Schedule

WORKPLACE SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING

This session will meet the new sexual harassment training requirement for all California employers.

OPENING GUEST SPEAKER SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR LONDON BREED

ECONOMIC FORECAST FROM MARK VITNER, MANAGING DIRECTOR/SENIOR ECONOMIST, WELLS FARGO

BREAKOUT #1 | ROBOT REVOLUTION: ARE ROBOTS THE NEW TOOL FOR SCALING?

Is the robot revolution is upon us? Many think the restaurant industry is poised to be taken over by robots doing everything from cooking to bartending. Could robots be helpful for scaling or replicating your concept? Are robot solutions affordable and do customers like them? In this session, hear from pioneering restaurants that are using robots as part of their core operations.

Moderator:
Katie Burke, Reporter, San Francisco Business Times

Speakers:
Jonathan Duke, General Manager, Creator
Deepak Sekar, CEO & Founder, Chowbotics
Cynthia Yeung, COO, CafeX

BREAKOUT #2 | TIP SHARING: TO DO OR NOT TO DO?

For years there’s been an unclear legal debate as to whether tips could be shared across a restaurant, with California historically being left out due to state labor laws. However, last year with the Department of Labor issuing new guidance related to tipping, concerns over the ambiguity of the tip pool being inclusive of owners and managers, led Congress to take action clarifying that tips could be shared with everyone but managers and owners. With this legislative victory now a year old, some restaurants have adopted tip sharing, while others have waited to see how it fares with service staff at restaurants sharing tips. This panel will explore best practices in how to implement tip sharing.

Moderator:
Gwyneth Borden, Executive Director, GGRA

Speakers:
Max Dibble, Office Manager, The Cavalier
Sara Moore, Senior Counsel, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
Anthony Strong, Chef/Owner, Prairie

BREAKOUT #3 | GLEANING CUSTOMER INSIGHTS FOR MARKETING

There’s no shortage of marketing data everywhere, but how can restaurants capture the right data and use it to effectively market to current and potential customers? Among prominent services used, what are the best sources for data insights and how do you determine who your core customer actually is and how to reach them? This panel will explore various sources of marketing data capture and how to use customer insights to win new customers and maintain existing ones.

Moderator:
Jenna Swigert, Vice President - Regional - Sales and Services, OpenTable

Speakers:
Nate Danforth, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Toast, Inc.
Alexandria Dempsey, Marketing Lead, Mootz Consutling
Scott Oklin, Head of Local Sales, West, Travelzoo
Nathan Tenney, Regional Manager, Alexander's Steakhouse
Miloni Malhotra, SFO, Acting GM, Spacious

Breakout #1 | Marketing in a Digital World

Marketing a restaurant in a competitive market is so much more than having a great website, signage and posting to social media. The options for driving awareness can be a bit overwhelming. How do you work with social media influencers? How about getting the best ROI from social media advertising? What do you need to know about search engine marketing (SEM)? How does PR fit in? What are the best email marketing and loyalty programs? Join this panel and come away with steps you can take now to increase your revenue.

Moderator:
Jacob Cross, Vice President Marketing & PR, Back of the House Inc.

Speakers:
Valeria DiGrande, Director of Sales & Marketing, Palio
Jennifer Kirk, Social & Digital Media Consultant, Jenius Consulting
Amanda Shepherd, Digital Content Director, Ellipses PR
Alisa Weiner, VP Restaurant Marketing, OpenTable

Breakout #2 | 2019 Compliance Updates

This panel is an opportunity to hear from experts on updates on everything from taxes to new labor laws. It will also provide a refresher of common compliance issues as well as guidance on best practices to deal with the ever changing regulatory framework of California and various municipalities.

Moderator:
Pete Sittnick, Managing Partner, Waterbar & Epic Steak

Speakers:
Gillian Garrett, Senior Counsel, Hinman & Carmichael LLP
Jason Geller, Regional Managing Partner, Fisher Phillips LLP
Stefanie Pavis Medious, Zero Waste Business & Outreach Manager, Recology
Jerry Raney, Principal/Broker, DVB Insurance Services
Andrew Sommer, Partner/Attorney, Conn Maciel Carey LLC

Breakout #3 | Will the mid­tier full­service restaurant become obsolete?

