With over 25 years of experience in technology leadership and senior management, Mo has dedicated a significant portion of his career to enhancing the Restaurant Industry through technology. Under his leadership at MonkeySoft Solutions, an ezCater Company, the business expanded by partnering with many of the most notable Restaurant Brands in the US. Mo prioritized customer success, fostering a customer-centric culture aimed at boosting sales and operational efficiency through MonkeySoft’s services and solutions.

Michael Attias began his career in the restaurant business at the age of 16, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up the ladder. Fresh out of college, he launched one of the first Corky's BBQ franchises just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Faced with the challenge of building restaurant and catering sales, Michael discovered direct marketing. His mastery of direct marketing led him to build a three-million-dollar-a-year operation out of a 104-seat restaurant, with catering sales exceeding a million dollars a year. As a result of these accomplishments, Michael began speaking, consulting, and providing educational tools to help restaurant owners, caterers, contract foodservice operators, and grocery stores increase their catering sales.

Tracy Avolio is the Chief Sales Officer at New Catering Connections, which provides outsourced, professional, fractional catering sales support for single unit, franchise and enterprise systems. Along with her business partner, launching New Catering Connections came from a deep love for the restaurant industry, catering as a business channel and empowering restaurants to take control of their business and realize strong, long term results. Tracy has spent over 25 years in the restaurant industry, helping restaurant concepts develop, implement and grow their catering program, focusing on strategic program planning, focused sales activities and educational training. Prior to launching New Catering Connections in January 2023, Tracy held positions such as Vice President of Enterprise Partnerships at Field Day, Vice President of The Catering Institute, Regional & National Catering Sales for Boston Market, Sales Director for Horseradish Grill and Concept Marketing Manager for Landry’s Seafood.

Allen Beck is an experienced Operations Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the restaurant industry. He's skilled in Microsoft platforms, Sales, Communication, and Team Building. Allen oversees all Off-Premise Sales, operations, and technology including contracts and relationships with our 3rd party DSPs, Catering, and Online ordering platforms along with overseeing the MarTech stack and development. He is the winner of the 2024 Operator of the Year Award, presented by Food on Demand.

Matthew Benzel is the Chief Technology Officer at DeliverThat, the leading provider in restaurant catering delivery and setup solutions. With over 12 years of experience in the restaurant technology field, Matthew has driven innovation across direct ordering, menu management, catering, and delivery technologies. His breadth of experience gives Matthew a unique perspective on the technology landscape that faces the restaurant community.

JB Braham is the Vice President of Sales at Flex Catering Software; a comprehensive solution designed to streamline and optimize catering operations. Flex Catering offers features like online ordering, order and menu management, event planning, and customer relationship management, making it ideal for catering businesses of all sizes. With over 15 years of experience in driving growth and leading teams, JB has a proven track record of identifying opportunities and implementing strategies that drive success. He has a passion for the catering industry and a deep understanding of the unique challenges it faces. JB's approach for Flex is rooted in fostering strong relationships with clients, understanding their needs, and delivering solutions that enhance their operations and profitability. He and his teams’ efforts focus on onboarding new customers, optimizing their use of Flex's software, and ensuring they achieve their business objectives.

Before joining Networld Media Group as Vice President of Events, Cherryh Cansler spent several years as VP of Editorial managing the Networld’s nine B2B publications. Throughout her 20-year career as a journalist, she’s written about a variety of topics, ranging from the restaurant industry and technology to health and fitness news. Her byline has appeared in a plethora of newspapers, magazines and websites, including Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine. She also serves as the managing editor for FastCasual.com.

Erin Childs is an independent consultant with a distinguished 19-year career in the food industry. Through her expertise in catering with a number of restaurant companies early in her career, she most recently served as President of Boloco, a Modern Mexican chain of fast casual restaurants based out of Boston. Today, Erin leverages extensive experience to help brands and their leadership teams grow and develop. With a proven track record of driving business success and fostering innovation, Erin specializes in strategic planning, brand development, and leadership coaching. Erin’s expertise has made her a sought-after speaker on panels and at conferences for over a decade. Her insights and hands-on approach have empowered companies to enhance their market presence and operational efficiency. Passionate about cultivating excellence, Erin works closely with clients to tailor strategies that meet their unique needs and goals, helping leaders achieve their full potential.

