The stakes aren’t as high as the days when a national pizza company promised your pizza in 30 minutes or it’s free (not surprisingly there were accidents, some more than just fender-benders), but the need to get up to speed on delivery quickly is sweeping the foodservice industry from restaurants to grocery stores to hospitality tech companies along in its wake.
Last year at our first Food on Demand Conference, in Dallas, we were chipping at the surface of off-premise dining—should you? And if so, when, where and how? This year at our second-annual conference, there’s no question restaurants should consider third-party delivery, catering or their own delivery system, but the best way to do that, along with the best practices, is still a stumbling block for many a good operator.
We know that consumers want delivery, which is why restaurants are gearing up for it en masse, but the big questions remain how to do it and how to make money at it. That’s what the experts we’ve assembled for the second FODC, this time in restaurant mecca Chicago, will answer in a variety of tangible ways so that you have real solutions to take home with you to implement and streamline.
For instance, we’ve collected the who’s who of third-party delivery and catering executives to talk about their concepts and what’s new in their ever-expanding world. To date, we have senior executives from Amazon Restaurants, DoorDash, Google, Grubhub, Postmates, Caviar and UberEats. Also in the line-up is the founder of ezCaterer, Stefania Mallett, Foodsby Founder Ben Cattoor and Chris Meaux, CEO of Waitr.
In addition, operators will share their experiences—in the red and in the black—on what it took to be successful at delivery. There are also two in-depth panels that will cover franchising’s unique position in delivery.
Our keynoter this year is Celebrity Chef Ivan Orkin, a talented chef who won over Japan with his remarkable ramen. Orkin has told his story from the TED stage and in front of the cameras for Season 3 of Chef’s Table, but at FODC, he’ll elaborate even more on his rise from Cub Scout dropout to his recent announcement of plans to expand his two ramen shops, Ivan Ramen, in NYC to 100 locations.
Since this is a tech-heavy industry, we have several opportunities for attendees to hear from technology gurus from POS side to drone delivery and autonomous cars.
The Food on Demand Conference staff is the same experienced group that has produced the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference for the past 29 years. In addition to workshops and general sessions, there will be a vendor show where you can see the latest and greatest products and services.
The fee is $595 a person for registrations prior to March 15. To reserve a room at the $184 conference rate call the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile at 312-836-0100. Registration information is on our website at foodonedemandnews.com.
