Connect Food

How Jollibee protects brand culture while expanding franchise operations Jollibee is taking a selective approach to North American franchise growth, using a roughly 90-day vetting process focused on financial qualifications, restaurant operating experience and alignment with the brand’s culture. The process supports the chain’s expansion while ensuring franchise partners can manage its high-volume, operationally complex restaurants. By Mandy Detwiler, Editor, Connect Media. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBGpfr5q #Jollibee #Franchising #RestaurantIndustry #QSR #RestaurantOperations

Three leaders. Three remarkable careers. One well-deserved honor. For more than 25 years, fast casual has pushed the restaurant industry forward — from menu innovation and store design to technology and the guest experience. But innovation doesn't happen on its own. It takes leaders willing to take risks, challenge convention and build brands that shape what's next. At Fast Casual Executive Summit 2026, we're proud to induct three industry trailblazers into the Fast Casual Hall of Fame: ⭐ Geoff Alexander, President & CEO, Wow Bao ⭐ Mark H. Brezinski, CEO & Author, CIG Concepts ⭐ Darden Coors, CEO, Salad Collective Join hosts Cherryh Cansler and David L. Moore as we celebrate the vision, leadership and impact this year's inductees have had on their brands — and on the fast casual industry as a whole. Presented by: KPS Commercial Construction #FCESummit #FastCasual #RestaurantLeadership #RestaurantIndustry #HallOfFame

Ready to stop watching your catering profits vanish into thin air? 💸 📢 We are thrilled to welcome Kelly Tranfaglia, District Manager at Tatte Bakery & Cafe, to the stage at The Restaurant Catering Workshop this October! With over 20 years of leadership experience and a proven track record overseeing Tatte’s high-volume catering operations across the Boston and Washington, D.C. markets, Kelly brings a wealth of hands-on expertise to the "money session" of the year. In the session, "Profit That Sticks: The Catering P&L + Hidden Margin Leaks," Kelly will break down the catering-specific P&L and expose the quiet killers that erase your hard-earned margins. You’ll walk away with a practical checklist and guardrails to protect your contribution margin while scaling volume. What You’ll Learn: ✅ Pricing Architecture & Fee Math: Navigating delivery, setup fees, and marketplace fee structures without sacrificing profit. ✅ Labor & Packaging Guardrails: Managing variable costs and assumptions before they spiral out of control. ✅ The Chaos Factor: How last-minute changes, remakes, discounts, and refunds eat away at your bottom line. ✅ Actionable Frameworks: Real-world tools to balance sales growth, operational execution, and guest experience simultaneously. 📅 October 6-7, 2026 📍 Arlington, TX Whether you are launching a new catering arm or fine-tuning a multi-market operation, this workshop is designed to equip you with the exact strategies needed for long-term profitability. Don't miss out—see you in Arlington! 🎟️ #RCW2026 #RestaurantCatering #RestaurantOperations #Profitability #TatteBakery #RestaurantLeadership

How can quick-service restaurants seamlessly blend high-tech convenience with authentic, high-touch hospitality? 🍦📱 📢 We're excited to feature Bon-die Rocky Fortner, Director of Franchise Development at Yogurtland, as a panelist at #QSRNext on November 12, 2026. With an extensive background in leading domestic and international expansion, aligning operations, and integrating modern AI and automation tools, Bon-die specializes in turning brand vision into consistent, scalable growth. In his session, "The 'Phygital' Revolution: Bridging the Digital and Physical Gap," he and a panel of experts will explore how to create a frictionless customer journey across every touchpoint. They will cover: ✅ Using kiosks, mobile apps, and smart lockers to enhance—not replace—the human element of hospitality ✅ Levering interactive digital signage and demographic-driven menu boards ✅ Maintaining a cohesive, modern brand identity across physical and digital spaces ✅ Creating a frictionless customer experience that balances high-tech speed with high-touch service #QSRNext is a free, half-day virtual event tailored for restaurant owners and executives looking to stay ahead of industry trends. #QSRNext #Yogurtland #RestaurantTech #RestaurantOperations #CustomerExperience #QSRLeadership

The labor crisis has changed. It’s no longer just about finding people. It’s about keeping them. Arlene Estrada Petokas, SPHR, Chief People Officer at Kura Sushi USA, will join a panel of experts at the Fast Casual Executive Summit for “The 2026 Labor Strategy.” The conversation will go beyond the “Now Hiring” sign to explore what it takes to build a workplace where employees feel like stakeholders — not just line items. We’ll dig into practical strategies for: ✅ Retention-first scheduling ✅ Using technology to give employees greater flexibility ✅ Gamifying training to make development more engaging ✅ Creating cultures built around recognition and belonging Because when turnover is expensive, retention isn’t just an HR strategy. It’s a business strategy. Join Arlene and other industry leaders at Fast Casual Executive Summit 2026 as we rethink the future of restaurant labor. #FCESummit #FastCasual #RestaurantHR #EmployeeRetention #LaborStrategy

