser, CEO of GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands). Here, we’re going to get into one of the widest-ranging transformation projects in recent memory for the Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s parent company. How do you create a platform that’s shared services support sustained and consistent growth? Again, this one could go on far longer than I have allotted.

Here's a quick rundown of the rest of the agenda:

QSR Evolution

The Founders (fast casual execs on how they built their businesses)

The Investor Manifesto: This is a fireside chat between the one-and-only Andrew K. Smith and myself.

Cracking the Code on AI: Revolution or Reason for Caution?

How to Attract the Right Franchisees/and Zors

Chipotle: Power of People and Food: Fireside chat with the brand’s VP of ops service Haris Khan . You might recall Haris last year had to Zoom in because he was having a baby. A decent excuse.

The Dynamic Pricing Debate. This is going to be a wild convo.

Culture that Grows (how to maintain as you scale)

Fireside with Subway’s chief development officer Mike Kehoe . So much to talk about here I can’t even begin to sum it up.

Secrets of the Tech Stack

Deciphering the FDD

Women in Restaurant Leadership: State of the Union. Just to quickly expound here, this is continuing the movement we began last year in Atlanta and then took to way higher levels in Nashville in February. It leads up to a networking hour that sold out with quickness last year.

Social Media and the Changing Rules of Engagement

THAT IS ALL JUST DAY 1

On to Day 2 …

Invest and Be Invested In. This was a request last year from a few folks on the survey. So we’ll bring together powerhouses to give you the toolkit on how to find the right partner.

Fireside chat with Smalls Sliders CEO Maria Rivera . If you went to WiRL, I don’t need to explain this further. Maria is simply inspiration personified.

The QSR Drive-Thru Report: Reveal and Results. Back by popular demand to give people a sneak peek of the report and some best practices.

Is It Time to Franchise?

Fireside chat with Wendy’s CMO Lindsay Radkoski . We had Wendy’s talk social strategy in Year 1. It was one of the most entertaining chats I’ve had. This won’t disappoint.

Voice-Automated Ordering and the Drive-Thru: Fried or Foe? On a side note, did you know you can make your drive-thru sound like Santa?

Trending on the Menu

Loyalty Metrics that Matter

Making the Jump from Zee to Zor

Fireside chat with Dave’s Hot Chicken COO Jim Bitticks, CFE . This was a direct request from multiple people last year. Understandable when you consider Dave’s might be the fasest-out-of-the-gate growing franchise ever.

Delivery: The Road to Profitability

AND THAT IS JUST QSR Evolution (one ticket gains entry to both, as a reminder).

FSR’s NextGen Restaurant Summit

Day 1

Fireside chat with SPB Hospitality CEO Josh Kern . Not sure there’s another company out there with such a diverse portfolio of brands under one umbrella. And it’s only getting bigger.

Redefining ‘Value’ in Full Service

Revolutionizing Restaurant Training

Lessons from the Brunch Boom

The Art of Design in Dining

Mastering Menu Cost Engineering

How to Unlock Traffic Growth Through the Business of Joy. This is a presentation by Lisa W. Miller, CSP . I’ve never met somebody who knows her who doesn’t think she’s brilliant.

Women in Restaurant Leadership: State of the Union. Concurrent with the one we’re doing on the QSR side. So we’re talking 16 women executives at once giving their advice and insight.

Day 2

Capitalize on Expanding Revenue Streams

Fireside chat with Black Bear Diner CEO Anita Adams . Anita is the best.

The Legal Challenges & Opportunities Facing Operators: Q&A with Courtney Leyes and Emily Litzinger of Fisher-Phillips. What should you do about the tip credit? OT laws? The FAST Act? Where else are you going to be able to quiz lawyers in real time?

Sourcing Inspiration and Taking Your Menu Global

Managing Hospitality in the Digital Age

Raising the Bar (beverage bar, in case that wasn’t clear)

Best Practices in Community Engagement to Boost Loyalty

Menu Innovation for Evolving Consumer Trends

And the pizza program I mentioned before? You can check the full agenda for that here.

Am I a bit intimidated by the scale of all of this? Sure. Will I be nervous every day until it starts? Yep. I’m somewhat nervous writing this. That’s just kind of how I operate. But what I do know is this event is going to deliver on what matters most to myself and our team at QSR/FSR: It is going to give back to you. That I can say with confidence. It’s why we’ll wrangle the 160-plus speakers from now until September to ensure you’re greeted by what I like to believe is the most robust collection of restaurant minds on any circuit, anywhere. And we’ll do everything in our power to live up to that.

I hope to see you there.