Like last year, we’re dedicating an entire track to technology and the solutions powering restaurants. Whether it’s AI, loyalty, or trying to get a headstart on what’s coming next, experts from around the industry will break down the biggest buzz words, separate myth from reality, and take attendees inside the most-disruptive corner of the QSR business.

No matter what changes in food service, labor remains central to every operators’ ability to thrive or survive. We’ll explore pressing topics and tap experts to pull the curtain back on how restaurants drive results through people, and what it truly takes to become a culture-centric operation that wins from the front line.

Our entrepreneurial category of QSR Evolution will explore how operators of all sizes are scaling their brands. From the start-up stage to managing a multi-concept fleet, these discussions will unpack how to grow with intent, what it takes to develop systems and teams, and how your restaurant brand should approach its next life stage, whatever that might be.

As it has every year, our agenda will get into intimate stories of success and evolution as we chat one-on-one with industry leaders. This time, in addition to fireside chats with some of the category’s top brands, we’ll also bring QSR magazine’s popular CEO to CEO: Behind the Counter series to the stage. Executives will get candid and turn the mics on each other as we give attendees a direct look into life leading from the top.

Whether you have one store or thousands, there’s no single path to expansion. In this track, we’ll bring in leading voices to tackle the leading topics in franchising, corporate development, how to raise and deploy capital, and what it’s going to take to build a restaurant portfolio the right way.