Healthy Fast Casual Goes Convenient: Konala, Clean Eatz Redefining Drive-Thru, Grab-and-Go Amy Sorter explores how Konala and Clean Eatz are reimagining convenience by combining healthy menu options with drive-thru, grab-and-go and meal planning strategies that fit evolving consumer lifestyles. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5vhY7hf #FastCasual #RestaurantIndustry #HealthyEating #FoodInnovation #RestaurantTechnology

Ready to get direct answers to your biggest catering challenges from an industry powerhouse? 📈 📢 We’re thrilled to announce that Elizabeth Janeway, Director of Catering Sales at Pei Wei, will be taking the stage at The Restaurant Catering Workshop this October! With over 30 years in the restaurant industry and more than two decades dedicated exclusively to catering sales, Liz is a proven growth driver. A 2024 Mover & Shaker and top leader in catering, she specializes in building strategic partnerships, delivering year-over-year revenue gains, and creating guest experiences executed with total precision. At the workshop, Liz will be sharing her expertise during the Ask the Experts Roundtable, a rapid-fire Q&A session designed to solve your toughest operational and sales challenges. What You’ll Gain: ✅ Direct Q&A Access: Get fast, real-time feedback on your specific growth bottlenecks. ✅ Sales & Marketing Plays: Battle-tested strategies to build partnerships and expand your client roster. ✅ Operational Insights: Tactics to maintain quality, care, and consistency as you scale volume. ✅ Program Growth Blueprints: Practical advice to boost profitability and turn catering into a reliable revenue engine. 📅 October 6-7, 2026 📍 Arlington, TX Whether you are launching a new catering model or fine-tuning a multi-unit operation, this is your chance to sit down with seasoned operators and walk away with a clear roadmap to success. #RCW2026 #RestaurantCatering #PeiWei #CateringSales #HospitalityLeadership

Are your loyalty rewards actually driving new visits — or just rewarding guests who were coming anyway? Alex Stucky, Director of Digital Marketing at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, will join a panel of experts at Fast Casual Executive Summit 2026 for “The Loyalty Blind Spot: Are You Rewarding Guests Who Were Coming Anyway?” For many fast casual brands, roughly two-thirds of guests are still a black box because they aren’t enrolled in the loyalty program. And even with enrolled guests, it can be difficult to know whether a reward created an incremental visit or simply subsidized a purchase that was already going to happen. As marketing budgets tighten, sign-ups, app downloads and redemption rates aren’t enough. The real question is incrementality. This session will challenge operators to rethink how they measure loyalty and marketing spend — focusing on incremental visits and lifetime value, not vanity metrics. If you want to know whether your loyalty program is actually growing the business, this is a conversation you’ll want to be part of. #FCESummit #FastCasual #RestaurantMarketing #CustomerLoyalty

💰📈 Catering revenue is one thing—holding onto the margin is another. The difference between scaling profitably and leaking revenue comes down to the unit economics behind every order. Where are hidden operational costs silently eroding your bottom line? How do you structure pricing, delivery fees, and labor models to protect contribution margin as order volume increases? Join us for the session, "Profit That Sticks: The Catering P&L + Hidden Margin Leaks." We’ll break down a catering-specific P&L and expose the margin killers—from packaging costs and last-minute changes to marketplace fee math. You’ll leave with a practical checklist and guardrails to protect your margins while scaling. 🎤 Meet the Experts: ⭐ Mike Dolinger — Vice President of Operations, California Tortilla ⭐ Quinn Newhall — COO, Clean Eatz 📅 October 6–7, 2026 📍 Arlington, TX At The Restaurant Catering Workshop, you'll gain practical strategies, proven tactics, and actionable insights to help you launch, grow, or optimize a more profitable catering business. Will we see you there? #RCW2026 #RestaurantCatering #CateringProfitability #CaliforniaTortilla #CleanEatz #RestaurantOperations #CateringGrowth

How do you continuously innovate to capture changing consumer tastes and redefine the QSR experience? 🍗✨ 📢 We're thrilled to feature Christophe Poirier, Global Chief Concept Officer at KFC US, as our Opening Keynote speaker at #QSRNext on November 12! With an extraordinary track record of driving breakthrough innovation across Yum! Brands—from launching iconic menu hits like the KFC Boxmaster and Pizza Hut Melts to pioneering new concepts like KWENCH and Saucy! by KFC—Christophe is a master of modern restaurant design, global brand expression, and next-generation menu vision. Join us for this inspiring opening session to hear directly from one of the industry's top visionary leaders shaping the future of fast food! #QSRNext is a free half-day virtual event designed specifically for busy restaurant owners, executives, and brand leaders looking to stay ahead of industry trends. #QSRNext #KFC #YumBrands #RestaurantInnovation #QSRLeadership #MenuInnovation #RestaurantDesign