Cai Palmiter, is a seasoned marketing executive with over 20 years of experience scaling restaurant and hospitality brands on a global scale. Known for her expertise in brand strategy and operational alignment, she has a proven track record of elevating emerging concepts into nationally recognized leaders.
With a background rooted in P&L leadership and hospitality operations, Cai champions a results-driven approach where marketing must be both executable at the unit level and strictly accountable to revenue growth. Today, she partners with leadership teams to strengthen brand positioning, accelerate market expansion, and build high-performing marketing organizations for multi-unit and franchise concepts.
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.
