Speakers 2023

Nabeel Alamgir was born in Bangladesh, moved to Kuwait 7 years later, and to Queens, New York 7 years after that. Nabeel began his career as the first busboy at the Bareburger flagship store in Astoria, and spent his free […]

Jose Armario has been Chief Executive Officer and President of Bojangles since January 2019. His strong and visionary leadership has led Bojangles to become a more unified, innovative and nimble brand. Armario has more than 40 years of senior leadership […]

Sarah Beckett, Director of Marketing at Intouch Insight, a Customer Experience solutions company and home of the Annual Drive-Thru Study. Sarah is committed to delivering value-added insights to Intouch’s clients, as well as broader CX communities. Sarah leads the team […]

Jimmy Bennett is the VP of media, social, and partnerships for Wendy’s, where he heads up the connections team and leads all external consumer touchpoints including media, social, partnerships, content, digital, owned and gaming. Previously, Mr. Bennett worked in integrated […]

Loren Bontrager is the Vice President of Franchise and Development at MAD Greens, the Colorado-born brand known for its flavorful salads. Loren has a well-rounded background in franchising having spent over 10 years in various leadership positions at notable companies […]

As CEO of The Melt, Ralph Bower leads the helm following an incredibly successful and prolific career developing and advancing national fast-casual brands. Bower is a proven brand builder who has guided the development of some of the country’s most […]

Shawn Caric is currently the Vice President of Franchise Development for Smoothie King. Caric leads franchise recruitment and strategic franchise expansion across key markets across the United States for the iconic 1,400-unit brand. Prior to joining Smoothie King in November […]

Alonso Castañeda is the VP of Brand Development & Strategy at Savory Fund. He is focused on delivering outsized returns through expansion and replication strategies for Savory’s high-growth brands. He leads the strategic oversight of brand initiatives, brand campaigns, and […]

Amanda Clark was appointed Chief International and Development Officer in May 2022 after previously serving as Chief Development Officer since joining Papa Johns in February 2020. Amanda joined Papa Johns from Taco Bell where she served as Executive Vice President […]