Fuel up and network. Grab a bite, meet your neighbors, discover what's next.

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A deep dive into how chefs, culinary directors, and operators merge trend data, sensory research, seasonality, and storytelling to build craveable, repeatable menus. Where do you spot trends first—and how do you know they fit your brand identity? From long-term trends vs. fads to the phases of the R&D process and the eternal marketing-vs-operations balance, this session breaks down what modern menu innovation really takes.

Forget broad culture talk. This panel goes straight to the “how.” Learn practical programs for understanding your core guest, creating emotional touchpoints, and accelerating guest-driven decisions across menus, marketing, and operations. From brands with big data to those building insight from scratch, we’ll dig into the tools, habits, and cross-functional collaboration that turn guest understanding into loyalty-building action.

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To support growth, you need a roster of leaders. Here’s how you can you ensure your restaurant is investing in the right roles, the right people, and putting practices in place to help them grow, evolve, and take your brand to new heights.

QSR magazine's popular CEO to CEO series hits the stage with a candid conversation between two industry leaders. No moderator. No filter. All insights.

The right tech shouldn’t replace hospitality, but amplify it. This panel breaks down how operators are using AI, automation, scheduling tools, and guest data to deliver faster, warmer, more personalized service. From pay-at-the-table and kitchen optimization tools to speed-and-accuracy measurement and smart staffing, we’ll explore the systems that actually move the needle. We’ll also tackle the loyalty dilemma—native POS vs third-party—and how emerging brands can vet partners without costly missteps.

Modeled after QSR Magazine’s CEO to CEO series, this fireside chat-style session will bring together senior leaders from NextGen Casual brands for a candid conversation, giving attendees a direct look into life leading from the top and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Okay technically lunch! Get ready for a fast-paced, easy-to-digest session packed with trivia, prizes, and fresh ideas you can actually use. We'll explore smart ways to drive traffic, improve efficiency, and elevate the in-store experience, all while testing your knowledge. And don't worry, no studying required. When it comes to trivia, anyone's guess could win.

Presented by: RR Donnelly

Up to 74% of QSR revenue flows through the drive-thru, yet legacy loop timers leave operators blind to pre-menu line abandonments that drain $100 per store every day. Drawing from a 2026 industry survey of over 2,000 QSR leaders, Envysion’s Head of Product, Scott Logie, exposes how camera-based AI replaces unreliable sensor data with total visibility. Attendees will walk away with actionable strategies to eliminate lane blind spots, trigger mid-rush operational fixes, and capture lost revenue before frustrated drivers pull out of line.

Presented by: Envysion

Leading QSR brands are looking for ways to find more value across the entire digital transaction. From cart to confirmation, discover how you can turn moments you already own into incremental revenue, stronger loyalty, and more valuable customer relationships, without sacrificing control of the guest experience.

Presented by: Rokt US Corp

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How are digital touchpoints shaping hospitality? What is “phygital?” What’s the true state of omnichannel? However you break it down, restaurants have more avenues and channels to engage with guests than ever—but reaching them and taking them along for the ride is never an easy process.

Presented by: Tesoro XP

A great business must be endearing to be enduring. To create loyal customers who become raving fans, you need an emotional connection. Leaders often lead with logic, but customers and employees make decisions with emotions. In this keynote, Kevin Paul Scott will unpack the four core emotions of your customers, and how to balance emotions and logic in sales and marketing. He will share why emotional connections lead to greater ROI and how to achieve this in an authentic way.

Learn why guests are gravitating back to warm, chaotic, personality-driven environments like diners and other legacy brands, and how restaurants can lean into emotional memory without becoming gimmicky.

Learn why guests are gravitating back to warm, chaotic, personality-driven environments like diners and other legacy brands, and how restaurants can lean into emotional memory without becoming gimmicky.

In the restaurant world, everything moves fast. But great operations still depend on well-trained, motivated frontline teams. In this session, Scott Greenberg introduces 30-Second Leadership, a simple coaching approach designed for the realities of the restaurant floor. Learn how to turn everyday interactions with crew members into quick but meaningful coaching moments that improve performance, strengthen culture, and support retention. You’ll leave with a practical tool you can bring back to your organization to help operators build stronger teams and deliver better guest experiences.

Pre-Registration Required. WiRL's signature networking reception is back for the fourth year in a row! We’re bringing the community together for real conversations, connections that stick, and a night that leaves everyone's cup full. 

Come as you are. Be ready to clink a glass, laugh with a new (or old) friend, share your story, and build a stronger community together. 

This is where WiRL began—right here in Atlanta. This is what we do. This is who we are. And there's nowhere else you'd rather be on September 9th.

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Schoox and The Trade Desk

Fuel up and network. Grab a bite, meet your neighbors, discover what's next.

