News

Fast Casual Executive Summit to shake up industry segment

July 26, 2010

With the theme of Shaken, Not Stirred, the 2010 Fast Casual Executive Summit has been designed to take restaurant-industry operators out of their comfort zones to discover a new way of leading the segment.

This year's Summit will be held Oct. 10-12 at Chicago's Sofitel Chicago Water Tower and will kick off Oct. 10 with a food tour of several Chicago-area fast casual restaurants. Stops include Rick Bayless’ fast casual hot spot, Xoco, Canadian-born Freshii, Roti Mediterranean Grill and Sopraffina Marketcafé.

The Summit will then kick off on day two at 8 a.m. with two pre-conference workshops based on workforce management. The first, “Armed and Dangerous,” will tackle how operators can build brand leaders of the future. The second, “Mission Critical,” will look at new ways for motivating front line teams.

Other morning sessions that include “How to Build a Digital Communications Strategy” will take a look at social media and how it pertains to the restaurant industry. Meanwhile, “Secret Intelligence Branding” will give operators fresh ideas for connecting with customers.

“The Fast Casual Executive Summit has become the gathering and networking place for fast casual restaurant operators. This year, we’re challenging them to step out of the box, shake up their operation and look for fresh, new and innovative approaches for running their restaurants,” said Paul Barron, publisher of Fastcasual.com and founder of the Fast Casual Executive Summit. “What worked in the past no longer applies and so we’ve come up with two days of executive sessions that will continue the open and collaborative approach to restaurant operations this group is so well known for.”

Keynote speakers for the event include members of the Fast Casual Industry Council, who will give a panel presentation Oct. 11 at noon. The day two keynote will be Ed Rensi, former president and CEO of McDonald’s and current founder of gourmet burger concept Tom & Eddie’s.

Sessions on day two of the summit include “Tomorrow Never Dies,” the future landscape of sustainability. The session will revolve around the issue of food safety as it pertains to sustainability. Speakers include Peter Truitt, who said he believes the definition of sustainability gas become muddled over the past several years.

“I consider food safety really kind of a down-to-earth touchpoint for sustainability,” Truitt said. “Sustainability often has a feel good high-mindedness to it, but what does it matter if you’re not paying attention to food safety. Environment is one component, but it isn’t the only component.”

Following the sustainability and food safety session will be “The World is Not Enough,” a session designed to help operators uncover new revenue streams within their restaurant. Key speakers include Erle Dardick, founder and CEO of MonkeyMedia Software.

Closing out Day two will be “Shaken, Not Stirred,” a look at consumer trends for healthy living.

Click here for a full view of the 2010 Fast Casual Executive Summit agenda.