Rev is a New York City restaurant owner and knows exactly how hard it is to operate and brand a hospitality business. He is a hospitality marketing consultant, customer and technology evangelist at Branded Strategic Hospitality, with more than 20 years experience in B2B digital marketing and business development, specializing in hospitality marketing, content, local SEO, reputation management and demand generation. He helps technology companies, brands and restaurants to acquire and retain more customers. Rev is known as an “expert burger taster,” pens hospitality and marketing tips on his Instagram @revciancio, as well as his LinkedIn Profile and hosts the Restaurant Marketing Podcast. He believes that Pizza is a religion.

Erle Dardick is an entrepreneur, author, restaurant veteran, and off premises thought leader for the Global Foodservice Industry. Erle’s mission is to help foodservice operators create successful off premises revenue channels. An expert in turning around struggling businesses, Erle's journey into catering began with acquiring a small Vancouver deli and developing it into a flourishing off premises operation. In a small office above that deli, Erle created MONKEY, The #1 Cloud Platform for takeout, delivery & catering. Through his vision of The Catering Institute, MonkeyMedia Software, and Off Premises Insights, Erle became a leader in a rapidly developing space. Throughout this process, Erle pioneered The 5 Pillars of Successful Takeout, Delivery & Catering which has since evolved into the 5 Stages, a leading strategic framework for the restaurant and foodservice industry. Since selling his company to ezCater in 2019, Erle has gone on to work with several more cutting-edge order management solutions including Olo and Lunchbox, in developing and refining their off premises strategies. Eventually, Erle came to realize that the best way he could serve the foodservice community was by sharing his insights on the principles of the 5 stages, rather than any singular solution. Today, as Founder & Senior Partner, Erle leads The Off Premises Growth Academy, focusing on industry advocacy for the off premises segment, as well as training and certification for foodservice multi-unit off premises channels. Erle earned his MBA at Simon Fraser University and lives in Vancouver BC, Canada.

Scott Davis is a leader and innovator in the restaurant industry specializing in brand positioning and clean/healthy menu development. From his early days in Boston as an operator to his current role at CoreLife Eatery, Scott has been a creative force for better food and a better life. Scott currently serves as the President and Partner of CoreLife Eatery. CoreLife Eatery is a start up fast casual concept focused on providing everyday access to a great tasting, clean and healthy menu for people pursuing active lifestyles. CoreLife currently operates 46 Eateries, primarily in upstate NY and PA. Previously Scott served as the Chief Concept Officer for Panera Bread from the inception of the brand until December 2014. In his role of Chief Concept Office Davis oversaw menu development, category management, restaurant design and sustainability. Scott was also an integral part of Panera’s marketing and strategy teams guiding the brand’s evolution.

Charles is the Chief Revenue Officer at digital guest engagement provider, Paytronix. No matter how guests engage in the dining experience, Charles believes brands can connect with them. That’s why he’s dedicated to helping restaurant and c-store brands generate repeatable revenue by using the best customer experience platform. Calling on his 30 years of industry leadership, Charles leads teams specializing in global sales, strategic alliances, and channel strategy.

Kelly Grogan is a highly successful executive in the hospitality industry with extensive experience and achievements in driving revenue growth in both B2B and B2C settings. With a keen understanding of market dynamics and consumer preferences, she has consistently devised and executed innovative sales strategies that have propelled her employers and clients to new heights of success. Her tenure in the restaurant space has been marked by a series of notable accomplishments. Through strategic partnerships, targeted marketing initiatives, and an ability to build from the ground up, Kelly has grown both new and established departments to achieve significant incremental revenue growth. By leveraging her expertise in identifying and capitalizing on emerging trends, as well as her ability to work cross-functionally across all departments, she has seen great success at both the corporate and local store levels.