Like last year, we'll give attendees an early, exclusive look at the fastest, most accurate, and best customer service drive-thrus in America.

Presented by: Tesoro XP

Victor Fernandez, chief insights officer at Black Box Intelligence, will unveil the first look at the 2026 BBI Total Rewards Survey—which features submissions from 150-plus restaurant brands- exclusively at this conference. Marrying the survey results from trends in BBI's proprietary Restaurant Performance Network, this session will provide the most-up-to-date and definitive view on the state of the restaurant labor market. We’ll cover: pay and base compensation for hourly and management roles; Bonuses, variable pay, and benefits packages that are winning the talent battle; Turnover, staffing, training/orientation, and employee demographics—and how leaders are connecting these to retention and financial performance. This will be the official launch of the 2026 Total Rewards Survey results, with insights and commentary available here before they’re released anywhere else.

Today’s full-service dining rooms have to feel good, photograph well, and move guests seamlessly through an experience worth sharing outside your four walls. This session explores how lighting, music, pacing, and spatial flow work together to shape craveability, amplify brand personality, and turn every corner of your restaurant into a connection-driven, camera-ready moment that keeps guests coming back (and posting about it).

Long-term retention starts with who you bring in and how you set them up to thrive. This session explores how top operators hire for alignment, onboard with intention, and create clear paths for growth so team members feel supported long before they hit the floor. We’ll connect the dots between employee experience and guest experience, unpack why satisfaction can’t exceed what your team feels internally, and share practical ways to build hospitality from the inside out.

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QSR magazine's popular CEO to CEO series once again hits the stage with a candid conversation between two industry leaders. No moderator. No filter. All insights.

Instead of the traditional “server + busser + bartender” model, many restaurants are shifting to service teams built around strengths, pacing, and collaboration. This panel breaks down how role clarity, communication patterns, and table support roles can reduce burnout and improve hospitality quality across the dining room.

Whether opening unit No. 2 or 200, the real test of a brand is whether its identity holds as it grows. This session digs into how emerging and scaling concepts protect their core DNA while expanding into new markets, new formats, and new guest expectations. We’ll unpack the “portability” question (where does your concept truly fit?), and how to localize without losing yourself. From menu tweaks to design flexes to franchise vs. corporate growth paths, operators will share where they invest time, money, and energy to scale with intention.

Break bread and build relationships. Eat, drink, and connect with the industry leaders around you.

Join Cardlytics QSR Analytics Lead Chelsea McKoy and Ad Sales Industry Lead Jenni Morrison for an insightful session on the trends reshaping the QSR vertical, from shifting consumer spend inside QSR to where share of restaurant spending is going beyond QSR. We'll also unveil data most brands never get to see: data to challenge your definition of loyalty and proof that the customers spending the most with you aren't nearly as loyal as you think.

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Just as we have for the past three years, our WiRL platform hits the stage to gather women executives from around the industry for a conversation on how to elevate, educate, and empower. They’ll share stories, advice on how to supercharge your career, and provide inspiration to a new generation of leaders.

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Five powerhouse women from QSR's biggest brands are sharing the stories, strategies, and advice that got them here—and how they're paying it forward.

From career pivots to culture-building to navigating growth, hear from Kelly McCutcheon (Whataburger), Nancy Combs (Shake Shack), Devon Croom (Chick-fil-A), Somia Farid Silber (Edible Brands), and Maria Valero (Papa Johns) on what it really takes to lead.

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Discount fatigue is real, and the old playbook of “buy one, get one” no longer builds lasting loyalty. This panel explores how QSR leaders are shifting from transactional rewards to emotional connection, using data, personalization, menu engineering, and brand storytelling to deliver value that guests feel.

Back for its third year, this high-energy session brings together the industry’s most forward-thinking beverage minds for a fun, interactive dive into what’s next behind the bar. From Gen Z–driven NA innovation and premium trade-offs to large-format sharables, crafted coffees, protein cold foam, dirty sodas, pairings, and even emerging THC beverages, this panel unpacks the trends reshaping beverage programs nationwide. Expect real talk on state regulations, operational realities, legal considerations, and cost implications—plus practical ideas you can take home and pour into your menu tomorrow.

This session digs into how restaurant leaders turn mission statements into daily practice, from choosing the right partners to designing surprise-and-delight moments that feel authentic, not performative. Panelists will break down how purpose informs decision-making, shapes culture, and builds emotional equity with guests and teams alike. You’ll walk away with tactical frameworks for activating your “why,” and measuring its real impact.

New menu items and LTOs aren’t random — they follow distinct playbooks. Using Datassential’s Launches and Ratings data, this session reveals four approaches restaurant chains use to drive menu innovation and growth. Through real-world examples, you’ll discover where your brand fits, and whether a different playbook could accelerate growth.