High labor costs have ushered in the popularity of fast casual dining, which now leads the growth in the restaurant industry. Along with the increasing trend of dining in primarily led by delivery, the mid­tier full­service restaurant model is being squeezed. Although many full­service restaurants are partnering with delivery services, they are seeing their onsite traffic decrease along with their average check value. Are mid­tier full­service restaurants like the Middle Class ­­ a shrinking group, or are there tricks to survival? This panel will explore the evolution of the economics of the mid­tier full­service restaurant and provide insight into how some restaurants are making it work.

Moderator:
Jonathan Kauffman, Lifestyle Assistant Editor, SF Chronicle

Speakers:
Jeff Hanak, Partner, Nopa/Nopalito/Lihiliho
Tony Marcell, Director of Ops/Partner, Wayfare Tavern
Adriano Paganini, Founder, Back of the House Inc.

Closing Conversation | Using Your Voice to be a Thought Leader

It has been argued that we’re now in the era of the rockstar/celebrity chef, where culinary experts can become household names through appearances on television and prolific online activity. Some argue now that all things culinary are hot, the food world has a greater responsibility than just showcasing delicious food. Hear from industry insiders who will discuss the importance of thought leadership and how restaurants can use their voice to make an impact on important issues of the day.

Moderator:
Gwyneth Borden, Executive Director, GGRA

Speakers:
Keith Belling, Founder & CEO, RightRice
Joyce Goldstein, Chef/Author/Culinary Consultant
Karen Leibowitz, Restaurateur/Writer/Activist

Training in English | Preventing and Remedying Workplace Harassment

This session will meet the new sexual harassment training requirement for all California employers.

Opening Keynote/Panel | State of the Industry & State Legislative Updates

GGRA Executive Director Gwyneth Borden will provide an update on the industry gleaned from data and trend information specific to the San Francisco Bay Area and discuss some of the upcoming challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. After she will be joined by the President & CEO, Visit California, followed by California Restaurant Association Public Affairs lead who will discuss what's going on at the state level that will impact restaurants. Additionally, we will hear from the head of the California Business and Industrial Alliance (CABIA), who are working to bring PAGA (Private Attorneys General Act) reform.

Speakers
Caroline Beteta, President & CEO, Vist California
Matthew Sutton, Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy, CRA
Tom Manzo, Founder & President, CABIA

Breakout #1 | Expanding Your Brand Through Dealmaking

As restaurants look for ways to expand revenue streams and extend their brand, there are a variety of opportunities to license your brand, sell branded products via retail or even franchise. Airports, stadiums and new development deals provide an a vehicle to license your brand without having to do all the operational components. This panel will explore the opportunities for expanding your brand and cover the common legal and other considerations to take into account.

Moderator:
Roberta Economidis, Attorney, Georgopoulos & Economidis LLP

Speakers:
Tony Gemignani, Owner, Tony Gemignani Restaurant Group
Hanson Li, Managing Partner, Salt Partners
Huy Pham, President & CEO, Innovative Retail Group

Breakout #2 | Restaurant Tech Pitch Session

Come hear pitches from a variety of restaurant tech solutions and share your honest feedback. This will be a fun moderated session where you can hear about some of the latest technology products others are using and decide if they work for your restaurant. At the end, attendees will be able to vote for their favorite solution pitched.

Speakers:
Bradley Mart & Steve Edelson, Frylow
Dan McMurtie & Kevin McCullogh, Simple 123
Jose Luis Roqueñí Galindo, Hello Genio
Hava Volterra, Parsley

Judge:
Justin Richardson, The City POS

Moderator:
Liam Mayclem, SF Foodie Chap

Breakout #3 | The Truly Accessible Restaurant

The passage of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) transformed how public spaces need to be accommodating to all. However, conflicting building requirements among state and local governments and ambiguity in federal guidelines has allowed enterprising attorneys to exploit the confusion, often leaving restaurants feeling targeted. And as businesses employ new tools like websites and online ordering, new issues have arisen for compliance. This session will cover some of the common pitfalls that restaurants face when trying to be ADA compliant and provide attendees with a checklist to ensure their restaurant can be welcoming to all.

