Srishti Handa is the Vice President of Marketing – Brand and Growth at Dave’s Hot Chicken. For nearly five years, she’s helped shape the voice, identity, and growth of one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in the country, driving national campaigns, menu innovation, and global expansion. Before joining Dave’s, she led marketing for a female-founded produce company, managing retail partnerships with Whole Foods, Kroger, and Bristol Farms. Her career spans food, retail, and consumer brands, including leading marketing for a lifestyle company acquired by India’s largest retailer and overseeing brand strategy for a plant-based frozen food company across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. That journey eventually led her to launch her own frozen food brand, The Temperamental Chef, sold in premium Indian grocery stores. Her work has earned her recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30 and, more recently, AdAge 40 Under 40.
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.