Lindsay Holl is a Sr. Sales Engineer at Olo, a leading restaurant technology provider with ordering, payment, and guest engagement solutions. She brings more than a decade of experience in various roles across the hospitality and technology sectors, including positions at Uber and high-performing restaurant brands like Tropical Smoothie Cafe and GoTo Foods. Lindsay's mission is to bridge the gap between technology and hospitality, enabling restaurants to succeed in the digital space.

Bill Holleman brings 30 years of restaurant multi-unit operations and off-premises growth leadership experience. He has helped brands like Panera Bread, Potbelly Sandwich Works, and Roti Modern Mediterranean grow from small local brands to national chains. He founded his own company, Cater Cult to further help operators navigate the complexity of off-premises and partnered with both The Catering Institute and EzCater to help restaurants create successful direct-to-consumer experiences. Most recently, he worked with McDonald’s, leading the operations processes needed to bring geofencing technology to their mobile app ordering experience. He also led the launch and outreach of on-premises ordering at Olo, helping the team define the value proposition and customer engagement approach and partnerships to drive program growth.

With over 18 years of strategic leadership, Liz Matakis has consistently driven growth and innovation in the catering industry. She was pivotal in transforming the catering channel at Panera Bread into a market leader and led efforts to adapt to changing guest behaviors during significant industry shifts. Currently, at Noodles & Company, Liz has successfully expanded the brand's catering footprint and implemented strategies that have elevated Noodles & Company catering to new heights. Liz continues to leverage her expertise to push boundaries and shape the industry's future.

Zack Oates is an author, husband, father, entrepreneur, and hot tub aficionado (but not in that order, necessarily). He grew up in restaurants before getting into startups. He was voted Top 100 Entrepreneurs, rang the NASDAQ bell, won the world’s biggest business competition, has been to 50 countries, and started 3 companies. He went on over 1,000 dates before he got married and wrote a book, “Dating Never Works…Until it Does.” He currently is Founder and CEO of Ovation, the no. 1 restaurant feedback platform in America, voted Top 50 Most Influential Supplier by Nation’s Restaurant News, and host of “Give an Ovation: A Podcast for Restaurants.”

Nader Samadyan is the co-founder and COO of Omnicart, a tech platform specializing in empowering restaurants to launch first-party online ordering for catering. With a strong background in entrepreneurship, product management, and operations, Nader has a track record of helping businesses grow through innovative solutions. He brings extensive experience working with restaurants and food brands, driving tech-forward strategies in the restaurant tech space.

TJ Schier is the CEO of SMART Restaurant Group, a leading hospitality and consulting company. TJ speaks and consults in the areas of guest service, employee retention and off-premise space, delivering customized workshops to operators, owners, GMs and industry associations. TJ also built dozens of guest service and training programs for quick-service, contract feeder, casual and fine dining brands. TJ is the former Chief Operating Officer of BigShots Golf owned by ClubCorp. BigShots Golf grew quickly to be the second largest player in golf entertainment before being sold by the private equity ownership group to the largest competitor in the space. For 15 years, he was also a multi-unit franchise owner Which Wich Superior Sandwiches and led their catering revolution…especially focused around schools, band, sports and other groups. Prior to starting his speaking and consulting business, he spent 18 years at Chuck E Cheese’s, leaving as VP of Field Support.

Jason Schlenker has been a key part in Inktel’s success. Mr. Schlenker is primarily tasked with growing the company’s revenues, identifying new industry verticals and services and helping shape policy and direction for the company as a member of our Executive Management Team. Over the past 25 years, Mr. Schlenker has learned what it takes to create great partnerships and has come to value the impact of developing solutions that truly impact and innovate our clients’ businesses. After earning his Bachelor’s degree at Florida International University, he discovered Inktel, an incredibly energetic company that put a premium on building great partnerships with its clients. 25 years later, Mr. Schlenker has worked in almost every department at Inktel and still looks forward to going to the office each day. Jason holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Sports Management from Florida International University.