Moderator:
Regina Dick-Endrizzi, Director, Office of Small Business

Speakers:
Brian Cotlove, COO, BentoBox
Angela Jemmott, Executive Director, California Commission on Disability Access (CCDA)
Gi Paoletti, Principal, Gi Paoletti Design Lab
Andrew Sommer, Partner/Attorney, Conn Maciel Carrey LLP

Breakout #1 | Delivery Economics

There are economic indicators that suggest growth will be slow this year for the restaurant industry with the exception of delivery. And while more restaurants than ever are on at least one or many platforms, some restaurants are determining that their labor costs and delivery check size are not helping the bottom line. While others are building new concepts with the intention of delivery being core to their business. Who does delivery work for and what’s the formula for success? Can including alcohol be a factor? This panel will explore the economics of delivery to assess whether it makes sense for your business.

Moderator:
Katie Burke, Reporter, San Francisco Business Times

Speakers:
Andrew Ghetia, Area Director, 4505 Burgers & BBQ Restaurant
Sydney Lynn, Director of Client Advisory Services, Restaurant Solutions, Inc.
Mirco Tomassini, General Manager, The Italian Homemade Company
Evan Rich, Chef-Owner, RT Rotisserie/Rich Table

Breakout #2 | Suburban Expansion

Many restaurateurs who plan to do multi-location concepts, often consider whether a move to the suburbs could be in their near future. Suburban locations can offer lower lease rates and less regulatory requirements. However, they also present a different set of challenges related to labor and clientele. This panel will hear from those restaurateurs who have taken the suburban plunge and will discuss everything from negotiating a lease for a strip or shopping mall location, to hiring and suburban customer behavior.

Moderators:
Jenna Webb, Client Manager, The Culinary Edge

Speakers:
Joe Hargrave, Founder/CEO, Tacolicious
Roland Passot, Owner, Left Bank Brasserie/ La Folie
Steve Zimmerman, President/CEO/Principal Broker, Restaurant Realty Company

Breakout #3 | Competing for the Food Dollar

Today’s culinary landscape is crowded. Traditional outlets like grocery stores and quick service chains are increasing their grab and go selections. Pop-ups, food trucks, carts, and meal kit delivery services seem to be everywhere. Even nontraditional competitors are becoming more popular such as department stores including food and beverage outlets in their concepts. How do we all compete for the same dollar? This panel will explore the growth in the trend of food as the new daily experience. We will look at what keeps customers coming back, where they find value and how convenience, overall experience and loyalty play a part in final decision making.

Moderator:
Mat Schuster, Chef/Owner, Canela Bistro & Bar

Speakers:
Josh Harris, Founder, The Bon Vivants + BV Hopsitality
Jacky Recchiuti, Co-founder and Creative Director, Recchiuti Confections
Justin Richardson, President, The City POS
Jeremy Threat, Founder, Shieldwall Consulting LLC

Closing Panel | Being Hospitable to Oneself: Mental Health & Work/Life Balance in the Hospitality Industry

Restaurants are community gathering places, where people come together to break bread with friends for dinner, holidays, weekends, and more. Working long hours, being away from family and friends at the precise times when they’re free, the overall pace of work, and more, attributes to the challenges of alcohol and drug addiction as well as other unhealthy and bad behaviors. This panel will explore how to find work/life balance and deal with mental health and addiction issues while working in the industry.

Moderator:
Carolyn Alburger, Eater Cities Director, Vox Media

Speakers:
Gabriel Barba, Learning & Development Director, Alta Group
Nicholas Cardé, Psy.D, Psychologist
Dennis Leary, Chef, Sentinel
Patrick Mulvaney, Chef/Owner, Mulvaney's B&L
Daniel Patterson, Founder, Alta Group

Networking | Off-Site Networking Reception at Credo