Speakers 2024

Kris McDonald has served as the Vice President of Development since June, 2020. Having joined the brand in October, 2017 as the Director of Real Estate, she added the construction team to her scope in 2019 and later added the […]

Phil McGahey is the VP of Loyalty Sales at Mastercard Data & Services. Prior to working at Mastercard, Phil had stints at Lunchbox, Punchh and Cardlytics. He has deep expertise in the loyalty technology space and enjoys working with clients […]

George McLaughlin, a visionary in the restaurant and franchising industry, is redefining breakfast and brunch dining with his latest venture – Vicious Biscuit, a fast-casual concept that recently started franchising. His first experience in the restaurant industry began at McAlister’s […]

Tripp McLaughlin serves as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at The Honey Baked Ham Company, LLC, a family-owned business renowned for providing distinctive and delicious food, including its signature spiral-sliced Honey Baked Ham with sweet and crunchy glaze. With a […]

Kevin Moran, presently serving as the Chief Development Officer at Blaze Pizza, boasts an extensive career spanning more than twenty years in financial planning and analysis. With a proven track record, Kevin has consistently guided development teams towards remarkable performance […]

As Senior Vice President of Franchise Development, Bobby Morena leads all aspects of GoTo Foods’ franchise sales function, including working with independent brand franchisees, the real estate, design and construction teams, and brand management teams to ensure incremental franchise growth […]

Amir is the founder of South Block & local pioneer in bringing cold-pressed juice, smoothies & acai bowls to the DC area. Amir first fell in love with juicing while soaking up rays on a trip to Southern California back […]

Kevin has over 18 years of experience in Digital roles across a variety of verticals. Kevin was most recently at Restaurant Brands International as Head of Digital for Popeyes. Kevin spearheaded growing the brand from 4% Digital Sales to ~20% […]

With an extensive business background, Neil Newcomb entered the restaurant industry early in his career. After graduating from Southern Methodist University, he was interested in pursuing a career in the restaurant industry. He started a deli restaurant in Mississippi with […]

The daughter of Kolache Factory founders, Jerri and John Banks, Dawn Nielsen grew up in the family business. Today, Dawn leads the company as Chief Operating Officer, after working her way up from scrubbing the restaurant’s floors. Dawn spearheads critical […]