Restaurant Next Is Streaming On Demand!

ENTER OUR IMMERSIVE RESTAURANT ENVIRONMENTS

Restaurant Next features five unique virtual restaurant environments that play host to introductory tours, educational sessions, and showcased sponsor info and inspiration. Dedicated to demonstrating what's next in QSR/Fast Casual/Drive-Thru, Curbside & Delivery, Full-Service, Kitchen, and Universal Solutions, these immersive environments are the cornerstone of Restaurant Next's content.

BROWSE THE EXHIBIT HALL

We know you miss meeting colleagues and vendors in person — Restaurant Next's Exhibit Hall is the closest we've come to making those real-time connections. Take some time to visit each sponsor booth, pick up educational material and watch fun video presentations, and introduce yourself to these solution providers who are changing the face of restaurant tech.

In-Depth Keynote Presentations

Each day featured a keynote presentation that put tech innovation front and center:

A View From the Top, with Giancarlo Fiorarancio, Vice President, IT, The Howard Hughes Corporation. Hear how The Howard Hughes Corporation turned a piece of prime New York City real estate into the hottest place to see and be seen, a socially-distanced mega-rooftop with individual dining lounges in squares of green, complete with contactless technologies, enhanced bandwidth, unique culinary partnerships and spectacular views. 

Spotlight on White Castle’s Tech Initiatives, with Susan Carroll-Boser, VP, Technology, White Castle, and Michael Guinan, VP, Operations Services, White Castle. From revolutionary robotics in the fryer area to sophisticated AI in the drive-thru, nearly a century-year-old, beloved brand White Castle is shaking up the QSR world by embracing cutting-edge tech. The Crave is a Powerful Thing. And so is the next-gen tech this legacy brand is putting to work in powerful ways.

Firechats With Industry Leaders

One-on-one Firechats with the folks making it happen at top brands. Three examples include:

Wade Allen, SVP, Head of Innovation, Brinker International. We explore how the brand pivoted at lightning speed to accommodate 100% off-prem at the start of COVID. We’re also talking about Brinker’s new virtual brand, It’s Just Wings, recently rolled out to 1000+ of the company’s own kitchens exclusively through DoorDash.

Justin Falciola, Chief Insights & Technology Officer, Papa John’s International. An explosion of ordering channels and on-prem/off-prem access points has forced every restaurant to rethink technology and business strategies that maximize return on investment. With a hyper-focus on digital and menu innovation, an exciting plan for growth, and estimated systemwide sales up nearly 25% in August in North America, Papa John’s brand is on the rise. Find out how the company has aligned business objectives with smart technology architecture to come out on top. And how it plans to stay there.

Laura Rea Dickey, CEO, Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, shares how this famed barbecue brand has leveraged analytics to identify friction points in the customer journey and then used its in-house tech team to quash those obstacles, reducing checkout times, increasing spend and improving customer satisfaction along the way.

Don’t miss all our Firechats, including talks with El Pollo Loco, Dunkin’ Brands, Torchy's Tacos, Church’s Chicken, and more.

Thought-Leadership Panel Discussions

Each day was packed with panels made up of the industry’s thought leaders. Two outstanding examples include:

Native Delivery Rising. From third-party to hybrid to owned channels, hear how three brands are navigating through the complex world of delivery. Matt Friedman founded Wing Zone, a concept thriving for nearly three decades, always delivering on delivery. Former Domino’s and Bloomin’ Brands off-prem expert Chris Demery explains how he’s currently overseeing P.F. Chang’s smart delivery moves. And Skip Kimpel, CIO of 4R Restaurants and TechChef podcaster, describes the pivot from hybrid to owned delivery, with a little help from RTN’s Native Delivery TCO Calculator.

Host Kitchens Heat Up. Featuring Emma Dye, Founder + Chief Salad Officer, Crisp Salads; Subha Rajagopalan, VP, IT Applications, P.F. Chang’s; and Ray Ledford, Owner, Lêberry Bakery, this panel focuses on how the pandemic has forced restaurants to embrace contactless technologies that keep customers and employees safe, while keeping revenues coming in the door. Find out how some operators are going contactless, including some of the most innovative solutions out there, from facial recognition payments to pick-up lockers, and everything in between.

Be sure to check out all the panels, including topics ranging from Open APIs to Loyalty, Predictive Analytics, and much more!