Christopher Sebes is a widely respected restaurant technology entrepreneur, CEO, Advisor, and Board Member. He has dedicated his career to hospitality management and technology. He graduated from Portsmouth University School of Hotel Management in 1975. He managed 5-star hotels in South Africa, Morocco, and Kenya before transitioning to the restaurant business, managing multi-unit restaurant operations in Europe and the United States. Having created Twenty20 Visual Systems, the first-ever Microsoft Windows POS company which was sold to Radiant Systems in 1998, he went on to found Xpient Solutions, where he served as CEO until its sale to Heartland Payments in late 2014. As President of Xenial (formerly Heartland Commerce) Sebes led the acquisition of several restaurant technology companies and created a cross-platform cloud solution which continues to provide technology to more than half the top 50 brands in the QSR and Fast-Casual segments. Having stepped away from Global Payments, the acquirer of Heartland, in mid 2019, Sebes has devoted his time to investing in and consulting for several technology companies. Sebes’ thought leadership as to the growing and future role of technology in the restaurant industry and his extensive knowledge of restaurant brands and strategy has led to several board and advisory roles in the Restech sector.

Jessica Serrano brings over 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, spanning both consumer packaged goods and multi-unit restaurant sectors. She has a proven track record of leadership in both corporate and franchise business models. Currently, Jessica serves as the head of marketing for DIG (diginn.com), a prominent upscale fast-casual concept in the Northeast, known for its commitment to seasonal scratch cooking. Prior to this, she held leadership roles at both Burger King and Taco Bell, where she managed the national marketing calendar for over 7,000 restaurants, contributing to more than $10 billion in system-wide sales. Her earlier career includes foundational experiences at Dole and Kraft Foods, where she developed her expertise in brand strategy, consumer insights, sales planning, trade marketing, pricing, and analytics.

Brett Spiegel is the VP of Direct Ordering at Checkmate, a top provider of ordering solutions for restaurants. With over ten years of experience, he has developed advanced digital ordering systems for brands of all sizes. Brett co-founded Koala, the pioneering UX-as-a-Service digital ordering platform specifically designed for restaurants. Following the sale of Koala, he joined Checkmate, where he now focuses on creating and enhancing direct ordering solutions, including web and app platforms, kiosks, catering services, loyalty programs, and marketing tools.

Samuel Stanovich is part of the leadership team of Big Chicken. Prior to joining Big Chicken, Samuel worked with Firehouse Subs brand as an Area Representative and Franchisee. Samuel’s past experiences include: Director Partner Product Development & Industry Relations, National Restaurant Association, President & CEO of the Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitors Bureau, in addition, he is a 12-year veteran of Marriott International. In 2020 Samuel co-authored the top catering book “Catering Domination” and is co-host of the Takeout, Delivery and Catering podcast. Samuel is an alum Johnson and Wales University and adjunct faculty at the College of DuPage.

Samir Wagle is the founder of 11:11 Partners, bringing over 25 years of experience in executive leadership and organizational development within the restaurant industry. At 11:11 Partners, Samir collaborates with clients to source, hire, and retain high-caliber talent for senior and executive-level positions in the F&B industry. 11:11 Partners has a proven track record of filling leadership roles in just 9 weeks with a 78% diversity rate. 90% of their placements remain with the company after 2 years (compared to the average of 40%), driving significant performance improvements and growth. Prior to 11:11 Partners, Samir served as CEO of The Protein Bar & Kitchen, and held leadership roles at Boudin Bakeries, Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald’s, and Deloitte. His extensive experience provides him with a deep understanding of the restaurant industry's unique challenges and opportunities. Samir holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. He is also a certified coach through the Conscious Leadership Group and a Kolbe-certified consultant.